Errin

he/him

5.0

(5)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

About Errin

I’ve been GMing 5e for about 9 years now, mostly in long-running campaigns. My longest game ran just under five years, starting with a group of complete strangers and turning into something much bigger by the end. I’ve also helped a lot of new players get comfortable with the game and figure out how they like to play. The biggest thing I focus on is immersion. I care a lot about the world feeling believable and consistent, and about players feeling like they’re actually part of it, not just the heroes who automatically win. Success isn’t guaranteed in my games, and honestly, failure tends to make for better stories anyway. I don’t run strictly RAW. I care more about internal logic and how things would realistically play out, even in a magical setting. Not every fight has to end in death, and most creatures don’t actually want to die, so there are usually multiple ways out of a situation if you look for them. I run exclusively in Eberron because it allows for that kind of thinking. It avoids simple “this is good, this is evil” answers and supports a wide range of tones (intrigue, noir, adventure, even more cosmic ideas) without breaking the setting. At my table, players choose what matters. I’ll give you hooks, but you don’t have to take them. The world keeps moving either way, and your choices shape what happens next. I’m big on communication, working with players to build characters they actually connect with, and making sure everyone has space to engage at their own level.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Teacher

Featured Prompts

I got started GMing...

Out of necessity. I have many friends who were interested in D&D, but none wanted to start GMing. I took the first step and have never looked back.

My favorite books are

Stephen King's "Dark Tower" and Dean Koontz's "Odd Thomas" series are my absolute favorite. However, I do also love adventure and fantasy stories, such as the books by Kieth Baker that take place in Eberron!

How Errin runs games

My games are built around immersion and consistency first. I try to run a world that feels like it actually works, where actions have consequences and things behave in a believable way, even when magic is involved. I’m less interested in players “winning” and more interested in the story that comes out of what you choose to do, including when things go wrong. I don’t force a specific balance of roleplay, combat, or exploration. I give players hooks and let them decide what they care about. If you want intrigue, we’ll lean into that. If you want fights, they’ll be there but they won’t always be clean or necessary. Most things in the world don’t want to die, so there are usually multiple ways to approach a situation. Combat, when it happens, is meant to feel grounded and high-stakes. Enemies behave like they value their lives, not like they’re waiting to be cleared out of a room. I’m not strictly RAW. I care more about internal logic and consistency than perfect rules adherence, though I’ll always explain why something works the way it does. I also use some house rules to smooth things out where needed.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

Healthy discussion and thorough investigation, ultimately honing in on what will be the most consistent with balance and physics.

My games focus on...

The story and adventure created through play.

Rules are...

A great scaffolding to build a cohesive and compelling world. However, what is written is not all there is, and improvements can always be made!

Errin's ideal table

At my tables, I put an emphasis on building a believable character over building a powerful character and living that character authentically. I love getting immersed in the stories that players create and working them into the world we are playing in. I don't mind using tropes, like the orphan rogue loner or the edgy warlock with amnesia, or even multi-classing for interesting combinations, but I will always work with you extensively to make the character make sense and fit into the world in a way that makes you comfortable playing them. For instance, if you want to play a Paladin/Warlock multi-class, we need to iron out why exactly your Deity allows you powers while you simultaneously gain powers from another patron. This can be as easy as being a Celestial Warlock and having your deity be your patron as well, but I will always push to make things like this make sense and be explicable.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Feels comfortable living the character.

I think metagaming...

Has no place at my table. There are very few exceptions, but I will generally call it out when I notice and we will talk through it.

I think min/maxing...

Is fine AS LONG AS it makes sense in the world and comes secondary to making a compelling character. If a player is starting from a place of being powerful, when creating a character, I will be sure to put an emphasis on the character creation.