Ethan Carrier

he/him

5.0

(5)

Timezone

America/indiana/indianapolis

Language

English

About Ethan Carrier

My name is Ethan. By day I masquerade as a less-than mild mannered accountant with a penchant for funny voices, convoluted and overimagined explanations for mundane problems, and dad jokes. When night falls... I still do all of those things, except the accounting. I was introduced to D&D 3e as a child and have been hooked on TTRPGs of all kinds ever since, from D&D to Marvel Multiverse, Pathfinder to Mork Borg, and Mutants and Masterminds to Call of Cthulhu. Each game has its own flare and place where it shines, but I've found that no matter the system, so long as one is willing to invest oneself in a game, there is no more enjoyable way to socialize or spend time with friends. For the past 8 years as a GM, I have strived to assist and encourage my players - friends and strangers, new players and veterans - to engage with the games I run, and I have been successful. My experience GMing has taught me much, but foremost among those lessons are these: there is no such thing as a prewritten adventure, rules are there to structure games rather than restrict them, let the players cook, and the GM is a supporting actor rather than a director or author.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Beginner Friendly, Knows the Rules, Voices

$20 per session

Featured Prompts

My favorite system of all Time is

Call of Cthulhu, hands down. The system is simple enough for roleplay and creativity to take center stage, while still maintaining a structured framework. I also love the theme of average people striving against unknowable horrors and dangers beyond them.

How Ethan Carrier runs games

My games are player driven, narrative focused, and spontaneous. The players write the story with their choices, and my job is only to be the 'Yes and'-er and 'No but'-er in chief. Before running a new system, I learn the rules well enough to understand their spirit so as to better know when to bend or break those rules to enhance player enjoyment and immersion, and when to stand by the rules to maintain structure. I enjoy running roleplay heavy games, where character abilities enhance player interaction rather than replace it, and players feel empowered to creatively push the limits of what their characters can do. In general, I prefer theater of the mind, but I do not hesitate to roll out the battle maps for more tactical games like Pathfinder. Player choices matter in my games, and I pride myself on my ability to improvise, whether to complement the infinite number of ways in which players can derail a game for the better, to energize a game that has stalled, or to incorporate a player who is having difficulty finding their voice in the game. I like to do voices and accents, and often choose to describe a scene or character rather than present images or visual media. Above all, I run games that are immersive, interactive, and a vehicle for creativity.

Featured Prompts

My games focus on...

Player choices and the consequences of their actions. My games are not novels with a predetermined ending. They are stories in which the players are active and impactful co-authors... sometimes, of their own demise... cue the maniacal laughter.