Fungeon Master Justin

he/him

5.0

(30)

Timezone

America/vancouver

Identity

DMs Guild Writer

About Fungeon Master Justin

Greetings Adventurers and fellow DMs! I'm your friendly GM/DM Justin Donie, known here as Fungeon Master Justin. I specialize in D&D5e games for parties ranging in size from 1 to 12 people (1-6 online, 1-12 in person), with ideal party sizes ranging from 3 to 5 players, comfortably managing an eight-person campaign at the moment. I've run over 700 D&D/RPG sessions in my 40+ years of playing (590+ of those in D&D 5e in the last 10 years), including a good mix of in-person and remote sessions of D&D (AD&D, 2e, 3e, 5e), Star Trek, Star Wars, Shadow Run, and other RPGs, but my focus is definitely D&D. I was fortunate to spend over 10 years working at Wizards of the Coast, and while I was there I got the chance to write the D&D Adventurers League module 09-03 Hungry Shadows (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Hungry_Shadows) and to be a contributing writer to Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. I offer a range of session type and length options including One-Shots (2-3 and 4-5 hours), Marathon One-Shots (5-6 and 7-8 hours) and Campaigns with serial 1-2 hour or 3-4 hour episodes. In addition to the One-Shots and Campaigns I currently offer, feel free to message me about doing a Custom One-Shot for you and your party! I enjoy running both published content and my own homebrew one-shots and campaigns. I am available for both private individual/group events as well as public events, and if you'd like me to run something you've written, I'm open to discussing that too! Please see my GM Style notes for more information about me and what I do! PARTY COMPOSITION: Recognizing that you might be contacting me as an individual looking to play in a game OR as one person representing a group of people who want to play together, please mention in your contact whether you are looking only for 1 slot for yourself or if you have friends who are planning to join the same scheduled event. I normally only run Neutral and Good characters, but I will run Evil's IF the group playing the Adventure agrees to it and we discuss play style well before game time. So if you want to play an evil character, please contact me before booking. SPECIAL REQUESTS: It's always OK to ask me about shifting dates, times, player counts, etc. to better suit your purposes. If I can make it work from my end, I'll be happy to do so!

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

154 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, Rule of Cool

Average response time: 3 hours

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

... being a GM allows me to do so many of the things I love to do all at once, together, in a coordinated creative effort that I'm privileged to share with fun and interesting people who enjoy so many of the same interests and passions!

My favorite system of all Time is

... Dungeons & Dragons. My experience of D&D since beginning play in 1984 has been one of increasing enjoyment. D&D's community of creators, DMs, and Players makes it an irresistible universe for creating and sharing fun times with great people.

When I'm not running games I'm...

... enjoying time with my family, taking nature walks and hiking, enjoying photography, reading, creative writing, and watching British mysteries. :)

How Fungeon Master Justin runs games

I enjoy running D&D games (for 1 to 6 players online, and 1 to 12 in person) that balance adventure, mystery, exploration, excitement, danger, NPC interaction, and combat sufficient to satisfy the group's preferences (some prefer a lot, some very little, and I'm cool with that), and ALWAYS plenty of laughs. If you want a dark and serious game, I'm up for that too, provided the story is one I can get into. My #1 goal is always for everyone to have a great time! SESSION DURATIONS I'm OK with session durations ranging from short episodes of 1 hour all the way up to marathon sessions of up to 6 or 8 hours, though the latter take more pre-planning and coordination. My $$ rates are shown below under RATES. PLAY SYLE I try to customize my GM/DM style to the preferences of the group as much as possible, and I encourage each player to approach the game in the way that is the most fun for them while respecting the enjoyment of the rest of the group. I prefer games with a compelling storyline, but a good dungeon crawl can also be a blast. BOOKS/MODULES/HOME-BREW I am happy running both prepared game modules/books or my own custom sessions/campaigns, with a slight preference for homebrew as it allows me to express my creativity a bit more. If you have a specific adventure you want me to run for you, just let me know and we'll talk it over, including something you've written yourself. RATES I offer a range of options so you can choose what best suits your needs and preferences. ONE-SHOTS One-Shots are played as a single Play-Session and are charged at the following selectable rates (you decide how long you want to play). If you want a one-shot more than 4 hours long, please see MARATHONS below. 1.0-3.0 Hours - $20.00/person (We stop play after 2.25 hours at most) 3.0-4.0 Hours - $30.00/person (We stop play after 4.25 hours at most) MARATHONS Marathons are one-shots that last more than 4 hours at either of the following selectable lengths. 5.0-6.0 Hours - $35.00/person (We stop play after 6.25 hours at most) 7.0-8.0 Hours - $40.00/person (We stop play after 8.25 hours at most) CAMPAIGNS Campaigns are played as multiple Play-Sessions of selectable duration, with each play-session paid for separately. Play Session 1.0-3.0 Hours/Session - $20/person/session Play Session 3.0-4.0 Hours/Session - $30/person/session Campaigns are not available at play-sessions longer than 4 hours. GAME PREP I spend at least as much time on game prep as I spend running the game itself (often 2 or 3 times as much). I enjoy providing in-game hands outs and always send out illustrated post-game notes after each session. FREE SESSION ZERO When first engaging with a new group, I prefer to run 2 forms of session zero (easily combined into one session), the first focused on "what sort of experience is the group looking for" (including must-haves, and must-nots, etc.) and the second focused on spinning up characters that will make for a fun and compelling group. And yes, Session Zero is free. :) D&D BEYOND BOOKS: I use D&D Beyond and have full access to all books and materials there. CHARACTER SHEETS: Participants in my play sessions are expected to create characters in D&D Beyond and attach them to a campaign link which I provide with your session invitation material. MAPS: I use the D&D Beyond 2d Maps/VTT tool as part of our play sessions wherever possible, and if a module involves visual elements that can't be uploaded to the Maps tool, I have my own map visualizer that can be used with Zoom. I use a mix of images and maps I've created myself along with credited content from other creators (map and image credits always included in the notes). ZOOM/DISCORD I prefer Zoom for virtual play, but also support play in Discord in a pinch. I can and have done sessions in MS Teams as well, but I'm not using it at present. If you require Teams, let's talk. ROLE PLAY I enjoy roleplay in-game and I love doing character voices, but I realize that different players and groups have different preferences when it comes to these game elements, and in that regard I'm 100% flexible. It's all about working within what makes sense for the group and having a great time together. REALMS In addition to D&D, I have experience with Star Trek RPG, Star Wars RPG, Shadow Run, and GURPS, but I don't currently have materials for these. VIRTUAL/REMOTE/IN-PERSON As I mentioned in my intro, I have a great mix of experience running both in-person and remote/virtual games (hundreds of each), so I'm very comfortable with both formats of play. I offer in-person games without a travel charge if the meeting location is closer than 40 miles or less than 1 hour from Federal Way, WA. Greater distances/times are possible if the group will pay for transportation (gas and ferry if needed, gas at $.20/mile). It's always OK to message me with questions! Happy adventuring!

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

... looking at the situation that has arisen and asking myself questions like "what feels fair and reasonable, here, given all we know", and "what makes sense, when it comes to what's logical and what feels appropriate", and "does what the rule suggests make sense to what's happening in the scene?".

My games focus on...

... immersive engagement in an interesting and fun story that pulls players into the action and leaves them hungry for more. And more. And more. ;)

Rules are...

... the structure that gives the game some consistency and some boundaries, but the game doesn't exist for the rules, the rules exist to support the fun and enjoyment of playing. My focus is always "what was the INTENT of this rule, and what would be consistent with that intention?".

Fungeon Master Justin's ideal table

Having hosted over 600 games, I feel comfortable with a wide range of tables, from total beginners to highly experienced players, with table sizes ranging from 1 to as many as a dozen players. It always depends on what works for the people around the table. As long as there's mutual respect and a passion for shared fun, I'm sure we'll have a great time. If you want to know what players think of my sessions, check out the reviews here on Start Playing Games. :)

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

... light-hearted, mutually respectful at all times, committed to shared fun, imaginative, and passionate for the game. Sharing moments that range from darkly serious to silly and fun, I love the broad and rich continuum of energies that D&D brings out of all of us.

I love it when a player

... relaxes into their character, allows their creativity to flow, shares their energy with the party, and creates fun moments for themselves and for the rest of the table.

My perfect party mix is

... a table of mutually respectful players who love sharing moments of drama and comedy, together. I always look forward to playing with this kind of party. It's irresistible fun!