Mike
he/him
5.0
(2)
Timezone
Language
About Mike
I started playing role-playing games with my dad and some of his work friends in middle school. That was about 20 years ago. I have played Call of Cthulhu, D&D 3.5, 5e, and pathfinder 1e. I hope to bring a fun experience to everyone and introduce people to play more and more. My favorite system so far is 5e using some homebrew from Kobold Press and Grim Hallow however I have been expanding my gaming experience to other systems with everything that has been going on. I started looking to host games on StartPlaying to help fit my schedule as I work most weekends and have recently wanted to try DMing a wider audience.
At a glance
3 years on StartPlaying
9 games hosted
Highly rated for: Teacher, Storytelling, Creativity
Average response time: 24+ hours
Response rate: 100%
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
I love writing worlds and the surprises bring to the game
My favorite books are
His Dark Materials trilogy and Beka Cooper trilogy
My favorite shows/movies are
I have many favorites Jarassic Park 1, Castlevania, The Last of Us are some of them
How Mike runs games
I am a roleplay DM, I prefer complex games and usually go deep into making a campaign world alive as I can. I like to talk with my players and have the world be a part of their characters, I always want people to be comfortable in my games but I love darker themes and the fight for hope. I do not do Grimm Dark but Dark fantasy where hope is possible but has to be earned. Unfortunately I am not talented with character voices but I try to have the NPC come alive in personality.
Featured Prompts
I deal with rules issues by...
I go with a quick search and make a DM decision based on what I find and what I think will be the most fun. After the game, I will review the rules further and ask the group for their thoughts on my decision.
My games focus on...
Fun open world. We can focus on story arcs; however, you, the players, may at any time decide to move away from any story you choose.
Rules are...
Rules are there as a guidelines and are meant to inspire balance and style of the game
Mike's ideal table
I like to keep my worlds very interactive with lots of NPCs and items. I want everyone to feel included and having fun interacting with the world. I like my games to have complexity and creativity while trying to keep things simple for fast combat and gameplay. I usually balance this by having lots of freedom to interact during downtime while limiting player inventories/carrying capacity during combat and social interactions. Of course, I do make exceptions in some games that are meant to be light-hearted fun. I don't tolerate Main characters in my games unless the group agrees to allow it. I love both role play and combat in my games. using tactics, talking to NPCs, and treasure hunting (finding small shrines and side quests)
Featured Prompts
I think metagaming...
Metagaming is good to a degree. knowing a troll is weak to fire or knowing the ac is 16 on the enemy. however metagaming where an ally is while they are trying to sneak or are doing something away from the party is bad.
I think min/maxing...
Min-maxing is alright and even good as long there is an in-game reason for it and it doesn't steal the spotlight away from other players. I dislike Min-maxers who try to be good at everything
My table is not the place for...
Hate or God complexes.
Mike's Preferences
Game Mechanics