

Joseph Russ (he/him)
5.0
(7)
4 years on StartPlaying
About me
I love this game! I've been GMing since high school and I've been running a campaign professionally for the past 6 months. I run long-running, story-driven games where Players' decisions matter and your choices change the world.
GM Style
My players are empowered to make their own choices. You will be able to advance through combat, roleplay, skills, and puzzle-solving through most encounters. I also adjust to players during preparation and Session 0. It's up to you! I tend to run story-driven games, where your choices matter. I do varied voices for all NPCs, keep the game moving during combat, and sometimes revisit obscure or unclear rulings in future sessions to improve the game and keep it flowing. It's about making sure everyone is having fun, whatever that means to each group!
Games played
Game platforms used
Game Master Reviews (7)
I've been playing DnD for over twelve years now and Joseph is hands down the best DM I've ever had. No DM I've ever encountered has ever put as much work and detail into their world as Joey does. From the maps he makes, to the vast amount of characters he has created, the vastness and complexity of the world has left us the wonderful opportunity to really explore and discover. Rashly my group entered this world like it was any old DND campaign, and we quickly found that things are not so black and white, good vs evil, with Joey. Thrusting us into murky moral dilemmas that challenged the bonds of our party. Do we return the dangerous but wrongly experimented on magical creatures to the University or risk making a powerful enemy and possibly endanger the public? The freedom Joey gives the players is amazing, whatever we want to do, no matter how out of the blue, Joey will roll with it, and improvises like a true bard if need be. What's truly best about Joey though is that he makes the game fun and relaxed. He adds good doses of humor, excitement, and stress. If he has to make something up on the spot you won't even notice it, and my guess is it happens rarely because of how flushed out the worlds he makes are. (Also, he knows the rules inside out, and can be flexible with them so that they never feel unreasonably constraining.)
Joey is by far the best dungeon master I've played with. He does a good mix of both puzzle type challenges as well as tricky combats. He puts a lot of effort into his NPCs, many of which are full out player characters with interesting feats and fighting styles. The challenges are diverse enough such that everyone in the party has a chance to shine, so no one feels particularly overpowered or more fun than others. Story wise I've found the world Joey has made super compelling. It's very fleshed out with many neighboring regions and competing powers. The story is rarely straightforward; there are often tricky choices to make, no option for which is obviously right. Joey adds many twists which keeps us on our toes when making decisions. He’s also very quick on his feet if we’ve chosen something he hasn’t planned for. Joey is also very accommodating in working in player side plots to the main story line; it feels like everyone’s character is progressing in their own goals as the group progresses together. I can’t recommend Joey more. He’s a great human being and GM.
My experience with Joey has be super refreshing so far! As a noob/rusty player, I've needed a lot of guidance getting into the swing of things in my first few sessions, and I'm relieved to be able to receive patient and detailed advice from my GM. It's exciting to join my old high school friends (who have quite a bit more experience playing D&D), and to be an important, contributing member of the team. Without a calm, caring GM who's willing to go the extra mile, it wouldn't be even worth trying to play. Now I just have to convince my friends to stop having busy lives so we can play more! Lol
Joey is an exceptional dungeon master who I cannot recommend highly enough (especially as a former dm myself). He excels at developing and tailoring a world, story and adventure to suit the individual wants and aims of his players, and is able to both improvise and prepare sessions in a way that feels dynamic and makes the world come alive. He is able to design encounters in a manner that can be tuned to the power level of his party, and playing with him never feel transactional - he is happy to take extra time to wrap up a session, and makes himself available for feedback or discussions about campaign ideas, character direction, or even rules tweaks so you can have the perfect game. Overall, if you want a rich, immersive storytelling experience with fantastic voice acting, thoughtful characterizations, and a detailed and dynamic plot that truly responds to your decisions, you cannot do better than having Joey DM your campaign. Best, Chris
I first started playing with Joseph in college where I was both introduced to D&D and got to participate in a 4 year multi campaign arc. He did a great job responding to the desires of the players in terms of both story content and play style. He is able to create an interesting world to explore in the off hours, and, when in game, he has the improv range and open-mindedness to really give the players the reins to their own experience. I'm sure he would be great for any adventurers new and old looking for a fun campaign; he is continually my gold standard for DMing.
Joey is hands-down the best DM I've had the pleasure of playing DnD with! He puts a lot of energy and time into creating a deep world, fleshing out characters and their motivations to present players with truly engaging plots and difficult decisions. We're doing a role-playing heavy, city-based campaign, and it's amazing how much there is for us to do to influence events around us. Joey even made spreadsheets detailing the backgrounds, training, and personalities of 30+ members of an organization we started, as well as a document detailing the philosophies of great thinkers in the regions around us! We were able to work with Joey to really customize our experience in a way I've never been able to do in the past, which is one of many things that make us excited to come back to the virtual table week after week!
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