Zachary
5.0
(3)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Zachary
Crafting stories and storytelling have been passions of mine for as long as I can remember. Throw in getting hooked on improv in college, falling in love with RPGs wasn't far off.
At a glance
4 years on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Storytelling, World Builder, Creativity
$30 per session
Featured Prompts
I started running games because...
I read the Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien. His beautiful worldbuilding in that set a fire in me that I haven't been able to satisfy yet!
My favorite books are
The Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks, where magic is drawn from the colors in the world around you; the Silmarillion, the one which inspired me to start worldbuilding and DMing; and the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, where woodland creatures work together to fight evil and eat grand feasts!
My favorite system of all Time is
For an extra narrative focus, Blades in the Dark. It's simple and flexible to be almost totally improvised, but has enough structure to support a whole campaign and be interesting and engaging from session to session. However, I'll always be partial to D&D 5e. Come on, who doesn't love Fireball...
How Zachary runs games
I'm an experienced Dungeons & Dragons player and Dungeon Master, specializing in D&D 5/5.5e and Blades in the Dark. For two years, I ran a low-homebrew, virtual Blades in the Dark campaign with an emphasis on improvised storytelling. Over the last two years I have been running a high-homebrew D&D 5/5.5e campaign for a party of four/five players that has included more crossover between planning, outlining, and improvisation. I love responding to player decisions as the world and NPCs while also ensuring the game stays fun (just because the world should respond by immediately throwing the party in jail doesn't mean that's a fun experience for every group of players). Things can be as custom/flexible or by-the-book as you want. Style is very adaptable. You want an emphasis on grit and tactics? I got you. You want an emphasis on roleplay and scene work where you can talk yourself out of any situation? I got you. Don't worry if you're new to your game! The players I regularly DM for range from having played less than 10 sessions in their entire lives to having lots of experience. Part of my enjoyment comes from helping people understand the game! We'll play using Roll20 for world reference and Discord, with D&D Beyond for character sheets. I love when the plan goes totally awry and I get to improvise something completely unexpected. My voices aren't necessarily great, but that doesn't keep me from doing them! Ultimately, my goal for each session is for everyone to have fun. That naturally looks different between groups of players and individual players and sometimes includes mediating in games. Don't worry, making sure everyone is included as much as they want in the way they want is part of what I enjoy about DMing! Come on by and let's tell some stories together!
Featured Prompts
If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...
My main D&D campaign that I've been running for two years would more than likely be directed by the guys from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but I like to think my Blades in the Dark campaigns lean a bit more towards Guy Ritchie or Martin McDonagh.
Rules are...
Rules are meant to facilitate a fair and enjoyable play experience. They should generally be followed because otherwise why are we playing with this system, but if they get in the way of something cool, I think it's worth bending them every now and then ;)
When it comes to voices
I commit. They're not great, but I commit.
Zachary's ideal table
My ideal table is full of players who want to play the game and have fun with the others at the table. This may look different from person to person. Some players may want to play the character part of the game and be less interested in combat. That's okay! Just try to stay attentive during the parts that are a bit more mathy. Some players may want to minmax their characters and focus intently on rules wording and tactics. That's okay! Just remember that it's ultimately a game and we're all here to have fun together.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
Makes a bold choice. Narratively or tactically, I like to reward exciting choices.
I think min/maxing...
Is perfectly appropriate as long as you know that it's a game and that the DM can minmax too... also make sure the other players are fine with it.
My table is not the place for...
Solo main characters (unless of course it's a solo campaign). You're all there to be part of each others' stories. If someone is having their moment in the sun, let them have it. You'll have yours too!
Zachary's Preferences
Game Mechanics