Nathan Hirsh (he/him)
5.0
(7)
3 years on StartPlaying
About me
Hello everyone, my name is Nathan Hirsh and I've been a Game Master since 2012. My roots are in 3.5/Pathfinder and the Fate system, but my earliest RPG experiences were marathon labor day weekend sessions through college and playtest games for homebrew systems that had me hooked on RPG's from day 1. My personal favorite system is 5e DND because it gives me so many tools to say yes to players and all the absolute shenanigans they want to pull off. It is by far the RPG I have the most experience with. However, I am currently up to date on Pathfinder 2E, Fate, Powered by the Apocalypse, Lancer, and Tales From the Loop, and can dust off my manuals for countless other systems. I am most comfortable DM'ing in person and willing to hold in person games in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and surrounding region, but am very comfortable using Roll 20, Fantasy Grounds, Foundry VTT, and Talespire to run games anywhere and everywhere. I have full memberships on all of those platforms and can host with all features and access to a huge library of tools and toys to enhance your play experience. As a Full Time GM, your story is my job from day 1 to campaigns end. I hold session 0's before any game to help understand the tales you want to tell and get everyone on the same page as far as what kinds of characters they want to play. That will include discussions about what platform we play on and expectations about everything from in game short rests to real life scheduling expectations. Doing this helps to ensure your investment in your characters doesnt go to waste when one players life gets hectic and keeps the story moving in a direction that is exciting and comfortable for everyone involved. Feel free to contact me through Start Playing with requests for everything from Session 0's and one shots to full campaigns or marathon multi day sessions. If you're here through one of my posted campaigns, I currently have open availability to schedule one of those campaigns or something from scratch at a time that might be more convenient for you. Don't hesitate to reach out, with questions or requests, and to everyone I wish your crits be confirmed and your calendars always aligned to be at the table.
GM Style
My job is to be flexible to what is the most fun for you, but I stick to my strengths. I have a background in public speaking, theater, and an English degree gathering dust somewhere. All of that experience allows me to be flexible to the story we're telling together. Sometimes that means crunch and battle maps, dice and violence. Other times that means a whole session without a single roll but for the mother of all persuasion checks after 3 hours of rp. I try to inject games with a wide variety of characters and put time into the ones that catch your parties eye. I like to reward effort put into long backstories, but see a character with little to no backstory as an opportunity to shape and grow with someone in real time at the table.
Games played
Game platforms used
Game Master Reviews (7)
Gobblin8
Nathan is one of my favorite DMs of all time. He's really good at adapting the game to the players at his table. If he's running for a table of crunch-lovers, he's great at creating fun and tactically interesting combat. If he's running for players who are more interested in RP and story, he creates dynamic characters and pulls the player's backstories into the story in really awesome ways. And if you're into both of those things, congrats! You just found your new favorite DM.
Blake
Nathan is an excellent, thoughtful DM who balances an excellently planned world with an open, sandbox-like play style. He never says "no" to a player's choices, and is consistent and creative in how he runs with his players' choices. Anyone who want a DM who knows the rules like the back of his hand and works with his players to have the sort of fun they're looking for will love to play with Nathan Hirsh.
David
I've played with and under Nathan for a few years now, wether it was my first time playing 5e several years ago, or in his westmarches game a couple years back. Nathan is an excellent GM with tons of experience. He's great at creating large open worlds with dangerous threats to be explored, saying yes to the players and their hair-brained schemes, and having a great and thorough understanding of published adventures, backwards and forwards. My favorite part of Nathan's DM style is his pacing. He's always ready to move to the next thing with the players, as well as let them sit and roleplay if that necessary. But he's great at moving things forward and keeping them exciting. No languishing in a dungeon for 12 sessions or wandering around town for 4 sessions before getting into the next quest. I think you can't go wrong with having Nathan run a campaign or adventure for you. He's incredibly kind, intelligent, creative and also pro-player.
Travis Travis Travis
Nathan has a varied and flexible game style that can be adapted to the specific goals and styles of most parties. He's fantastic with managing the building of tension, roleplaying characters, and with producing exciting and time-effective combats. He's equally as comfortable running a dungeon-crawl loot-fest as he is a character development and roleplay heavy intrigue game.
Jonelise Burdick-Levang
Nathan is a thoughtful, talented, and engaging GM that puts player experience and quality storytelling first. I've played in many of his games over the years- this is someone who brings many incredible ideas to the table while staying tuned in to what his players are looking for. Whether you're looking for a short quest and a few sessions or a drawn out story with loads of character development, you're going to have a good time. Couldn't recommend this guy enough.
Robert Mitchell
Nathan is a phenomenal DM that always builds his games to optimize players' desires into their most fun and fulfilling version. I have been in over 10 games with Nathan over 6 years, spanning one shots to week-long marathons to multi-year campaigns, and in every scenario he always creates a fun, welcoming, and inspiring environment for everyone at the table. Nathan is kind, caring, and incredibly creative. His voice acting is also surprisingly good. Could not recommend him more as a DM.
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