Big Justin

he/him

5.0

(8)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

Identity

Podcaster

Black

Published Writer

About Big Justin

I've been playing D&D since I was a little kid, introduced by my godbrother and his friends -- and I've never looked back. Now, I write my own hardboiled fantasy webcomic, HUNTER BLACK, in addition to comics and cartoons like Sonic Prime, Ben 10, and Avengers Assemble. Once VTTs and Skype/Zoom/Discord became easy tools to use, I started playing again with my friends from back in the day -- as well as new friends made in my career as a writer of comics and cartoons. I write fantasy for a living (Hunter Black is deeply influenced by my old games)...and there's no such thing as too much D&D. (My wife will be way more tolerant of the hobby if I'm doing it professionally!) I've played other RPGs but D&D is the one that has hold of my heart. I try to create run games the way that I write stories -- I want them to be character-driven while also driving those characters to acts of heroism. My goal with my players is the same one I have with my audience -- to make them feel something.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

12 games hosted

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Storytelling, Creativity

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

THE LEGACY OF HEOROT by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo Anything by Darwyn Cooke And of course, I know so much LOTR minutia that it would have kept you from dating me in high school.

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

...writing comics and cartoons. I'm the co-creator of the hardboiled fantasy webcomic HUNTER BLACK, I wrote FANTASTIC FOUR FOR DUMMIES, and I've written for shows like SONIC PRIME, MEGA MAN FULLY CHARGED, BEN 10, and AVENGERS ASSEMBLE. (Also husbanding. Lots and lots of husbanding.)

How Big Justin runs games

My games tend to reward immersion -- the more in tune with the setting player is, the more they'll tend to get out of it. I love to create opportunities to role play -- but only opportunities. The player have to seize those moments and run with them. If the players like, I can minimize the meta. Maybe death saves will be rolled in private, so the remaining players can't plan around your successes. Maybe you don't know the results of your Perception check...you only know what I tell you. (I would never force this kind of play on a group -- but it's an option.) I love to make sure that a player's choices in character creation pay off -- if you chose to be proficient in Nature, that's gonna come up at some point. I love tough fights. I love it when the party thinks that they might lose. I love when players have to think about their spell slots or their Focus Points or how many uses of Channel Divinity they have left. I love games where the stakes are both high and personal. The world might not always be at stake, but maybe YOUR world is! Also, I love Carrion Crawlers.

Featured Prompts

My favorite trope is...

...probably something or someone being "not what they appear." I've always wanted to run a game where an NPC is revealed to be a polymorphed dragon! (But that won't happen in this game...or will it?) Also, I love Carrion Crawlers. Are they a trope?

My games focus on...

...exploration, social interaction, and FIGHTING! This might seem a cop-out, because these are kind of the three pillars of D&D, but I really believe in them. Not every kind of jeopardy is physical and not every character's strength is combat. I like to give every character a chance to shine.

Big Justin's ideal table

I'm Gen X -- and we play a little rough. My games are predicated on the notion that people want to play heroes -- to overcome incredible odds, to make great sacrifices, and to place their lives on the line. I like a high stakes game -- emphasis on the GAME. I like to have -- and poke -- fun because that's what D&D is supposed to be...FUN. I never want to be mean-spirited, I've traditionally played D&D with my friends and I try to gear both the game and the fun in the direction of the players. I never want anyone to feel unwelcome or disrespected. I want to us to laugh at ourselves and each other -- I also want us to feel the thrill of victory and gut punch of loss. I want to capture the feeling given by reading a great book or watching a great movie. I want to run a game that falls somewhere between BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA and THE 13TH WARRIOR. My games are best for players who really love their characters -- and love putting those characters at risk. My players take the game seriously -- but not necessarily themselves. I encourage a little smack-talk -- it's fun to make bold declarations and succeed wildly...and it's just as much fun to crash and burn.

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

...going to make me laugh. I love to laugh. Not that I want the game to comedy, because I definitely don't. But I want us all to leave the table DELIGHTED.

I love it when a player

...forces me to think on my feet. Surprise me. Don't get me wrong -- I'm creating a story FOR YOU...and I hope you'll go on that journey with me. I just hope you'll also throw some short cuts -- or long ways around -- at me on the way.

My table is not the place for...

...players to be cruel to each other. This is a game and we're here to have fun and you shouldn't take it too seriously. Your character's goals will never be more important than another PLAYER's goal -- which is to have a good time.