Ian (he/him)
5.0
(12)
2 years on StartPlaying
12 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Knows the Rules
About me
I'm Ian, an engineer, swing dancer, and game master. I've been GMing since I was a kid, running games for friends with only the loosest understanding of the rules. Started seriously GMing when D&D Fifth Edition released, taking over an existing campaign after the DM dropped. I've DMed regular campaigns ever since, and branched out into more and more systems. The RPG hobby for me has always been a great pastime, a way to have fun, meet people, and maintain friendships. Despite my social circle being scattered around the world, we can still manage to sync up for our weekly game of D&D. I play and run D&D 5e, FATE (Core, Accelerated, Dresden Files RPG), and Dread. Though you'll unfortunately never see the last one on here. I know the ins and outs of hosting an online game with over 4000 hours on Roll20. https://app.roll20.net/users/1732755/ian
GM Style
I love to introduce new players to the hobby and am happy to provide guidance to anyone who needs it. I am happy to emphasize the "Roleplay" element of tabletop RPGs, it's why we're here isn't it? Expect a world and characters you can extensively interact with, and the ability to choose your own direction. I try to run games that take advantage of the strengths of a system. If we are in a D&D 5e game, you can expect tactical combat on a battlemap. If we are using FATE Accelerated, expect a much more social and investigative game. I am a strong believer in the idea that fun matters more than rules, but that the rules exist for a reason too. The rules are a contract I make with you. You can trust me to always run an attack, a save, a spell, and so on the same way. You can rely on that when you are planning out how you want to play your character, or what approach to use in a difficult boss fight. That said, I will also bend rules for player fun. My answer to "Can I jump off this rock and pierce my sword into the monster's head" will be "Hell yes you can." We will figure out what you need to roll. Most important of all, I try to cater my campaigns to what the players will find the most fun and engaging, and am very grateful for feedback.
Games played
Game Master Reviews (12)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Storytelling
Creativity
Knows the Rules
Tim C
Played 5 sessions
It was hard to pick three best tags because there are so many Ian does incredibly well. I joined one of his early one shots that he was doing to build an audience on startplaying. The four of us had such a great time that all of us carried on into a short paid campaign and now are planning to continue for a longer campaign. That 100% sign-up rate is unheard of. Ian has a way of coming into the foreground at appropriate times to give beautiful setting descriptions or powerful monster actions. Other times he fades to the background and lets players shine through extensive banter and RP. Few DMs do this well. I have played multiple entire sessions with Ian while feeling everything he said added to the plot and that he never cut off or hindered an opportunity for players to RP. When my wife and I wanted to play our first game together in over a year (we have a young child and take turns watching him) I picked Ian from among all my favourite DMs and asked him to DM. He picked out a beautiful valentine's day themed adventure that I'm greatly looking forwards to.
Lexy
Played 4 sessions
Ian made it fun and interactive. Had a blast with the different aspects of the game and made me want to know more. This is definitely a GM I wouldn't mind playing with long term.
Deep
Played 4 sessions
I had a lot of fun playing with Ian and the gang playing the Sorrow of the Sand Lord one-shot. It was amazingly fun. There was a lot of very detailed artwork and voice work that made the campaign a lot of fun for us all. Would love to play more campaigns with Ian and probably will.
Brett
Played 3 sessions
Had a fantastic time with this DM! they came well prepared and were willing to work with us who hadn't used Roll20 before. Games had a lot of depth and overall had a wonderful experience. Highly recommend this DM to anybody looking to play as i will definitely be coming back!
Jessica
Played 1 sessions
Ian was great. He was especially helpful and patient walking me through using a new program as a first time player online. He ran a fun adventure, and I would definitely recommend Ian as a DM for anybody just learning. He picked a cool adventure, too, for the one-shot he ran. Lots of interesting elements.
Joshua
Played 1 sessions
It was short but felt dense with story and combat.
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