IvanGMT
he/him
5.0
(39)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About IvanGMT
Well met! I’ve been GM-ing since 2018, my storytelling style tends to be gritty, character-driven fantasy with enough humor to bring out the occasional laugh. I draw inspiration from writers like Joe Abercrombie and George R. R. Martin. I’m also influenced by video games such as The Witcher, Shadow of the Colossus, and Dragon Age: Origins. At my table, player freedom is at the core of the experience. I enjoy it when players test the limits of my imagination and push the story in unforeseen directions. I tend to return the favor by placing players in situations where they have to improvise on the fly, which can be both challenging and rewarding. If you enjoy that type of challenge, you’ll likely have a good time at my table. My goal is always to create a vivid theater-of-the-mind experience where players can unleash their creativity and leave with unforgettable stories. I favor theater-of-the-mind GM-ing because I want to mimic the feeling of a real-life table as closely as possible.
At a glance
1 year on StartPlaying
92 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Rule of Cool
$25 per session
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
It's the best thing
I got started GMing...
During the pandemic, a friend bought the module ''Tomb of Annihilation'' for D&D 5e. My group of friends never played TTRPG's and I wanted to run it for them. It was a great campaign, during uncertain times.
My favorite shows/movies are
• LotR trilogy • The Mummy (1999) • Dragonball
How IvanGMT runs games
I run sessions fully theater-of-the-mind. This keeps immersion front and center, creating a natural flow and strong momentum. Players in my games have true freedom of choice. You’re not limited to the options I initially describe - you can propose creative solutions and even add details to the world, almost like being a “micro-GM.” For example: GM: ''The thief you’re chasing climbs to a balcony some 40 feet high, there's a staircase leading up as well as a scaffolding left by whoever was refurbishing the outer walls. How do you pursue?'' PLAYER: ''The thief's too nimble, none of us can match her dexterity. There any trebuchet's nearby we could use to launch ourselves up instead?'' The more outlandish the idea, the harder it is to pull off, but the option is always there. This freedom of imagination is at the core of my games.
Featured Prompts
My games focus on...
Role-playing & immersion
IvanGMT's ideal table
I focus my games on character interaction and immersive role-play. I love hosting tables where players stay in-character, banter in-character, and build the world through their conversations. Regarding combat, I'm a big fan. I like to make use of the environment. There's almost always an opportunity to interact with your surroundings mid-fight to change the state of the battlefield/encounter. ''The party's fighting versus a rag-tag bunch of dock workers on a peer, where an exotic snake tamer keeps his most venomous & agile species caged''. What happens if we wreck the cages mid-fight?