Jesse

he/him

5.0

(9)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

About Jesse

Hello, I'm Jesse! I have great memories of playing and GMing TTRPGs throughout my life, starting in 1999 as a child sitting in the RV that never moved from my friend’s driveway, making up half the rules to AD&D 2e and laughing together. I have been continuously running campaigns since 2012, including almost every kind of game and theme imaginable: newbie heroes saving a small town, prophesied saviors from across the multiverse attending a school for chosen ones, antiheroes scraping by in an uncaring galaxy, campy and wacky, intense and emotional, tactical, dramatic, political, dungeon crawls, published adventures, homebrew creations… I’ve also used many different systems, most commonly D&D 5e, but also 3.5, Pathfinder 1 & 2e, story forward indie games, rules-light systems, and more! I’ve been heavily involved in organized play in several TTRPGs–I was an organizer for a local store for several years, ran at conventions like San Diego Comic Con, DMed at D&D Live 2019, etc. Between the public and my friends, I have taught dozens and dozens of people to play. I’ve also run high level games for people playing since before I was born. Beginner and veteran friendly! Otherwise, I grew up on Long Island, and I've lived in Los Angeles since 2015. I'm politically leftist, and accepting of people as they are. Some nerdy favs: LotR, Episode V, Cowboy Bebop, Freiren, The First Law, Book of the New Sun, BG3, KotOR. I’m excited to run games for anyone looking to play TTRPGs! Banner Image by upklyak on freepik

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Knows the Rules, Inclusive, Creativity

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

it meant I could bring more people into the game! I really wanted to play these awesome games with my friends, and none of them wanted to run the game, so I had to. And I don't regret it! Some of the greatest experiences I've had are laughing while playing RPGs together.

My favorite books are

Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut The First Law series (et al), Joe Abercrombie Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe The Blacktongue Thief, Christopher Buehlman Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe Woman at Point Zero, Nawal al Saadawi Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

How Jesse runs games

The core tenets of my GM style can be summarized in the following points: An emphasis on a wide variety of interesting voices and personalities for non-player characters, from squeaky and silly goblins, rumbling and raging giants, arch and flamboyant nobles, to eerie and disturbing liches. A focus on collaboration and player empowerment, allowing for the players to engage with world building and driving the story as much as they would like (though I of course take the reins when appropriate and when the players aren’t interested or comfortable). In crunchier systems like Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder, a fairly close adherence to the rules as intended, unless homebrewed elements are needed/requested, or it greatly serves the story. I tend to know the rules intimately. Challenging but fair encounter design. In most campaigns I run, I prefer for the wins to feel earned by the players, though I’m happy to adjust the difficulty to player preference. As both player and GM, some of my favorite moments are when in high intensity moments, the outcome of events feels uncertain, but the party manages to pull through in the end. That being said, it is extremely rare for player characters in my campaigns to die–the tension will be real, but the challenges won't be beyond you. A balance of the different pillars of play (depending on the system)–-interesting and engaging roleplay, strategic and engaging encounters, and atmospheric and intriguing exploration.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

knowing all the rules intimately ahead of time :P Really though, I'm always open to being wrong, but it's usually best to keep the game moving by sticking to a ruling and evaluating later. I can look some things up quickly, but if it's complicated, let's discuss in a break or after the session.

My games focus on...

making sure that people are enjoying the experience. I love it when everyone at the table is laughing, when people cheer because a lucky critical hit saves the encounter that was looking dire, or are nearly moved to tears because of a deep emotional connection in the game.

Jesse's ideal table

My table is focused on having a good time with good people. We lock in on the story when things get tense or emotional, but we're making jokes and having a good time otherwise. During encounters we're ready when our turn comes, and not taking too long so that everyone is waiting on us. We care about our characters, and are invested in the story and the success of the party. We're willing to share the spotlight, and gracious and understanding of eachothers' foibles and faults, and working together to victory.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

does something unexpected but awesome. If it's something wacky that makes the whole table laugh, that's great. If it's something that changes our understanding of their character and makes us go "Woah," that's cool too. If it's a new spell or tactic in combat that turns the tide of battle, love it.

I think min/maxing...

is totally cool! As long as your character makes sense as a person, and you are okay with enemies that are going to challenge your mins as much as die to your maxes, we're chill.