Joe CS
he/him
5.0
(5)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Joe CS
I've been a GM for over 8 years, and have been blessed enough to run over 200 sessions in that time. I'm someone that places a lot of value in having a good time, and I want everyone to do so! I hope you like the profile pic, because I am a big believer in (at least me) having a webcam up during games. It allows my players to see the eccentric body language and expressions of NPCs and allows them the satisfaction of seeing my face fall as they utterly whomp me. I'm a game designer/writer by trade, and a storyteller by choice! I love it when the good guys win, when love, joy, and hope triumph, and -above all else- making stupid puns, and TTRPGs have always been the outlet of choice for all of those things happening AND letting things blow up along the way.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, World Builder
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
When our group's previous DM got too busy. I've always been a writer, and so I had a lot of ideas I wanted to try out. I jumped at the chance to share them with my friends, and I never looked back!
My favorite books are
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Paranesi by Susanna Clarke Harrow the Ninth by Tasmyn Muir
How Joe CS runs games
I onboarded MOST of the people I've GMed for into the hobby, so any new players out there, feel at ease! I'm an old hat at GMing new people in, and love the energy and creativity they bring! I personally find roleplay to be the most satisfying element of TTRPGs, and take a great deal of enjoyment in allowing the players to just develop an in-character bit, and run with it. All my players having fun is my top priority in a session, and if the main plot needs to wait for an hour, so be it. And if you ever have a rules question, just ask! Odds are, I know it. A wise man once said "If the queen could just hop to any space on the board, no one would be smart or cool for playing chess." I think that highlights a major aspect of my GMing style. I very much love playing by the rules, they serve as an honorable baseline so that when the players do something creative, or do something that makes the Rule of Cool/Funny kick in, it feels both special and earned! It's a triumph! I don't want the rules to get in the way of play, but I keep 'em on lock to ensure that they can be broken satisfactorily.
Featured Prompts
I deal with rules issues by...
Seeing what the rules as written have to say (if anything) and then based on that, and what is trying to be accomplished, making a judgment call, with players reserving the right to a retrial after session.
Joe CS's ideal table
My ideal table, like all good tables, contains multitudes. I love it when the table commits themselves to roleplay, and commits themselves to the logic of the world we share, but all in the service of a good time. The sort of player that lets jokes fly and laughs easily is ideal for me, but likewise so is the bookworm, the player that digs into all the lore, and remembers the NPC that the party met three sessions ago because they are now a recurring character. I think, ultimately, anyone who wants to tell a story that makes everyone feel lighter for having heard it, however it does so, is welcome and honored.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
Corrects me on a piece of lore, or uses a linguistic term that only makes sense in the setting. Really makes me feel like the campaign has come alive for them.
I think min/maxing...
Has its place in the world! Obviously people want to feel like they're the best at what they are doing, that's part of the fantasy! Also, it encourages team building! Your character's min is another character's max, so you work great together!