Joe

he/him

5.0

(8)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

Identity

Podcaster

LGBTQ+

Queer

Hispanic/Latinx

Asian

Neurodivergent

Voice Actor

About Joe

Hello hello! I’m Joe and my passion for storytelling and performance has been a lifelong adventure. I got my start with character work roleplaying by post on online forums and while I was studying to become an actor, I was introduced to TTRPGs. I started with DnD 3.5e for a couple of years, took a break and got back into the hobby in 2021 to voraciously do as much as I can. I am most comfortable with “Rule of Cool” “Theater of the Mind” games like Monster of the Week, Orbital Blues, and The Wildsea, but I’m not afraid to break out a map and get gritty with it. I’ve run successful multi-year campaigns of Blades in the Dark, MotW, and Orbital Blues. At one point, I was running/playing in five games concurrently, so I’m definitely able to multitask and keep track of what’s going on. I’m a very active player in TTRPGs, as well, so I have plenty of experience on both sides of the table. Let’s while away the time and make some kickass stories together! I hope to see y’all at my table soon.

At a glance

3 years on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Storytelling, Creativity

Average response time: 6 hours

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I wanted to get people together and tell stories. There was a group of buddies I hadn't spoken to in a long time, so I messaged them and organized a game. That campaign ended up being multi-year long and I had such a fantastic time with it that I dove headfirst back into the hobby!

I got started GMing...

after my I broke my collarbone in undergrad. I went back to my dorm, went up to a couple people, and asked them to tighten my 8-brace. Then, I asked them about a curious looking book with a dragon on it. Over ten years later, here I am!

People are always surprised when I tell them

that I have aphantasia. I cannot imagine visuals, sounds, or tastes. I can recognize them if I've experienced them before, but it's all black when I close my eyes and try to imagine stuff. I like to think I'm still pretty bang on with some descriptions, though!

How Joe runs games

I am incredibly interested in characters and how they adapt, react, and interact with the story. I’m a very roleplay-heavy GM with an emphasis on curiosity about your character: “As the minotaur lowers her horns and charges at you, your breath catches in your throat—when was the last time your life was in such clear peril?” While I have some ideas about the world and certain descriptions I want to land, I want the worldbuilding process to be as collaborative as possible. I may say that your character can tell this guy’s a real jerk just from the way he talks to the bartender, but I’d love to hear from you what about that interaction reveals that information. My stories tend to start with a foundation that will react to the character’s actions—for better or worse. I strive to be as inclusive as possible, knowing that the sense of community that comes from gathering for a TTRPG is difficult to find anywhere else. My games also tend to be pretty gay, so buckle up, we’re goin’ readin’ at the library! In addition, I love Session 0s because they give everyone a chance to get on the same page with valuable safety tools and other big game decisions like genre, tone, and PvP.

Featured Prompts

I prep by

focusing on the first scene of the session and what information I'd like to give the players by the end of it. I often set up the first scene with character-specific questions that make worldbuilding a collaborative effort and then adapt to whatever the characters do with improvisation.

My games focus on...

characters and their narrative. I love me a crunchy fight as much as any other person, but what I'm really interested in is why people fight. What do they fight for? How do they make peace with what they have to do? I love learning about motivations and how they clash with the "reality" of the world

Rules are...

cool until they get in the way of fun! I'm into running things by the book, but if me or my table think of something super awesome we can add in, I love to improvise it out!

Joe's ideal table

People who don't feel afraid to ugly laugh so hard they snort or cry when they feel so invested in their characters' hardships. People who love their characters and want to see them grow. People who want to have a great time but don't blanch when things get serious. Queer and queer friendly folks who want to see queer NPCs live their best (and worst) lives. People who don't take themselves or their characters too seriously and have a set idea of exactly how they want their story to go with no deviations.

Featured Prompts

If you're into ___, you're going to love my table

the Scissor Sisters, WWE, or Shakespeare

I think min/maxing...

can be very fun because it feels good to play a character that's effective at what they do. But if it gets in the way of the story being challenging for that character or makes them rigidly only do the things they're good at, it hinders everyone's enjoyment of the game.

My table is not the place for...

fascists or homophobes or transphobes or anyone who sees someone havin' a good time not botherin' nobody and just has to try and destroy it somehow.