Josh

any/all

5.0

(10)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

LGBTQ+

Queer

Voice Actor

About Josh

Looking for immersive games, well-woven stories, and a guide through the manifold worlds of story hidden within your very own mind? Look no further wanderer… Hello All! I’m Josh! I’m a Midwest based DM, MC, GM, and general enjoyer of running TTRPG’s. I run the gamut from cozy combat-lite/combat-free games to lethal horror games. I love running for all levels of player curating games to challenge advanced players and curating experiences for those dipping their toes into a game system for the first time. I have been a gamemaster for 8 years! Much of that time has been spent bouncing between running long-term campaigns for primarily experienced players and running one-shots and limited-term campaigns for beginners. I believe that storytelling has the power to build community and forge a sense of togetherness. Storytelling is an act of collaboration, collectivism, and community-building, which is enriched by uniting through empathy, and curating a space where all stories are welcomed and given voice. Outside GM-ing, I spend much of my time as a playwright and theatre-maker. I use the skills from that aspect of my life to enrich gameplay including, graphics, projections, soundscapes, effects, character materials, and occasional costuming or physical props. Anything that serves to build a better story together! We all have stories to tell, and I cannot wait to hear yours. See you at the table!!

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

5 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

My favorite fantasy books growing up were T.A. Barron's Merlin Saga, D.J. MacHale's Pendragon Series and The Spiderwick Chronicles

My favorite shows/movies are

The Librarians, Over the Garden Wall, The Dark Crystal (both the original movie and the series), Once Upon a Time, The Sandman, Ghosts, The Legend of Vox Machina, A Wrinkle in Time, The Lord of the RIngs, The Narnia series, and The Never Ending Story

My favorite system of all Time is

Monte Cook's Old Gods of Appalachia game through the Cypher System. I'm a huge fan of the podcast and the way the hallmarks of horror are presented in the game. It's also been a huge hit with a lot of my players!

How Josh runs games

When I think about GM-ing the first things I consider are my practices behind the screen and my impact in front of the screen. My approach to GM-ing is informed pretty heavily by my work as a writer and theatremaker. Behind the screen, GM-ing is being a narrative engine: running the game towards open-ended, yet specific points of decision for players that create the beating of a story. My job in this aspect is to create scenarios that place the story that the table is making a surprise to every person creating it, while also making sense to the narrative that has preceded it thus far. I come to games with a great amount of preparation and an even greater preparedness to improvise to find the most compelling story. After considering the behind-the-screen, I shift focus to ‘impact’. In-session storytelling is the information delivery after the information generation. I create a lot of ‘decorative’ elements to help players feel a sense of immersion; physical props, graphics, sound effects or soundscapes, costuming, etc. I want to enrich the gaming experience as much as possible on my end for the players. I also work very hard to curate healthy communication at the table and away from the table. I want to make sure that my players have the ability to self-advocate and empower them to ensure that they are getting the most out of their tabletop experience. At the end of the day, my brand of GM-ing centers around collective storytelling and am always evolving to further that aim.

Featured Prompts

Rules are...

Rules are the scaffolding of story!! They exist to uplift narrative OR to be adjusted, bent, changed or replaced when they do not! Rules as Written and Rule of Cool both have a place at my table, it's all about balancing them out for the story.