JW
he/him
5.0
(6)
Timezone
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Identity
About JW
Hi there! I'm JW the DM. I started DMing back in 1983 or 84. (I did take a couple decade break, though.) I'm as old as D&D itself. I LOVE DMing/GMing with an absolute passion. I far prefer it over playing. (That's not to say I don't sit on the other side of the screen from time to time. Just that I am a forever DM by choice!) My first games were D&D BECMI (Beginner, Expert, Companion, Master, Immortal--boxed sets that were great) and 1e (AD&D). In addition to Dungeons and Dragons, I also run Pathfinder 2e, Tales of the Valiant, Level Up Advanced 5e, and Shadowdark, which is great fun! I plan to try Daggerheart in the near future. I grew up in Western Montana, but currently live in Anaheim, CA, about 20 minutes from Disneyland. 2 kids. Loving wife. I'm certainly blessed. No pets because of allergies although the kids and I, the ones with the allergies, keep trying to convince my wife that we need a short hair cat. You can watch my videos on DMing either on my own channel (youtube.com/@JW_the_DM) or on the GM Philosophy channel (youtube.com/@GMPhilosophy).
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
4 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Teacher
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
my friends generally preferred playing. I discovered early on that I preferred co-creating stories, worldbuilding, improvising multiple characters in one session, and being constantly surprised by what my players did. Adjusting the world on the fly to something the PCs do is a lot of fun.
My favorite shows/movies are
The Empire Strikes Back. I love so many other movies. Conan the Barbarian (the original with Arnold). Lawrence of Arabia. American Beauty. Various James Bond films. That's just to name a few. But even though it doesn't fully resolve a story line, my favorite will always be The Empire Strikes Back.
When I'm not running games I'm...
...helping run a Discord server about GMing and making YouTube videos, also about GMing. I'm also a househusband, running kids here and there and such. And I order ridiculous numbers of Fantasy RPG books and find creative ways to make them fit in my bookshelves.
How JW runs games
I'm a story guy. I'm told I do a great job balancing sandbox and narrative. Once things are in motion, I like to do "pool table DMing"--a *mostly* sandbox with boundaries and enough narrative that you want to get to and sink the 8 ball...but anything can happen within the bounds of the table, which, for me, tend to encompass worlds. Being a story guy, neither I nor my tables go in for plain dungeon crawls with no justification other than killing monsters and stealing their treasure. I'm a firm believer in collaborative storytelling. This is a creative process where the players are actively co-writing the story and helping build the world. I am also HUGE on player agency. I believe that one of the things that makes RPGs great is that players can have their PCs do almost anything...or, at least, try to. ;) (However, I frown on murderhobos.) Having said that, the occasional sidequest might have a little light railroading, usually to give me and my players a break from maintaining keeping all the open possibilities...but this is pretty rare. Maybe once or twice a year. It's still pool table DMing...just with a much narrower table. ;) Coming to my table implies a social contract: Once a story is discovered, you agree to have your PC pursue the goal of fulfilling a resolution of that story. And I will do my best to run the most enjoyable game for you and give you freedom to do whatever you will during that pursuit.
Featured Prompts
I once ran a session...
Actually, this has happens regularly. I prep for a session...and the players do something literally within 5 minutes that completely derails my plans and I spend the next three hours improvising. Those are usually very fun sessions for everyone. The prep just made improvising easier.
My games focus on...
...roughly 30% combat, 30% exploration, and 40% social (roleplay) and story. I lean toward story because I like to have a justification for why the combat and exploration is taking place. But I think all three pillars are important to an enjoyable game.
Rules are...
*mostly* to be followed. I'm a proponent of RAW as a base and RAI as needed. If a character's throat is slit, there doesn't need to be an attack roll followed by damage rolls as they bleed out. They die. There are plenty of similar examples. But RAW keeps everyone on the same page.
JW's ideal table
My tables vary depending on the people at that table. But, generally, they don't try to break the game by using RAW (Rules As Written) to "min-max", they get along with the other players, they enjoy roleplaying as much as combat, and they enjoy working with me to pepper the adventures with things from their backstories to individualize the experience for each player. As noted above, the tables use RAW to establish what is generally accepted as possible results for most things so the game feels fair. But they also accept the DM's judgement calls and use of RAI (Rules As Intended) when RAW is either silly in a certain circumstance or it breaks the game outright. Respect for the DM and his judgment calls is necessary. Having said that, my tables are also advisers. When a tough judgement is being made, I often ask the players for their thoughts on how they would rule a thing or what their understanding of a rule is. However, I still reserve the right to have the final say. Being an adjudicator is one of the roles of a good DM/GM. I like when the other players and I develop a comaraderie. When we're all working together to create the best story and the most fun, there's nothing like it.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
thinks outside the box. For example, a bad guy is up a narrow tree. Your PC has a strength of 22. Rather than abandon trying to fight this guy as he has a lot of cover from branches and isn't near enough for melee, you choose to SHAKE HIM OUT OF THE TREE! I LOVE when players do stuff like this.
I think metagaming...
can actually be quite good...when done carefully and the players understand the difference between player knowledge and character knowledge. It can be used to support the social contract, build tension, and reduce railroading. A little meta never harmed anyone. Just don't overdo it.
My table is not the place for...
making people feel uncomfortable about things they want to avoid. That includes sexism, anti-gay and anti-trans, anti- various religions, racism, anti-various cultures, political discussions (at least at first), etc. No proselytizing. No selling. No sermons. Other topics depend on Session 0.
JW's Preferences
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