Mike (he/him)
5.0
(10)
3 years on StartPlaying
126 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, Rule of Cool
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
Hello! I've been running and playing RPG games since the mid-90s, starting with Star Wars 2nd Edition from West End Games through many others afterward. I'm typically that guy in your group of friends who is always ready to run a game and prefers to GM. I'm a writer and game designer by trade and I greatly enjoy telling an engaging and fun story for everyone. If you have any interest in the games I'm running, always feel free to reach out! I've run a vast amount of games over the years, from D&D (2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th editions) to Star Wars (every version!) to Burning Wheel to White Wolf's various games and many many others. I love game systems and learning new ones with the time I have available. My collection of games is nearing library-level even though I know I'll never play most of them. If you're still reading then I guess you want to know more about me? Well, I'm a SciFi and Fantasy author as well as a video game designer. I work for a large AAA publisher but I prefer to keep my day job out of my spotlight. Due to that you can be certain I love PC and console games and they are definitely my stress salve. I'm also a lover of combat flight simulators and aviation in general. It's definitely one of my biggest loves. Well, that and coffee. Lots of coffee. The only thing I love more than coffee is my adorable son, my lovely wife, and my old and grumpy dog.
GM Style
I try and strike a good balance between Roleplay and action, but sometimes one trumps the other. What I strive for is to never stifle the fun of the players and if they're really reveling in a character moment, all I wish to do is facilitate that and enhance it. You want to spend the entire session in character and talking to your companions and NPCs? Let's do it! If the scene has hit a lull and people are going quiet? Time to move on. OOC joking and bonding is good but I will try and coax us all back on track if it goes on a tad too long. After all, you're paying for these games and I'd feel pretty terrible if you didn't get a game out of it! Every session will be a minimum of 3 hours with at least a 15 minute break somewhere in the middle. Like most GMs on this site, I gladly welcome new players. Almost every game I've run in the last ten years has included one or more players who are brand new to RPG games, so don't let that dissuade you.
Games played
Game platforms used
Mike's Games
Game Master Reviews (10)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Teacher
Rule of Cool
Daedalus
Played 86 sessions
Excellent and very patient GM.
Andrew J Clark
Played 49 sessions
I'd click all of the toggles for Mike, as he was also fun with voices, a great story teller, knew the rules, built a great world, had great music and soundscapes, and was very patient with beginners.. It's not too late to join this game!
Mackenzie Reilly
Played 31 sessions
Mike is a one of a kind GM. My husband and I were beginners when we jumped in to DnD and Mike took extra time to work with us when building our characters. Within a few session we felt supported as players and confident to make moves and interact with our fellow adventures. I can not recommend Mike more as the perfect GM for all player types. Great job Mike, we can't wait for the next session!
Chelsey Moyer
Played 31 sessions
He's wonderful and patient with newcomers and veterans alike, having no problems explaining rules as many times as necessary. When he's wrong about rules, he admits it freely. He's very easy to work with from a player perspective and always looks forward to players introducing backstories and RP that make the story more interesting. He's always got maps and visual aids available and creates his own tools when necessary to make players' lives easier. I've played a number of games with him as the GM, and cannot recommend him enough!
Ron Hanna
Played 29 sessions
Mike is great at taking in player feedback to alter the story and giving advice to players to help make all ideas merge together as well. He does enough preparation to allow the story space to grow and breathe as players.
Jake
Played 21 sessions
Mike (as well as his players) did an excellent job of making me feel immediately welcome in his group despite it being an already established group and storyline. He helped me to quickly gain some familiarity with a unique rule system I had never used before. Both his guidance and tools he had took time to develop for use in his game made it easy for me to drop in and hit the ground running. He is a responsive and confident GM. I consider myself lucky to have stumbled my way to his table!
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