Jim
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About Jim
I'm a lifelong writer and gamer. I got started with ttrpgs about 5 years ago. Around then I was taking improv classes and someone I met there suggested I try D&D. After that I started listening to podcasts and playing games online and I started putting together my homebrew world. I started filling in maps, writing the world's history, and putting together my own pantheon and after I had the basic rules down I was eager to start DMing. I usually run 5e games in my homebrew setting, but I definitely don't expect anyone to read all of my made-up lore and remember everything every week. If your PC should know something, I'll tell you every time. Worst-case-scenario I have you roll a History check and we go from there. Whenever I get started with a game, I try to talk to everyone before meeting as a group for a session zero. It's up to you how detailed your character's backstory will be, but if you put in the time and effort to write a detailed past I will definitely use what you give me. If you'd rather make a simpler character without much of a past, that's also fine. However things go, each player will get a turn in the spotlight. An adventuring party is an ensemble, not an entourage. While some quests are more personal to some PCs than others, the overall story will be about the group. Most of my groups have been more interested in combat mechanics than RPing, but I try to bring a balance to each game to keep the players happy and keep the plot moving. I also like to record my sessions so I can refer back to them and one of my groups wanted me to share the recordings on YouTube so they could do the same, but I post all of my games as "restricted" so they can watch from links I post on our Discord server. I'm open to posting videos that anyone can watch, but I'd only do that if the whole group was okay with it. Some people prefer their campaigns to be private and I respect that.
At a glance
1 year on StartPlaying
28 games hosted
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I got started GMing...
5 years ago. A friend from an improv class recommended D&D and my background in writing made world-building and GMing a natural fit. I started designing my homebrew world immediately and after being a player for a few campaigns, I started GMing and I've run at least one weekly game ever since.
How Jim runs games
I try to blend RP with tactical combat based on what the players ask for. Usually there'll be some form of combat when we meet, but sometimes a story-heavy session will only have dice rolls for conversation or exploration. I prefer a sandbox-style game where the PCs can go anywhere, but when the party advances through a major quest there won't be quite as many choices. I do my best to avoid railroading unless there's a story-related reason for temporarily restricting the party's options.