About me

Hello! I’m Erik, a husband, father, retired chef and, according to my wife, ‘OMG such a geek.’ I've had a passion and fascination (passionation?) for fantasy and adventure fiction since my mom thrust a novel into my hands when I was a wee lad. That was a slippery slope that led to the roleplaying section of the bookstore, and I've been a gaming hobbyist and storyteller ever since. I'm drawn to tabletop roleplaying because of the opportunity it provides for collaborative storytelling without predictable results. I love the 'cooperative opposition' dynamic that allows stories to unfold in ways that no one anticipated. We're all the storytellers - the players and game master - and we're working together to make the story interesting and fun and memorable. Thank you for your time! Please scroll down to read the ‘GM Style’ segment for more about me as a game master. Feel free to contact me with questions or interest about any of the one-shots or campaigns I'm offering, or - to my wife’s delight - just to remind me how much of a geek I am. Cheers!

GM Style

'Unscripted Cooperative Storytelling' best describes my intent when approaching the table as a game-master. I enjoy helping players experience every aspect of the tabletop adventure: character development, intrigue, adventure, combat, roleplay, victory, defeat and phenomenal cosmic power! Ultimately, however, my goal is to cooperate with players and create a great story! Below are some notes on what you can expect from me as your game-master, if you're inclined to read: INCLUSIVITY AND TOLERANCE Everyone is welcome at my table when they arrive with a positive attitude and an open mind (or a closed mouth). I will not tolerate any racism, sexism, ableism or any other expression of discrimination, oppression or prejudice towards real-world persons or groups. I will not tolerate toxic, abusive, hostile or overly-argumentative behavior. NEW PLAYERS WELCOME Newcomers and inexperienced players are welcome at my table. I’ll always endeavor to treat and teach you with respect and patience, and without condescension, and I expect the same from other players at the table. ONLINE EXPERIENCE My goal for online games is to emulate the feel of an in-person, pen-and-paper, tabletop roleplaying game as much as possible. My hope is that our game will feel like we’re a handful of friends gathering around mom's dining room table ("Mom! I need more Dr. Pepper!"). Though virtual table tops come with many conveniences that I take advantage of (music integration, dice rolling and character sheets), I primarily utilize them as a replacement for maps, miniatures and document sharing. I don’t have any desire or intent of turning a tabletop roleplaying game into a multiplayer video game. Technology too often overshadows the real reason we choose roleplaying games over videogames, which is the people sitting around our table. COMMUNICATION I highly value my players’ enjoyment of the game. To best facilitate that enjoyment, communication from you regarding the game and your expectations, desires, concerns, frustrations and appreciations thereof is vital. The best way to ensure you’re getting a game experience you enjoy is to communicate your likes and dislikes to me. If you find yourself becoming disappointed or frustrated, please speak up sooner rather than later so that your concerns can be addressed expeditiously. CAMPAIGN NARRATIVE Most of my campaigns begins with a clear narrative foundation, wherein I highlight the anticipated theme of the adventure. Though I always know where the story begins, where it goes is driven by the characters’ decisions and actions. The story structure of my campaigns benefits from having a variety of concurrent narratives, with interconnected plot threads spread out over the course of a campaign. Though the serial threat of the Big Bad Evil Guy may always hang over the characters, sometimes an episodic plot thread is entirely divergent in nature. CHARACTER-DRIVEN NARRATIVES For good or ill, in-character behaviors and actions have in-character consequences. I believe player-characters should be highlighted as the protagonist heroes of the story, which means finding a way to showcase their personal struggles and growth. I enjoy offering side-quests related to characters’ history, and I’m a huge fan weaving character backstories into the serial plotline. Tangentially, it’s important that my players have the opportunity to create a unique character befitting the vision of what they want to play, provided it fits within the setting. I'm always willing to listen to unique ideas regarding character class or the manner in which abilities are manifested or executed. I’m also open to creating home-brew modifications to class abilities to help a player realize their character. Note, however, that for both thematic and narrative reasons, I am not very open minded regarding special requests for a character species that is not listed as permitted within the campaign. CHARACTER DEATH I do not aim to force a player-character to suffer an inconsequential death. Barring a character doing something extraordinarily stupid, heroically stupid, or proceeding on a dangerous path when strongly cautioned of the consequences, most challenges presented in-game have a path to a non-fatal resolution. Note, however, that in-character actions do have in-character consequences, and encounters do come with the threat of player-character death. Sometimes our heroes don’t get the ending they deserve, and there’s both emotional and narrative value in tragedy. ALL ABOARD THE PARTY BUS New players often ask if my campaigns are going to be a Railroad or a Sandbox. I prefer to think of them as a chauffeured party bus: We’re not on rails with a strictly limited list of destinations, nor can every nook and cranny of the world be explored at a moment’s notice. If you let the driver (me) know where you want to go, however, and give him enough time to set the navigation, we can definitely get you there as long as we have enough snacks, gas and tunes! ROLEPLAY The relationships that develop between player-characters (PCs) are the heart and soul of the stories we tell, and I rarely terminate roleplayed interactions between PCs. Interactions between PCs and non-player-characters (NPCs) are another fundamental aspect of roleplaying game, and I also don’t like to hasten highly anticipated, narratively critical, emotional, or poignant scenes between PCs and NPCs. I do I feel that trivial exchanges are better suited to small doses, however, and I try to respect everyone's valuable time by regulating the length of mundane NPC interactions. In the circumstance of trivial exchanges, I prefer to introduce a character with a few minutes of description and/or dialogue before transitioning to a summary of the exchange, rather than roleplaying the minutiae of every single word said. COMBAT Combat is also an integral and enjoyable part of our adventures. I tend to worry that I disappointed at least one player when a session passes without any initiative roll, but that is sometimes the path a narrative takes, especially with shorter game time windows. Despite enjoying RPG combat, I am not a hack-and-slash style GM, and I put great value on using narrative to build a combat encounter (or using a combat encounter to build narrative), and I encourage players to think 'outside the box' in combat as much as anywhere else in the game. Encouraging creativity often makes combat encounters much more interesting and entertaining. PUZZLES & MYSTERIES Puzzles and Mysteries are curious things to execute in a roleplaying game. When done properly, these are intended for both the player and the character. But there’s a complicated dichotomy between what a character should know and what a player does know, as well as the disparity between a character’s and their player’s mental aptitude for such things. I consider it my responsibility to ensure that each character has the potential to contribute to a puzzle’s solution, somehow, if they choose to do so (and their dice don’t hate them). I tend to set the difficulty of a puzzle higher to start, and lower it the longer my players engage with it. Like chewing food before you try and swallow it, this encourages and rewards player engagement. Few things are worse in a roleplaying game than the feeling that you’ve tried everything, everything has failed, and the GM is offering no alternatives. That’s just not fun, no matter how 'real' it might be.

Game platforms used