Michael

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How Michael runs games

I was born with a mouse in my hand and a thirst for storytelling. I grew up playing some of the best game with the most beautiful story-driven gameplay and I want to replicate the joy of virtually unending games of choice and friendship, adventure and heroism, as well as tragedy and loss. It has been my pleasure to see the adventuring parties working together to unravel the mysteries of the world presented before them and curating each session to bring their journey to life. I use detailed battle maps and ambient music. I like to let the party chat about life and previous sessions at the beginning of sessions so everyone can settle in and get ready, but start after 10-15 minutes (or if nobody has anything else to say). I do provide session recaps in the Discord, which is well-organized and contains a lot of supplementary content and opportunities for between-session RP. I design persistent NPCs, beautiful shops, and keep players on their toes without the need to be mean or feel threatened when they wipe the floor with my monsters or figure out a clever alternative to something I thought would stump them. I love to design encounters that challenge the PCs' positioning and judiciousness with spell slots and give the greatest reward when they suceed. Combat is meant to be impactful and challenging, I enjoy creating fun and harrowing experiences to work through together. I'm lucky to have RP come easily and the tension and togetherness is the heart of a robust world. I find that players expect a roughly even split between combat and RP, with spans of each sometimes running longer than the other. It's my job to weave a narrative of battles, roleplay and discovery that keeps each session fresh and fun. Nobody can sustain a full campaign of 'battle royale', we all need breaks from the heart-pounding action of deadly combat to keep the highs as high. Final Note: I stick to the rules to answer questions and like when things make sense. I like to Homebrew, but I won't say yes to adding a bunch of Homebrew to beef up your PC for no good reason. If you want to make a bargain and give up something in exchange for a feat or item, we can make that happen, but these aren't negotiations per se. Rather it's a conversation about what you want to be able to do and what I can allow that is within the shared rule set that empowers you to accomplish what you want to be able to do in a way that makes sense. I encourage open discussion about things that I can Homebrew for you, rather than Homebrew you know about and become very powerful with if it's allowed in the game.

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Michael's ideal table

Table: The table is designed to provide as much immersion as possible. I do the work on the backend so you can just show up and play your character as representatively as possible. Players: All experiences levels fit well. Impatient and rude players will not fit well. Players who try to overcomplicate their builds and take exceedingly long turns during combat or have severe main character syndrome will likely not fit well. Players who have unreasonable expectations regarding outside Homebrew will not fit well at all. Vibe: Collegial is probably the best word. We can bicker respectfully, but we move along when it gets awkward.. If someone opens their mic during your turn in and tells you what to do, you're free to speak your mind about how that makes you feel.. Just don't be a jerk about it; they'll get the picture.

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