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Russell Hawkins

Russell Hawkins (he/him)

4.9

(15)

1 year on StartPlaying

91 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, World Builder, Teacher

About me

Hello friends of the gaming table! My name is Russell and I've been player and GM now since 2009. I have been a fantasy nut ever since seeing Star Wars (re-releases early 90's) and the LOTR films (early 2000's). I devour fantasy books wherever I can get my hands on them (Brandon Sanderson is my current favourite) and love fantasy CRPG's (first introduced to me in 1999 by way of Baldur's Gate). My first GM described the experience to me by comparing it to CRPG's saying 'In those games you typically have option A, B or C. Well at the table your options go all the way to Z and beyond. If it can be done, you can attempt it. Doesn't always mean it will work though.' Since then I have loved playing and running a whole host of systems too numerous to name, creating great stories with great people and having truly memorable moments that become inside jokes or core memories for the group. This hobby allows us to experience infinite worlds and situations beyond the scope of reality and that is entertainment at its pinnacle. Thank you for reading to the end, and I hope to see you at the table fellow adventurers!

GM Style

My first and foremost priority as a GM (and as a player, though to a lesser degree) is to be open and understanding with the others at my table. If a player is having a bad time, then it is something that I will address above all other concerns. We come to the table to have fun because we love these games, and the community of people that have grown around them. My GM'ing style is definitely a 'Roleplay first' approach. I like combat, puzzles, exploration, politics all that juicy stuff that can make for exciting adventures, but to me the heart of the game is the players and their characters. It is how and why your characters interact with these elements that are important to me. What is your characters motivation? What are their aspirations? What/Who do they love? What/Who do they hate? Your characters are the stars of my game, and I want them to shine so bright they can be seen from orbit. My preferred software is Foundry VTT, as I have a lot of experience running games on it, making it simple for me to both use and teach to others. I have ran numerous campaigns IRL, and have logged a good healthy 781 hours on Roll20 (not counting the hours on Foundry VTT) and have ran 5 (3 online 2 IRL) long form campaigns (running weekly for a couple of years) to completion. If you have any questions about anything, please let me know. May your life be full of Crits!

Game platforms used
Game Master Reviews (15)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Creativity

World Builder

Teacher

John Jr King avatar

John Jr King

Played 16 sessions

russ has made an interesting world that i really enjoyed playing through

H0tGame 1 avatar

H0tGame 1

Played 23 sessions

Amazing Dungeon Master With Incredible Maps And Tokens

Daniel  avatar

Daniel

Played 1 sessions

Was helpful and patience with my being a new player.

CubicCrow  avatar

CubicCrow

Played 2 sessions

He was very friendly and it was easy to ask him questions when I was confused. I was my first time using foundry and he guided me the whole way though making a character. Plus he took into consideration what we were and weren't comfortable with. Very nice!

Eldrith avatar

Eldrith

Played 2 sessions

Exalent Dungeon Master.

Zach Powell avatar

Zach Powell

Played 10 sessions

He is great at allowing players the chance to role play and have fun in combat. He even reworked a small part of a map to allow my small rogue to use a hidden passage.

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