
Ryan A. Polk (he/him)
5.0
(11)
2 years on StartPlaying
129 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, World Builder
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
Ahoy! I'm Ryan. I've been a part of the Tabletop Community for over a decade, and a Game Master for the last 7 years. Over that time, I've familiarized myself with various systems, from D&D 5th Edition to Vampire: The Masquerade. No matter how new or experienced you are as a player, I look forward to serving as your GM!
GM Style
I run character driven games with strong thematic focuses. My regular sessions usually start with focus on character and end in some form of combat. Expect both complex and thoughtful character moments, as well as some beat-em-up style high octane stupid fun (Sometimes both in one session!) I aim to ensure that my table is a welcoming space for all people, and expect my players to help do the same.
Games played
Game platforms used
Game Master Reviews (11)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Storytelling
Creativity
World Builder
I've been playing in a game he's running for a couple years now and it's been super fun. I really like how he incorporate's our character ideas and adds them back into the worldbuilding. One example being that I brought in a short Eladrin character to play in place of my main character (the group was doing something my character wouldn't). And I had originally made her small because I thought it could be a silly thing for a small elf with a tall hat. Then later, when we were helping an npc wizard with a favor, he needed to talk to a long passed mage for the details of some spell components, and the skull was described as very small. The dead mage ended up being Eladrin. So if there are ideas you wanna try out in the setting, he does a great job making them feel like a natural part of the story.
Ryan is a fantastic G.M. From his thorough session 0 to his constantly evolving homebrew setting (that his players get to interact with and influence) there's so much I love about Ryan's campaign. There's interesting characters with fun and distinct voices. There's cool combat situations. He's always open to letting you try any cool ideas that you might have and he still narrates you to look good, even if you roll poorly. I can't recommend him highly enough as in addition to the reasons Ryan is a great G.M, he's also a patient, kind and fun guy you're guaranteed to have a blast with.
I've had 3 experiences on this website when trying to find games. The first two were bad experiences, but it seems that third time is a charm because Ryan has been above and beyond what I was hoping for. I am a forever DM who's hosted a few hundred games for his players over the years, and I know what I'm looking for in a DM. Ryan has it. I'm a veteran and my entire party was full of people who have never played before and the transition was seamless. Its been great and refreshing. He looks deeply at your character and wants to incorporate it into the story in healthy ways. Battle maps that he uses make your abilities more fun; like flinging automatons into pits of lava with repelling blast. Nothing is too controlling and he's open to any fun ideas and character concepts. He even worked with me to coordinate a shopping/personal day for my character when I had to miss a session for IRL reasons. It made me feel like I made up all the lost time of a session that week. The effort and care is there and that is what I appreciate the most. Besides the fact that he's talented at DM'ing as well! Give Ryan a try if you can get into one of his games!
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