Joseph

he/him

5.0

(4)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

Neurodivergent

Teacher/Educator

About Joseph

I started playing tabletop games in the early 1990s and - despite many a hiatus - I eventually keep coming back to play some more. I originally started by playing BattleTech and WEG Star Wars but quickly transitioned into AD&D 2e and DnD 3e. Since then, I've played Call of Cthulu, D&D 4e and 5e, FATE, Exalted, and Heroes of Adventure. I am interested in PBP adventures and one-shots!

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

4 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, Inclusive, Creativity

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I think that my way of thinking will translate well for a certain audience and - for them - it will provide a very unique experience. Nothing bothers me more than playing characters that aren’t resonating with me. My goal, then, is to help my players love the characters they built.

My favorite books are

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Dune by Frank Herbert

How Joseph runs games

I believe that roleplaying is only as good as the people playing the characters. If you want a GM to pull out a ruler to determine if you're close enough for a certain spell or attack, I'm definitely not your GM. If you want to use narration to explain why you are close enough to make that spell/attack and have your GM go with it - I think you found the right person. I don't want rules to get in the way of a good story, but if you're going to break the rules, you need to create a good story to make it happen! That being said, I believe strongly that a story is only good if the heroes are at real risk of failure.

Featured Prompts

My games focus on...

character development. You are the heroes (or villains) of the story. It's my job to bring that to life.

Rules are...

a very nice place to start. Nothing is hard and fast in my worlds, but the goal is always to be equitable.

Joseph's ideal table

I am a professor in real life. I will tell you what I tell all my students. No racism, no sexism, no homophobia, no ableism. When working in groups (like we do when we play TTRPGs), you will treat each other with respect or you won't play at my table. Inclusion is the standard at my table and - if you can honor that - you are always welcome. While I absolutely understand the desire to use min/max techniques to optimize your character, I want players to consider my table a safe place to build that character that is flawed (in terms of character construction). I am willing to "break the rules" to enhance such characters. In life - and at my table - I am an agent of chaos. I may have storylines in play that just lead to an awkward or funny encounter. I may take a comment you make and turn it into hours of gameplay. I have fun when my players have fun and not every minute of every session needs to be goal-driven. At my table, common magic items that are just flavor (cloak of billowing, anyone?) will be handed out like candy if requested. I want to work with you to develop homebrewed magic items, feats, etc. Again, build someone you will love playing and we will work together to try to make them awesome...and then I'll try to defeat it. This is me. If this appeals to you and you are interested in PBP, I think you'll have fun. Oh, no PVP at my table.

Featured Prompts

I think metagaming...

is normal. TTRPGs aren't happening in real time and we don't have to pretend that they are. You don't have the life experience that you have with that character that you do with yourself, so it makes sense that you would want to work out some details when you're not on the spot!

I think min/maxing...

is viable. Finding the optimum build is one way players find enjoyment in this game. My goal is to have a table where players feel safe building the character they want, not the character they think is the best.