
Connor S - The Healer DM (he/him)
5.0
(100)
4 years on StartPlaying
767 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Storytelling
Average response time: 15 hours
Response rate: 67%
About me
PREMIUM EXPERIENCES, FRIENDSHIP & ALL BELLS AND WHISTLES - RELIABLY DELIVERED! This is what you receive when you share one of my tables. I am a 30+ year facilitator of RPG games and public play events (including conventions), with over 40 production credits both written and streaming for Wizards of the Coast, DMs Guild, Grim and Perilous Games, and more. I promise top quality experiences delivered completely and safely with accents, sound effects, vibrant description, and even cosplay. Learn more about me, including viewing my products at: http://thehealerdm.carrd.com/ I provide mental health services to youth and families in a public school, so while I predominantly run games for adults, I am very comfortable switching gears to run for kids and families. The skills required to share the game with kids are a little different, and I'm happy to introduce your family to the world of gaming. Experiences I Offer? * Long-term campaigns (with thank you gifts at completion, for real) * One-shot adventures I have published (or am looking to publish with your help) * Company events * Child and adult birthday parties * Celebrations and special events * Gaming learn-to-plays Why Gaming? I enjoy the creativity of this hobby. The shared stories of triumph over adversity build powerful bonds between players. Many of my friends today I made around a gaming table or at gaming events. The connectedness this hobby creates is good for the soul, even offering healing. I promise my campaigns will deliver these to you. Why Hire Me? Every gamemaster on this site is unique. I bring my own set of skills to the table that make me a great pick for the right group. * I am a mental health therapist. The skills that make you a good therapist - communication, listening, understanding, collaboration, empathy - make you an amazing Gamemaster. A lot of my real world work is with kids and families, and I enjoy running games specifically for children and families. * This Master Ain't Sitting on a Mountain. I ran thousands of games (well over 10,000 hours of playtime) and contributed much to the industry, resulting in better player experiences. I am proud of my experience, but I remain a normal and approachable guy. Players meet up with me at cons all the time, and I promise a meal if we can make it happen. * No Holds Barred Gaming. You will feel like Batman because you will have all the cool toys. I share Zoom Pro, Syrinscape soundboard, Roll20 virtual tabletop (when requested), and online play resources (such as a complete D&D Beyond library, or through Google Drive). For D&D, we will use high production value versions by Beadle and Grimm's when available. On campaign completion, I even mail cool swag for players to keep as mementos! Kind & Safe Spaces My charity and advocacy work is well respected in the gaming community. I founded D8 Summit Charities, a 501c3 charity connecting gamer donors to local causes. I speak often about the homeless and the hungry and the sick, and the difficulties marginalized voices and veterans in our society face. Many games I run are explicitly for D8 Summit Charities and other worthy causes. I create specialized safe spaces for minority gamers, children, the neurodiverse, and gaymers. I may offer a discount for marginalized players and veterans upon request.
GM Style
I put your story, fun, and shared experiences first - curating the experience to the tastes of your group. I believe it's the friendships we make along the way that make the difference between a great campaign and a lackluster one, so my spaces tend to include a lot of friendship building into them. I run a lot of learn-to-play campaigns so I tend to stick with rules-as-written, but I will flex rules that seem to hamper a good time. I bring a lot of energy and pull out all the stops for you - including "thank you packages" as we near the completion of a campaign. While you'll see a little bit of everything in my campaigns, my stories highlight roleplaying and exploration over violence. I voice-act and use my therapy background to create believable NPCs. I allow players to discover world lore I've accumulated over decades of nerdishness during their gameplay, so players often become entranced by the setting as I am. There is almost always a non-combat option available at our table, but when combat happens it is often narrative and brutal as you might expect from a horror and kaiju film fan. Goofy and sometimes good(?) cosplay sometimes makes an appearance too. Providing a good game is synonymous with communication and caring. All games begin with a "Mind Space" check, so I can dial back difficulty to preserve the fun of the session. All campaigns begin with a mandatory Session 0 including discussion on safety tools and healthy gaming. New players to a campaign must attend an onboarding Session 0 to know what to expect. New players (including children) will find confidence in my games. People of Color and Queer players will find safety in my games. The neurodiverse and veterans will find respect and sensitivity in my games. Everybody will find compassion and fun in my campaigns.
Games played
Game platforms used
Connor S - The Healer DM's Games
Game Master Reviews (100)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Inclusive
Creativity
Storytelling
Connor is an excellent DM. I'm playing in a weekly Curse of Strahd game that he's running and greatly enjoying it. He's professional and always very prepared. You can tell he's put in the work and he knows the adventure. He's invested in and provides awesome tools to make online gaming feel almost like being around a table with friends. He fosters a great environment for play and I'm sure that he can do the exact same for you.
Connor is an awesome GM. His game is an immersive experience, with great visuals from roll20, along with music and sound effects. Plus, he is a great story-teller who is squeezing every drop of atmospheric horror out of Curse of Strahd. Connor is also a caring GM who often checks in with us about our game experience. He makes sure we're all having a great time. And we are. I can't wait until the next session.
The key thing about Connor is that he cares about you. Not just in the context of are you enjoying the game, but your whole self. This rare quality creates an environment where everyone can settle in and feel comfortable enough to explore these strange worlds and connect with each other more strongly than one would expect in an online game. Yes, there are all the bells and whistles one expects from a professional GM, like atmospheric sounds, character voices, and art handouts, but it's the magic of being actually seen that elevates this campaign to one that is a great experience and makes me want to keep coming back for more.
I've known Connor by reputation in the D&D community but have rarely seen him DM. When I saw he was running one of his adventures for an event benefitting mental health awareness (something both he and I are independently passionate about), I jumped at the opportunity to join his game and was not disappointed. Connor is personable and talkative and it's clear he is invested in making sure players enjoy his content. He was also intentional about discussing safety tools (x card) and about the potential content of the adventure, which is important to me. I enjoyed playing at Connor's (virtual) table and look forward to doing so again. I have since joined one of Connor's ongoing tables. He continues to delight and tell fun and interesting stories. He pulls out all of the stops to make each session memorable, from voices to music to images. And he's a great communicator about the nuances of this site regarding scheduling and payments and navigating inevitable technology hiccups.
Connor runs a great learn-to-play, rules-as-written game that really teaches you the ins and outs of D&D 5e. You'll learn how to think about character builds, how to interact with the game world, and how to interpret the thornier rules. Best of all, you'll do this via Connor's fun and engaging DM style. Connor mixes digital tools, subject matter expertise, and a genuine love of the game to create a great, immersive experience.
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