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John Wick

John Wick (he/him)

5.0

(36)

1 year on StartPlaying

237 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Rule of Cool

About me

I'm John Wick, famous for my work on Legend of the Five Rings, 7th Sea, Cat: A Little Game about Little Heroes, Orkworld, Houses of the Blooded, and a dozen more RPGs. My unorthodox GM techniques and tricks can be found in Play Dirty (volumes 1 and 2).

GM Style

* Collaborative: My job is not to tell the players a story, but help them tell their characters' stories. * Safe: I want everyone to feel welcome at my table. * Fun: I have a fast, rapid style that doesn't allow minutiae to get in the way. * Challenging: I'm much more interested in what characters *will* or *will not* do rather than what they *can* do. I create situations with difficult moral choices to test the characters' mettle and resolve rather than whittling their hit points down to zero.

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Game Master Reviews (36)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Creativity

Storytelling

Rule of Cool

Thomas Nagle avatar

Thomas Nagle

Played 73 sessions

I've been a fan of the games John has written for a long time. Getting a chance to watch to sit down at a virtual table with him and play those games with him as a gamemaster has been such a treat. He lets his players have agency, make choices that affect the story, all while guiding the game through a satisfying narrative.

Jen Nagle avatar

Jen Nagle

Played 71 sessions

Puts player agency at the top, knows how to make you feel cool. :)

Jeff Spring avatar

Jeff Spring

Played 65 sessions

John and Jared's seminar on game design made me think about the "Why?" of the game I'm creating in ways I haven't explored before. As a software engineer, I was a little too focused on the "How?" and it was getting the lion's share of my effort. Their advice has steered me to revise some key concepts of what I'm working on. If you are designing your own game, my advice to you is DO NOT miss the next class when they offer it.

Nathan (Nate) avatar

Nathan (Nate)

Played 64 sessions

John is a great GM, and has a lot of experience in running games to give the players the spotlight and agency they deserve. Just don't expect the rules to the letter; honestly, it's better that way, but it's not for everyone who prefers rules as written.

Chad avatar

Chad

Played 63 sessions

John is a very experienced GM. He runs a "rules light" game that emphasizes the story to ensure the players feel like their characters are the stars of the show. His games include elements that emphasize player agency. He is skilled at using lighting, voices, and other elements to help create an immersive environment.

Bryan  avatar

Bryan

Played 56 sessions

John is inclusive and cooperative storyteller and rewards you for engaging rather than fighting against the narrative. He also loves to create a multitude of hooks, and include your ideas in the plot of each session making sure everyone gets their time in the spotlight. I always recommend John as a GM whether in person or online.

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