Ian

he/him

5.0

(7)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

Identity

Artist

Voice Actor

About Ian

Hello, potential players, my name is Ian. I have been playing TTRPGS since 2016, starting with a group of friends. I decided I wanted to play, and that meant becoming de facto Game Master. Ever since that first game, I was hooked! However, there were never enough friends locally to satisfy my need to play in fantasy land! So I branched out to running online games. This opened the door to so many new friends. Most of my experience is on Roll20, although I have run a game on Foundry. However, it can be very complicated to get set up. I tend to run High Fantasy games in my homebrew world, which is ever-evolving after contact with all my wonderful players. My games would also be considered roleplay-heavy with tactical combat and a healthy mix of politics (of the fantasy variety). I may be new to this scene, but I am not new to running games, let's freaking roll! The amazing banner art and profile image were created by @binwizard1. The art was based on a campaign we completed together years ago!

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

1 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, World Builder, Inclusive

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

It was 2016 and I wanted to play D&D so badly but I didn't know anyone who ran games. So i got some friends together, I bought the books, pathfinder pawns, a wet erase map and well the rest is history. From then on I was the guy behind the screen pulling the strings and ruling over fantasy land!

My 3 systems I'd bring to a desert island would be

D&D 5e, Mothership, and Traveler. It covers the bases of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. With some creativity I'm not sure there is a game you couldn't play with that combo!

When I'm not running games I'm...

Performing for my local theatre. I am deeply involved with my theatre and do a lot for them on and off stage!

How Ian runs games

My style of GMing is definetly a roleplay heavy one. There will be moving plots and plans. The enemies have goals, wants, and dreams. I strive to make the NPC's feel alive with authentic behavior and interactions. However when the steel is drawn i also strive to have each encounter be thrilling. I describe my table as 60/40 roleplay to combat.

Featured Prompts

My games focus on...

The players and their choices. There is usually some grandiose story a tale so large the players will have to give there all to tackle it. But the point of this story is not its end. We play these games for that journey and how our choices shape its path.

Rules are...

Just guidelines to help us tell a story. If the group and I run into rules that interfere with our fun, and we all agree, I'm more than happy to change things. The point is make sure the game is as fun as possible with the rules as written or otherwise!

When it comes to voices

My main focus is on trying to make sure that important NPC's have a recognizable tone. Every game has character voices that change over time. You never do them the exact same way all the way through, but when you have their tone locked in you can keep continuity.

Ian's ideal table

My ideal table has players that want to tell a cool story as a group. One that wants to explore the world and figure out how they leave their lasting mark on it. Together we can craft worlds better than any of us can do alone.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Finds small pieces of the setting to latch onto and expand in ways even I never expected. These stories that come from player imagination are always thrilling!

I think min/maxing...

Can be very boring to GM for. One of the best things you can have is flaws, and some of the best stories are born of failure! I don't mind optimizing! But if every decision is and can only ever be the absolutely most broke thing you can find I'm probably the wrong DM.

My table is not the place for...

Someone just looking to kill goblins. I get that those tables have their place but in my setting certain mobs are rarely just evil. Tables where the only solution is to fight can be fun but that's just not my table.