Vance

How Vance runs games

I'm a narrative and character-driven GM. I'm much more interested in the story than I am in the specific mechanics of the game. So, I like to build a campaign around characters, rather than forcing characters to fit a campaign. I like narrative consistency and actions having consequences, though they may not be obvious at first. Something big you do in one game may not be evident for a few levels. I like rewarding engagement and kindness. I view my job as a GM to provide a satisfying challenge along with appropriate drama. I want you to succeed, but I want you to know you earned it. I think it's important to decide what kind of game you want to play in early on--e.g., grand epic, gritty survival, high magic, etc.--to set the tone and guide any alternative rules we want to use. I take the approach that your character sheet is an imperfect representation of your character, so there is a lot of room for alteration, adjustment, reskinning, and homebrew. I don't have to balance the whole game, just OUR game. Of note: I don't do sexual assault; it may be noted as a "fact" (e.g., When brigands sacked this town, they assaulted and killed many of the townsfolk), but I don't do detailed descriptions of it, I don't have it happen to players, and I don't let my players engage in it. So if that's something your character is going to want to do, then I'm not the GM for you.

Systems

Platforms