Zesty (he/him)
5.0
(13)
2 years on StartPlaying
169 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Visual Aid, Knows the Rules
About me
As they pull the blindfold from around your head, your eyes recoil at the blinding light. The air is thick with a sulphureous smell and the dust sticks in the back of your parched throat. Slowly your eyes adjust and come into focus revealing a blurry figure… “Welcome to the Tainted Wastes” he says through a wry grin. Hi everyone! My name is Zesty (Aaron) and I've been playing D&D 3, 3.5 and 5e for almost 25 years and DMing on and off for just about as long. Are you looking for a DM that will be as invested in the life of the campaign as the players? How about a campaign where your decisions feel heavy with long lasting consequences that can and will resurface? If you’d love to play in a world where you can create and become the heroes (or villains) and literally change the world, you've found the right DM.
GM Style
My playstyle is tough but fair. Fun is the most important aspect here; we are playing a game after all. However, in my experience, I’ve observed that overcoming challenge is the glue that binds both the party and the story together. I encourage my players to work together and think creatively to overcome obstacles while building a shared experience. This being the case I don’t just hand out rewards. Minimal effort will be compensated as such. Don’t walk into a room and say “I roll an investigation check!” and expect to know every detail of the scene. I do however highly reward creativity and audacity. If you approach things in this way, you will almost inevitably be rewarded for your efforts. The characters in my games are living, breathing, thinking creatures. Be they people, dragons, monsters, or other-worldly entities, they will respond to your actions in a way appropriate to them. Your character's actions no matter how small will carry weight. If this sounds like your cup of tea, join me out in the Tainted Wastes and lets make a story together!
Games played
Game platforms used
Zesty's Games
Game Master Reviews (13)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Visual Aid
Knows the Rules
Expect an immersive experience where every enemy and NPC feels like part of a living, breathing world. Zesty designs combat where enemies act organically, yet still feel balanced. Enemies lay traps, flee, communicate. You win some, you lose some, you shouldn’t fight some. He lets you figure out which is which though. Death never feels far off, and each victory is sweeter for it. Story wise Zesty adapts very well to player choices. We’ve definitely caught him off guard, but he rolls with it and even better, the benefits/consequences of our choices carries through. He makes it clear we possess weight in this campaign and it’s very exciting to see where that takes us. And through it all he runs a lighthearted table, players laugh, have running jokes, just some friends rolling dice and making stories. I’m really enjoying playing his campaign, would definitely recommend him as a DM for a solid DnD experience. Players who enjoy deep, story-driven worlds will thrive. If you appreciate a DM who not only knows the rules but also makes every battle feel purposeful and every NPC feel important, this is the GM for you. Creative players who like to push boundaries will especially love how he accommodates wacky, out-of-the-box ideas.
Zesty puts so much effort into creating a immersive game. His campaigns have everything for background music to combat automations. he puts the work in to create an immersive battle scene but he also allows characters to be themselves and roll goofy off the wall check that line up with each players characters. i have done several online campaigns but his is the only one i look forward to every week. would recommend him 10/10 every single time.
Zesty creates a combination of both immersive role play and combat balance. one minute you may be fighting off a dozen goblins and the next you may be bluffing your way out of a intense combat encounter. On top of the effort he put into maintaining a solid level of balance between combat and RP he also puts crazy levels of attention into his games. prior to playing with him i was used to very manual flat 2d games. His games include combat automation, automatic initialed trackers, background music, ect. If i could rate him about 5 stars i would in a heart beat. The amount of effort he puts into each session shows his dedication as a DM but his overall love for the game from a players perspective.
Woow!! My first session with this Dm was amazing. I couldn't tell if this was my first or tenth session he made it feel like I had been there all along. I was kind of nervous first time with new group/DM. That did not last but a few minutes, smooth intro and we were on it. Can not wait for the next session.
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