Tubular Veggie

While I appreciate the effort put into the sessions, the experience did not match the "Cinematic Combat" style of Draw Steel I expected for a premium $37+ game. Prospective players should be aware of the following: • Pacing & Onboarding: The initial "Session Zero" was a full three-hour discussion on etiquette and boundaries. While safety is important, this felt like excessive padding for a paid session; much of this could have been handled more efficiently via a document or shorter summary. • Narrative Focus vs. Impact: The GM includes player-led world-building, but I found these inclusions rarely had immediate narrative weight. The gameplay leans heavily into "Actual Play" style social scenes that can last for hours without progressing the main story, leading to significant downtime for individual players. • Communication Style: The GM’s tone can feel dismissive when asked for clarification on complex scenes. I personally found responses like "we're roleplaying here" to be unhelpful when trying to understand established context I wasn't part of. • Guided Combat: During combat, the GM is very hands-on with player turns. While he doesn't force actions, his "suggestions" can feel like pressure to follow a specific path rather than allowing for natural tactical learning or player agency. TL;DR: This table is best suited for those who enjoy long-form social roleplay and don't mind a highly guided combat experience. If you prefer high-octane cinematic action and streamlined sessions, this may not be the right fit for the price.

Tara is clearly invested in her campaigns and has a strong, narrative and socially dense directing style. That said, my experience at this table raised several concerns that prospective players—especially those looking for collaborative, player-driven play in a paid game—should be aware of. Communication around feedback was rude. When I raised concerns about extended flashback scenes and their impact on shared table time, the response, “I’m sorry you felt that way” was given, and focused on defending personal style, “players have really enjoyed it,” rather than addressing the concern itself, which is dismissive and minimizing rather than engaging. Time management was another issue. Thirty minutes of my personal time and 10 minutes into game time was spent on extended explanations of how the Codex VTT operates. These explanations often went well beyond what was immediately necessary for play, instead of short and succinct, “how-to’s” it became a paid lesson that I never agreed or opted into; no offer of paid adjustment, refund, or reduction was offered or given. All of this could have been water coolered or handled in an email, word document, or direct message. There were also moments of unnecessary control around player interaction with the VTT. When experimenting with the software, I encountered directives that were restrictive rather than supportive, which made learning the platform more stressful than collaborative. From a roleplay perspective, scenes frequently leaned into long NPC monologues, reducing opportunities for player dialogue and interaction. In one instance, my character was referred to as an “asshole” above table by Tara, even though I clarified that the comment represented an intrusive thought, as she put into play on the field of asking players what their PC's are thinking, so it was not spoken dialogue, which she apologized for, but was wholly unneeded and came more across as an attack against me more so than an aside about a PC. Overall, this table may work well for players who enjoy a heavily GM-directed, overwrought, and florid experience and are comfortable being more of an audience at times. Players seeking balanced table time, responsive communication, and a collaborative approach—especially in a paid setting—may want to clarify expectations carefully before committing.

Vincent is a approchable, fair, and reasonable GM. Creates interesting encounters, builds fun worlds, and knows when not to step on player's toes when they are socially interacting.

Chill, great at world building, and has some unique CC systems, and solid role player.

So far, so good, Miguel hashes out expectations while being receptive to your boundaries, and while a hard ass about homebrew, he's great at RP, Communication, and World Building.