KDerton

A GM I once played with claimed that roleplaying games "shouldn't be fun - they should be interesting". I thought he was wrong, but playing with Tim always reminds me of the importance of games being fun. It's ultimately what we're all here for, regardless of whether or not we want it to be "interesting". Tim understands that games can be fun *and* interesting, you see. He knows that the players are the main characters, and that challenges are meant to be overcome rather than stonewall players. He'll happily weave a complex plot where you'll never be completely sure of what's going on, but even if you don't unravel the whole mystery he won't set you on a one-way path to an unavoidable failure state. You'll get to the climactic end and have the chance to square off against the mastermind - all you're improving are your chances, and they are never zero to begin with. When you play with Tim, be prepared for a gamemaster that goes all-in on bringing the players a great experience. He'll bring out custom maps of the cities you'll enter and detailed battle maps when you'll roll for initiative. Just recently he brought out a soundboard to better give his NPC voices a unique feek. He'll have your game world mapped out and will already be thinking about the whys and hows of each city and how they connect with one another. Your character backstory will be read and he'll quickly go about weaving their narratives into the world. On the mechanical side, Tim is happy to both go by the book and take your own ideas and homebrew into account to make something cool to bring to the table. If you think something is off during the game, don't worry. Tim knows it and he's just doing his own thing and he has a plan for it. He is quite alright with players pointing out minor errors and hickups in game, so don't be afraid to speak up. He will listen to you. Which brings me to what I consider to be Tims greatest strength as a GM. He will listen to you. If you have any thoughts or concerns about the game, you can safetly bring them up with him and he'll happily talk them out with you. He is not a petty tyrant ruling behind the GM screen. He listens. He explains. He understands and will take anything you say into account. He wants you to have a good time, and he'd rather you come and talk to him if something bothers you. I've had a few GMs over the years, but I can say with certainty that Tim is the most fun one I've had. A simple, basic aspect of the game that still governs the very reason why we play. We want to have a good time. We want to have fun.