Borage

What a great Level 20 one shot! Which in my experience is not so easy a thing to do. Elijah struck a great balance between rules-as-expected and what-makes-sense-and-is-fun-in the-moment. The maps, environment, circumstances and enemies were unique in ways that made narrative sense and provided a rich roleplaying and combat experience. I would definitely join another of Elijah's games.

I really enjoyed the high level one-shot I played in with Nemi. It had a great mix of really creative story, locations and creatures of his own design for us to explore in whatever way we liked. Nemi hit just the right spot for a light hearted one-shot, with the perfect balance of simplicity/complexity. I would definitely play in one of his games again.

Caden ran a great one shot that had a unique creepy vibe, with combats that truly tested our characters' abilities. I'd come back for more.

Sadly I was disappointed by my one-shot experience with Dylan. Though the basic plot seemed good, the narrative was disjointed and sometimes rushed and unclear. Starting out with the characters not knowing each other and not knowing how to recognise the others, meant spending time trying to force ways to get together. Throughout the session I felt as though I was not quite doing what the DM had planned for us to. And though the game advertised using Talespire vtt, it did not make an appearance until the final scene and then was a bit awkward with it being streamed for us to view only. After the session I offered Dylan feedback, and despite some communication issues, they have taken it on board to support their growth, which I appreciate.

Lucas brings a balance of all the different things I want in a DM and, importantly, knows how to pace a session so that a story starts, unfolds and resolves. He makes space for character creativity and shenanigans and yet knows when it's time to move the party on from the NPC we've fixated on. I'm looking forward to more!