Nick

Had an amazing session zero + one shot in Cyberpunk Red with Luke. Like a typical ‘Great GM’, Luke was fully available / responsive outside of the game session (I.e., answering questions about rules and character creation, provide suggestions for the other new players, etc. Regarding the VTT, I was truly surprised at the end of the game session when Luke revealed how recently he’d started using Roll20. It was clear he put a lot of time into preparation and ensuring the game ran smooth; Our table had no business pushing the pace of the game as quickly as we did given these circumstances (technical hiccups were no greater than what you would expect in a game with an experienced Roll20 GM. Impressive!). Mission selection mechanics in between sessions involves players selecting from a list of missions (via popular vote), each with a brief description providing insight into difficulty, level of RP or combat expected, estimated number of sessions to complete the mission arc, etc. Very cool and again highlighted a great level of dedication. Regarding RP and progression, Luke encouraged us to flesh out the background and life path options so he could “…have inspiration and things to play with later on down the line”. If you’re looking for a dystopian Cyberpunk “jump in style” mission / session format, I strongly recommend joining Luke’s adventures. Good luck chooms!

If you enjoy roleplaying, high quality narrative, Foundry VTT, and D&D 5e, you needn’t read any further, Aez is the DM for you. Foundry VTT technical competency – Aez’s technical competency with Foundry VTT is very good. Maps and art assets are beautiful high-quality third-party creations. Dynamic lighting (candles, fire places, magical light, etc) and environmental effects (rain, mist, ambient sound, etc) are all implemented into Aez’s package. Aez’s excellent knowledge of player key-board commands (and how to operate the Foundry VTT in general) make for an incredibly streamlined experience both in and out of combat. For example, when I was unsure of how to cast Bless / Emboldening bond on multiple party members, Aez explained the process quickly and clearly. I held the appropriate keys while selecting my fellow party members, pressed the “cast spell” button, and voila: buffs applied to other party members and the combat continued! Aez’s technical proficiency with the VTT system also extended to inventory management, trading equipment between players, acquiring new treasure, leveling up, organizing session notes, etc. Ultimately, Aez’s proficiency with the Foundry VTT minimized the more cumbersome aspects of D&D 5e and maximized meaningful time spent interacting with the game environment. D&D 5e Rules – Aez’s understanding and running of the D&D 5e ruleset is very good. Aez maintained a good balance between the RAW and exercising thoughtful augmentation when contextually appropriate. I appreciate this because it addresses some of the “mechanistic / unintuitive” aspects by which all TTRPG’s suffer. For example, instead of having the party barbarian make a roll to see if they could kick open a rotted wooden chest, the DM simply narrated the feeble rotted chest was easily destroyed under an angry boot. Some might argue having the players roll for small details like that could lead to interesting roleplay itself (and indeed, Aez does utilize rolling for the outcome of such seemingly simple actions for that very purpose), but what I’m trying to articulate here is that: Aez maintained a reasonable balance between calling for a dice role and forgoing a dice roll (occasionally even allowing the players to narrate their own outcomes to simple actions) for the sake of game flow. In combat, Aez utilizes a good approach to balancing RAW, logic, and fun. For example, a player wanted to try attacking a creature while avoiding a negative effect caused by looking directly at the creature. The player described “I want to use my blade edge to try and see the reflection of the creature and then try aiming a sacred flame in the creature's general direction” (à la Perseus vs Medusa). Aez allowed the player to attempt the action with a heightened DC appropriate to the other environmental circumstances (dungeon lighting, size of the creature, etc). In contrast, Aez is still strict enough with the D&D 5e rules system to not undermine tension or make combat too easy. Essentially, the “rule of cool” isn’t going to be a scapegoat to a difficult combat encounter. Players still needed to make intelligent decisions in order to succeed. DM Conduct - In this category, Aez’s performance was excellent. The following fundamental DM traits are all applicable to Aez: Professionalism, dedication, thoughtfulness, compassion, contentiousness, and enthusiasm. I unfortunately do not have time to describe each trait to the level they deserve. Instead, I hope that the following examples convey my sentiment: - Aez made “custom in depth dream sequences” for each PC in an effort to support player immersion. The dream sequences were constructed in a way that fostered tension and set the ominous tone for the campaign's dark psychological setting. - Aez routinely linked the PC’s previous actions (performed by PC’s during the course of the campaign) and PC background details to the current context of the game. Because of this, the game world felt very alive and reactive. - Aez conducted a session zero so far beyond reproach that I’m mentioning it as a highlight in the review section of a review. It was so good that I would pay to do it again. For those of you reading this, think for a moment about the prospect of a session zero that was so good, you would pay to do it over again…As a DM myself, it’s beyond comprehension! Of particular importance, during session zero Aez communicated the most open-ended approach to DMing I’ve ever personally experienced or even heard of. To try and give perspective, of all the DM’s offering "good DM advice” on YouTube, reddit, or any other online source, Aez checked almost all of the boxes. I still remember the various sources of "good DM advice" appearing in my mind's eye as Aez worked through their checklist. It was really a surreal experience. - Aez has diligently crafted their own wiki covering things like general thoughtful character creation, roleplay advice, concepts and primers specific to the campaign setting, house rules, etc. Aez’s efforts in this made me feel as informed as I’ve ever been in paying for a service and it spoke volumes to Aez’s capacity and dedication as a DM. - Aez’s Discord has specific channels designed to support PC development and the game itself. For example, there is a group that poses “in character” questions that specifically target PC psychology (e.g., How would your character respond to the question “What makes a monster?”). Participation is voluntary. - Aez encourages open discussion about any and all aspects of play amongst the player group with the goal of: fostering the most harmonious “group” driven narrative possible. - Aez's response to player concerns or questions is beyond reproach. - Aez is highly proficient at making sure everyone gets their time and the spotlight. I could go on, but in summary, Aez is an extremely competent DM who excels in the areas of narrative, game immersion, role play, and thoughtfulness. Thinking hard, Aez’s most delectable skill as a DM is their ability to motivate players to: engage in a deliberate and meaningful way with both the game world and one another. Final disclaimer – The campaign I’m playing with Aez at the time of this review is by nature a heavy role-playing setting (CoS).

Ricardo was a wonderful GM. He was professional and ran a technically tight game. Ricardo was also incredible at setting the mood using perfect, atmosphere appropriate music, and detailed yet to-the-point descriptions. The one shot he ran was a great experience and I could easily tell that his style would be perfect for longer campaigns as well. Essentially, I was able to easily escape into the world Ricardo had built to enjoy a fun, well run adventure with a few other great players.