Annie

I have been gaming with Gary for over two decades, and he was the GM for my first tabletop game. He always talks me smoothly through a mechanic without talking down to me, no matter how many times I forget how to do whatever it is. I have since played with several GMs and he is my favorite. Gary is great about crafting stories that go where the PCs take them, allowing you to walk down the path you choose, instead of forcing you down the one he has planned. The combats in his games are appropriate to the story, not just "monster of the week" throwdowns, and in between there are opportunities for observation, problem solving and social interaction. Gary makes sure all characters get to play to their strengths, including the less combat oriented ones. In long running campaigns, if players create complex character backgrounds, he is excited to receive them, and crafts plot lines that weave in the backgrounds provided. He encourages role playing (especially playing out your flaws) and reacting as your character would, such as characters with low wisdom acting like they have low wisdom. However, he is not a rules pedant and does not insist that every word out of your mouth be in character. All of this makes for a fun and rewarding player experience.