Ashley

I had a great time playing at Kayden's table a few days ago. It was a Daggerheart oneshot, which is a new system for me, and he was super patient with my questions and did a great job explaining the mechanics. The pacing was spot on, narrative focused but with just enough encounters mixed in so the story had both tension and room to breathe. Everyone got as much spotlight as they wanted, and he made sure the quieter players had their moments. And his voice work is fantastic. Absolutely would engage in shenanigans at his table again.

Played a oneshot with Rob yesterday and it was an absolute blast! Good voice work, good pacing, good NPCs, good vibes. I don't recall the last time I laughed that much in a session and he rolled with the silliness without missing a beat. Like, I inadvertently gave the big-bad a nickname (one I don't think I should print here lol) and after it caught on he declared it to be the official name for the rest of the session and even updated the token accordingly. Just very quick with a quip and good at adapting to curveballs. And all without the silliness being at the expense of the story, which is not an easy thing to do. The encounters had weight, even with a monk in the party, and the narrative was intriguing. It was a genuinely delightful experience and I've already signed up to play at his table again. I would highly recommend that you do the same.

I had so much fun playing with Dire. He’s the first GM who has damn near killed me and it was delightful, lol. He’s very knowledgeable of the rules and thoughtful in their application, which allowed for a good amount of player creativity and freedom without things going completely off the rails, which I’d imagine is something of a fine line with a party that was inclined towards antics. There was a lot of laughter, some really great shenanigans, and I just had a really good time. I’ll definitely check out his games in the future and think you should, too.

I’ve played two oneshots with Steven and I can confidently say that if you don’t sign up for a session, you’ll be missing out because they were some of the most fun I’ve had since picking up D&D a few months ago. Chaos gremlin that I am, I really appreciate the fact that creativity is highly encouraged (within the bounds of logic and reason, of course) and that shenanigans are welcome. The stories were well-written and engaging, with NPCs that felt like they had a life before you showed up in the scene and would continue to have one after. Even though you don’t see a lot of the world during the individual oneshots, there’s no feeling that your character has been dropped in Generic Setting to go Find/Do/Defeat the Generic Thing. There’s a subtle realness to the setting and characters that makes the world feel alive and gives weight to the idea that your choices can have consequences that last far beyond what damage you may take or whether you succeed on a persuasion check. This made for the easiest immersion I’ve experienced so far. As for the out-of-game side of things, Steven is super nice and genuinely wants his table to be a safe place where all the players can just relax and have fun. And as someone who is always a little nervous playing with a new GM/players, I very much appreciated the welcoming and chill environment. Not really surprising, then, that I had an absolute blast and cannot wait to play at his table again. In the most recent game, I laughed so much I had to mute myself at times so as to not disrupt play, reduced a bad guy to cinders, and the antics, oh, the antics. So, do I recommend this GM? Duh. Go click the ‘Join Game’ link, you silly goose.

I’ve played through two of Buzzo’s oneshots so far and both were really fun experiences. One was very chill and a great way to spend a post-work Wednesday, the other was more action-oriented and fast-paced. Both were well-run, well-paced, and engaging with plenty of setting-appropriate antics. Because of my schedule, I haven’t had the chance to join another of his games yet, but I would definitely do so if the opportunity arises. I recommend giving his games a try. You may die but you’ll have a good time before the lights go out.