Ashley

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.

The short version: Dude, just sign up to play. Seriously. You’ll have fun. You may well be reminded why ‘are you sure?’ are three of the most terrifying words in the English language, yes. But you’ll have fun! Longer version: It’s evident from moment one that Astartes has put a massive amount of time and energy into crafting his stories. I have played through a few of his oneshots at this point and all were well-paced, had excellent world-building, well-rounded NPCs, atmospheric settings, and a ton of player choice. Not once did I feel like I was without options when it came to how I wanted to play things and I was always very aware that each choice I made would have unique (and possibly uniquely awful) consequences. Seeing the ‘GM has rolled dice…the GM has rolled *more* dice’ pop-up in the Roll20 chat is a new anxiety trigger lol. As a relatively new player, I’ve found him to be exceptionally patient and thorough in his explanations. I’m a ‘but why?’ person and he hasn’t banned me yet, so that says a lot 😅 He’s very good at knowing when to step in and provide guidance or a hint and when to just let the player puzzle something out on their own. All while keeping things moving at a good clip and ensuring everyone in the party will have the chance to shine. I also just really appreciate the level of variety offered both in style of game and within the games themselves. I recently played through 'Framed for Murder' for the second time because mysteries will forever have me in a chokehold and, upon hearing the games are designed to be replayable, I was all for putting on my sleuthing hat again. I went in expecting more or less the same overall story with a few tweaks to allow for a different ending. Maybe a new motive there, a swapped out red-herring there. Ha. No. How about a completely different story wherein the only details shared with the first were the setting, main characters, and a theft/murder? Yeah. It was dope, they’ve all been dope, and if you do not sign up to play one you *are* a dope. Jk, I'm sure you're lovely, but you will be missing out on a unique and fun experience. 42/10 do recommend