Devin

I’ve had the chance to play in over a dozen of SJ’s games over the years, and all of them has been memorable! SJ does incredibly well at building stories that revolve around the PCs. Lots of weaving backstories, goals, and relationships to the world, which make decisions at the table feel very meaningful. The world feels really deep and connected, tons of lore under the surface. NPCs are memorable with intrigues and agendas, the kind of thing where months later you still remember certain moments that stick with you. Combat is fun, it’s rarely just stand and fight on a flat plain map, there’s dynamic elements to the combat like hazards, timers, objectives, NPCs to help/hinder. And moments where SJ offered the party to reveal something during combat, which led to some great RP moments for us. I’ve played in a lot of games with her as a fellow player and it’s always a treat to see the passion she brings for her characters brought to her tables and her players and their characters as well!

I’ve been playing online games with Josh for over two years now and I’m constantly surprised with the enthusiasm and energy that he delivers as a dungeon master! I’ve been a player at his table for over hundreds of hours and they’re filled with well-crafted maps and music, and memorable NPCs that his acting chops have them bursting with personality. One of the biggest things I appreciate about his games are how he centers the story around each player at the table. Some DMs fall into the trap of pushing the plot onto you, but Josh makes a point to weave in character backstories, goals, and quirks into the story where the party’s actions are the spotlight. When we players threw him offguard he adapts without missing a beat (if it makes a compelling story anything can happen!) and his improv skills led to some truly great moments at the table. If you’re looking for a DM who knows the rules but won’t let them stifle the fun, Josh is your guy! He’s wildly creative encourages the same, and sets an awesome mood every time we sit down to play!

I’ve been playing tabletop games now for over a dozen years at multiple tables and over two of those years with Robert. All together it’s well over a hundred hours of game time with him which gives me enough experience as a player to say that Robert is an amazing game master! The creativity and effort that he puts into the visuals, soundscapes, map design, and character work is top notch. And one thing that I look for in games more often now is player-forward storytelling which Robert is skilled at. I’ve learned you can be a great storyteller and sometimes that can lead to player characters feeling like they’re second fiddle to the world being crafted around them, but Robert does a great job at weaving player characters’ pasts, motivations, and connections into the narrative. He’s surprised me at the table and when I or the other players surprised him, we’ve all been able to roll with it to create some truly amazing tales together! The toughest part of this review is choosing which game master tags best describe him since they all do. (Allows for player creativity, Inclusive/Safe, Knows the Rules, Rule of Cool, Sets the mood, Terrific Story Teller, Good for beginners, Incredible Visual Aids, Amazing & fun voices, & World Builder!)