Cytoskesis

I've been playing a Mage: The Awakening game with Dean for about 3 months now. He's for sure been the best DM I've ever had, for a system that I can rarely find DMs for. The characters he plays all feel unique and appropriate. Characters that had spent a long time with your character "off-screen" feel familiar, untrustworthy characters appear just trustworthy enough to be legitimately convincing, and trustworthy characters feel like integral parts of the player's team. There's an NPC named Rebecca that hangs out with our party, and it feels like a sixth player is roleplaying with us whenever she chimes in. It's apparent that he spends a lot of time tying your character into the environment and story. I don't know how he does it on the fly, but he somehow plays off of your character's actions to hook into a broader story, making believable decisions about how the world and other characters would react in real time. Stories that unfold feel natural, like the VC had just written a screenplay. This is probably my favorite thing about this game. In every other TTRPG, roleplay just felt like filler in between combats. In this game, I've taken a combat-focused character through 3 months real time, having only punched a guy once, and I'm having a blast just because I like being a character in this world. If you're looking for a game that's more engaging and immersive than can be provided by your friend who just ended up being stuck with the DM role because the group needed one (they're doing their best, I'm sure), snap up any empty spots for this guy soon. They go quick, for good reason.