Riv

Dexter's games are A+. The first and most fundamental reason is that he nails it on the essentials like player agency, improvisation, and communication/setting expectations. The things that set him apart from other talented GMs, however, are the aesthetic elements and the sense of curiosity with which he approaches everything. The atmospheres he creates in Foundry VTT with visuals, music, and sound effects are incredibly flavorful, well-curated, and uniquely suited for the specific retro/nostalgic tone he sets for his Shadowdark games. It's all very immersive without being the least bit overwhelming. It's also been rewarding to engage in this hobby with him because he takes an active interest in all the different ways people play TTRPGs and why, and is always open to trying new things to see what works best for the many groups and systems he GMs for. Can't wait to see what's next in our ongoing campaign.

I'm a pretty seasoned OSR DM, and I think joining just two of Melo's ShadowDark sessions has made me better at it. It's so much fun to get to experience the OG Jennell Jacquays dungeon "Caverns of Thracia" at Melo's table. Dude's a true pro. I can't wait to see how all them splines reticulate next! Edit: Adding to this after a few more sessions -- I love that he allows fortune to favor the bold while still keeping the stakes and price of failure high. That is such a hard balance to achieve, but Melo is a master of creating a sense of risk and reward that makes me really want to take the kinds of risks that are needed to solve puzzles and get the story moving. It's fun to be surprised by the various twists and turns that come out of that type of narrative interaction, and to imagine how the character you started with would be transformed by these experiences (usually in ways you never expected when you rolled them). He makes the sense of danger inherent in this genre exciting, like it's supposed to be -- not just stressful, as it often can be. I will definitely be playing more of his games in the future and seeing if/when he has the bandwidth to do some paid one-shots or something for me and my gaming buddies from time to time.