Amy Meszko

Michael actually taught me how to play tabletop games. I'd always been interested, but I had no idea where to start and my social anxiety kept me on the sidelines. When I told him some of my character ideas, I was pretty surprised by the genuine interest he took in translating those ideas into a character that fit the system, but still maintained the original flair I had described. He also presented me with an entire cast of backstory characters that completely fit the vibe I had described, and were so much fun to play with, I was almost sad when our session zero ended. His GM-style is what I'd describe as Firm-Creative. From my experience, he's firm when it comes to the rules of his world and anything he made clear from the outset. He knows the rules of any game he's running and has done the research. It has never come as a surprise when he stated a particular plan of action would not work, because I kind of already knew that, but it was worth a try to ask. He's also firm but kind when it comes to enforcing any rules or boundaries that players have put in place, and he's skilled at conflict resolution. On the Creative side, I have asked to do some wild things in game. Diegetic, perfectly in-character, wild things. Every time I have done this, I can hear the co-conspiratorial tone in his voice as he allows me to roll on it, and I can tell that he's having just as much fun. Even if what I'm doing seems like it's about to derail the story train, he finds a way to incorporate whatever madness we did to the world, and often says the story and the world are better for it. He really loves collaborative story-telling, and sees his players as just as important to writing that story as himself. If you choose to play with Michael, you will likely find him to be: a fun co-conspirator, a storyteller with a hearty enjoyment of his player's participation, a creator of well-made and complex npcs (and he'll love it if you love them or hate them), a skilled time-manager, a helpful resource, and a caring collaborator. I couldn't recommend Michael more; he really does love the worlds he creates, and the players who want to make messes in that world.