Samhain

I think the best compliment you can give a DM on this site is to keep coming back. I played a one-shot with George and immediately joined his AD&D 1e campaign and never looked back; my Fridays have never been the same. I started on 1981 Moldvay Red Box set and this game is exactly 80s DnD by the book, which to comment on another review that complained that it wasn't like Critical Role, that's true, and I think it's a great thing. And yes, I've played tons of 5e with characters that have super-relevant backstories and deep inner lives, and it's a blast (usually...until you lose one...Rest in Power, Vendetta) but that's NOT 1e. Also, George tends to have an older player group since he's running legit 1e. You can decide for yourself if playing with a bunch of Gen-X people is a game you want. I've played with some really high-rated GMs on here, and they've been good, but George is the best of the bunch.

Let me answer the only question that matters: Does Jamie run a good game? The answer is YES. A few of us from our home group decided to sign on as one of us is always stuck in the DM chair and we also thought the "Three-shot" idea set in Drakkenheim was the perfect way to jump into StartPlaying. Three sessions is just enough to have a small character arc and you're not walking into something open-ended; I liked the fact that our trip to Drakkenheim had a beginning, a middle, and an end. I'm burying the best praise here, right in the middle of the middle paragraph, because why put that where somebody might accidentally read it? I've run public games before, both in Adventurer's league and at conventions, and I can attest that it's a much bigger challenge when you're handed a batch of players that have known each other forever and you're both the DM and the person who doesn't know anybody. She handled this extremely well, adapting to our weirdness and slow-play style with a speed that exceeded my highest expectations. If you can keep our group on track, you are truly a master at pacing. As to game specifics, it was obvious from go that Jamie was incredibly well-prepared, walking the tightrope between players like me (Horror? *eyeroll*) and my friend (More screaming, disembodied heads coming out of the intestines, please!); hitting the right tone with that amount of player variance requires real skill. The combats moved nicely, leaving time for actual roleplay. I also really enjoyed the maps and music set on roll20. As my first experience on this site I can say I'll be back for more.