Abbey G.

James is a thoughtful and creative GM who excels at weaving player backstories into the narrative in a way that feels organic. When we played Icewind Dale, I had a generic local backstory that made me feel more like an NPC more than a character. He helped me develop the character throughout the campaign to feel more like an individual with a story to tell. He did this again for this game after my first character died in the first session and I got to make a new one. While James can be a stickler for rules, he prioritizes player enjoyment. If something isn’t fun or is disruptive, he’s open to finding creative, story-driven solutions—whether that means bringing a character back in a satisfying way or helping craft a new one that fits smoothly into the ongoing narrative. He really enjoys running homebrew items and has fun balancing encounters with them. One of my favorites that was used in this campaign was a sword of summoning ducks that provided many chances for distractions and an unlimited supply of food.