Maxel

About me

A thespian nerd through and through, I combines two of my universes into one and that forms my approach of Dungeon Mastering. Those two universes are the ones I feel the most intimately familiar with. The sides of myself that I feel the most comfortable with. Theater and well- gaming. When I discovered Dungeons and Dragons I did so surrounded by my theatre friends so I had the incredible fortune of having storytellers, directors, editors, and of course actors at my table. Their performances and commitment to the bit truly elevated me as a DM. I felt like I was doing the Matthew Mercer thing. My tables are filled with triumph, heartbreak, laughter, crying and certified movie moments that my improv, acting, and directing background propel forward into a meaningful, beautiful and most of all fun story. My cleric in my Out of the Abyss campaign is a man who found Lathander in a rough part of his life. Through what he claims to be a sign from his benevolent god he was sent to the Underdark to Save the Drow. Only through his adventure in the abyss, he's found that the person guiding him isn't Lathander at all... it's a different deity. One that expects greatness from him. His player beautifully plays into his crisis of faith and I try my best to weave that story for him. So if that all sounds fun to you, let's get into the details: I'm currently starting out my online gaming journey with a pair of One-shots I've ran before and love. We'd play through my D&D Discord; video and audio, with D&D Beyond Maps as our VTT as the bulk of my sessions are Theatre of the Mind. Each campaign gets their own Chat and Voice Channel where we can share game art, files, and music. I prefer that my players are on decently well lit video while we play and I will be on well lit video as well, providing background music and ambience throughout the combat, travel, and roleplaying. (Look I'm not GREAT at accents okay but I try) You're free to use your pretty real dice or D&D Beyond to roll! I'll occasionally roll on the table for fun dramatic moments. I play on D&D 2024 Rules with 5e exceptions; you can pick any 5e Class / Species and we'll use the plethora of already published 5e adventures. Rules and Enemies balanced accordingly. My games are RaW with the simple flexibility that I'll always prioritize story and fun over mechanics. I respect the setting and intent of playing D&D so we use the lore and canon with creative flexibility. We're here to save the day and fight some demons (some literal, some emotional!), so don't make evil characters or problematic characters unless we've discussed it and I've cleared it. Ideally we're all kind and considerate, we let each player shine and have their moments. We trust each other and 'play fight' not real fight. We role-play, we talk to the NPCs, we talk to our fellow party members, we protect each other in fights and we sing with each other in taverns. I don't expect my players to be seasoned actors or incredibly extroverted. But I do expect them to make the genuine attempt to tell the story with me through trying silly things, playing your character truthfully and occasionally trying to seduce the dragon.