DM Ethan

I played a one-shot with DJ and it was super fun! The narrative came together super well, and there were lots of environmental clues. There was no railroad, and yet the story still came together in the final moment. Everything before made sense, and the mystery was complete. That's sadly a rare feeling in DND games, but DJ made it seem effortless. The combat was super great and fluid. He definitely knows the rules and had no problems moving through the entire adventure. It was smooth. It was consistent. The battles were fun, tactical, fast-paced, and made sense. We had a lot of time to role-play amongst ourselves. We were free to interact and question and think about things. And I got the sense that DJ was really good at improvisation and was always happy to enable us as players. He took our ideas in what to pay attention to, where to go, what to talk about, and still made the whole play experience cohesive, fun, and interesting. I was super engaged and also felt like I was gaming with a group of friends. I would definitely play another game with DJ. And I'll say he's probably one of the best DMs on Start Playing at this time. I hope new and experienced players alike get a chance to game with him, because it was one of the best dnd experiences I've had.

Great DM, welcoming, inclusive and experienced

We got a ton of loot, great vibes, and a relaxed, joke-filled session! By the end the group was already riffing off each other and coming up with our own inside jokes. Even though I was the new player, I felt welcomed and at ease. My favorite moment was when a black dragon ambushed us a second time, and the GM rolled with my attempt to not only grab it by the talon, but wrestle my way to its wings and bring it crashing to the ground, while my party members peppered it with spells and abilities from below. GM was also able to recite lore, rumors, and interesting facts about the world seemingly at will.

Adam is a great dungeon master and I had a great time playing a full starter campaign with him and a few other players. Firstly, you can expect great table management and with Adam you'll have an environment where there are no wrong questions. He's willing to explain things, and he has a knack for pulling back the curtain to make sure you're all on the same page when needed. Where some DMs might rely too heavily on players to read their minds, Adam makes sure you're clear on things like the game direction and behind the scenes mechanics. In addition, he is very flexible on the above things as well and always checks with you. Moreover, you will feel instantly welcome at Adam's table. He is super friendly, personable, and he will laugh the hardest at your jokes, off-the-wall ideas, and he will regularly be the most enthusiastic person at the table, rising to match the energy of you and your party members. Lastly, Adam really makes sure you have your space to play the game the way you want to. You'll often find a variety of players at your table, and Adam makes sure that however you like to enjoy the game, you will be supported in playing it that way. For example, I am a big roleplayer and really just throw my characters to the fire. Adam was always ready to greet me with a friendly, voiced NPC, to have the enemies respond in shock and awe, or blush in embarrassment when my character fell on his face more than a few times. My favorite moment, and there were many, was grabbing a cult leader by the throat and leaping off a 70' tall wall with him while my allies battled his undead dragon behind me. Adam gave us the tools both in-game, e.g. in the form of a Potion of Invulnerability, and out-of-game, e.g. in the form of Stars and Wishes, to really shine as players.

Very safe table, very inclusive, kind and really soft touch with new players or different mechanics and things like that. Great maps and music, very immersive tabletop experience. DM Chris guides the game with a gentle hand and roleplays NPCs in a believable way. Very engaging combat as well, and a variety of gameplay so far in Strixhaven campaign