My Style

Every GM has their own style which is reflected in the stories they tell, the game mechanics they use, and the tone that is set for the game. My goal is is to make it fun - a real page turner of a game - where you can't wait to get back to it to see what happens next. But, wouldn't you know it, fun is a fairly subjective sort of concept, so I also take my cues from what the players think is fun.

It has been said elsewhere before that role-playing games are essentially members of the narrative form family. There is a lot in common between a good RPG campaign, and a movie, or a comic book or a novel. You have characters, plot and an arc; a beginning, middle, and an end to the story. What perhaps separates RPGs from other narrative forms, with the exception of video games, is that it is dynamic. Player Characters (PCs) interact with the storyline, changing the outcome of events.

So why bring up the obvious? I like to run the sort of a game where a bunch of unsuspecting characters, out for their own self-interest, get swept up in the current of events much larger than they are, and which force them to make decisions, and take sides in a conflict of ever growing magnitude. This is not (necessarily) about "saving the world" nor is it an aimless GTA style do-whatever-and-see-what-happens world. There is an overall story arc to this campaign, so while some events must necessarily be scripted, the outcome at any of several critical junction points can radically change what happens next. In the end you will either become heroes of legend, or legends of infamy, or maybe just the forgotten ones who made the game saving assist.

So, expect change. If you are a fan of the Final Fantasy series, or of serial pulp fiction, you know the kind of change to expect. And your characters will change, too. Maybe several times. I also like to add a healthy dose of mystery, and a puzzle or few.


As for dice: my rule of thumb is to use them whenever it would be fun to do so, or when there must be an element of chance in the gameplay. Interestingly, the two situations most often go hand in hand. That being said, I hate rolling just for the sake of rolling. For example, if picking the lock on that door isn't going to effect the outcome of play or of the story, why bother rolling?