Here are notes about how I want to run the game, dealing with Agency, Dm-ing style and some Homebrew rules that we can discuss during session 0.
Below you will find a quick rundown of me as a GM. I tried to keep everything tight and in a few sentences. Writing concisely is tough so bear with me.
Tone
I enjoy a variety of tones. The important part is that we are all in agreement about what that is exactly. We can run a horror campaign with moments of comedy or a high stakes adventure with the end of the world in the balance while the setting itself being a bit silly. The important part is that we all understand that there is a moment for each of those breaks and that everyone at the table should be in on it.
Player agency
I enjoy players taking initiative and trying to push the boundaries in which I place them through narration. Coming up with some idea, asking if you know someone who could help, saying “My character grew up with blahblah and should know this and that fairly well” are completely valid ways for players to push the narrative. There’s no punishment for asking, there are always consequences for asking.
Consequences
I am a reasonable person, I will recognize you trying to push the narrative forward and I am not out there to punish you. I want to see the players succeed, I want to see how things unfold. I’ll try to announce the consequences and they will always be grounded in the reality of the game. It should make sense that a set of consequences happen.
Collaboration
I ma not out there to get you. Every NPC is not an enemy. Pay attention and care for your character and for your fellow players. It’s as simple as that. I hope you are all equipped with empathy and emotional intelligence.
Prep
On my end, I like to prepare situations, not scripts. I can come at the table with a strong idea of what a faction might do without the intervention of the players, but I do not prepare for the outcome, that’s your job to run your characters in the world.
I expect you to try and learn your character sheet and abilities. We have all been beginners and you will get help on that front, but you have got to learn.
Safety
I like to think that my games are safe to be vulnerable in. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be antagonists, violence and mean people (to your characters), but I am also not going to go out of my way to make things
Scheduling
I try to keep a fixed schedule. It’s best to coordinate with everyone such that a particular evening of the week is dedicated to a game session. Calendars are the biggest campaign killers. I also understand that there are cases of force-majeure. I have had to take care of children, family emergency, work emergencies and so on. All of these happen. We can decide how we handle those by keeping open lines of communications, I just expect you to take this hobby as seriously as you like other people to respect your time.
Note: Most of the notes that you will find in this section are still relevant for DnD 5e 2014. I have not yet had the opportunity to look at the 2024-2025 changes and how they might affect and synergize with these rules. I am currently still looking into it. I am also looking at exploring new systems.