Welcome to my adventure-filled realm!
Background
I’m a passionate TTRPG enthusiast with a particular love for D&D 5e and other similar systems. My journey through tabletop role-playing games has taken me from the bustling halls of GenCon to the cozy corners of my local library. Presently, I’m working towards starting a recurring game at my local gaming store. I’m also open to online play, using Foundry VTT and Discord for those who prefer a virtual adventure.
Gaming Philosophy
As the DM, I provide a central conflict or tension, competing factions, villain(s) or antagonist(s) with their schemes, and settings. I work to design my adventures with a central conflict or theme that represents the undertone for the villains’ or antagonists’ motivations. My aim through these villains is to provide a compelling reason for the PCs to want to thwart their plans. My approach is to render the world as the player characters experience it, representing the physics, nature, and events of the world.
As a player, you should embrace the adventure hooks and be willing to share in the journey with your fellow players and the DM. Players/characters should interact with the world and pick sides in conflicts, favor some factions and ruin others, thwart evil plans, rescue the distressed, recover that which was lost, and more. The characters you build should make sense in the world, want to be part of the adventure, and want to affect change.
Finally, whenever there is doubt, have a conversation; our time is pricess, so our goal is to have fun together.
Play Style
While I enjoy the occasional one-shot session, I believe the more enjoyable experience comes from short adventures that may develop into bigger campaigns. My definition for narrative-driven adventures is where outcomes are determined by the characters’ actions. However, there are strategic plot hooks that are more or less defined through a rough outline that is subject to change based on player characters actions. Especially for new players, I prefer to run more directed adventures with a clear start and end, ensuring everyone can comfortably dive into the game.
My approach to tabletop role-playing games emphasizes preparation and narrative depth. This style allows me to prepare maps, props, NPCs, and flavor text in advance, ensuring the world feels cohesive and immersive. I enjoy weaving together story arcs that interconnect and build a rich, overarching narrative. In doing so, I give special attention to villains, crafting them as tailored oppositional forces that challenge the player characters. Along the way, I introduce relevant NPCs and gradually reveal villains and their plans, adding layers to the story.
I believe that compelling adventures require hooks and clear motivations for the characters. I expect characters to embark on adventures for either intrinsic or extrinsic reasons, and I design scenarios with conflicts or challenges to be overcome. Surpassing these obstacles not only provides rewards—whether financial or otherwise—but also enables the cycle of adventure to continue.
Role-play and combat are integral components of my play style, and they work in harmony. I avoid rigidly categorizing my style as a percentage of role-play and combat, instead seeking a healthy balance between the two. To me, role-play motivates combat as an extension of the narrative. Combat should serve a purpose, such as acquiring treasure, weapons, artifacts, fame, or other meaningful rewards. The battle’s outcome should directly tie back to the role-play enriching the overall story.
GM Influences
My influences are various folks in the community, chances are that if you like what they have to say then you will like playing with me. This is not meant to be a full list just a sample.
- Matthew Colville
- Mike Shea (Sly Flourish)
- Antonio Demico (Pointy Hat)
- Dadi (Mystic Arts)
- Guy (How to be a Great GM)
- Bob the World Builder
- Professor DM (Dungeon Craft)
Other Creative Outlets
Cartography
I also enjoy drawing maps and creating interesting table props that make play more engaging. These obviously take a lot of time and effort, but when I am able to, they feel like a very rewarding way to engage with players. If you like dungeon art, these are some of my influences:
My expectations for players are simple: bring your creativity, enthusiasm, and willingness to collaborate. Whether you’re a veteran or a newcomer, I aim to create a welcoming, engaging, and exciting environment. I encourage you to design characters that are eager to embark on adventures, seize opportunities, thwart villains’ plans, save towns, and enjoy the rewards.
What’s next?
Let the dice roll and the adventures unfold! 🚀🎲📜
–BoricuaGM