MaskofWinters

I've been running games for over 10 years now. Having honed my skills as a DM in 2E I never really took to 3E for a variety of reasons. In college I majored in History, along with the creative writing classes I took, I use that to help inform myself on how to generate as realistic as world as possible that is still fun and exciting. I am a firm believer in the player and DM being co-creators, this view is what drives me to create adventures and campaigns that are living and fun. I run my games in a way where the player drives the story, of course if the player needs some assistance to get the ball rolling I do what I can to make it cool for them, he, or she.

I do make a distinction between Old Skool Gaming and Modern Gaming. I imagine a world, or situation, that the characters are in, and based upon their actions I moderate on the most appropriate mechanic to resolve that action. This, to me, is one of the definitive distinctions between old-style and modern-style gaming. Modern gaming is informed by video games, where the rules tell you what you can and cannot do. I find this terribly restrictive and crimps my style when a player informs me that 'You can't do that,' and gives me the PH and page number for the rule he/she is citing.

As such, the games I run are intended to be longer term. I like seeing characters develop and grow, creating role-playing plots and stories. Since I view this as a collaborative effort, I help players to create characters that are also in-depth, and the more in-depth the character is, the cooler the game can be. Of course, it is important for players to be dependable.