GM's

GM's come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and "types". The following list details the aims and styles of the GM's in the group.

Many of the GM's have added their area's to the Wiki, and details can be found here and so you can tell them apart, Images of the GM's are here.

GM: Adam Tennant (Not Currently Active)

Style

I prefer to run dark, grim adventures unlike the usual style of fantasy novel where you are force fed happy and clean stuff. I prefer it when there is blood and gore sticking to the furniture and the wall paper pattern is "Hint of Brain". I generally run more "realistic" type games, if that's possible in a fantasy genre. I often employ non-standard bad guys/magic/environments to keep players on their toes and not quoting from the rule book about what a Gnoll can and can't do and what it's primary stats are. I generally make my adventures up as I go because that way even I don't know what's coming. I find this allows a lot of flexibility and adventures can go in any direction.

Beliefs

The guild structure of DQ is a bit of a two-edged sword. While I think it's a really cool idea for getting a diverse group of people together and it's a realistic in game concept, it also means that everyone is supposed to play by the same rules, and roleplayers being the individuals that they are, this doesn't always work that well. In my opinion, just about the worst thing you can do is lessen another players enjoyment of the game, because enjoyment is the name of the game.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Alistair Ramsden (Not Currently Active)

Style

Fast and loose. I like wars, I like politics, I like love affairs, I like evil doers doing evil, I like good guys righting wrongs, I like shades of grey and puppet masters behind the scenes. I like intricacy and real-worldliness. I like facilitating good roleplaying. I do not like power gaming.

Beliefs

Gaming is supposed to be story telling. Gaming is supposed to be escapism. Gaming is supposed to be fun.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Andrew Withy

Style

I tend to run games that are heavy on people-interaction, puzzles, & dilemmas, and light on action & violence. This isn't to say I haven't crucified my share of PCs. I often have a strong religious and low magic background flavour. I set problems and situations and let the party wander through them, and am sometimes guilty of not keeping the plot moving fast enough.

Beliefs

DQ is a game. People should laugh, enjoy themselves, kick themselves for their stupidity, and plot ahead. They should have to think and diplome. Brute force and having bigger numbers will win in direct confrontation, but most good games (board games, card games, etc) allow other approaches to "victory" than sheer power. There are many players, and they should have to co-operate & communicate. Each should be given chances to prove themselves and contribute, and this is a responsibility of the GM & all players. The aim is for everyone to have fun within an environment created by the GM. If players respect the environment and flavour created, they can do what they like, but should try not to hurt the plot.

Other planes used by this GM.

Areas GM'd in: Western Marches, Southern Ranke, Sanctuary
Wiki'd information

GM: Ben Taberner

Style: As a GM I try and present an interesting and challanging environment for the characters, while keeping the interaction for the players to be real and at a relatively "gritty" level. While the backdrops and personalities may be quite absurdly fantastic, the players will still be able to affect change with even mundane means (like conversation!), if they are prepared to face the consequences. I am not above placing moral quandaries in the path of the party to help me decide on the tone or theme of adventure, even if it is just "Somedays you get the bear,...".

Beliefs: The game is played to be fun and for those involved to tell stories about the worlds and their characters. To that end I'm relatively happy to form games around characters stories and ambitions, provided that they aren't too hard on my own creations. However, conflict builds character, and is often as funny as hell.

Other planes and Wiki'd information used by Ben Taberner.

GM: Bernard Hoggins

Style: To be Entered.

Beliefs: To be Entered.

Other Planes Farwey

GM: Chris Caulfield

Style: I've yet to define a real flavour as yet since my games have been run to fill needs rather than span any story arcs etc. If pressed I'd prefer heroic fantasy as a style and encourage those actions that are in keeping with this style.

Beliefs: The guild is a force for good in the world (apart from those demonic chappies) and provides a good source of cohesion in a world of chaos. We all play for fun and should ensure that our fellow players aren't disadvantaged by our actions where they feel useless compared to the PC's we play. I suppose balance is required and we should encounter being(s) who challange us and represent a mortal danger to us as we do to them.

Other planes used by this GM.

Areas GM'd in: Eltrandor, Erewhon

GM: Clare Baldock

Style: I prefer to stick by the rules as the world changing under your feet all the time is very disconcerting. If I really hate a rule, I will change it, but let players know before hand. I haven't really been doing this long enough to have developed a style. Often I don't know what's going to happen before it happens any more than the players do. I like the characters to have a real chance to influence the world, but they shouldn't assume that because it's there they must be able to deal with it.

Beliefs: This is a fantasy game, which means everything doesn't have to quite real. GMs shouldn't need degrees in Economics etc to make the world run. The game is a co-operation between everyone involved - the players are more important for the enjoyment of the game than the GM.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Craig Harper

Style: To be Entered.

Beliefs: To be Entered.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Dan Dixon (Active in London)

Style: Mostly Outrageous.

Beliefs: To entertain at the top end.

Other areas Dan runs games in include the Lunar Empire. Dan for Emporer

GM: Dean Ellis

Style: To be Entered.

Beliefs: To be Entered.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Eamon Zink (Patch)

Style: I try to stick fairly strictly to the rules whenever convenient (for example you may run into the flesh-shapers on adventure who have their own weird magic, however this is a written up college in my notes subject to the same restrictions and difficulties as a standard college of magic, and the NPC's you run into will have only limited spells at certain ranks etc...) The plot tends to focus on character and NPC interaction rather than action, fights are avoidable, the story follows a multi braided series of intermingled subplots rather than a main storyline, and mutates dramatically as the characters act. Interaction is often proactive on the players part rather than waiting for something to happen then solving it. I will allow players to dig their own graves if they seem so inclined but I generally run low to low-med games so little I do is fatally fatal. I am a big believer in the hilarious coincidence as a plot tool, also you may be subjected to flashbacks, prophecy, dream sequences, bizarre subplots that involved a party two years ago, unexpected ramifications, and hideously Machiavellian scheming lying nasty brutish conniving and thoroughly evil allies enemy's, shopkeepers, unrelated NPC's, and employers. You characters might also be lashed down and forced to be fashionable (ask Thorn or Damian the Black). The pace of my games tends to involve a lot of interaction between the players and to NPC's. This can lead to entire sessions disappearing into discussions, information gathering and planning. I am stingy as all hell with rewards, my magic items to neat funky weird things that almost never affect your stats and often have nasty side effects, I will often give out enough silver to live a comfortable poor trash lifestyle till the next mission.

Beliefs: DQ is a game all about mixing and meeting with other players every three months. It is a game of permanency, long term characters, lasting friendships. As long as the rules work they are secondary to the games, the adventure, the environment. I want people to leave my games buzzing at being a part of a living, never to be repeated or recorded story of high adventure.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Fi Cole (Not Currently Active)

Style: I write structured adventures with flexibility within them however I generally have a fair idea where the party is going i.e. a beginning, middle and end. I like combat as opposed to lengthy philosophical ramblings and I would consider myself to be reasonably hard and unforgiving as well as enjoying a character's discomfort or occasional messy death. That said I generally get fairly positive feedback from those players still speaking to me after a session. I have not GMed for about 7 years and only recently began playing so need to catch up on rule changes however I am one of the Flying Crocodile GM's so am not completely rusted.

Beliefs: I play DQ for fun and that is what I expect my players to get out of it. I am not especially interested in having the best/most powerful character and disapprove of items and abilities that ordinary adventurers could not earn with a honest days work. However I draw the line at arbitrarily stripping them off players. I like to be logical about it.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Gordon Lewis (Not Currently Active)

Style: To be Entered.

Beliefs: To be Entered.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Greg Graydon

Playing DQ since the 1980's. Plays and GMs for fun and entertainment of everyone. "If the party decides to spend three weeks showing the villagers of BackofBeyond how to improve their crop yield by shaving burrs off of their plowshares and sampling the local elderberry wine whilst showing the local lads and lasses how to build bivouacs out of ferns, scrub and hay, and their mission is to locate some lost tome in some lost crypt; then the bucolic life it is."

I prefer player interaction to dice rolling and if can find some reasonable means of involving the players without using dice then will attempt to do so. (Looks for twister sheet... Just kidding :-) )

GM: Greg Taylor (Not Currently Active)

Style: To be Entered.

Beliefs: To be Entered.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Hannah Jackson (Not Currently Active)

Style: I enjoy roleplaying and hence I emphasise character interactions in my games. I have run low level adventures set on Alusia, sometimes using other GM's areas, such as Westphalia and Sanctuary. I prefer my NPCs to act and react in a realistic manner. They have magics straight from the book, and I wish the player characters do too.

GM: Hamish Brown

Style: There is a fine line between tension and splatter or unplayable madness. Generally I play a high fantasy, heroic style game where action is rewarded.

The players are not the centre of the world although they are the centre of the action in the game.

Beliefs: The game works best when people play roles in first person and relate to the GM through those roles within the game world rather than as an arbitor of the rules.

GM: Helen Saggers

Style: I like to keep to the rules so that Players can be secure in their PCs abilities, and to give consistency. However I have my own Monster manual so expect some differances there. I try to build worlds with cultures, and ecosystems, etc. NPCs have motivations and survival instincts. Into this I put the PCs having given them a goal and let the world react to their actions. I base the adventure level on the inherent hostility of the world around the PCs, this however does not mean that NPCs in high adventures attack on sight, but rather that the world as a whole is more dangerous.

Beliefs: We all play DQ to have fun. We are all there to tell a story, not my story, but ours and (outside of combat) interaction between PCs should be just as encouraged as that between PCs and NPCs. Each adventure I run is part of that worlds history, while each is a story of itself, it is also part of a larger story. There should be consistency between adventures, the past experiances of PCs and the scribe notes of other parties should be of use. I have built a Campain world, each adventure I try to plant the seeds of and information for other adventures, be it a passing meeting with an NPC, or a bit of history or lore. Its is my hope that by this method over the years we can tell even larger stories, involving many groups of different levels and that the players will get more out of the game.

Other planes used by this GM

GM: Ian Wood

Style: Temptation, oportunity, many encounters of varying typoes. Nothing too tough. PC's need to overcome obstacles. Accept PC's abilities - it is part of their character.

Beliefs: People get out what they put in. Players must pick up nuances. I prefer players to be curteous, and not gang up on someone, even if they deserve it. Gentle humour, rather than ripping someone apart Magic must work for players and the GM. Rank 10 spells should be well known and I would prefer more small magics in skills.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Jason Saggers

Style: Temptation, Puzzle Solving. Tend towards High Magic, High Fantasy (mostly). Rewards mostly geared towards the backgrounds and style of the characters in the game.

Beliefs: The Player is the game, and the players controls where they go. I believe that the GM should now the world and whats in it, and have it react to what the player chooses to do. If that is off mission, so what. It is being run for the players to have fun and the GM to have fun (otherwise why would we do it).

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Jacqui Smith

Style: To be Entered.

Beliefs: To be Entered.

GM: Jeff Leddra

Style: To be Entered.

Beliefs: To be Entered.

GM: Jillian Mitchinson

Style

I am still developing at ths stage. Though I believe fun and laughter are important in a game. I follow the rules as much as possible. Good character definition is always rewarded. I see the world as having an exsistence of its own, if a party dallies on their task they may miss their window of being effective and being of any help to the world.

Beliefs

Roleplaying is to be fun and executed to the best of a players ability - no slipping in and out of character - that is why I usually have a drink break half way through a session to give people a rest. There are always consequences to actions be they small or large.

Other planes used by this GM. Morfran

GM: Jim Arona

I'm in it for the fun, not the money. People have different ideas about what is fun, but I suspect that people who hang around in a building called the Adventurer's Guild are probably interested in treasure, violence, loose men or women and recreational drugs. The order will vary, but those are the main food groups.
I run games that are cinematic in nature and where the action is flowing.

How I award Experience

Attendance: 0 - 500
This is usually 500 for every player that turns up more or less on time. I penalise a player who can't tell me what their MR or Def is without spending 5 minutes rooting around in a bag for it, or if they haven't updated their character sheet. These things usually cost a player about 50 experience or so. Turning up late costs around 150 or more.
Roleplaying: 0 - 500
This is the player's opportunity to show everyone else your character. Note the italics. It is important to perform the role, not describe it. This is harder for some than others, of course, and it's sad that not everyone can be a great performer.
But, even if this is your weakness, you can still expect to garner at least 250 Experience per session, so long as you honestly try and you stay in character. Well, except where it would be tedious to be in character.
Contributions: 0 - 500
This category is more about what you can bring to the adventure. If you are the right level for the game, you will easily earn 250 Experience without breaking a sweat. If you are underlevel, you will have to work harder to make the grade. Some combinations of abilities are just generally handy to have around, and some players are more naturally resourceful. Some abilities may be very useful on a particular adventure. In these cases, the character can earn more.
If you are overlevel for the game, then I sometimes apply an Experience cap. This is usually 400, and it means that characters wildly overlevel can get no more than 400 Experience for this category.
Occasional Awards:
These vary from as little as 50 Experience, and may be as high as 1000. They are an award I make for valour, remembering things, putting together information sensibly, especially good ideas, or bad ideas that are just too much fun. It's also for things that amuse everyone. If I fall of my chair from laughing, that player will get 1000 Experience.
Risk Factor 1 - 5 or more.
After each category has been summed, it is multiplied by the Risk Factor. A very low level game would have a Risk Factor of 1, and on average would return 12,000 Experience for the entire adventure (I always assume one game in the season doesn't happen for some reason). Medium would be 2, High end of Medium would be 3, High would be 4 and so on.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Jon McSpadden

Style: In my games the characters, although the centre of the story, are not the centre of the world. The NPC's all have their own beliefs, motives, and objectives. Events are happening in the world. If the the characters do nothing, things will happen in the most likely and/or amusing (to me) way. It is up to the characters to interact with the world and make what they wish to occur. Areas are populated by various "levels" of creatures and NPCs. If the characters are "low level" it is up to them to avoid the attentions of the local vampire/evil mage/dragon, and a "high level" party disguised as merchants may very well have to deal with a few goblins who think they look like easy pickings. I will have a plot and an idea of what I expect the characters to do (which I will "sign post"), but they are free to take the story where they will. There is no guarantee that they will prevail, and if they should be irreserectably killed; so-be-it. If there is no chance of failure then there is no sense of achievement. I am very easy going, and will happily let the players do what they will, but if I am getting bored, or notice that some of the players are, I will make something happen.

Beliefs: We are all playing to have fun, and what provides the most fun for the players (and myself) is the deciding factor. Although "The Guild" is the best (and longest running) multi-player / multi-GM campaign I have come across, there are a few flaws with it that "irk" me. Primarily the "culture" that has developed. The Guild is full of cowards and knaves, and players hassle other players whose character has done something silly. Although I have a tendancy to "street level" roleplaying, it is the heroism that I find most enjoyable. Many GMs will rarely kill a character and never permanently as it is just not worth the trouble (and heartache for the player). Enough ranting... feel free to email me if you want to hear more :-)

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Julia McSpadden

Style: To GM for fun, and not let the rules get in the way.
Beliefs: To have fun.
Areas GMed in: Islands of Adventure, The Five Sisters, Brandonburg, Waterford

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Jono Bean

Style: My style of GMing tends towards a game with lots of information and events happening around the characters and the characters involving themselves in the events they wish. This leads me to the need for a party that has strong and motivated parties or leaders, and a clear understanding on what they would like to achieve or do within the game.

Beliefs: I believe that a GM is impartial and runs the world. The characters are not 'in the gods eye' when in my game, but are instead as large or as small as they make themselves. I like to provide motivation for characters to return to an area, by creating a sense of community with a location (like the Fastness of Girwyllan). Also I tend to give out loot that characters can 'make' within the area - with knowledge they have.

I used to run games in Fastness of Girwyllan. I am now running games in the Far North and based in and around Freetown. I don't run games "off plane" as I see it as unhelpful, unless it has started clearly on Alusia and the story has taken us to other planes, such as an adventure to the Lands of the Dead because someone is dead. Normally I do not have a party employer crossing planes to employ adventures. I would have a local witch saying something is wrong in the graveyard and she needs help.

I also think that games are run for fun, and need to be preferably fast paced so they do not get bogged down. I reward characters for action over non-action. I understand that the people that move the game along for everyone often take more risk, and therefore die more. I reward this over no action. Playing safe in my games is a net gain of zero.

Generaly the items that are found on my games have 'charges' and 'use by dates' and there tends to be a lot of them.

GM: Kelsie McArther

Style: To have fun.
Beliefs: I don't know and I don't care.

GM: Keith Smith

Style: I like to keep the story flow moving and not get bogged down in rules technicalities. If I can't remember a rule and, if none of the players can help, I'll fudge it then look it up later. I guess the type of games I run can be classed as slightly strange bordering on silly. Epic, world saving serious fantasy, just doesn't suit my GMing style. Expect odd NPCs. If I can inject comedy into the game that's good. If the players add the comedy that's even better. Magic items tend to get tailored to the character.

Beliefs: Basically let's have fun and enjoy ourselves. I'd like the players to have a good game.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Lisa Rose

Style: Whimsical! I design and detail my adventure background (history, culture, society and NPCs) very thoroughly prior to the start of the adventure. I believe that the NPCs have a life outside of the specific adventure and their reactions and responses will be consistent with their life, rather than tailored to fit the adventure. The story itself will tend to be fluid, dependent upon the actions of the party.

I have run light and fluffy adventures and dark and nasty ones, and have no preference for tone, although I prefer low-medium level. I really enjoy watching player characters interact, and have been known to do nothing for an entire evening apart from summoning strawberries and cream, because I have been so entertained by the actions and role-playing of the party. If possible, and if it is consistent within the story, I will try and provide treasure that suits the characters. My adventures don�t tend to make characters lots of money, but they may get quirky or unusual items.

Beliefs: I do believe in the consistency of the rules, given that we are in a multi-GM campaign, but have been known to interpret them in a more sensible or practical fashion if the standard interpretation would give rise to a ridiculous situation. I also believe that the reason we roleplay is for FUN, and I run my adventures accordingly. I have little tolerance for impolite roleplaying, obnoxious behaviour, out of character comments and actions, or unexplained lateness. I do run adventures �on request� as it were, although they may not always be what the player envisaged.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Mandos (Not Currently Active)

Style

I aim for realism in a game. The NPC's have plans and enact them. The world is not just a story for the players but a constantly changing place that the players can interact with and feel part of. You can run into people who have nothing to do with the story the players are part of, or indeed the players can move away from the story to do things other than those for which they have been hired. I don't play to all the rules but I will explain where I deviate before they are used.

Recently I have been focussing on larger multi-session story arc's set around specific area's. The purpose of this is to allow the characters a greater freedom of interaction with an area and a greater sense of history and connection with the world. Once people have friends, allies, enemies and knowledge of the surroundings the games can open up and grow larger than the planned adventure as the characters have their own objectives in an area.

Beliefs

I don't believe in the set story. If players do radical things or just wander away from the "mission" I am happy to work with that and improvise new experiences for the party. For me the social aspect is the priority. We play to see friend or make friends and to enjoy playing facets of our personalities that do not get to see the light in the modern society.

I also believe in the concept of the shared world and have been focussing on creating area's detailed enough that other GM's can play there without to much disruption to the players view of the area. To this end I encourage my players to edit my area's on the Wiki to ensure as much information as possible is gathered and displayed. To this end I prefer sign-ups for my games to be done via the Wiki to ensure the players have logins and are able to make changes.

Information

Most of the area's GM'd in recent times are entered into the Wiki here

GM: Martin Dickson

Style

Tough question. Freeform, I think... that is to say I will have a story sketched out, but am more than willing to head off in any direction the party chooses -- even if this means a totally different adventure to the one originally planned. At the same time, I have some loose story arcs running, for more than a decade in one case, and events will continue to proceed unless or until parties get involved. I prefer lots of NPC interaction and party communication and characterization (pets welcome!)... but am not adverse to the occasional scrap. I like medium-low level, and think that in DQ high level parties often try to "bull" their way through situations particularly with magic use, where lower level parties have to use their heads, and have on occasion classified adventures as being "Newtonian" in level. That is, force will be met with equal and opposite force. I like fun and humour -- and often find that the best results can be achieved through "playing it straight" and letting the oft times absurd behaviour of adventuring parties create the comedy. I also like to cross-genre into horror, and find this works well with low level parties.

Beliefs

The most important and special aspect of this campaign is the ability of players to move between multiple GMs, retaining the same characters and history and experiences, and to feel that they are part of an active world. I tend to promote -- err... some would say "preach" -- consistency in the primary campaign world of Alusia. This has been occasionally, and incorrectly, considered an attempt to enforce uniformity on GM's styles, but it is rather a desire to have a contiguous world history and consistent flavour so that players may exercise in-character knowledge between GMs to give a stronger feeling of continuity and to aid in suspension of disbelief. If a player cannot apply "world" knowledge that their character has gained in one game to another, then we are weakening the sense of a single world, and are instead playing in multiple worlds that happen to bear the same name.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Michael Parkinson

Style

NPCs are real people with their own lives to lead. You will never encounter NPCs or situations which are specifically designed to destroy a guild-party; although they may be crafted to destroy a specific guild-member against whom a particular NPC has a personal grudge. I like whimsy, puzzles, astrology readings. Normally the players can choose their own direction & style -- however the background is usually important. If a party gets a feel for the milieu, they can usually use local events to their advantage. Conversely an adventure advertised as "low" or "medium" can get very tough if the party is inappropriately stupid. Often the level is irrelevant, provided the party as a whole possesses the minimum of skills or spells dictated by the scenario. Low-level characters can make important contributions, and I may require powerful PCs to leave certain items at home -- player to provide their own rationalization as required.

Beliefs

I play for fun & expect the same of the players. I won't permit players to annoy or shutout other players, but I'll give players a lot of latitude if their actions amuse the rest of us. I do not allow a player to monopolize my time. Humour is an important element of my games, but normally you'd best keep your PC's tongue firmly in cheek. If you make use of out-of-character knowledge (e.g., if you correctly recognize the basis of an astrology reading or NPC from any opera, Doctor Who episode, or other source of fine literature), rationalize the knowledge within the game & please express yourself in game terms.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Miles Jackson

Style: To be Entered.

Beliefs: To be Entered.

GM: Noel Livingston (not currently active)

I enjoy a fun game with varied challenges so characters will get to use a wide range of skills. Ive found I prefer low level adventures within Alusia and attempt to have well thought out and believable plots for the NPCs to be working towards.

I tend to give out few if any magic items, preferring things which tie the characters more into the game world ( property / titles and fame or infamy )

Currently in Melbourne, thanks for all the fun gaming :)

GM: Rosemary Mansfield

Style: I tend to start with a place / atmosphere and an NPC with a problem, then let things build from there. I like to let players make their own path through the adventure.

Beliefs: Roleplaying is a great social night out so everyone should be taking part and having fun. I like to see good roleplaying but even more important is to see the group working together to solve a problem. Players who consistently work with the others and include everybody in the fun get higher EP from me.

Places on Alusia I play with: Sunnynook, High Castle, and random small villages in the Baronies

Other planes I use.

GM: Stephen

Style

I like to lay out a scenario with a rough timeline of npc actions and events in mind, and then let the characters interact as they see fit. When it works it's great, when it doesn't the adventure can be a bit dull.

The loose framework style leaves more room for spontaneous creativity, but I need to work on my back-up plans a bit more for when I'm tired and the creativity fails.

I also like to try something new most adventures, do something different. Re-make classic stories with a different twist.

Beliefs

I play DQ for fun and entertainment. Sometimes that is realised through situations and problems that need to be thought through to be solved, other times it is realised by swinging your sword through armies of minions, or finally defeating the big bad. But most often the best fun is from getting together with friends and playing.

RP - Role-playing - the name of the game is to create a character and play it. I like interesting characters and consistent roleplaying. While I appreciate the technical aspects of nasty and repellent characters, I'm not that keen on them as they're generally not as much fun for everyone else in the game.

G - Gaming - some people consider the gaming aspect to be a bad thing. Gamer (especially Power-Gamer) is a derogatory term. For me it is part of the whole. The gaming aspect is an intrinsic part of the overall fun, the trick lies in balancing and integrating the roleplaying and gaming. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts - cliché but true.

Pet Hate

Remote control play! 'My character will climb the hill', 'My character will greet the chieftan' - it's role-playing, play the part in first person! 'I will climb the hill', 'Good morning Chief'.

You get a lot more kudos from me for making an attempt at playing your role, even if it comes off badly.

None of us are master courtiers, troubadours, mechanicians, or healers. But our characters are. It is nigh impossible to realistically portray a master healer when you're an IT Geek who struggles to put a plaster on a graze. But if you make a reasonable attempt to play the role then I believe it is the GMs (and other players) job to interpret your attempt as if you really are a master.

Of course there are limits. The master courtier can wander up to the chief, say good morning and have it well received as an appropriate and courteous greeting. But if you wander up and ask if his daughter is good in bed then you can expect a chilly reception regardless of your rank. Probably worse for master courtiers as you were obviously trying to be offensive and a master would be very good at that.

Adventures on Alusia

• A small village in Ranke - an extra-planar organisation was manipulating the villagers into odd behaviour to make a top rating 'reality tv show'. Inspired by Marvel's Mojo and Neighbours.
• Cauldersfield - Had a problem with a plague during the Western Kingdom war.
• The Dragonspine Mountains west of Elfheim - a secret valley of Elf-Dwarf crossbreeds was found deep in the mountains, and was deliberately lost again. Some secrets are just too repellent.
• The mountains west of the Sea of Grass - a demonic cult was thwarted in their attempt to use a tainted Titan for great evil by another demon who quietly manipulated people for over 30 years to create the required opposition.
• The Dragonspine Mountains south-west of Elfheim - a mining operation ran into problems with fragments of primal matter and an extra-planar program of purging undesirables.

Other Planes I have run games on.

GM: Struan Judd

Style: I like to play a loosish game, where the players and myself are fleshing out a story from the bones that I have presented to them. However, I don't feel bound by those bones and thus if the characters head off in a direction that I didn't expect, or chase down one of the few atmospheric elements I occasionally add, then fine by me. I tend to run most games by feel or "by the seat of my pants".

Beliefs: I play DQ for the social contact, both with the other players and with the other characters, and because I enjoy it. Thus when I GM I like to run an enjoyable game. I know that different people find different aspects of DQ enjoyable so I try to find what my current party enjoys most and let them do it. If it's combat, so be it, though running a combat every week is hard work, and, I feel, doesn't really tell all of a story. With respect to the rules, I like to strive for a balance between, believability (or, more accurately, ease of suspension of disbelief), consistency, playability and enjoyability.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: William Dymock-Johnson

Style: I prefer to combine two styles of play. High fantasy and Down 'n Dirty. In high fantasy you have fantastic quests, bizzare locales and strange people to talk to. The characters regulary move amongst others of their power and deal with them how they choose. The Down n Dirty component by contrast is for all thos 'morally flexible' characters out there. Bad guys are not all bad. Good guys are not all good. Everyone has motives, agendas and secrets (but fortunatly not mission statements, even the demons have standards). There are no nanny cops or shopkeepers with plasma rifles to enforce social behaviour. By the same token there is no deus ex machina should the law catch up with you.

Beliefs:This is also not a zero sum game. Hopefully it's about fun and not how fast you can sweep the board clean of enemies. I feel a good theme is 'power comes with a price' and that many special powers out there are too cheaply gained and kept. If you feel a bit upset and that your PC is justified in having their wondrous 'yellow-string-thong-thing-o-doom' then I am talking to you.

Other planes used by this GM.

GM: Zane Mendoza

Style

Hmm style, I guess I have that somewhere... thou really I tend to prefer GMing games with a very strong story going through them, given that I am also very happy to run games with either lots of cobat or games where the players work out ways to avoid 99% of combats (thou whats DQ without at least 1 fight?).

Beliefs

TBA

Other planes used by this GM.

Areas on Alusia I have run games in: Cauldersfield