Settings and System:
I have a wealth of background material which enables me to quickly create settings for your adventures, though the focus will be on exciting pacing and the journey of discovery and development your characters experience.
I am happy to create settings to your design, wether they be classic fantasy, futuristic sci-fi, dystopian nightmares, or any other you wish. I like to create realism behind the environments encountered such as dungeon ecosystems and political history all of which can be explored or destroyed as your party favours!
I am equally happy to begin stories with experienced characters as well as starting from humble beginings of a party's formative adventures, each group will define their adventure in a session zero in which everyone gets to meet and discuss what they want to get from the game.
I tend to avoid dice rolls and focus on roleplay where possible, I will have an understanding of what your characters are capable of and be willing to enable activities to develop without unneccassary mechanics slowing the pace, the only times where dice are required are in situations where chance would matter.
I also prefer to use a system of D100 and work on a percentage basis, this is a quick and easy method of combining actions, traitis and abilities into a tidy figure meaning the story will have a continuous rapid pace.
Examples of previous game settings I have run:
Contemporary Zombies: On June 26th 2006 a virus spread across the UK, the inhabitants of a student house in Brighton began their desperate escape of the city, travelling across the South Downs to Amberley Castle, on route they made friends and allies whilst doing their utmost to avoid the attention of the military...
Contemporary Zombies, Season 3: The party had secured an industrial estate and were settling into sustained survival campaign when they were finally confronted with the Armed Forces requesting volunteers from their encampment...
Warhammer 40,000: Dropship 224 crashlands on planet Styxius 6, a desert world seemingly devoid of life. The commanders attempts to communicate with the Naval presence in orbit unsuccesful, the details of their emergency disembarkment still unclear. Their explorations reveal an complex ecosytem and a chance for surivial as they learn to harvest the natural resources. The discovery of a mining shaft reveals a subterranian network of derelict industrial facilities, seemingly offering the group many resources they thought unavailable, however, they soon find they are not alone...
Warhammer 40,000: The Emperors Radiance bulk troop transport had been ordered to Styxius 6 to rendevous with naval elements from other sectors, upon arrival there was no sign of radio activity, scans revealling drifting craft in deteriating orbit of the planet. Before investigations could begin a craft was noted to be cabable of motion, emiting no radio signals it closed on the Emperors Radiance, as visuals revealed the craft to be of xenos design the captain ordered the emergency disembarkment of dropships, including the fated Dropship 224. As the dropships descended those left upon the craft awaited thier fate as the aliens closed in...
Bespoke Sci-fi and Fantasy combined setting, Season 1: A team of experts were assembled to investigate the failure of a research station to respond. Upon entering the station the team discovered that the previous occupants had died in mysterious circumstances, the cause of death often appearing to be suicide. As they explored the notes the scientists had written details slowly emerged of a crystaline spore-like entity that seemed to have peculiar characteristics...
Bespoke Sci-fi and Fantasy combined setting, Season 3: The team are deployed to a rebel planet as part of a penal legion, their punishment for releasing a computerised virus which caused mass destruction across the system. The party begin to distrust the governments agenda as they encounter the defending forces, the information with which they have been give seemingly at odds with the evidence before their eye, soon they are forced to make an important decision about whose side they are on and sacrifice all hopes of returning to the lives they once knew...
Classic Fantasy; An exporation of what adventurers do with their loot: Returning home the party begin settling in to their new lives as civilians, secretly hiding their wealth and begining a process of social change, starting by founding an orphanage they begin training the next generation of adventurers, seeding in them the values the party hold dear, yet their plans are not left undisturbed as the ruling class take umbrance with the way the community surrounding the orphanage is growing in confidence and ability...
Classic Fantasy; A collective is formed and calls itself the Woodland Alliance, this group is a rare mix of elementals and woodland creatures who rally to fight for their homeland, Foxes and Squirrels allign themselves with Sprites and Fae to deny the oncoming destruction of their realm, yet it would appear their enemy is ahead of them each step of the way indicating that somewhere there is a traitor in their midst...
Classic Fantasy: The maleficent rule of dragon overlords, and the hired hands of adventurers as hoard defenders. As the revaltations of the destrution of their employer become more and more unbearable the mercanaries must face a difficult decision, remain implicit to the actions of their master or strike out against the oppressor. The traditons of their families houses and the honour of their guild are at stake yet the terrible acts of the Dragon King must not go unheeded. Is there a way to contact the Dragon parliment and bring the King to court, or will the acts of the party create further suffering for those under his rule...
Who am I:
My name is Stephen Duff, and I am a fire ninja! I run a small circus which performs across the UK, specialising in pyrotechnic displays. I have been involved in tabletop and roleplay games since 1988 when I first played Space Crusade, since then I have enjoyed running and participating in games my whole life.
What qualifies me to be a professional DM:
I am a professional performer and have also worked in various roles throughout my career which focus on the development of individuals, from an outdoor activity centre for the disabled to a childrens home for teenagers I have worked hard to deliver positive growth in behaviour and attitude, confidence and self esteem.
What experience do I have that assists your experience:
I am an avid listener and attentive host, I will seek out the quieter members of the group and enable them to have equal platform to express their thoughts and intentions within the setting, I will also ensure that stronger personalities are carefully managed to ensure thier participation is equally balanced with that of the other members. I will offer a session zero in which we can detail the aspirations of the players and I will always seek construtive criticism and reviews at the end of each session, further to this, I will always be available via a private links so information can be shared during the game without other party members being aware.
I am resilient and will be very happy to adjust things as required, I am aiming to provide you with the best experience possible and your feedback is essential to the smooth delivery of this goal.
I have an up to date Advanced DBS (Criminal Record Check)
I have a combined honours degree in Theatre Studies and Education Studies
I have a Diploma in Developing Independance In Care
I'm also a tree surgeon and build sets for Movies and TV, working in franchise's such as Star Wars and Marvel, this has given me great insight into just how heavy a large amount of rope is!
I also have a son who is now a teenager with whom I have great fun playing tabletop and roleplay various games. Occassionally we play online video games too, usually focussed on RTS games.
I enjoy the outdoors and being activie, I have a high regard for the natural world and will be implementing many pioneering environmentally concious technologies in the house I will be building in the near future.
Safe Space and Triggers:
I host a safe space and have a very open mind regarding peoples preferences and thier behaviours, as long as they are not causing others to be harmed then I am happy to support their wishes.
My games will usually be mildly graphic in descriptions of injury, and I am willing to adjust this to suit the group. I have never felt a need to portray sexualised events in my games and while these may be referenced as occurrences, I would 'fade to black' rather than describe a scene which did not aid the narrative. As in regard to violence I will listen to the groups wishes prior to the commencement of the game and ensure those wishes are respected.
If you have triggers, please let me know prior to the commencement of the game and I will ensure that your well being is maintained at all times.
I have an account on Roll20 which I use for running online games, and I am based in Brighton, Sussex if the group wants to hire me to attend a location.
Fuel costs will be an additional consideration when making bookings outside of Brighton.
Costs:
£100 for a 4 hour session, the fee will be divided across the attendees.
I prefer to keep group sizes to a maximum of 5.
What you get for your money:
Free consultation prior to session zero in which character design and adventure concept are detailed.
Puntual arrival, usually online 30 minute prior to the start of session.
A detailed realm with a rich background filled with names, histories and personalities, specific treasures and items relevant to the setting.
Personally created artwork, maps and handouts.
Compelling narrative.
Attentive host with great levels of empathy and diplomacy.
Believable characters.
High Quality Entertainment for 4 hours every session!
What you need to do:
contact me via piratefireninja@gmail.com
We will discuss your requirements and put together a plan, I will expect a deposit on the first session at this point,
Prior to session zero I will contact the party and provide information and respond to requests,
Attend session zero and all further sessions, providing feedback after each session.
Have fun and create memorable adventures!
Reviews:
"Absolutley brilliant! Over the course of the campaign my character really came to life, I found myself making decisions in character that were totally against my own instinct and loved seeing the story unfold infront of us!"
"The setting always felt realistic and believable even though we were fighting crazy monsters with wacky weapons! 5 stars!!"
"I still think its hillarious I charged a ratman horde armed with a sock! - great fun"
"Next time I build a zombie-proof truckI'm going to make sure I don't cover up the air intake and cause another engine to blow up!"
"Thinking its a good idea to climb stacked boxes of room temperature butter is a mistake I won't make again!"
"Chainsaws are not good weapons. I'd probably still have both legs if I hadn't rolled three crit fails in a row though"
"Hacking is more complex than I thought. Next time I'll write the code so it doesn't shut down half the galaxy's network!"
"Loads of fun, when can we do the next one?"
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