Game Master For Hire:
Contact Me:
Introduction:
For those unfamiliar with this blog, my name is Gordon Bissell. I'm a Game Master, role-player and wargamer from Glasgow, Scotland, who has a particular interest in science fiction. I have 33 years experience of GMing roleplaying games, going back to 1987 when, at the age of 12, I discovered Games Workshop's Judge Dredd: The Roleplaying Game. A huge 2000AD fan, I was instantly hooked and a lifelong love of roleplaying ensued! As well as GW's Judge Dredd, I have run the following games: Star Wars (West End Games' D6 system), Cyberpunk 2020, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and EN Publishing's Judge Dredd game. On the other side of the GM screen, I've also played Star Wars D6, Paranoia, GURPs, AD&D, GW Judge Dredd, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Star Trek and, most recently, Alien.
I've always loved GMing and have run more home-brewed more games than pre-published adventures. I have run a Star Wars Campaign which was entirely written as a home-brew and designed for my group of players which ran for over 50 sessions - so I'm able to deliver a deeper gaming experience if players are looking for something more than just casual play! I like to encourage players to think about what their characters are up to in downtime in between adventures (some of the best adventures I've run have arisen out of such details), but, equally, I do not insist upon this; casual play is equally valid!
Available Games:
I am currently available to run West End Games' Star Wars D6, Judge Dredd (either by Games Workshop or EN Publishing, whichever is desired by the group) or Alien by Free League Publishing. More information about what I'm offering on each system follows further down this article. More expansive descriptions of what is available will follow on posts dedicated to each setting.
Sessions:
Sessions will be run on Roll20 for maps and tokens, with either Discord or Google Hangouts used for voice chat (whichever is preferred by the group). My preference is to use maps where possible, but there may be occasions where the action unfolds in the "theatre of the mind".
A session will last 3 hours and ideally will be run on a weeknight (Mon-Fri) 7pm - 10pm or 8pm - 11pm GMT. Weekends really would only be the only times where I could offer more flexibility on time-scheduling (which may be necessary if group members are playing in different parts of the world).
Group Size:
Games will be run for a group of 6 players. Costings (found further down this post) are based upon this being the number of players in any given session.
Zero Session:
To ensure that all players are comfortable, a Zero Session will be run with all prospective players, free of charge. During this session, all introductions will be made, character sheets created, and we will have discussions about expectations and try to nail down the specific experience everyone is looking for. It'll be my job to deliver the game everyone is looking for in Session One - and for as long as desired! If the group cannot reach a consensus, then there is no obligation to proceed any further. Assuming that everyone gets along well and is willing to play the game...
Session One:
With the groundwork having been completed in the Zero Session, Session one will jump straight into the action! Whether that action is in a galaxy far, far away, in Mega-City One, or even a space station in the outer rim in Alien, Session One will be a taster of what players can expect on a regular basis. If players do not enjoy the experience, they may drop out at this point, without charge, no harm, no foul. However, the fee is anticipated and very much welcomed for Session One players who do enjoy the experience and wish to continue playing!
Casual Play or Campaign Play:
Players can opt to request sessions on an ad hoc basis, when I will host as and when required (subject to availability). Such an arrangement will mean that only casual play - adventures which only last a few sessions - can be accommodated.
Alternatively, if players want to play a campaign, I can create a campaign which will run for a desired number of sessions which will be run on a schedule agreed by all players. To provide the immersive feel of a campaign, weekly play is recommended, but the scheduling will be determined by the group (subject to my own availability). In a campaign, players can expect to meet recurring NPCs, both allies who set them missions (such as a General on the Rebel Base or a Sector Chief and associated personnel in Judge Dredd) and enemies who will make their lives as difficult as possible! My campaign style is to run a series of individual adventures which weave together to tell a larger, hopefully epic, tale. I also like to delve into character backgrounds where possible to give some added depth to the adventures.
Whether in Casual or Campaign Play, there may be times when members have to miss or reschedule sessions due to life commitments which I will try to accommodate as much as possible, but if there is a player who is regularly finding it difficult to make sessions, then it is possible they may be asked to leave the group and allow another player to join. None of the above is set in stone however, I will be as flexible as I possibly can with a group's requirements - life does get in the way sometimes, it's to be expected!
More information on the differences between both will be further detailed in separate posts on this blog.
What You Can Expect From Me:
A friendly, approachable GM who always tries to accommodate players where at all possible. My priority is to ensure everyone is having fun around the virtual table! I am always open to feedback if there are areas where players think I can improve. I'm also open to adapting play to be more focussed on action or roleplaying if there is a feeling of there being too much emphasis on one and not enough of the other! I recommend reading some of the Green Vipers posts on this blog to get a sense of what type of game I run for Star Wars. I'd be aiming to strike a similar balance between roleplaying and action when running Judge Dredd or Alien.
Options:
Star Wars West End Games D6 System: Rebellion era, Rebel Forces (Tiers 1-3 available)
Judge Dredd EN Publishing / Games Workshop, whichever system preferred: 2099 onwards (Tiers 2-3 available)
Alien: Free League Publishing (Tier 3 only)
Services Charges are for a three hour session, based on a per-player basis with groups consisting of 6 players:
Tier One: Casual Play. £7.50 per session running pre-published adventures.
Tier Two: Campaign Play. £10 per session running a mixture of pre-published and home-brew adventures with play tailored to the specific characters in the group. An introductory post will be put up on this blog and players will be provided with a PDF of the same document.
Tier Three: Unique Campaign Play. £15 per session running home-brew adventures only, tailored to your group's needs and wants for the campaign.
Immortalise Option: For an additional £2.50 per player on top of the chosen Tier pledge, a full write up of your session will feature on my blog along with a PDF copy for each player. See Green Vipers posts on this blog for examples of what you can expect.
Settings: A brief synopsis of what is on offer for each system follows, but individual posts detailing more information about I can run for each system will follow in due course on this blog.
Star Wars: I have a whole host of adventures and campaign settings I can offer here! For casual play, I have all of West End Games published adventures and can run any requested! On the campaigns front, I can easily run the Long Shot Campaign as I've done so recently as recorded on this blog, but there's also the Darkstryder Campaign or the Minos Cluster Campaign. The first two are Rebel Campaigns, while the latter focusses on a group of traders/smugglers struggling to make their way in the galaxy. With the current popularity of The Mandalorian series, I'd be willing to go to work on a "scum" campaign, though this would be fall under the home-brew campaign category.
In terms of the setting, expect to encounter strange creatures and bizarre aliens, travel to far-flung corners of the galaxy, visiting iconic worlds with extreme climates - and getting to pilot all of the iconic ships you know and love! Oh, and the action can range from personal one on one gunfights up to major battles - just like the films!
I'm most comfortable running adventures set during the Galactic Civil War, but have run a campaign which covered the period 5BBY right up to the events featured in Rogue One. Please note that I only count the films as cannon, so there may be elements in the games which contradict events in Star Wars Rebels and other expanded universe media. There is an option also to switch plot armour on or off, depending if the PCs wish to dovetail with the events of the films or if they fancy changing the whole story and taking on Vader and the might of the Empire themselves!
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| Star Wara RPG Books |
Judge Dredd: My love of Judge Dredd doesn't go back quite as far as my fandom of Star Wars, but, as mentioned in the introduction, I've been a fan for well over three decades! I can run any setting covered by The Complete Case Files, but I'm most familiar with the early years of Judge Dredd, from 2099 up to Necropolis.
Players will have the choice of playing Judges or Perps - or, for the ultimate experience, alternate between both, some weeks playing as Judges trying to take down the perps, others trying to build a criminal empire right under the Judges' noses!
If, playing as one faction or the other, most of the action will take place in Sector 1, but, as with the strip, the players can expect forays into the Cursed Earth and beyond! As with Star Wars, plot armour can be turned on or off - as Judges, the players can take Dread's place in some of his most famous adventures - or as perps try to kill him! In the case of playing both factions, the action will be set in different sectors (to avoid the players finding themselves in the strange situation of building a criminal empire with perp PCs that their Judge PCs are actively trying to tear down).
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| My collection of Complete Case Files (I do own more Dredd and Anderson books!) |
Alien: Enter a dangerous, uncaring galaxy full of slimy, deadly creatures - and that's just the company that employs you! Whether you want to part of a team of frontier colonists, travel the galaxy as space truckers, join the colonial marines or help the company expand across the galaxy, I'm confident that I can create a campaign for you!
Testimonials: There are currently four testimonials that I have here, but please watch this space, I will add more soon!
Brian R.: Gordon is an exceptional GM, Not only is he well-versed in many systems, but his ability as a storyteller is outstanding. I have been a player in many of his games from Cyberpunk 2020 to Warhammer Fantasy Role-play. Each time he found creative and fun ways to keep his players interested and engaged. I have always greatly enjoyed participating in games run by Gordon and hope to do so again in the future.
Please see comments below for more testimonials from Robert M, Craig M and Tom W (aka One Man Banned).
I started roleplaying in one of Gordons Star Wars sessions over three years ago now. At the time, I had never done anything like that before and didn't know what to expect. Gordon made everyone feel very welcome each week, and he was always very well prepared, often with customised stories that he had either written from scratch or tailored specifically to our group. Gordon regularly makes use of additional resources like maps, text, video(introductory text crawls, like the movies!) and music as well as voicing non-player characters in the game. He is also very good with the rules and a reliable GM who is very dedicated. Overall, Gordon's approach makes for a fun and engaging game which I can highly recommend!
ReplyDeleteLike Robert, I started roleplaying with Gordon a number of years back. He’s an absolute legend of a GM. Professional and fun in equal measure, working hard in the background to create interesting and enjoyable games each week. The Star Wars system itself is brilliant too. If you’re new to roleplaying or a veteran, Gordon will ensure you have an excellent experience!
ReplyDeleteGordon introduced me to pen and paper RPGs around 5 years ago, I joined a new group to play Cyberpunk 2020. The group was a mix of RPG veterans and new players and all were catered for with an engaging campaign, well balanced with narrative and action. Since then I have joined him on multiple games, some lasting years, others concise one shots lasting a couple of sessions. I can't think of a time where we have had a lull during a session or he hasn't been able to react to what the players have decided to do. I often wonder just how much he has planned, and what would have been in store for us if we had went down a different path, never feeling as if he has pushed us one way or another. His development of characters, even throw away encounters with NPCs always feel rich and his depictions of them are fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThe effort he puts into production value, both in person and more recently via Roll20 is excellent, with a great balance of setting the scene or mapping out an encounter, without being bogged down with flipping between reference documents. I would highly recommend him as a GM.