|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Up here in the frosty north, everything moves more slowly. Well, because its cold. (grumbles irritably about it being -4 degrees when he woke up this morning)
But, our 2nd ever Venture-Captain, Ryan Blomquist, who took over in October of 2012 for retiring Ryan Bolduan, with barely a star under his belt, slammed through so many GM sessions that he's gained his 5th star barely over a year later.
Congrats Ryan Blomquist!
And before Chris Mortika can ask, what have you learned that you can share with all of us?
Here are some nice anecdotes (I'd encourage anyone from out of area who's experienced his GM style, to add their own):
"A few months back, on a night that the second part of a 3 part series was being offered, Ryan had a table where 5 out of 6 players had not participated in the first part of the series. So, instead, he offered to run another scenario (we decided on Quest for Perfection 1), and was able to run the scenario as if he had fully prepped it. He adapted quickly to the craziness that the table brought, and we would never have known this was being run on the fly. I only wish that I could have finished the series with that character!"
"Ryan is always adaptable to the table that he is running. I've played in games with Ryan running in pretty much every tier, and he adapts very well to the differences in play between the tiers. He is always able to challenge us while staying within the bounds of the scenarios. He is always good for a laugh during a game, even when his dice are running extremely cold, and consoling when his dice are running hot."
"I've seen Ryan deal with difficult players, at seven player tables, without slowing down the game. One of the best lines I can remember from Ryan was while he was running Darkest Vengeance... a player, who was at that time pretty much annoying the entire table, asked him, "Is there any penalty for [characters] drinking in PFS?". Ryan's answer, without missing a beat, was, "Only if you piss off the GM!". Everyone at the table chuckled at that!"
"In my head, Riddywipple will always have that squeaky, excited voice Ryan likes to use. The sense of curiosity and mischief definitely came across with this NPC!"
"Ryan ran the first table at 7-11 that I was in (Portal of the Sacred Rune), and very quickly taught me not to have my gun-quisitor run out to the front to get that seemingly easy shot... the characterization of the archer/ranger with human as his favored enemy drooling for a shot at Munny will forever be etched into that usually stoic character's mind!"
"Ryan has been one of the most enjoyable GMs to play with. He's always been patient and dedicated to making sure everyone has fun. He knows the Pathfinder rules amazingly well, but never tries to come off as a know-it-all. I consider myself lucky to have been able to game with him."
"Ryan has a good grasp of the rules, and tries to bring the characters to life when he roleplays. He's a good GM and it shows that he puts preparation into his game. He deals with rules disputes quickly and fairly and has a good nose for when a player is pulling shennanigans."
"My friends and I first became involved with the Society at Con of the North. It was there that I witnessed Ryan's superb skills as a group organizer and his ability to effectively herd hundreds of rpg nerds ;-) Seriously, I was impressed. Then came a time when we had some issues with a GM and fellow players. Ryan was very diplomatic and we eventually got over ourselves. Finally, we've had the pleasure to sit at his table as he GM'd an ad-hoc adventure off-the-cuff because there was a communication problem on the meet-up. Ryan has been five-star in every facet of his PFS involvement. We gladly give him our endorsement."
"About time! =p
It's great to hear that Ryan's so close to becoming a 5 star GM: His table is always fun and challenging, he knows the rules (and sticks to them) well, he roleplays npcs and interacts with PCs in a way that helps immersion, and he's just plain fun to play with.
Anecdotally, Ryan had been present for both of my character deaths: First as another player at the table and second as the GM. It's a tribute to his GMing, (or at least his dice rolling) that he presided over Pyotr Petrovich Petrov's death to a shadow with as much panache as a gnomish cavalier deserved. After rolling a max damage crit in the surprise round, with everyone else backing out of the room he did the only reasonable thing a monster would do and finished the job. Having GM'd a few games now I'm learning how hard that is to do, how badly you want to find an excuse to go after someone else. But Ryan chose the integrity of the encounter and verisimilitude. It was sad to lose such a fun character, but you always know Ryan is playing fair, and that's one of the cornerstones to having a fun game.
Outside of GMing, Ryan has helped me a great deal with getting PFS running up in Fargo. His advise is always on point and insightful, so he's not just a great GM but he's also a great Venture Captain."
So there you have it folks!
Minnesota's very first 5-star GM!
All Hail Ryan! All Hail Ryan!
Caveat: It may take a few days for customer service to add his 5th star, so he may not sparkle as brightly as some until the nova is officially added!
|
Congratulations, Ryan!
I have to say that I have learned a lot from you, both as a player and (especially) as a GM! I've always enjoyed having you at any table I am at, and have found your advice to be spot on! It is humbling to be learning so much from someone who hasn't even been alive as long as I have been playing, and GMing!
Woot! woot! For a job well done, Birthday Buddy! I can't wait for us to tackle and defeat the Runelord of Sloth together later thus month, and then move on to The Eyes of the Ten!
|
Awww...crickey.
I thought I had stopped wanting to respond to things like this, but I love me the Ryan B something fierce.
After the awesome table of Eyes of the Ten at PaizoCon 2013* I thought I'd be done admiring him...but no, this thread exists.
Congrats Ryan 2.0...an upgrade in slankiness, indeed.
-Pain
*=I'm pretty sure this was among the top 3 runs of Eyes that have ever happened or will ever happen. Of course, I can't prove it, but will nonetheless believe it and it will be axiom in the Demiplane of Pain from hence forth.
|
|
So, wow... thank you all. I know I definitely wasn't an excellent GM when I became VC back in October 2012. It is interesting you bring up Eyes, Painlord; my first reported session of PFS GMing was Eyes of the Ten (not my first actual table, just the first one that made it to the reporting system) and I can say with 100% certainty that the table was absolutely terrible. It has taken patience, persistence, lots of practice, and a great many tables where I did a very bad job as a GM to learn how to do a decent job; I'm not ready to call it a good job yet, but I'll let myself have decent, or passable.
What have I learned? What Andy wants, Andy gets; its like sex with Kobe Bryant. What have I learned about GMing, though? Well, everything I know... Man, this is hard, I GM mostly by instinct and reflex rather than meticulous planning. Prepare, prepare, prepare? No, that's true but too easy. Hmm... OK, I think I’ve got something. So, I screw up all the time; the first scenarios I ran were *bad*, the first module I ran was pretty bad, the first few times I’ve run sanctioned Adventure Path material have probably been my worst GMing in a very long time. When you blow it as a GM, it is important that you acknowledge what has happened and identify why it happened. Go to the players; ask them what they didn’t like. It would be awesome if every GM did this at every table (I know I don’t and I know I should) but any session you feel dissatisfied with should end with trying to find out why so you can change your practices to address it. A bad session isn’t the end of the world, nor an indictment of anyone’s ability as a GM. You learn more from failing than you do from success. A bad session is an opportunity to improve; you just have to seize it.
Lastly, I must give credit where credit is due. I don’t get to be a 5-Star without the Minneapolis and Saint Paul communities; you guys and gals rock, you’re awesome to GM for, you correct me on all the rules I inevitably get wrong, and you put up with my voice acting. You’ve tolerated quite possibly the most awkward, ham-handed GM ever through bouts of chronic exhaustion and severe burnout. You keep coming back, even when you know I’m GMing; without you all, I don’t get to keep having fun telling stories from behind a piece of cardboard and a tablet. Without you I don’t run any tables in fifteen months, much less 150. Thank you for having patience with me, and giving me the chance to share the fun with you.
Also, now that I’m part of the clique, can someone let me in on the whole mountain thing? I feel like I have been watching this inside joke forever and I totally don’t get it.
|
|
Also, now that I’m part of the clique, can someone let me in on the whole mountain thing? I feel like I have been watching this inside joke forever and I totally don’t get it.
They have abandoned the mountain, I am currently trying to track down where they went. I am hearing rumors of an island though.
|
|
Also, now that I’m part of the clique, can someone let me in on the whole mountain thing? I feel like I have been watching this inside joke forever and I totally don’t get it.They have abandoned the mountain, I am currently trying to track down where they went. I am hearing rumors of an island though.
Protected by Sharks, with laser beams on their heads...
|
|
Congrats Ryan! It's always been a super fun time with you leading the table. :-) You say that we put up with your voice acting, but the truth is, you put up with all our crazy antics and parlor tricks we manage to come up with (even those super wise but incredibly naive druids, and all the tigers, and even the 5 wisdom craziness that is a character). Thank you so much for all you do for the community and all the help you've given me as a coordinator and GM. Although, with everything you do, you "say" you have a social life, but we still don't believe you. :-P
So congrats! Many thanks and many hugs! :-)
|
Also, now that I’m part of the clique, can someone let me in on the whole mountain thing? I feel like I have been watching this inside joke forever and I totally don’t get it.They have abandoned the mountain, I am currently trying to track down where they went. I am hearing rumors of an island though.
I heard it is still a mountaintop. I thought the retired PFS Five/Four Stars got the island. (Fantasy Island, as I thought it was called.)
All seriousness, congrats on your achievement Ryan! You are always welcomed here in sunny California to GM/play where it is way warmer than where you may be right now.
|
Congrats, Ryan!
Protected by Sharks, with laser beams on their heads...Also, now that I’m part of the clique, can someone let me in on the whole mountain thing? I feel like I have been watching this inside joke forever and I totally don’t get it.They have abandoned the mountain, I am currently trying to track down where they went. I am hearing rumors of an island though.
Oh good. I like swimming more than hiking anyway. ;)
|
|
Congratulations Ryan! Check your e-mail for the coordinates of 5-Star Island. After the failure of Operation: Dragnslayer, we are raising funds for the fallback location of 5-Star Space Station. Please feel free to contribute, we're about $2.1 billion away from our goal right now. In the meantime, should the veil of secrecy around 5-Star Island be pierced and the sharks die of surgery-related infections I'm preparing 5-Star Time-Share Condo. Keep your fingers crossed, otherwise it'll be pretty cramped at 5-Star My Mom's House.
|
|
Congratulations Ryan! Check your e-mail for the coordinates of 5-Star Island. After the failure of Operation: Dragnslayer, we are raising funds for the fallback location of 5-Star Space Station. Please feel free to contribute, we're about $2.1 billion away from our goal right now. In the meantime, should the veil of secrecy around 5-Star Island be pierced and the sharks die of surgery-related infections I'm preparing 5-Star Time-Share Condo. Keep your fingers crossed, otherwise it'll be pretty cramped at 5-Star My Mom's House.
So, we know where to look then (because Ryan coordinates at a store in White Bear Lake, MN called "Your Mom's Basement").
The secret is out!!! Look for 5-stars there (you'll find at least one).
|
Venture-Lieutenant, Minnesota—Twin Cities Metro East
|
Congrats Ryan! It's quite an achievement. I've always had a lot of fun playing at your tables. The crazy voices just add to the experience. We don't put up with them. We now expect it. :)
Thanks for all that you do for the community! We're all lucky to have you around here. And all the other awesome GM's. It's a pretty epic area to live for PFS. Maybe Mpls/Sp should start using that in advertizements...