Jesse van der Vorst
I live, eat, and breath Dungeons and Dragons. Since discovering the game through my board game hobby, I have dungeon mastered and played countless D&D games, now totaling 8 years of experience. I have been riding the surging wave of D&D in popular culture and using influences from Lovecraft to Critical Role to strengthen my ability to Dungeon Master. I am a master of the D&D rules and know how to keep a game engaging and fun for everyone. Whether you’re looking to get back in the hobby after decades away, curious what D&D is all about, or anywhere in between, I am committed to bringing you a fun and fulfilling D&D experience.
But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what people that play in my games have to say about me!
unique and exciting campaigns
“Jesse’s campaigns are fun because they are thoughtfully designed. The overarching themes and each individual session is considered carefully. Jesse immerses your characters in a rich world with intricate descriptions”
“His world building is so extensive; we really feel free to do whatever we want!”
“Jesse does an amazing job of allowing us to drive the story while still delivering a cohesive plot line that took us from village shenanigans to saving the multiverse.”
“Jesse's campaigns are so fun because he has created his own creative/original D & D story/plot lines with his extensive D & D knowledge. His interesting and unique characters and non-player characters come to life each session, which makes it feel custom and flexible to the players in that campaign.”
“You created an interesting world that seems alive and that our choices matter to the world at large.”
“The characters and story elements always surprise me and keep me on my toes, wondering what’s around the next corner or how to best handle each situation that is thrown at us.”
focusing on the players
“Managing all the complexity the game is always way more fun and easy with Jesse in the game”
“His encyclopedic knowledge of D&D has been immensely helpful to our party of newbies.”
“When I get confused or make mistakes in a battle, Jesse encourages me to learn strategies or moves to play better”
“Jesse helps you be a better player!”
“Jesse's masterful D & D knowledge is evident in his sessions, which really helps when you have players of all ages and different D & D experiences/abilities. His strong storytelling abilities keep each session fresh, exciting and wondering what will happen next!”
“There is no singular main character, everyone gets a chance to shine”
“Jesse always engages each player with his personable and theatrical storytelling abilities.”
“I love how much freedom and opportunity Jesse brings to the table when it comes to deciding which path to take or which NPC to talk to.”
“Jesse really works with your players to make an experience tailored to them.”
and just being a great dm!
“Every night is just plain fun.”
“I use Jesse as my gold standard when trying to run my own game”
“My favorite thing about having you as a DM, is how we can laugh and make jokes and instantly switch back into character and get down to business. The balance between silly fun and the actual campaign makes it really enjoyable”
“Also, MAPS! Jesse has a map for tons of settings, even if only a simple word or region map to give us an idea of the progress of our journey. Honestly, I use the maps to help me remember where our party is in the story.”
“great at rolling with our wacky ideas and plans”
“There’s a good mix of things being rules heavy and you allowing some leeway when we do something cool but not exactly by the books.”
“I have just as much fun when we do dungeon crawl and combat heavy sessions as when we do more RP heavy and strategic/political sessions. Everything is so well crafted and well thought out, there’s so much effort and thought put into every aspect of the campaign.”