Our First Panel: Game Mastering Online Vs. In Person

Greetings, friends! I wanted to share with you today an exciting experience I recently had. Several months ago I was asked to moderate and participate in a panel at a local convention, Crash City Con. The topic? Game Mastering Online Vs. In Person. I was very excited about this topic, of course, as I am often asked about the differences between the two and which, as a professional Game Master, I prefer. 

Like any good Game Master, I began prepping for my panel by reaching out to some of the local area’s most experienced Game Masters. With my panel assembled, I compiled a list of questions that I hoped to cover and sent them to my panelists so that they too could prep ahead of time like every good Game Master should.  Again, our topic was one that I was intimately familiar with. Having run online games exclusively for over a year now and having run a ton of games in person pre-pandemic, I felt very comfortable tackling this topic. 

Each of my fellow Game Masters/Panelists offered a unique perspective and we learned a lot from our conversation and took away some great advice. I had a wonderful time running the panel, asking questions, and throwing my own two cents into the mix. A huge thank you to my fellow panelists--Erin Tuck, Jacob Eirich, and Aaron Pendleton--as well as my videographer, Josh, from Obelisk Productions, and of course the folks at Crash City Con for providing this truly rewarding experience! You can watch the panel in its entirety, including Q&A, by following the link here!

Take Heart! 

Karington Hess

Game Master and Founder of Open Heart Games