Welcome to Roadworthy! This is a chance to show off a Road Crew Judge and allow them to share their experience and wisdom. We provide these profiles to help provide insight into their personality and style, and maybe give up-and-coming Judges some advice on improving their game.
This time out we hear from US Air Force Staff Sergeant Ethan Burke of the 52nd Combat Communications Squadron. Let’s meet the Judge!
Roadworthy: Ethan Burke!
What’s your name, where do you live (and game), and how would you describe yourself?
My name is SSgt Ethan Burke, I live in Warner Robins, GA. I love all things esoteric, but I love analog games the most, and I especially love introducing new people to tabletop games.
How did you first discover DCC?
I first discovered DCC at Momocon 2017 in Atlanta. Up until that point I had only played D&D and Pathfinder with passing interest. I walked by the DCC booth and my eye was immediately caught by the silver foil cover edition. It was love at first sight and I picked it up along with the Grimtooth’s Traps compendium. These books started my obsession with Tabletop Roleplaying and I’ve been collecting books ever since.
As of “right now,” how many Road Crew games did you run this year?
Covid put a huge damper on all the games I wanted to run. But since this deployment started, I have been running games almost daily at this point. It has become a post-dinner ritual for the crew here.
What’s your favorite Road Crew game experience so far?
My first deployment after I went to Momocon, I was running a game for a player who had created the legendary character “Schlong the Child Killer,” who earned his name for evil deeds done in The Old Gods Return module. This character was a thief who survived every adventure I ran those six months. While all the other characters perished, he alone was able to advance all the way up to level nine. The player who controlled him had never played a TTRPG before in this life. And it is always the best feeling when you introduce someone to the hobby.
How has the quarantine changed your gaming life?
It completely halted all of my tabletop gaming for several months after our state went into quarantine. I tried online gaming with friends but trying to get adults to meet up has been trying to herd cats. Especially when all my friends who want to play online are in different time zones. I tried playing Tabletop Simulator and games like that, but it just wasn’t the same.
Tell us where you run your Road Crew games.
I run my roadcrew games mostly on deployment! So if you’re on deployment with the 52nd Combat Comm you can bet I’ll be there running games! When conventions start back up again, I will be doing some at Momocon 2021.
What advice would you give to other Road Crew judges?
All the books and modules are only guides for the adventure. Run it how you and your players want. Never be afraid to do some improvisation. That’s how our party’s dwarf, Blarg, has a Super Bowl ring he found in Against the Atomic Overlord.
Interested in learning about our other amazing Road Crew judges? Click here for all the Roadworthy profiles!
