Amanda S.

she/her

4.8

(4)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

Identity

LGBTQ+

Queer

Neurodivergent

Published Writer

About Amanda S.

Hello! I've been running Dungeons and Dragons for 28 years, since I first hauled my dad's AD&D books out of the basement to try it out with my friends. Over that time, I've tried a variety of systems and play styles, as well as began making home brew content for both my own and other GM-friends' games. One of my favorite things to do is adapt popular fantasy and sci-fi anime, book, and movie universes for use in tabletop games. I have written treatments for Sailor Moon, Homestuck, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the Hunger Games, Twisted Wonderland, Solo Leveling, and many more! If you and your friends are interested in playing in a game based on a popular work, reach out! I'd love to work out something custom to give you the fan experience of your dreams.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

29 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, World Builder

Featured Prompts

I got started GMing...

... when I was a kid, at 12 years old. My friends and I had my dad's old AD&D books, but no one to play with, and no one who knew how to play, so I taught myself by reading the books and we started.

My favorite books are

The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik The House of the Scorpion - Nancy Farmer Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson The Traitor Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson The Ghost Bride - Yangsze Choo Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones

When I'm not running games I'm...

Playing video games (especially the MUD, Aetolia, and FFXIV), watching anime, reading books, experimenting in the kitchen, and taking care of my two cats!

How Amanda S. runs games

I am a roleplay-first GM, preferring to run games that center the player characters and their personal goals in a living world going through a crisis. While combat is still an important part of the game, and it absolutely will happen, it may not be as often as a more combat-focused game would have. When combat occurs, however, I make sure the player characters have more motivation to fight than "These creatures are in our path." I have no problem running any type of personal narrative; romance, family drama, found family, a search for meaning in the mundane, all of these and more have a place at my table. I like to use Session 0 to help focus on what characters will be joining the game. That knowledge helps me build a world that can engage directly with the narratives the players want to tell, too.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

weighing the Rules As Written against what is best for the group in that situation. The Rules of any TTRPG are there to facilitate fun, not crush it, so I generally stick to them. But occasionally something will crop up where the RAW do not meet the needs of my players, and I believe in Fun First.

My games focus on...

Character stories and development. The meta-plot and the big issues/challenges are there to highlight character traits, push character growth, or put all your 'blorbos' into 'situations' that you have to help them find their way out of.

When it comes to voices

I generally don't. I prefer text-based games, even for me, so that we have a written record of what has happened, though I do pop into VC with my players to chat and discuss what's on the table. Generally, if you want to make an OOC joke, do it in voice. If it's IC, type it out.

Amanda S.'s ideal table

Featured Prompts

If you're into ___, you're going to love my table

If you're into character narratives, you're going to love my table! I want to tell a fantastic story for your character, challenge them in unexpected ways, and help them become part of the fabric of a world that lives and breathes!

I love it when a player

... wants to engage with the details of the world I'm presenting, and theorize about the puzzles and mysteries ahead of them! Bond with NPCs, explore the far corners of the map! I encourage it!

My table is not the place for...

... players who want to check out and just roll dice. While dice rolling and combat definitely happen, they are not the core of the game. Players who don't want to get involved with a story or would prefer a more traditional "hack 'n' slash" game may be better served with another GM.