GoPorridgeGaming (he/they)
5.0
(9)
1 year on StartPlaying
47 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, World Builder
About me
Hello Adventurer! My name is Alex (He/They) and I am a jack of all trades and master of games. I am a rules light, lgbtqia+, collaborative homebrew DM with a special focus on tailoring the game to the backstory and interests of my players. I want to craft the world around you, and I want you to help me bring life to the world. In general my response to anything you can dream up is “you can absolutely try.” I usually run relatively intense games, however, player comfort, enjoyment and safety are my top priorities so I make sure we are all on the same page as a table on how deadly, emotionally intense, relaxed, dark etc. the game gets. I am a firm believer that at the table we are all on the same team and I, the DM, am simply there to facilitate the best immersive and delightful experience I can for us all. More about me: I am a creative and passionate artist, historian, perfumist and nerd. I have a vast array of skills and hobbies that all feed into my love of game-smithing. From writing and giving tours on Alcatraz Island, to archeology, running my small fantasy and character perfume business to help create immersive experiences, LARPing, acting in immersive fantasy events, creating murder mystery dinners and escape rooms, making sets and props, to sculpting, painting and honing my other fine art expertise from 15+ years of study, I find that every experience I have had in life can tie back into D&D, making the worlds richer and encounters more creative. I have also found through all of my experience with D&D that this game also informs all other areas of life and improves this reality the more we play. I have spent hundreds of hours running campaigns over the past 6 years and thousands more preparing and writing material for games. D&D and everything that comes with designing and running these games is one of the most important parts of my life and much of my time (free and otherwise), is now spent working on my campaigns and games. I would love nothing more than to share this passion with you. Let’s Game!
GM Style
I enjoy epic story telling filled with gods, and high powered beings, intrigue and tension. I love creating dynamic and creative worlds for the players to dive into, immersing the table with music and unique props; for example, for longer virtual campaigns I enjoy sending players props, notes, packets etc. in the mail. I have a personal love for all things dark and spooky and I enjoy grappling with bringing fear and strong emotions to the table with a healthy dose of humor and fun to lighten the mood when needed. I find the game most fun when players surprise me with their creativity and intensity. The games I run work best when each player (new or experienced) comes to the table fully ready to take our fun seriously and commit, whether its talking with a joke npc or facing down an eldritch being. I truly believe each person who wants to play D&D has a unique power they bring to the table and can help create a truly incredible experience.
Games played
Game Master Reviews (9)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Inclusive
Creativity
World Builder
Anna has been an incredible DM for our Curse of Strahd campaign. They absolutely raise the standard for gameplay across the board, from their use of soundscapes and music to set the mood, to their engaging roleplay, to their incredible worldbuilding and everything else. They helped me figure out how to put together my character ideas in a way that works with the worldbuilding. They expanded the world of Curse of Strahd in a way that was diverse, inclusive, and fun. Our campaign has been the most fun I have had playing Dungeons & Dragons in the last decade.
Total a DM you want. Made everything clear, helped in any way you needed. Was not afraid of anything we threw their way. World is flushed out. Allows joking at the table and is not strict on the rules. We also had a great party of people that I think made that perfect chemistry between player to player interactions and player to dm interactions. Would play more with this DM!
Amazing! Anna is an incredible storyteller with a gift for turning a group of Internet strangers into a genuinely well-honed DnD party with great interplayer chemistry. If you like combat, they run fights that are both strategically tough and emotionally compelling (no generic hack-and-slash for endless rounds here). If you like worldbuilding with a cast of rich and competitive political intriguers, you've just found your catnip. If you like puzzles, we've had creative and memorable doozies thrown at us. Whether you're a complete newb, a RP-heavy veteran of many campaigns, or somewhere in the middle, Anna will be an amazing DM for you and make you, the player, feel like a million bucks.
Anna is next-level when it comes to engaging with the setting and making larger-than-life landscapes and encounters. I have run three different campaigns with them, one long-form campaign where we were both co-players, another long-form campaign where they were the DM, and another time they DMed a three-day D&D weekend retreat of Anna's own design. In each of these contexts, but especially when Anna was the DM, they really leaned into researching the setting and applying player backstories and intentions to the game world. To use the D&D retreat as an example, my paladin started devoted to one god with a separate warlock pact, and went through an entire hero's journey where I lost levels, gained new items of power, and eventually found an entirely new oath all through the natural flow of the game. Each of the other players got similar experiences, and Anna is also great at balancing spotlight and making sure diverse character ideas mesh well with each other and the game world so that a truly epic story can be told. On top of that, Anna is a super passionate and good natured gamer who really just loves the art. Anyone would be lucky to be at their table, and I hope I get to keep playing with them in the future myself!
Anna has run a spectacular homebrew campaign with 4 players, 2 of us are beginners. They clearly put SO MUCH thought, creativity, and effort in to the story and world building, including helping us beginners with our character backgrounds when needed by asking probing questions, suggesting what to consider, etc. They also wove our characters into the plot really well, working with players one-on-one, so that we discover more about each other as we play. They are great at explaining character build and gameplay mechanics to us newbies too. They are responsive to our feedback about preferred playing styles, and have managed inter-player tension very well. As a bonus, their sets and mood-setting with music and pictures of places and NPCs is fantastic and make the playing experience an immersive joy!
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