Denali

she/her

Timezone

America/barbados

Language

English

Identity

Neurodivergent

Published Writer

About Denali

I like to consider myself "the grandmother" of my friends' love for D&D. I barely knew what tabletop RPG'S were when I found a stack of 3.5e books under an acquaintance's coffee table and started reading. Soon after I was hosting my very own homebrew game and life has never been the same. I took a several years-long break from DM'ing to turn my first homebrew into a published book series, during which time I continued to indulge in my love for D&D as a player. Nowadays I'm back to the fore and eager to get my hands dirty as a dungeon master.

At a glance

1 year on StartPlaying

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I got started GMing...

Because I was the only one of my friends who was up to the challenge of DM'ing (none of us had ever played). My first game was a homebrew and I learned so much, not the least of which was that I absolutely loved tabletop RPG's!

My favorite shows/movies are

Lord of the Rings Game of Thrones Gladiator Braveheart Dune Master and Commander Dances With Wolves Delicious in Dungeon

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

reading about how to run better games, watching Youtube videos about how to run better games, or trying new hobbies associated with fantasy and science-fiction.

How Denali runs games

Expect lots of social and political intrigue at my table. I love a good plot twist, but then, who doesn't? I believe in calling for plenty of skill checks to keep those dice rolling and your characters moving toward their goals. Speaking of which, tired of feeling uninvested in your DM's story? That's a problem of the past because I pride myself in robust session zeroes that help you to create a character that's truly integrated into the worlds I run. Nothing beats bumping into someone from your character's backstory, and don't be surprised if I ask you to help me world-build locations important to your character.

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My favorite trope is...

Stockholm syndrome. No, really, I wrote a whole series about it. Look it up.

Rules are...

Meant to be broken. ...just kidding. But seriously, while I actually love crunchy rules like encumbrance and ration portioning, I firmly believe in the "Rule of Cool" and am not above fudging dice rolls for the sake of my table's collective enjoyment.

When it comes to voices

I try my best and actually do all right when I'm not being shy. I'd like to say I have a wide range of accents I can pull off but it's more likely I can do one or two "quite well" and the rest are laughable at best. Practice makes perfect I suppose.

Denali's ideal table

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I love it when a player

Really lets loose and gets into playing their character with a distinct voice and personality. It's so fun to compare and contrast the player with their character, appreciating what each individual is able to add to the game with their imagination.

I think metagaming...

Is difficult to avoid but worth the attempt.

I think min/maxing...

Is a legitimate playstyle for some people. It's not my personal cup of tea, but I can understand the desire.