Red Cobalt
any/all
5.0
(8)
Timezone
Identity
About Red Cobalt
I have been GMing D&D 5e for over a decade, with experience in Pathfinder and other systems both official and home brew as well. I have published some of my homebrew content as well on DMs guild. My style tends to be more open and improvisational, but that can be up to the players as well. I love testing out new ideas and voices. i try to strike a balance between expressing the story i want to tell, and creating the story with the players. i tend to be relaxed with new players, but i will be a rules lawyer for experienced players.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Knows the Rules, Creativity, World Builder
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
in Middle school i had never heard to Tabletop gaming really, but i re-discovered it from first principles. my friends and i made a game with origami tanks and gave them HP and Atacks that seemed fair. My First real DMing was in college over ten years ago.
My favorite shows/movies are
Farscape is always my go to re watch for sci-fi. The Broly Movie was perhaps the most fun I've ever had in a theater. Most recently, i have been interested in The Digital Circus, and have been anxious to see how it plays out.
When I'm not running games I'm...
3d Printing, Writeing, Drawing, Programing, Reading, Brewing, Blacksmithing, Woodworking, Painting, Handyman work, and a handful of other things. i suppose i'm a real life bard build.
How Red Cobalt runs games
As much as i love making my own content, i love to have players that aid in the world building as well. Nothing makes me more excited than when a player tells me they have a nemesis, or long lost friend, and i get to write them into a meaningful part story. I also like giving players choices. Does your character want to become god? I may allow it eventually, but there will be a price. i do enjoy combat, and try to have an opportunity for it each session, but I usually have other options as well for avoiding it. When it occurs, i like to reward both creativity and forethought. I do like having stakes and placing characters into peril, but never without some way out. I think my most unique quality is that i try to give agency to players who may not be as confident as others. If i have a more quiet player, i will try to have NPCs approach them more. if a Player has not had time to act recently, i will try to find an excuse to pull them into the action. I make exceptions for cool monologues and character moments however, so long as every character get their moments. Oh, and i also love riddles and songs, and might sing to you. i don't sing well though.
Featured Prompts
I once ran a session...
For twelve hours. with some breaks of course. the cafe was likely sick of us after that that, bu we did keep making orders. I had run out of ideas after the first two hours, but the experience allowed me to never be afraid of not having a plan.
I prep by
Thinking what each Player character would see as a challenge i want to give them hard choices that show what kind of character they are, and give them the opportunity for growth, change, or to display what they are.
Rules are...
Constraining, which creates creativity. i rarely do away with a rule unless i know for sure what the point of it is. That said, they exist for a purpose, and that purpose is to guide, not to simply serve themselves. It was what separates a game from random actions.
Red Cobalt's ideal table
I enjoy players who are creative and willing to help me build a world. i think a good scene in a campaign should run halfway like a scene from a book, and halfway like a scene from "Who's line is in anyway." I will sometimes struggle with more withdrawn players who have a hard time speaking up for themselves. i will also sometimes struggle with the opposite, players who have such a strong force of personality that they often take most of the glory, often without realizing it. I try my best to give each player moments to shine.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
Randomly makes up facts about my world. Or, when they place themselves within it. I also love it when they are unapologetically making character decisions, even when it is not optimal. i try to reward this behavior when i see it.
I think it's a red flag when players...
Concentrate on what they don't want in a session, as opposed to what they do want in a session. i don't like walking on eggshells. The opposite can also be a problem. If someone is only here for the drama, or only here for combat, or they are obsessed about a topic, it can derail things.
I think metagaming...
Is inevitable, even when one tries to avoid it. That said, those that metagame or min max often will find that i will throw different types of problems at them. Not as a punishment mind you, simply because i think they are more prepared, and can take it.
Red Cobalt's Preferences
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