Steven Pfannes

he/him

5.0

(3)

Timezone

America/detroit

Language

English

About Steven Pfannes

My name is Steven, but I also go by Pf or Grylox. I'm a Twitch Streamer and Youtuber (hence the other names), but what I really love is playing games and creating stories. I came by my love of games honestly, basically inheriting it from my father. He would go to Gen Con every year and game with his friends often, and I would always beg to be allowed to go or play too. Eventually, that paid off with my first D&D 4e campaign (not the best edition, but it holds a special place as my first foray into RPGs). Growing up I ran a few games to get my friends into RPGs, but had more success about eight years ago when I started running a D&D campaign for some friends of mine. While that group has since disbanded, I've continued running games as often as possible, becoming a more full-time GM about four or five years ago. Dungeons and Dragons 5e 2014 are my current specialty, but I'm happy to branch out into other games and expand my skills and repertoire. I've started looking into 2024 with other games I'm playing in, but I'm not quite caught up enough to be fully comfortable using those rules yet. Beyond gaming, I'm an avid reader, and love reading comics and graphic novels as well as plays and fiction. I'm an Anime nerd making my way through Crunchyroll's plethora of content as well. On another note, I want to be upfront. My general language often includes cursing (not at anyone specific, just as general parts of speech). I will keep it clean as best I can, but I may slip up.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, World Builder

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I wanted to play more D&D, and it quickly became apparent that the only way I was going to be able to do that was by being the GM for my friends. I continue to GM because I love telling stories with people and helping them escape reality for a time.

My favorite shows/movies are

I am easy to please, so favorite shows and movies usually depend on what I've watched recently. But I do come back to The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor a lot, and I am obsessed with That Time I was Reincarnated as a Slime and Frieren.

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

Consuming as much media as humanly possible. Books, anime, shows, video games, you name it, I'm consuming it. I'm also streaming on Twitch (shameless plug, Grylox573), or attempting to write to further my goals of world domina- I mean, distractions and places to rest from reality.

How Steven Pfannes runs games

I love just about every part of D&D, but I think some of the best moments tend to come out of roleplaying. I love it when people truly embody their character and act as they would. When combat is introduced, my hope is that it actually matters and isn't just there to be filler. Overall, I'm currently working on more proactive roleplaying, where the "story" is fully based on the players and what their characters hope to accomplish, with the world adapting and reacting to their choices. It's a bit of a newer method for me; I always try to incorporate player backstory into my games, but not to that full proactive amount. That said, I'm excited to put this style into action and see what stories can be created.

Featured Prompts

My games focus on...

Roleplay and storytelling, especially with the proactive style that I'm looking to employ. You decide what's important to you and what you want to interact with. The world may change around you, but it will also change because of you.

Rules are...

Rules are as important as we make them. If you want to power game through the world with a crunchy, synergized multiclass, then the rules will likely become more rigidly followed. But if vibes are the goal, then rules can relax.

When it comes to voices

Full disclosure, I could be better. I do my best to keep voices and accents for different characters, but I am an untrained human. But rest assured, that doesn't mean the NPCs are generic, cookie cutter drop-ins.

Steven Pfannes's ideal table

I love a RP heavy table. I love when players embody their characters and what they would do, even if that's not always "optimal". If you want to determine your character's goals and pursue them, if you want to decide what's important rather than follow along a prewritten story, then I think you'll fit in well. If you want to leave reality at the metaphorical door and adventure with your new allies, my table is for you. If you want to actually change the world around you, then I hope you'll sit down at my table.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Makes a choice that's good for the story and is in character, even if that choice may hurt the character and be seen as "not optimal".

I think metagaming...

Has its place. Sharing current hp or spell slots is technically metagaming, but I think that's fine and useful for facilitating the fun. Knowing what a monster is even if your character has never seen it doesn't belong in my mind, but that won't normally be a problem.

My table is not the place for...

Telling others how to play their characters. It's one thing if someone wants or needs help with how some abilities or spells work, but another to tell them how they should be acting or using their abilities or telling them they're doing it wrong. Let people play their characters.