Isabella
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About Isabella
Hello!! My name is Isabella, and I’ve been GM-ing for a while now!! 5 years isn’t too shabby if I do say so myself. I’m a big fantasy nerd, an all around artist, an avid reader, and a firm believer in going to the Ren-fair at least once a year (if you can swing it). I’m 20! So if you’re young and looking for a GM who will get your references I’m absolutely your girl! As a college student and an employee of a book non-profit I know that life can get in the way, so we gotta take every chance to have a little bit of light while it's here<3
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
I'm a storyteller. When I was a kid I would tell stories on the bus ride home, I would think of magic and unicorns and grand quests and tell the girls on the bus the fables I had created at the end of the day. I'm a writer, I wanna be a librarian, stories are my trade because I love them so.
My favorite books are
"Educated" - Tara Westover "The Starless Sea" - Erin Morgenstern "The Chronicles of Narnia" - C.S. Lewis "A Natural History of Dragons" - Marie Brennan "Tress of the Emerald Sea" - Brandon Sanderson I want to be a librarian someday so do NOT ask me for book recs if you don't want the rant.
When I'm not running games I'm...
Making art! Which encompasses: painting, watercolor, drawing, digital illustrations, fantastical cartography, bracelet weaving, quilting, sewing, cosplay, journaling, reading, writing and ballet folklorico. Yes I know, I took that insult "Get a hobby!" a little too seriously.
How Isabella runs games
Though I got my start in DND5e I love rules light systems that let your creativity, role play, and storytelling go wild. I’m an artist! So my maps and tokens are all drawn digitally and live-streamed to my players through discord for combat. (If you play at least 5 games with me you WILL be getting a doodle of your character)
Featured Prompts
I once ran a session...
Where my players discovered the carcinogenically frozen body of Stalin in a movie-theater basement. I know, standard reply is "....I'm sorry, what?" but we were playing the TTRPG "you awaken in-" and I had 5 minutes to prep a horror comedy with a film grad, a communist, and "Chad" so... you know
I prep by
listening to my players. Anyone who has played TTRPGs knows that, as a player, your favorite thing about the game is going to be your character and how they change and are changed by the story. So I won't start planning until I have all of your characters and backstories! I wanna weave you in :)
When it comes to voices
I love voices! I'll be doing quite a few, but as an x-theater kid, I can also tell you that a character is created not just with voice, but with mannerisms, idioms, quirks and vocabulary. That, I think, is the quickest way to show uniqueness and created lovable characters<3
Isabella's ideal table
The best players at my table are the storytellers, the actors, and the questers. Those who enjoy creating stories and characters and weaving together narratives that leave you shedding tears at the end. I love improv, so don't joke about the "bakery around the corner that's actual the front of a drug cartel" unless you're willing to deal with the new nefarious plot points I'm crafting behind my computer. (Yes this did happen, no Justin I'm not sorry I sent an assassin after you, after you blew up the place.) That said, to the min-maxers and combat rules-lawyers, I wish you luck finding a GM that can challenge your level 15 minotaur but that will not be me!
Featured Prompts
I am for a vibe that's...
A fairytale! Spirits in the woods, a deck of cards with secrets and a fountain to make a wish. The games I run have the same vibe as those tales with protags like "The x maker's daughter" whimsical, warm, and silly! Make fools of the tricksters! Find long lost whatever! I'd rather be kind than cool
I love it when a player
Improvises! A player who can toss out random childhood stories or old tales of scrapes and battles is one I can work with! And I will absolutely be using everything you give me. You and Jenny had a treehouse in the yard? Ok, now that's real! Let's go find the treasures and secrets Jenny left behind!
I think min/maxing...
really cool! And shows your love of the game, but I don't think you'll be a great fit for my table. I want to give my players odd trinkets and that invisibility cloak without worrying that you'll sneak into the bank later tonight and fund the rest of the adventure. I'm here for the story!
Isabella's Preferences
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