Dane Salyer

he/him

5.0

(5)

Timezone

America/indiana/indianapolis

Language

English

Identity

LGBTQ+

Neurodivergent

Teacher/Educator

About Dane Salyer

I am an avid tabletop gaming enthusiast and have been my whole life. I grew up reading and watching fantasy and sci-fi, playing every board game and card game I could, and lots of video games. When I was 13, I was introduced to D&D 3.5 in middle school and have been playing and DMing on and off for 20 years (Mostly DMing XD). I have played all forms of D&D except for original 1e, Vampire the Masquerade, BESM, both Star Wars tabletop systems, Pathfinder 1e & 2e, Mutants & Masterminds, and made and played numerous systems of my own design. I have played mostly homebrew and LOVE worldbuilding, writing campaigns and stories, and integrating my players' characters into my worlds, stories, and campaigns. I've made and played 1 shots, short campaigns, and campaigns that lasted 2+ years and went from lvl 1 - lvl 20. I also enjoy homebrewing, though that can have varying degrees of success, but I am always open to trying new games and mechanics and receiving feedback on what did and did not work. I think stories are an integral part of the human experience and would love to create new stories with new players. p.s. I want to start with D&D 5e (2014 or 2024) as it is the only system I have run recently, but as I get my feet under me on this site, I would be willing to review and pick up other systems as well.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Rule of Cool

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

My friend who DMed wanted to play. So I took over as DM for a game system we had invented together, and I have been DMing ever since.

My favorite books are

The King Must Die by Mary Renault Fallout Equestria by Kkat The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

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

Planning my games! But for real, I am a teacher by profession, and when I'm off work, I play games with my family: board games, video games, and even TTRPGs.

How Dane Salyer runs games

I enjoy player engagement first and foremost. We are collaboratively creating a story, and I want my players to be the focus and co-authors of that story. Integrating character backgrounds and player goals into my stories is one of my first priorities, the other being a fun and engaging story. Role play and interesting characters are my passion. However, that does not mean I don't like fun and interesting combat encounters. Another major passion of mine is homebrew. I like making new abilities, tweaking mechanics, and playing with stat blocks to deliver unique and interesting encounters both in combat and social interactions. I will tailor combat difficulty to the wishes of my players. I enjoy a good challenge, but my goal is never a TPK. And if power fantasy is more what players are looking for, I can accommodate that as well. So long as it tells a good story, I will make it work. The vast majority of my 20 years of experience is in homebrewed settings and campaigns. I have pulled from existing D&D lore and content, but when the sky is the limit, and I can craft my own entire world, I prefer that. Lastly, I love shenanigans and wacky highjinx. All games will have their serious moments, after all, the story is the main focus, but silly characters, fun asides and distractions every now and again, and joke characters becoming fully fleshed out and deep individuals is something I am always here for.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

Making a decision in the moment, 90% of the time in favor of the players, and will circle back after the session to discuss or research it more and come up with a more definitive rule decision for future sessions.

Rules are...

There to act as mechanics to bring our imaginations to life, keep things balanced, and keep the game fun. And if they prevent fun, they're more like guidelines, and can be bent, broken, or changed if necessary.

When it comes to voices

I quite enjoy doing them, even though I am not that good at them. A running joke my game group in college had was that all accents eventually devolved into Russian in our games.

Dane Salyer's ideal table

I can vibe with most players. But if we are asking about ideals, I would say my ideal table would be a group of creative, inclusive, goofy nerds. A good balance of humor and shenanigans to epic adventure and story. We can all really get into character, make memories in games we will talk about for years to come, and have joke moments, ideas, or even characters eventually become deeper and fully fleshed out.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Leans into their character and plays them as a real, living, and breathing person. These are often extensions of ourselves, and the more into the story and character you are, the more fun you will be having.

I think it's a red flag when players...

Make something really negative (stigmas, racism, dislike of some group or people) central to their characters. Doubly so if they do not plan on having that be a chance for their character to grow, mature, and overcome those prejudices. My players are inclusive, loving, and kind.

I think metagaming...

Needs to be addressed in session 0. If everyone is down for a little, oftentimes players who have been in the hobby for a long time can't help it, it is okay. But using it to get one over on the DM, gain advantages you shouldn't have, or that detract from the story, is a no-go.