Gavriil Athanasiadis
he/him
5.0
(5)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Gavriil Athanasiadis
Hello! I'm Gabriel (he/him) and I am a gothic heart from Greece. I love fantasy, horror and mystery (books, movies, comics, the whole lot!) - big big nerd! I love running gothic horror and dark fantasy games for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition and DnD 5.5 edition set in the classic setting of 1920’s America and the domains of Ravenloft respectively. I take particular delight in creating spooky stories driven by mystery, exploring gothic themes, but also experiencing suspense and action with my players!🦇
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: World Builder, Voices, Storytelling
$15 per session
Average response time: 5 hours
Response rate: 100%
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
I became a GM because it was a healthy and creative outlet to express my interests! Through writing, research and sometimes sketching and even 3D modeling, I was creating characters and locations rich in mystery and secrets, while exploring my favorite genres such as dark fantasy and gothic horror!
My favorite books are
My favorite books are Stephen King’s It: a character driven horror story highlighting bravery and friendship, The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo: a classic novel exemplifying romantic themes in a gothic setting, and Lovecraftian tales like The Dunwich Horror and The Color out of Space.
My favorite shows/movies are
My favorite shows / movies are The Haunting of Hill House: A gothic ghost story about a family and their shared trauma, Daredevil: (the original 3 Seasons) a gritty crime thriller about a hero struggling with morality, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula: a highly expressionistic gothic tale about desire.
How Gavriil Athanasiadis runs games
My GM style aims to create a narrative based experience. What I mean is decisions are made throughout the game prioritizing a dramatic story with many trials the characters have to overcome. Tension and resolution doesn’t necessarily serve a “happy” ending in my games, but are thematically aligned to the campaign’s genre. Although I love combat, I would add that battles should always have dramatic consequences (Will the characters succeed? What should happen if they lose?) and not be tedious. I should also add that my games’ structure is a much more decentralized one, meaning my games are based on conversation and the managing of expectations with discussions throughout our play. It is important to me that players have multiple chances of expressing dissatisfaction and discomfort with the game, but also to enthusiastically note features or themes that they would like to see and experience more.
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I prep by
I prep by creating characters and places. I avoid writing scenes as these occur naturally through play and design the environment the players interact through written notes, finding maps online and sometimes drawing!
Rules are...
Rules are a shared language players and game masters use to set expectations about the game. They reinforce a particular fantasy and can absolutely serve a dramatic moment. However they can always be bent a bit when a player has a special idea!
When it comes to voices
If they inspire the players to bring their characters to life, voices can absolutely be fun! However, they’re not a requirement and players can always drop them if they get tired. Role-playing can be achieved through many ways!
Gavriil Athanasiadis's ideal table
My ideal table includes people who are open and willing to offer feedback and talk about what they did and did not enjoy in a given session. I also appreciate players who are as enthusiastic about playing as I am, and share their enthusiasm and love for gothic horror and dark fantasy freely. I would also love participation and role-play without necessarily doing “the voice”, people can still talk about their character’s actions in third person while painting a very clear picture about who they are and their motivation. The general vibe of our games could even be more lighthearted at times, and people are encouraged to serve jokes as long as this does not disrupt any particularly solemn or dramatic moments. As a final note, I would encourage my players to have their cameras on during the session, in order for everyone to be aware of each other’s reactions and potential signs of discomfort.
Featured Prompts
If you're into ___, you're going to love my table
I you’re into suspenseful narrative moments, highs and lows, facing impossible odds and deepest fears while immersed in the aesthetics of the hidden, the forgotten, the weird and the eerie you’re going to love my table!
I love it when a player
I love it when a player is not afraid to have their character face defeat, loss or the horrors of the settings that inspire me. In turn, I love it when my players trust me with their characters, and I always ask for consent before I impose a big change, backstory revelation or transformation.
I think min/maxing...
I think min/ maxing will be slightly discouraged in my games. Since I wish to offer the players the chance to fail, transform or grow, (or even play a different character via character death) I encourage my players to focus on a theme for their character or an idea that inspires them.