Sea
he/they
5.0
(1)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Sea
Hello, I'm Snail! I'm 28, been playing DnD for about 9 years and Pathfinder for the last 3, and recently I've been working as a GM for Kobold Press during conventions such as GenCon. I like stories with tight narratives and personal stakes, and if you're willing to play with a slightly disorganized GM flying by the seat of their pants then look no further!
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Rule of Cool, Storytelling
$15 per session
Featured Prompts
I started running games because...
I like doing things. Thats very simple but it really does boil down me wanting to do more when playing these games, being a player is fun but sometimes I want to do more. So I got into DM-ing, cause I enjoy thinking about all the different scenarios and putting together maps and encounters.
My favorite books are
I grew up with some classics, Count of Monte Cristo and Bram Stoker's Dracula are two I loved to bits. I also grew up reading fantasy like the Eragon books, a bit of LOTR and the entire Harry Potter series (ya know, before JK Rowling went off the deep end). Currently I'm going through Discworld.
When I'm not running games I'm...
Either working as a Prep Cook or listening to Youtube video essays/podcasts. Sometimes its history stuff, a lot of the time its video essays on old video games, and occasionally its a deep dive into a creepy pasta or analogue horror. Currently I'm watching Wendicast go through Marble Hornets.
How Sea runs games
My style is very narrative and character focused, if the rules get in the way of a cool moment then I may choose to hand wave the rules in order to preserve the momentum. My stories can be a bit linear but I do take my players actions into account and still give plenty of opportunities for player freedom. For combat I tend to run from the monsters perspective, RP doesn't need to end once Initiative is rolled. This means enemies behave differently depending on your actions and their dispositions, some may flee, some may fight to the death, others may ignore you for a secondary objective etc etc. And thats not even considering environmental factors, every combat should feel different and require different strategies to succeed and my style reinforces that. The win condition is not always 'kill everything', sometimes surviving is good enough and I hope to cultivate tables that are able to think about and use their entire character sheets to come out on top.
Featured Prompts
My games focus on...
Narrative! I like having a cohesive story, with ups and downs and challenges and obstacles. I tend to design things from the bad guys perspective, meaning its up to the players to make full use of their sheets to unravel the baddies plans. This also affects how I run combats, continuing the story.
Rules are...
Important! But I'm not a human encyclopedia, I don't always remember the rules and its not always worth it to go digging for them if it holds up pacing. My style is flexible, I have no problem making a ruling in the moment and then looking it up later to see if my ruling was in line with RAI.
When it comes to voices
I'm alright, I have a few but nothing crazy. I think I'm pretty good at messing with cadence so NPCs feel different from each other, which is important since RP is a big deal in my games. Motivations and personality affects how they talk and how I talk through them.
Sea's ideal table
I like tables that are willing to ask questions, that are able to work together, that keep in game drama from appearing out of game and are knowledgeable enough about their sheets to know how to run their characters. I don't mind players correcting me on rules, in fact I appreciate it most of the time as long as it stays respectful. The vibe is usually lighthearted with plenty of jokes, and I love players who are not afraid to dive headfirst into RP with whatever abomination I've come up with. I especially appreciate open communication. I like people who are willing to tell me if something is going wrong that I need to fix, whether that be a dissatisfaction with the game itself or a problem happening above table.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
Gives honest feedback, including constructive criticism. I'm still learning as we all are, and we can't learn without feedback about what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong. Give me honest feedback and I'll use it to make a better game we'll all enjoy.
I think it's a red flag when players...
Talks over others or otherwise refuses to share the spotlight. Now this is not the same as taking the lead, in fact in a lot of tables I've been in I've had groups where no one speaks up or takes charge and things move slow. But you have to be able to let go of the reigns and let others have a turn.
I think min/maxing...
Is fine. In my tables the goal in any given combat is not always 'kill everything', so having one player who's really good at killing things isn't always going to save the day when there's hostages to rescue, or a ritual to disrupt, or an enemy who's fleeing while the rest goes to buy time etc.
Sea's Preferences
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