Cool Boy Shane
he/him
5.0
(9)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Cool Boy Shane
Hello fellow nerds!!! I'm Cool Boy Shane! ✌😎 I'm an artist, animator, and music producer with a decade of experience playing and DMing 5e D&D! I specialize in running a particular adventure: 🧛♂️CURSE OF STRAHD!🦇 My primary goal for any game I run is to give my players a one-of-kind experience that's immersive, fair, and fun! I put a *ton* of effort into the polish of my games to help make them even more immersive. Aside from doing my best acting to make NPCs feel real and alive, I also make comprehensive music playlists that play during our sessions, create customized art for the tokens, and use high-quality battle maps! Most importantly though, I work WITH my players, not against them. I want us all to tell a story that's engaging and fulfilling for everyone at the table. If you place your trust in me, I will give it my all to give you the best experience I can!
At a glance
3 years on StartPlaying
212 games hosted
Highly rated for: Sets the Mood, Visual Aid, Voices
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
Professionally, thanks to youtuber DavvyChappy. We met in 2021 at GenCon, where I ran my first session of Curse of Strahd for my friends at the time. He observed for a bit, then encouraged me to try doing it for a living. At first I doubted I'd be good enough, but I clearly came around to the idea!
My favorite shows/movies are
I can't remember ALL of my favorites, but here's a few: Shows: One Piece, Castlevania, The Mandalorian, Delicious in Dungeon Movies: Lord of the Rings trilogy, Terminator 1-4, The Princess Bride, Van Helsing, Secondhand Lions, and Only Yesterday. I just want to have a good time :)
When I'm not running games I'm...
Taking care of my wife and daughter! It takes a lot to keep our home up and running, but I do my best to juggle that with my job!
How Cool Boy Shane runs games
I do voices as best I am able, and I play music during sessions using RPG Sounds to help set the mood. I also make all of the character tokens, and will create custom tokens for PCs based on your illustrations/descriptions! Session 0 will guide players through character creation, as well as set expectations. I use several house rules, but I've tested them and streamlined them to be clear and sensible. I've also consolidated the majority of them into a few documents for easy reference! The Roleplay/Combat ratio can be anywhere from 60/40 to 80/20, respectively. I find that roleplay without any combat feels lackluster, but combat without any roleplay feels tedious. So when there is an encounter, I try to make it feel important (or at the very least entertaining) for the players. When it comes to lethality, I try to walk a careful line. Some encounters can be solved non-violently, while some fights are inevitable. Deadly encounters keeps stakes high, and makes players more careful with the risks they take. The choices you make in these scenarios are that much more meaningful, and will create incredible moments for your characters to act in the midst of danger. And while some enemies may be unintelligent or predictable, there will always be foes that are smart and will do whatever they can to win - so be careful! That said, I sincerely wish to avoid TPKs, and I am always rooting for the player characters to overcome challenges - seriously! I'm certain I will grow to love your characters like you do, and I want to see them succeed! As a DM, I will do my best to give ample hints and chances for you to pause and consider your options so that you can make the best possible choices given the information available. Finally, my main goal is for you to have a good time. Not every session will be perfect, but if you feel that there is a way we can improve your experience, then I encourage you to let me know!