Cayde Tesna

she/her

4.9

(11)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

Streamer

Podcaster

LGBTQ+

Game Designer

About Cayde Tesna

I've been a GM for a variety of TTRPGs since 2012. I've run systems from Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder 2e, to Masks, Cypher and even Fate Core. I've found my love of storytelling though this medium to be more than just a hobby, and I put in the work ensuring that my players drive the narrative forward. I've brought many new players in to the TTRPG space, and work well with people that are unexperienced but open to the idea of Roleplaying.

At a glance

3 years on StartPlaying

184 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Teacher

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

I got started GMing...

My freshman year in highschool, I played in a group where the DM ran his game like a military boot camp and it was hard to play the character I wanted to, because of how hard he made it. I ended up leaving and looking at TTRPGs on my own, thinking; 'This can't be what people enjoy'. I was right.

The three words my players would use to describe me are...

Fair, Forgiving, Fun. I've actually asked them this question, and this was the most common response.

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

I'm a very creative person; I like making things. I'm designing a Board Game, writing a novel, and I play video games when I'm not GMing or working.

How Cayde Tesna runs games

My GM style centers mostly around the narrative. I love telling a great story, whether that's focused on conflict or pulling heart strings. I'm very Rule of Cool focused, usually letting the dice tell the story as it goes on. I do NPC voices well enough to ensure that you know who is speaking without saying a name. World building created through the games I run, as each game contributes to the larger world.

Featured Prompts

I once ran a session...

That lasted for 12 hours. No one had anything they were doing, and honestly, no one wanted to stop. We just kept going until the sun came back up.

I prep by

Listening to my video of last session, then work on how to make the story more interesting and how to engage my players in fun ways

Rules are...

I love the 'Rule of Cool' a lot. However, a bunch of my rules lean toward giving players more agency over their PCs while making the game slightly more difficult, or to make other mechanics come up slightly more than never. (Exhaustion for example.)

Cayde Tesna's ideal table

Play your passion. I want everyone at my table to give interesting archetypes they have thought of giving a try, or telling a narrative that they never thought of trying. Get around the normal class/species combo stigma, and have fun trying something new. My table is fun and free from any kind of harassment, We all come to the table to take a step away from our real life, lets not bring it up in a negative way. Players are encouraged to play things that aren't optimal in leu of telling an interesting story. Feel comfortable in doing just that.

Featured Prompts

If you're into ___, you're going to love my table

Roleplay. I'm a writer and I do Live RP and Improv on the side. If you engage with one of my NPCs, be ready for a conversation built from nothing but a prompt.

I love it when a player

Doesn't use thier character sheet to inform their own decision making. An example of this is when my paladin rogue of the goddess of death used a feather to smite a spirit as his whole turn. No attack roll, just a religion check, and it worked. Do what your PC would do, not what the sheet tells you.

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

The excuse 'It's what my character would.' do is used to explain why you did something that is un-fun for the majority. Let me be clear here. Why did you make a PC who would do the most un-fun thing? That was your choice, not the PCs. That isn't an excuse to design a PC that won't get along.