heysparky (Karen) (she/her)
5.0
(10)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
50 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, Storytelling
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
"What do you do?" is one of the most magical phrases in all of gaming. I've been playing and running tabletop games since the D&D cartoon aired. D&D in particular, even as a flawed system in its many iterations, has been a decades long golden thread connecting great things in my life. One of my first jobs was at a game store and I remember selling a Concerned Mom on the magic of D&D based on its promise of social engagement, math, and creativity all in a bundle. I stand by that decades later. Systems I've loved: - Bunnies & Burrows - Palladium's TMNT - Shadowrun - D&D 2e, 4e, 5e D&D in every incarnation has held a special place in my heart. Let's play!
GM Style
I want to help tell your story. You as a player and what you want to explore through your PCs. What excites you about your character? Their backstory full of hooks, a mechanic you haven't tried, a meta or narrative goal? I'm all about it. And world building. I love world building. An article in "Kobold's Guide to Worldbuilding" by Wolfgang Baur described worldbuilding as (paraphrase) 'not making plots, but stacking dynamite.' Basically, that my responsibility as a designer and GM, is making a place where stories can unfold that feels alive, not because the table etiquette for the isolated Riverfain goblin tribe is defined in detail (quite fascinating and more nuanced than you'd imagine), but because what players choose to do has weight. Consequence. Simply put, at my table, in our world, you matter.
Games played
Game platforms used
heysparky (Karen)'s Games
Game Master Reviews (10)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Teacher
Storytelling
It's been a joy to play with Karen at the helm of our new campaign. She was open to including my tween son in the sessions, and not only helped coach him to play (and be a better player) - she expanded and created space for his imagination during play and outside of sessions as well. Amazing! For myself, I appreciate the care and humour that goes into her sessions. Karen is patient and is particularly good at eliciting and integrating feedback quickly. As someone who often struggles with the pace of the D&D system, she has made games smoother and more engaging for me. I'm having fun every week and can't wait to experience more of the campaign safe in the knowledge that DM Sparky will make it one to remember...
I've come to D&D relatively late compared to a lot of people who've grown up with it. I always wanted to play, but never had any friends who were interested. I finally decided to take the plunge and set out to find a GM who would show me the ropes. I messaged a bunch of people but Karen almost immediately offered to jump on a discord call to answer questions which was super helpful. I've now played in her games for a few weeks and can definitely say I couldn't have had a better teacher! I knew some of the basics from CRPGs but she has guided me through almost everything from creating a character to combat and everything in between, and it's all been thoroughly enjoyable. Looking forward to many more of her games in the future!
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