Jude

she/her

5.0

(5)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

LGBTQ+

Queer

Neurodivergent

Women/Femme Identifying

Game Designer

About Jude

I'm a queer gamemaster and writer with eight years of experience across countless systems. I'm an avid homebrewer, passionate playtester, and lover of all things sci-fi and cyberpunk. If you're playing a game with me, it'll probably be Cyberpunk RED or D&D 5e/2024; that's where the lion's share of my experience is.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Storytelling, World Builder

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

The Sprawl series by William Gibson! You can really see just how much of the Cyberpunk genre was spawned by William Gibson and his writings. So much of what we understand to be near-future dystopia comes from WIlliam Gibson and authors of his time and their work has been a great inspiration to me.

My favorite system of all Time is

Cyberpunk RED! I have been running the game since it came out seven-ish years ago... when burst fire was still a thing. I am credited as a playtester on Interface RED vol. 5, and will be playtesting as a game master soon!

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

From one player: "Fair and detail-oriented" and "Epic, awesomesauce, and slays." From another: "Considerate. Feels like people can be involved as much as they like and I never feel as if I couldn't tell you I wanted something changed if needed." From another: "Role-play Heavy, Rule of Cool")

How Jude runs games

I'm an big roleplayer and an even bigger worldbuilder. All of my campaigns are firmly grounded in their setting with compelling, player-centric plots. As a seasoned writer, my goal is to craft a world with events and NPCs that feel responsive to the players; I want you to feel immersed in the world instead of feeling like you're just passing through. Expect me to take detailed notes and keep tally of your actions so that off-handed comments and heroic deeds can yield fruit, even if it's five, ten, or twenty sessions down the line. On flip side, I have a ton of experience running challenging and dynamic combats. I take great pleasure in building encounters around Player Character strengths and weaknesses. Combat is not always the answer though: players will be incentivized to work together and craft creative solutions. Those solutions might not always be to the letter of the rules as-written, but if we're all having fun... who cares?

Featured Prompts

If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...

David Lynch! I always mirror the pacing of a movie or a TV show in my games (GMs: try this! Pick up your favorite movie and tell me what makes its pacing work) but Lynch's style and narratives always rub off on my games. He has a way of making memorable characters that I can't seem to escape.

My games focus on...

The real, human issues of people in the narrative. The motivations of NPCs are easy to follow and human, and player characters will often find themselves butting heads over the "right" way to go about a job. There are no moral absolutes in Night City. I do also love me a good bit of party conflict!

Rules are...

The backbone of the system that helps maintain cohesive stories and combats... but ultimately secondary to player enjoyment. You wanna fire off a shot at the big villain with your last breath even though you already failed a death save? Sure, I'll guarantee you a free crit if you describe it to me.

Jude's ideal table

Generally chill but narrative-focused. Dilly-dallying is fine, but if I sense things are stagnating I will urge you along with an NPC or plot beat. If the players have the energy to take agency and seize the narrative, though, you'll definitely enjoy how open my worlds can be! My tables are queer safe spaces as well, and there is zero tolerance for bigotry of any kind. Because if you're not comfortable at the table, chances are you're wasting your money.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Takes control of the narrative... in moderation. "As my character collapses to his knees on the ground, tears swell in his eyes and mingle with the mid-evening rain..." you're a storyteller too!

My perfect party mix is

A decent combo of roleplayers and combat geeks. I try to put more emphasis on one or the other depending on what the party seems keen on at session zero, but a 50/50 split allows me to cater to everyone in their own unique way. I love making engaging combats, but I love building the narrative too!

My table is not the place for...

Any form of bigotry. Zero-tolerance policy. Nothing else needs to be said.