5.0
(10)
1 year on StartPlaying
83 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Inclusive
About me
Hi friends! My name is lesley and I've been a DM for nearly 20 years running games like Exalted, D&D 3.5, Vampire the masquerade, Mage the Ascension, and Changeling the Dreaming. I love roleplay and games about exploration, but my biggest passion is Horror. Something about creepy dungeons and unsettling storylines just does it for me! personally, I am a disabled spicy brained he/him (or it/WHATTT?!?!?! but you really gotta commit to it like I'm an eldritch being) who is part of the LGBT+ community (I'm a bi mess, come at me). I love cats, and I love talking about the things that make people want to better the world. I am a bit of a pessimist, but don't let that fool ya, I like to think of it as "Cynical Optimism," a belief that everything will be ok if we can just remove our heads from our favorite orifices. Before my disability I worked at a nursing home taking care of elderly folks with dementia. It was a great place because I got to meet and work with all sorts of interesting folks from all walks of life. I like to think my time spent working in that field helped me to become a lot more open minded and compassionate to the unique differences we have in our communities. I have been told I have the patience of a saint, but to be honest I think I just have the willingness to listen, learn, and adjust my behavior to become more welcoming to anyone I speak to. I do, tragically, have a couple of flaws. I know, I'm shocked as well. I have the mouth of a sailor, and I know some find my speech to be a tad offensive (I mean really, do I need to casually drop like 6 "F bombs" into a conversation? no. but I’m gonna do it anyway.) I also have some PTSD with a few triggers I am very open about. The smell of blood is one of them, so I usually brush that off as "it smells like blood," which some people find less than fun when everything else is getting described in great detail. Finally, and perhaps most tragic of all, I have cats that like to scream at me while I'm on my computer. Sometimes they will come in and just yell about their day. not really a flaw, but I don't stop them from expressing themselves. If you have read all of that and still want to play in one of my silly games, please join me! I'm sure we can have lots of fun! The Structure of pricing and other business details: Games for New or Established Groups Minimum Number of Players: The minimum number of people required to effectively run a game for a group without defaulting to solo game pricing is 3 players, with a maximum of 6 players in any game. Runtime: My base run time for games is 5 hours, with options to go for as little as 3 hours and as long as 7. Requirements: Discord for voice chat, Roll20 for its Virtual Tabletop. All books will be provided for play at no cost to the player. Character creation: I will assist the players with character creation and help them to establish their characters within the setting, this will include going over available backgrounds and helping players to establish motivations that fit within the context of the story, allowing each character to have those moments in the “Narrative Spotlight” they deserve. Session 0: Before we begin play we will have a session 0 where we determine any boundaries the players or storyteller have for the game, and discuss ways the players and storyteller can let each other know if something in the story has caused them to feel uncomfortable or if they want an ongoing scene to end immediately. We can also discuss aftercare options for intense RP scenes. What makes it worth it?: Each game will have a unique story crafted for it based in either an established area of the game or in a homebrewed area built to the players’ specifications. The game will include a number of “quality of life” macros added to the game to help streamline a lot of the game’s more difficult mechanics as well as a number of macros that will range from simple dice rolls to allowing the players quick access to their charms and backgrounds (or other powers if playing a non-exalted game). The players will be provided with a roll20 character sheet to store art, their backstory, and a token, as well as a journal that will be updated by either the players or the storyteller at the end of each session. The players will get maps for most encounters, or at the very least thematically appropriate art to act as a visual backdrop for the scene. All major NPCs will have art and notes available for them, as will all major areas of interest. Roleplay will be encouraged, but if any player is unable to or unwilling to roleplay out a scene narrative exposition can be done to allow for that experience to still feel fulfilling, and will always be done to give the player maximum character agency. Price: The Storyteller will provide not only the time during game sessions but will ensure at least 1 hour of preparation time is spent each session to ensure the players get the best possible story. This will include a number of services like updating player macros, building maps or finding appropriate backdrops for areas the players are going or wish to go each session, maintaining NPC and location descriptions to match the events of the narrative, and a host of other smaller behind the scenes adjustments that makes games memorable. Outside of this the Storyteller will also provide and loosely monitor a side Role Play chat in the discord server for between game downtime Role Play between players (and the rare side Role Play with the storyteller!), as well will generally be available to answer questions of rules, meta-plot, or other game related curiosities. The access to the Storyteller’s time breaks down in the following ways: $20 per player, per game session, for games that have an average run time of 3 hours. $30 per player per game session, for games that have an average run time of 5 hours. $45 per player, per game session, for games that have an average run time of 7 hours. Games for Solo Players Runtime: My base run time for solo games is 3 hours, with the options of going to 5 or 7 hours. Requirements: Discord for voice chat, Roll20 for its Virtual Tabletop. All books will be provided for play at no cost to the player. Character creation: I will assist the players with character creation and help them to establish their characters within the setting, this will include going over available backgrounds and helping players to establish motivations that fit within the context of the story. Session 0: Before we begin play we will have a session 0 where we determine any boundaries the player or storyteller have for the game, and discuss ways the player and storyteller can let each other know if something in the story has caused them to feel uncomfortable or if they want an ongoing scene to end immediately. We can also discuss aftercare options for intense RP scenes. What makes it worth it?: Each game will have a unique story crafted for it based in either an established area of the game or in a homebrewed area built to the player’s specifications. The game will include a number of “quality of life” macros added to the game to help streamline a lot of the game’s more difficult mechanics as well as a number of macros that will range from simple dice rolls to allowing the player quick access to their charms and backgrounds (or other powers if playing a non-exalted game). The player will be provided with a roll20 character sheet to store art, their backstory, and a token, as well as a journal that will be updated by either the player or the storyteller at the end of each session. The player will get maps for most encounters, or at the very least thematically appropriate art to act as a visual backdrop for the scene. All major NPCs will have art and notes available for them, as will all major areas of interest. Roleplay will be encouraged, but if the player is unable to or unwilling to roleplay out a scene narrative exposition can be done to allow for that experience to still feel fulfilling, and will always be done to give the player maximum character agency. Price: Solo games require a bit more preparation and investment time as they often go through more story scenes and objectives than a group game in a single session. This means the storyteller has to spend more time preparing the game’s story and altering narrative lines to fit the actions of the player, building maps, collecting character art, building and adjusting macros, and a host of other behind the scenes details that make games memorable and fun to play. Because of this I break down solo session prices in the following ways: $60 per session for a 3 hour session. $90 per session for a 5 hour session. $135 per session for a 7 hour session.
GM Style
So, I come from a background of roleplay heavy games with lots of action and adventure. I tend to lean on the action and adventure parts for excitement, but I do try to keep most of my games roleplay heavy. I have a hard time doing voices, not for lack of trying but because I have a kind of low vocal range and im slightly tone deaf so I cant tell if my voices are different enough or are just annoying. that said, I do try to keep things engaging and different enough to still be enjoyable. I tend to run Horror Games as they appeal the most to me, and a large part of horror, in my opinion, is misdirection and intrigue. my games tend to have a fair amount of both, with games like Vampire the Masquerade and Mage the Ascension getting the most. When I do "High Fantasy" games I like to use the Exalted system because it offers the most opportunity to be heroic and to have a complex social element to the game. if im doing gritty realism I prefer games like Vampire the Masquerade. I am used to teaching new players and welcome them! my tables are always inclusive spaces that are LGBTQ+ friendly, and I especially welcome folks new to the game but who are seasoned role players who are testing a new system to see if they like it! whatever level of experience you are at there is a place for you here.
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