Amanda
she/her
5.0
(9)
Timezone
Language
About Amanda
I have always loved to tell stories! In fact, it's what I went to school for. I was a film major and an English minor, with emphasis on screen writing and creative writing. When my husband, then my boyfriend, introduced me to ttrpgs, it was a Starfinder 1e game--clunky, not super great for total beginners, but what a blast! Then D&D 5e came to town, and that was the main game for us, until recently, when we've started branching out. That was almost 7 years ago. Since then, I've DMd two full D&D 5e campaigns, and my homebrew campaign is currently on a hiatus so I can write the next chapter. I'm also prepping two Call of Cthulhu published campaigns. Recently, I discovered Cairn, and in just one game, which I wrote, geared toward total newcomers to the system, both of my home groups have fallen in love and asked for more. I love creating stories for characters to inhabit--it literally makes me happier than almost anything in the world. Writing and storytelling is my passion, and ttrpgs feel like home.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
9 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Rule of Cool
Average response time: 4 hours
Response rate: 100%
Featured Prompts
When I'm not running games I'm...
Crocheting, camping, training for trail running, playing with my kids, learning new systems, writing adventures or fiction.
How Amanda runs games
I like epic stories where the players and their characters drive a lot of the narrative. I enjoy challenging combat, but not sloggy dungeon crawls--many of my dungeons will have only traps or puzzles, or possibly nothing but natural obstacles, depending on the fiction. I'm not interested in attrition or meticulous inventory management, unless that's the genre we're playing. I like a healthy mix of role play and exploration/combat, but I will probably summarize or handwave most shopping. I won't nickle and dime you for drinks or lodging. I honestly probably won't even make you learn Identify, unless it's central to the fiction that you have it. I like milestone leveling, meaningful backstories, and character choices that impact the world in tangible and meaningful ways. I have no problem killing PCs if the situation evolves organically in that direction. I will never fudge rolls. I have a good understanding of the rules but I'm not a human encyclopedia. That's why the rules are written down--so I don't have to be. When in campaign mode, I like to organize the story into arcs or chapters, and focus on writing one arc at a time so it's the best it can be. For that reason, my campaigns take breaks between arcs. These breaks are as long as I need them to be.
Featured Prompts
I deal with rules issues by...
Making a compromise ruling in the moment, then looking up the actual rule after the session and sharing it so everyone knows for next time.
Rules are...
Important guidelines to help the game function, but I also believe in the Rule of Cool.
Amanda's ideal table
I like the vibe at my table to be relaxed, but I expect players to focus on the game, so I do my best to prepare and run adventures that make that easy for them. I like to keep the pace moving so there isn't a lot of dead time, or time wasted on shopping episodes or something. Players who enjoy RP and character driven narratives, and who like to invest in their backstory, will enjoy my table. I don't care so much about optimum builds; in fact, I might reward a player who gives themselves a bane to fit a theme.
Featured Prompts
I think metagaming...
Has its place, especially in combat, and is honestly inevitable, especially if you have experienced players around the table. However, let's not be metagaming all the time, unless the other players are into it too.
I think min/maxing...
Is fine. Build the character you want. The game will still be challenging for you.
Amanda's Preferences
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