Pauline

she/her

5.0

(1)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

Identity

LGBTQ+

Neurodivergent

About Pauline

I discovered TTRPGs through Critical Role and fell in love with the endless potential for collaborative storytelling. My degree is in TV writing and the dream has always been to run a writers room where everyone is comfortable enough to suggest wild ideas and laugh together. I have had the best time fulfilling that dream through TTRPGs. It only took a few sessions of playing Daggerheart before I knew I had to be a GM. I recently made the jump to running games at conventions, and introduced a few more tables to my favorite game at GenCon. I also play Candela Obscura but like to stay on the player side. I consider myself a joyful nerd. I'm very curious (mostly about science) and am usually laughing about something. I'm also a big TV fan and am always watching a wide range of shows (Severance? Hell yes. The Hunting Wives? Also hell yes). At my tables I prioritize inclusivity and making sure everyone feels welcome/ has a chance to be heard. I'm known for building lore that stays in the background until poked at, NPCs with big personalities, and weaving PC backstories into the narrative. Let's build a story together (and watch me enable your unhinged ideas)!

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Teacher, Inclusive, Creativity

Featured Prompts

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

When not playing TTRPGs or working on Daggerheart supplements, I write screenplays, play video games (Call of Duty and Red Dead Redemption), and run an education podcast teaching the basics of random topics.

How Pauline runs games

I take a narrative first approach highlighted by tough combat grounded in adversary motivations. I always look for ways to incorporate PC backstories and motivation into games, and prompt players to help build out the details of the world during play. While I avoid doing much story prep before a session, I love to be a sounding board and help players build out complex characters. When using combat, I keep the narrative going and take a cinematic approach to moving between spotlights (Daggerheart turns). My encounters do allow for avoiding combat when players prefer (and can strategize their way out of it). In campaigns, I regularly include sessions with zero combat, either highlighting a puzzle or giving space for role play and investigations. I love the "play to find out what happens" approach and will adjust the direction of a story based on where the players lead. I use the rule of cool and am lenient with most rulings.