Raih
she/her
5.0
(9)
Timezone
Language
About Raih
Hi! I'm Raih. I've been GMing for several years, but the first world I created lived in my head long before I ever sat behind a GM screen. It began as a novel I thought I might someday publish, but something never quite clicked until my friends became the characters living inside it. Once that happened, I never looked back. Worldbuilding is one of my favorite parts of running games. I love worlds that feel alive: NPCs with their own agendas, places with histories that began long before the party arrived, mysteries with answers waiting beneath the surface, and consequences that continue unfolding after the characters move on. But I don't treat lore as something players are merely invited to observe. My games are collaborative. If the party becomes fascinated by something I only sketched loosely, we'll build it together. If a character's choices send the story somewhere unexpected, I'll follow them. The world belongs to me when I prepare it; once we begin playing, the story belongs to all of us. My games are roleplay- and character-driven, with exploration, mystery, and tactical combat woven in where they matter. I love watching players theorize about lore, become attached to NPCs, make terrible plans for excellent reasons, and choose what their character would genuinely do even when the tactically optimal answer is staring them in the face. If you want a living world, meaningful character development, choices that matter, and a GM who is genuinely excited to discover what you do next, you'll fit right in.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
2 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, World Builder
$20 per session
Average response time: 4 hours
Response rate: 100%
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
Because there were so many stories I wanted to share with the world and with my friends. First I started to write aiming to become a novelist, but I always felt something was missing. It was around the time I started participating in a campaign that it occurred to me to GM, and I haven't stopped.
When I'm not running games I'm...
Either thinking or writing things I believe my players will enjoy, consulting with my very spoiled dogs about how much emotional damage to introduce, or enjoying some video game sessions!
How Raih runs games
At my table, roleplay usually comes first. Combat exists and it will challenge you: I try to build encounters that require strategy, not just strength, but the moments I live for are the ones where a character says exactly the wrong thing to exactly the right person, or makes a choice that costs them something real. Difficulty at my table comes in many shapes: tactical problems, moral weight, consequences that follow you. The more you give me, the more I can build around you. Backstory hooks, relationships, goals, fears, rivalries, convictions, strange habits. Those are all invitations. I use them to make the world recognize that your character exists, not to punish you for giving me material. I prepare extensively, but I do not expect players to follow a predetermined route. If the party changes direction, the campaign changes with them. If something isn't working, we talk about it. If there is something you would love to explore, tell What I love most is watching characters grow not just in levels, but in the ways that matter. The beliefs that shift. The relationships that deepen. The moment a player surprises even themselves with what their character does. If that sounds like your kind of game, pull up a chair.
Featured Prompts
I deal with rules issues by...
Hearing my players out when they disagree on a ruling or when I made a mistake or a bad ruling (I am not perfect) as long as it is presented kindly, and constructively. If I feel the matter will stall game for a time I will address it at the end of the session.
My games focus on...
Mostly on what my players want to do in the world I have created. My games put a lot of focus on character agency and development and I always try to find ways to accommodate them. My players play in the world I made, but I like to think we are also telling THEIR story.
Rules are...
Something I follow but don't obsess over. Someone wants to do something that is not overpowered but technically not allowed as they want to do it? Chances are I will permit it.
Raih's ideal table
My favorite tables are collaborative, curious, and invested. I love players who become interested in the world and in one another's characters: people who take notes because they genuinely want to remember something, celebrate another player's big moment, laugh when the dice ruin an excellent plan, and treat setbacks as opportunities for the story to become more interesting. My games lean heavily toward roleplay and character development, though meaningful combat, exploration, mysteries, and tactical problems all have a place. You do not need to perform voices or stay in character constantly, but I do want players who are willing to engage rather than remain spectators for session after session. You will probably enjoy my table if you like living worlds, character-driven stories, meaningful choices, long-running relationships with NPCs and factions, and campaigns that change because of what the party does. You may be happier at another table if you primarily want consequence-free chaos, constant combat, joke characters that ignore the campaign's tone, or a game where the GM provides the story while the players simply follow it.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
Discovers a piece of hidden lore, or solves a mystery using obscure lore I have revealed or through small hints I have given. I also love it when when my players theorycraft!
I think min/maxing...
Is fine up until the point it starts creating trouble at the table. I will not necessarily make a combat more challenging so the min/maxer feels like they are having more of a challenge if the rest of the table is happy with the combat as is.
My table is not the place for...
For murder hobos or people that are all about combat and dungeon crawls. My game is roleplay and story over combat. A lot of the time combat is a tool I use for story telling.
Raih's Preferences
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