shevek1312

they/them

5.0

(51)

Timezone

America/new York

Identity

Queer

Neurodivergent

Voice Actor

About shevek1312

Stay awhile and listen! After leaving gamer culture behind during the pandemic, TTRPGs became my new third place. My community is a diverse & queer space that supports folks from all stripes. If you're seeking connection, community, and an opportunity to build a compelling story on top of those, come on in. Top 1% GM

At a glance

4 years on StartPlaying

952 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive

Average response time: 9 hours

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

written by: Ursula K Le Guin S.A. Corey David Graeber Gabrielle Zevin bell hooks

I became a GM because

I've worked a lot of non-traditional jobs, turns out I'm better at being my own boss!

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

hanging out with my Boston Terriers thinking about CHIM.

How shevek1312 runs games

Here's some common themes for my groups: Roleplay Focused - Characters work to move the story forward through exploration + interaction in a dynamic world. Less-than-linear stories that have sidequests for everyone. Sometimes you can achieve more through building than dividing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Variety of Choice - A wide selection of personally vetted player options and a community culture that supports frivolous spending of resources for the bit. Emergent play - An approach where we play to find out! Challenging ourselves through play is great exercise for the heart and brain. Grit. Tactics. - Wily rivals, unique challenges, and interactive environments to elevate encounters beyond the numerical. Social Contract ➕Collaborative party play ❌No PVP (okay maybe a cheeky insight check) ✔️There's no stupid questions 🛡️ A safe and inclusive table 🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA+ & Neurodivergent Friendly (♾️🦋GM) VTT Experience + Assets 🧰Playtested + vetted 3rd party content 📜Motley maps of every taste 🐉Much more than bog standard monsters 🎶Curated playlists and dynamic soundscapes 🛠️Premium DnDBeyond with all content 🛑No generative AI art/text/prompts used Overall Style 🌟Let's find out WHO your character is 🎞️Cinematic storytelling 🏰 Responsive worlds 🤝We're here to tell a story - I'm here to help! Community Benefits 🖼️PC portraits and custom token art 🟪Cameos in ongoing adventures 👥A community of like-minded adventurers Frequently Asked Questions: I'm signing up for a game that takes place today - Can I play today/tonight? The cutoff time feature should ensure this doesn't happen, but we also need a chance to chat before you're admitted into the community. I don't like to rush things, and we'll absolutely get you to the table by next session. Can I audit/sit-in/listen to a game session to see if it's for me? Unfortunately, no. Space at the table is a privilege of folks that have signed up for a game and gone through onboarding, and that space is important to maintain as a safe and private place. How much combat can I expect? Depends on the group honestly - I don't run hack'n'slash or beer & pretzels games so if violence as a default solution is your thing please keep scrolling. Can my character be evil/difficult to work with? I would rather just run an evil party game, please use the Request Booking button for this and similar! Hey I have a homebrew thing I REALLY wanna play... Nothing personal kid *teleports behind you* but I have plenty of playtested and well-designed options that I've seen in action over the years. For a customized experience, please check out that Book Private Game button!

Featured Prompts

I once ran a session...

with a Hamburglar NPC who the party immediately hated and murdered. Totally worth it.

When it comes to voices

they're not necessary and don't take the place of a well thought-out and lived in character.

Rules are...

good to have and know, but I also know when to bend or break them - especially if they are preventing us from having fun at the table. Worship of the written word doesn't always make for a good time.

shevek1312's ideal table

Tabletop games are collaborative storytelling - this means you get out what you put in! Unfortunately we're not really a 'rules-focused' or 'crunch-first' community and I wish you luck if that's your focus. We like angst! Drama! Emotions! Based on opinions within the server: we're all theatre kids that think winning at DND means everyone kisses by the end of the adventure, but we know how to emotionally and mechanically terrorize the bad guys (and each other). Many of my tables actively queue up RP scenes with one another or NPCs, internal monologues, and out of session banter. Exploration is exposition, not just filler. Playing with emotional intelligence sometimes means giving way for others or playing outside our comfort zone. Conflict can drive a story, but the relationships are what's at the core of those conflicts. To borrow from Brennan Lee Mulligans interview with Polygon about why Worlds Beyond Number doesn't have combat every session: "Calling D&D a combat-oriented game would sort of be like looking at a stove and being like, "This has nothing to do with food. You can’t eat metal. Clearly this contraption is for moving gas around and having a clock on it. If it was about food, there would be some food here. What you should get is a machine that is either made of food, or has food in it. I’m going to bring the food. The food is my favorite part. People say that because D&D has so many combat mechanics, you are destined to tell combat stories. I fundamentally disagree. Combat is the part I’m the least interested in simulating through improvisational storytelling. So I need a game to do that for me, while I take care of emotions, relationships, character progression, because that shit is intuitive and I understand it well. I don’t intuitively understand how an arrow moves through a fictional airspace." https://www.polygon.com/24105875/worlds-beyond-number-narrative-style-adventure

Featured Prompts

If you're into ___, you're going to love my table

other people, failing forward or sideways, letting the dice tell the story

I love it when a player

lifts up other players with their play and helps make interaction with others as well as NPCs memorable

I think min/maxing...

is just part of the tapestry of play. I will unapologetically send your 'build' back to the drawing board if it's just a gimmick based on solo optimization.