shevek1312

they/them

5.0

(54)

Timezone

America/new York

Identity

Queer

Disabled

Neurodivergent

Voice Actor

About shevek1312

Stay awhile and listen! After a career change, 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

1199 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

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

My favorite books are

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

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

wondering what happened to the Dwemer.

How shevek1312 runs games

Here's some common themes for my groups: Roleplay Focus - Players work to move the story forward through strong choices in dynamic worlds. Less-than-linear stories that have sidequests for everyone. Content doesn't happen to you - you are the content. Choices, Choices - A wide selection of personally vetted player options and a community culture that supports (frivolous) spending of resources that can take us beyond "HP bar goes to zero". Emergent play - An approach where we play to find out! Challenging our definitions of creative play is great exercise for the heart and brain. Grit. Tactics. - Wily rivals, unique challenges, and interactive environments to elevate encounters. Social Contract ➕Collaborative storytelling ❌No PVP (okay maybe a cheeky insight check) ✔️There's no stupid questions 🛡️ Safe and inclusive tables 🏳️‍🌈 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 AI theft machine content 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? Unfortunately I'm not a "right now" GM. If we're gonna spend time playing for as long most folks stay in the community I'd like to spend some time getting to know you ahead of admitting you into the community, but I will get you setup by next session. Can I audit/sit-in/listen to a game session to see if it's for me? 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. How much combat can I expect? To be honest if this is at the top of your list you may need to reconsider. Can my character be evil/difficult to work with? This is more of a decision I make when creating a listing and considering player chemistry than an on-the-fly proposition, so no. 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.

Featured Prompts

I once ran a session...

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

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.

When it comes to voices

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

shevek1312's ideal table

Tabletop games are collaborative storytelling - this means you get out what you put in! We've move away from hyper-crunchy gameplay and I wish you luck if that's your focus. 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). Our tables actively seek out RP scenes with one another or NPCs, internal monologues, and out of session banter. Interaction is exposition. 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 (https://www.polygon.com/24105875/worlds-beyond-number-narrative-style-adventure) "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." Playing with emotional intelligence sometimes means giving way for others or playing outside our comfort zone.