GM Shyann

she/her

5.0

(62)

Timezone

America/new York

About GM Shyann

⭐ 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞: https://www.gmshyann.com/ Hi! I’m Shyann & I'm a professional game designer who loves creating and developing adventures, monsters, and magic with code in Foundry VTT. If you could look back to 2008, you'd see an awkward group of high school theater nerds with the Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition Adventure Game gathered behind the school's stage curtain. There weren't enough premade characters to go around, so a girl with square-rimmed glasses picked up the Adventure Book to guide her friends through the story. That was me. Since then, I've been entrusted with the mantle of "Game Master." Over the years, my higher education in theater and improv has shaped my storytelling style, and my professional experience as a front-end web developer has led me to curate the ultimate virtual tabletop experience. But what I love most is bringing stories to life with the friends at my table. My priority is providing a safe place for you to get outside your comfort zone to discover a fun, new way to be yourself. I want to help people expand their imaginations, embrace their inner power, and attune to their highest selves, just like real heroes!

At a glance

3 years on StartPlaying

347 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

People are always surprised when I tell them

"Surprise rounds don't exist in 5e."

How GM Shyann runs games

🔴 I run campaigns the way a music instructor, sports coach, or theater director runs their creative programs. I’m looking for serious players who are willing to put in a level of commitment equal to what they would anticipate when joining a local band, adult sports league, or community theater performance. 🟠 My tables are flexible and responsive. Your choices (or lack thereof) shape the story, for better or for worse! You’ll always have a world that reacts to what you do and characters who remember the impact you’ve made. 🟡 My games are punchy and cinematic! I love running fast-paced games that make generous use of time skips and montages (i.e. shopping, downtime) between adventures. Let’s skip all the boring stuff and get to the action!

GM Shyann's ideal table

🟢 My tables run best when everyone works together as a team. I believe collaborative roleplaying games are at their best when we prioritize the social experience and community building above everything else. 🔵 I believe characters are most interesting when they’re developed through play. I’m looking for players who understand that their character’s backstory will never be more interesting than the collective story being told by the table. I’m also looking for players who understand that others will only be interested in their character equal to the interest they show to others. 🟣 I bring a lot of energy to the table, so my favorite players are the ones who lean into that by making bold moves and helping push the story forward. The more you put in, the more you’ll get out! 🌈 Everyone at my table gets their moment in the spotlight! I love tailoring the story so each character has a chance to stand out, and I really appreciate players who don’t shy away from those moments and who will add to the story when the spotlight is on them.

Featured Prompts

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

▫️ Making friends ▫️ Third spaces ▫️ That one scene in The Mummy where Rachel Weisz knocks all the bookcases in the library over

I think it's a red flag when players...

▫️ Don’t read provided instructions or rules ▫️ Never make an effort to learn or improve with mechanics or software ▫️ Treat the game as a selfish experience instead of prioritizing the team

My table is not the place for...

▫️ Generative AI ▫️ Spectator-style players who prefer to observe rather than participate