Southwind
he/him
5.0
(6)
Timezone
Identity
About Southwind
I am a game designer and published author, with a passion for tabletop roleplaying games. My story is like many others. Having discovered Dungeons & Dragons at a young age, I became engrossed in this fantastical world of make-believe. I devoured every novel I could find, and soon began writing my own stories for my friends to experience. Those first adventures were a little rough, but over the last 25 years, and hundreds of adventures across every genre, I've managed to figure out a thing or two. I have turned to StartPlaying in the hopes of guiding new groups of heroes and villains on fantastic adventures, terrifying tales, and thrilling mysteries. It's not enough to entertain; I wish to build memories that people will laugh about and reminisce on for years to come.
At a glance
3 years on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Rule of Cool
Featured Prompts
When I'm not running games I'm...
... usually working on my next novel.
How Southwind runs games
I am first and foremost a storyteller. Weaving a strong narrative, flavorful descriptions, NPCs with depth, and a reactive game world, I aim to create a game that players can get lost in. More importantly, I'm not just trying to tell MY story. The best stories are the ones we build together. At the end of a session, I usually leave the party with a question on how to proceed, and then build my next adventure around that decision and their actions during the current session. In this way, not only the story, but the entire world shapes itself around them. I tend to shy away from maps and minuatures, and prefer to use colourful descriptions that fire the imagination. Whereas some games would have you walking through a dungeon, mapping out every hallway and room, I believe simply montaging the boring bits, and jumping straight into the action. Finally, years of players doing the unexpected have honed my improvisation skills to a keen edge. When things go completely sideways, I have been known to improvise entire adventures, with the players having no idea I'm making it all up as I go.
Southwind's Preferences
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