Strider

he/him

5.0

(17)

Timezone

Europe/rome

Language

English

Italian

Identity

Neurodivergent

Multi-lingual

About Strider

Hi! I'm Manuel, but I usually go by Strider online. I’ve been playing and running TTRPGs for nearly 17 years, both in Italian and English. All it took was a few trips: Fantastica, Narnia, Middle-earth… I was hooked on fantasy. Starting to play D&D a few years later was only the natural consequence. --------------------------- At my table, I do my best to offer the following: - A friendly, welcoming environment for everyone; - Memorable moments you can tell your friends about; - Worlds worth exploring, and the freedom to do so (but please, don’t suddenly decide to become pirates); - A fun time. It’s still a game, so let’s all enjoy it. I'm always striving to improve my skills as a storyteller and Game Master. Whether it's writing, taking acting classes, or working on my voice, I have fun learning new skills that can help me run games. Let's tell a story together, shall we?

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

3 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, Rule of Cool, Creativity

$25 per session

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

Because I enjoy worldbuilding, telling stories, and most importantly, because nobody else wanted to be the DM.

My favorite books are

The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Chronicles of Narnia (my first read and not the second, during which I started noticing the allegory), A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Asimov's Foundation books, The Wheel of Time (in progress), One Thousand and One Nights, and many more.

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

Hopefully out in the mountains, whether hiking or canyoning. I didn't steal Aragorn's nickname without a reason. Otherwise, reading, writing, editing the English translation of a Xianxia webnovel (which one varies), or prepping games.

How Strider runs games

I'm a worldbuilder and a storyteller before anything else. Roleplay is always the focus in my games, and I welcome creative approaches to problems. I love weaving your backstories into the world as I build it and giving each character a personal journey to complete. In my games, your choices matter. And not simply because I’ll remember you murdered an NPC I had spent hours writing and make you pay for that… What you do will influence your character development, and even what you might get access to in terms of character options. Interact with the world, and it will surprise you. I try to avoid having lengthy combat encounters every session. You can expect either quick encounters, often using theater of the mind, or a more meaningful one every 3 sessions or so. This can always be discussed, but if you prefer crunchy, combat-heavy sessions, I might not be the best GM for you. That doesn’t mean you will never find yourself in a dungeon and have to fight your way into (or out of) it for multiple sessions, but that won’t be the norm. As for rules… Those are the framework needed to tell the story, but the story matters more than the minute details of the rulebooks. I'll happily borrow what works from elsewhere, for example adapting Draw Steel’s negotiation mechanics, if it serves the table better than rules-as-written do.

Featured Prompts

I once ran a session...

I once had a session that lasted the whole weekend, minus breaks. Ah, to be young and free...

Rules are...

Needed to give structure, but they shouldn't stop you from allowing a cool moment to happen.

Strider's ideal table

Diversity is richness, and at my tables, I value inclusivity. So feel welcome to join, as long as you make others feel welcome as well. The more varied the players, the better stories we can craft together. Everyone has a place here, as long as you haven't forgotten how to have fun. Bring the laughs, pick the fun options when faced with a choice, collaborate with others, and enjoy yourself. Be ready for both dramatic and silly moments. Many of my games have darker themes that aren't suitable for children. Session zero always covers lines, veils, and hard limits, and those will always be respected, but my games are often set in less-than-ideal worlds where there's conflict, ugliness, and injustice, which I expect your characters to fight against. I like moral choices, and you can't have those if everything is unicorns and sparkles. Nonetheless, what might be part of the game world has no place outside of it. I catch one whiff of actual bigotry, and you're out.

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

Friendly, chill, and fun-focused while remaining respectful of everyone at the table. We're all here to bring great adventures to life together, and to do that, everyone must feel comfortable.

I think metagaming...

Is an easy trap to fall into! That's why I try to help by having players do blind rolls for many checks. Keeps the narrative flowing better. Stole the idea from PF2e, and never looked back.

My table is not the place for...

Racists, sexists, homophobes, transphobes, ableists, etc. If you discriminate against anyone or associate yourself with those who do, this isn't the table for you. Being silent is being complicit. - It's also not a place for those who prefer gritty combat over narrative, especially every session.