Phoenix
she/they
5.0
(5)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Phoenix
Howdy howdy, everyone and anyone! My name's Phoenix, and I'm an actor and musician with 10 years of GMing experience. The bulk of my time playing has been with DND 5e but I've spent the last 3 years specializing in Monster of the Week, and I love both like you love a limb. I'm a neurodivergent and queer themme fatale, with no interest in bigotry of any kind or using AI in anything I make. I swear like a sailor (sorry), and I indulge in bloody violence in nearly any system or campaign I run. I was raised on heightened theatricality, grounded (if not sometimes hilarious) horrors, and compelling stories that let the heroes shine even when things get really REALLY bad. It's that atmosphere I try to bring to the table. The monsters are horrific, the events are grand, and the heroes always have the chance to push through, try new things, and (most importantly) have fun while they explore the realm and fend off whatever terrors await them. For my DND 5e campaigns, prepare for grand narratives from humble beginnings, fluid theatre of the mind that still rewards tactics, and the glory befitting heroes of the realm. For Monster of the Week, get ready for be faced with the impossible, get covered in blood that is and isn't yours, and still find a way through, as all badass hunters do. For both, the players are the engine, failure rarely means outright destruction, and I'll be rooting for you the whole way. Oh and I play these games too! Once. Long ago. I can still smell the ashes.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, World Builder
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
Sharing stories with friends, or even strangers, is key to the human experience. And it's fun as hell, too. I've been a performer nearly my whole life, and nothing compares to knowing you've made someone's day a little brighter by telling them a story.
I got started GMing...
Running home games for friends over COVID on Discord! Got a little obsessed soon after, since there's really no better feeling than running the kind of session you know you and your players will tell stories about after it's over.
When I'm not running games I'm...
Studying for my music degree, writing personal projects, and performing in community theatre productions whenever I can. My greatest joy in life is telling fun stories and getting to do fun things with my voice. GMing does both, but I still like to do it on my own when I'm away from the table.
How Phoenix runs games
I'm a strong believer in player agency, and while my rule of cool has limits, it's almost always a limit that provides even more chances for players to find creative ways to handle any given scenario. I like to provide nearly any NPC in my world with a unique voice to bounce off the unique voices of the players, and I'm more than content spending whole sessions exploring those interactions, be they funny or sad, with all of you. I don't run combat incessantly, but my combat is almost always brutal in it's descriptions and consequences. If you aren't comfortable with blood, dismemberment, and some gnarly crunches and splats I might not be the best GM for you. If you are, however, I encourage players to get just as brutal and have fun with the absurdity (and gravity) of violence and death. I love tension in gameplay, whether through fear or just excitement. That being said, failure rarely results in total loss, but rather leads to new angles or sacrifices in the name of pushing through. No matter how many dragons, vampires, and wounds I throw at you, I'll be rooting for you. THE BIG THING!!!! Players almost always will pursue what is fun, interesting, or true to their character. Any chance I get, I encourage you to chase that, because it leads to the most satisfying conclusions almost every time, and my rulings will almost always allow for you to pursue it. Glory or doom, the story is yours and ours, and if you're in for a bloody, compelling, and fun time? I'm your GM.
Featured Prompts
I prep by
Finding interesting questions that a player might ask, and trying my best to create scenarios that will lead to them asking. I prefer this to hardcoding solutions, as whether the players become interested in what I intended or not, it ensures they're exploring something they find interesting.
My favorite trope is...
You know when heroes do that thing where they just got their ass handed to them, but stand up, come up with a fun solution and end up winning? Yeah, that. That all the way.
When it comes to voices
I do them all the time, for nearly every character I can. If there's a way to give a character a unique voice, an interesing vocal quirk, or some other identifying quality that sets them apart I always try to do so.
Phoenix's ideal table
I run roleplay heavy tables, encouraging frequent interaction with a living world of NPCs and your fellow players. I like my combat bloody, my heroes tested by their actions in the narrative, and my stories compelling and tense. If you like throwing yourself headlong into a world and character, trusting that whatever happens will be fun, interesting, or true to your character, I'll get you a limo and drive you to my house for home games. The tone for my games can flip flop, but I like to bring levity to the games I run whenever I can. It's still a game after all, and half the fun of a tense storyline is being able to smile once it's all over.
Featured Prompts
If you're into ___, you're going to love my table
Glory, tough choices, adventure, graphic violence, and victory despite all odds. If you've watched Blade, the Indiana Jones films, and the Mighty Nein (and enjoy all 3), then you're in the right place for sure.
I love it when a player
Dares to try something kind of insane, regardless of the consequences. The whole point of the game is a back and forth of scenarios and solutions, and the more interesting the solutions, the more interesting I get to make the scenarios and so and so forth.
My table is not the place for...
Fascists, bigots, GenAI, and anyone willing to sacrifice the fun of other people for their own enjoyment. Tabletop gaming is a community endeavor to me, so anything that contributes to bringing those communities down or undercutting them isn't right for my table.
Phoenix's Preferences
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