Saoirse, Veil Adept
she/her
5.0
(19)
Timezone
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Identity
About Saoirse, Veil Adept
To you who join me at the table, welcome home! Through astronomy modeling to folklore research, amidst fraught years in game design school and software engineering, from comic stage plays to dramatic recitals... I've taken a twisting path to role-playing games. Each of these former roles has taught me invaluable lessons, which I bring to the table. Confidence in my ability to improvise character moments. A systematizing mind to design challenges that test characters to their limits. Technical aptitude to use virtual tabletops to their fullest. An instinct for tapping into characters' hidden motives and how they can elevate drama. And an abiding appreciation for the shared humanity that binds us all together. Let us weave new stories together, full of mirth and mischief, love and laughter, and no shortage of groan-inducing puns.
At a glance
2 years on StartPlaying
309 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Knows the Rules
Average response time: 3 hours
Response rate: 100%
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
Imaginative play opens us up to our most complete, most vulnerable selves, connecting people and forging friendships across walks of life in ways unique to the hobby. And even when we're just having rolling dice and having fun, that too is precious in its own right, and worth fighting for.
The three words my players would use to describe me are...
Organized, accommodating, and kind. Someone who puts serious effort into each session so she can follow players wherever they take her. And someone who wants the best for her players, at the table and in real life... even as she makes them sweat with desperate stakes.
When I'm not running games I'm...
Making music, most likely. I improvise my own melodies on my ocarina, and I entertain my local cafe with a grab-bag of emotional songs at karaoke night. And on a sunny day, I sometimes get out on my bike and ride around town.
How Saoirse, Veil Adept runs games
As a GM, I combine an actor's enthusiasm for characterization, a dramatist's instinct for pacing, an engineer's obsession with efficiency, and a teacher's patience with hobby and system newcomers. Crunch flows smoothly at my tables thanks to high automation and systems mastery, creating space that we fill together with cinematic flourish, humanizing interactions, and player-driven pursuits. Whether I'm customizing published material or frantically weaving our antics together into something coherent, I pull out all the stops to ensure that your adventure is truly yours, brought to life with all the immersive production values I can muster, and that your agency as a player matters to the overall story.
Featured Prompts
I once ran a session...
That started with the party sent out to talk some sense into the dragon overlord's rebellious daughter, and ended with them staging a mock battle against her to start their own hero-worship cult in front of elves who thought they had saved their sacred tree. The things they do for shiny treasure...
I prep by
Creating a tool chest of props: maps, creatures, soundtracks, callbacks, world events, session outlines–all grounded in detailed session notes and tailored to the table. From there, I let improv take over, confident that I have the tools to adapt to whatever antics players throw at me.
My games focus on...
Sprawling interactions with living, growing characters. Varied, sometimes vicious tactical encounters where every blood-soaked triumph is earned. Secrets and hidden agendas to unravel and undermine. And all throughout, a flair for both the comical and the cathartic.
Saoirse, Veil Adept's ideal table
Players who have a fascination with complex systems, a drive to put their own character's stamp on the adventure, or a desire for the company of someone who walks comfortably among the misfits of society, will all find a second home at my table. I do all in my power to bring varied interests from a diverse player base together, working with each player individually to help their character shine in the spotlight and find their place in the overarching adventure ensemble. The result, when it clicks, is a shared experience that touches both the head and the heart. We conspire to maximize the drama, laugh at our misfortune, exult in our shared triumphs, lean into sincere pathos, and cut the tension with a hearty laugh. And when we draw our play to a close and meet anew as friends, we keep the game alive with plans and discussions on how to meet new challenges, and how the shared story might unfold next. That heady froth of good humor, high stakes, and earnest emotion is what I bring to all of my tables, in the hopes that my players will meet me there and surprise me with their own creativity and daring actions, over and over again. Is that you?
Featured Prompts
I am for a vibe that's...
Raucous, sometimes chaotic, and just a little campy. A vibe where I sweat to keep up with the party's mischief, and in turn they color in the shared story in ways I can't imagine. A vibe where we can come to care for one another's struggles, at the table and beyond.
I love it when a player
Surprises me with creative solutions to their characters' problems, using the full suite of tools and connections available to them. These surprises bend the adventure in new directions that are more personal to the table, and I'm eager to play out the consequences of those unexpected actions.
I think min/maxing...
Is the table's choice, and works best when all players can aim for a comparable level of optimization that still allows them to express their characters' unique personalities. Whatever amount of theorycraft is right for a given group, I'm willing to meet them there with appropriate challenges.
Saoirse, Veil Adept's Preferences
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