Woden
he/they
5.0
(5)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Woden
I got into TTRPGs as a late teenager and what hooked me almost immediately was the idea that a group of people could sit down and build a story that nobody had planned out entirely. The first games I played were on the more traditional side, closer to a board game than anything else, but I got curious, kept learning, and the roleplay side of things took over pretty fast. Outside of gaming I am pretty much a professional computer creature. Anime, YouTube, the occasional western TV show... if it's watchable I've probably binged it or at least tried. Audio books are a big part of my life too, mostly fantasy and especially urban fantasy. If there's a story mixing the modern world with magic and monsters I'm probably already a fan of it. Urban fantasy is my corner of the genre map and that bleeds into the games I love most. World of Darkness is a big one for me, though these days I'm more drawn to the lore than the game itself. On the system side my favorite is Cortex Prime, with FUDGE and Fate close behind. I tend to stay away from d20 systems and class based games, they're just not really my thing, though I do have a soft spot for anything Powered by the Apocalypse. I'm autistic and have ADHD, and I think that's worth mentioning because it shapes how I engage with pretty much everything, gaming included. I hyperfocus hard on the things I love, which means when I'm into a game or a setting I am really into it. It also means I go pretty deep on whatever has grabbed my attention lately, whether that's a new game system, a show, or some corner of fiction I just discovered.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Teacher, Creativity, Inclusive
Featured Prompts
My favorite books are
99.99% of the time it is different TTRPGs. I like collecting different mechanics from various games.
My favorite system of all Time is
FUDGE. When making a good FUDGE system, it is easy to understand for people who don't even know anything about TTRPGs. It is a toolbox though, so have fun creating your system.
How Woden runs games
My prep style is best described as "enough." I go in with key moments in mind and a world that feels lived in, but the plan is always built to bend. As I get to know the characters and the people playing them, the improvisation gets sharper and more personal. The story that ends up at the table is usually pretty different from what I originally had in mind, and that's a good thing. I'm primarily a world builder. There's something I really enjoy about crafting a setting from the ground up and watching players find their own corners of it. That said, published adventures and settings have their own appeal and I run those too when the right one comes along. Player agency matters a lot to me. If your character does something unexpected, I'm not going to fight it. I'd rather figure out where that leads than steer you back to the path I had planned. I use safety tools like X-cards and lines and veils at my tables. If something needs to be faded to black or shaped around entirely, that's easy enough to do and it just makes for a more comfortable experience for everyone. Learning new game systems is something I genuinely enjoy, and walking newer players through one is part of that. I've picked up what I know from years of actual play, game master guidebooks, and more online reading than I can count. I'm not going to claim I'm the best GM out there, but I do think the people who sit at my tables have a good time.
Featured Prompts
My games focus on...
Collaborative storytelling. I love it when my players suggest something to happen or pretty much anything else. Never be afraid to ask or suggest, chances are fairly good that I well accept and use it if it fits the story.
Woden's ideal table
Whether you've never rolled a die in your life or you've been playing for decades, there's a seat at this table for you. Brand new players are just as welcome as veterans, so don't let experience level be the reason you don't reach out. Play-by-post is my preferred format, which means everyone gets the time and space to think through their responses without feeling put on the spot. If that kind of pace sounds like a relief rather than a downside, you're probably going to fit in well here. I also want this to be a table where disabled players feel genuinely welcome and considered, not like an afterthought. Posts don't need to be long. A solid paragraph or two that adds something to the scene is completely fine. If you've spent time in Discord roleplay communities and felt pressure to write walls of text, that expectation doesn't exist here. The games I run lean much more toward story and character moments than toward combat, so if you're the type of player who gets more invested in a tense conversation between characters than in a big battle, you'll probably love it here.
Featured Prompts
I think metagaming...
Is totally fine, it is part game after all. To me if you don't want "metagaming", go play an improv rpg.
I think min/maxing...
Is a waste of time. This is tabletop roleplaying, not a video game. In the old days when it was more like a board game, it was a quality trait, but these days it is just poor quality rp.
My perfect party mix is
When everyone throws the idea of a "balanced party" out the window. I am a GM, it is fun for me to think of adventures that will fit the current party, not some idealized generic set.
Woden's Preferences
Systems