Yanas

he/him

5.0

(49)

Timezone

Africa/johannesburg

Language

English

Identity

Podcaster

BIMPOC

Published Writer

Teacher/Educator

Game Designer

About Yanas

🧙🏾 Greetings, Adventurer! And welcome to my table! I appreciate you stopping by. 📚 My time as a biologist has taught me that humans are a storytelling species. It would be my great pleasure to help you tell your heroic story in a fun, engaging and fantastical way! 🛠️ I enjoy constantly experimenting with storytelling tools, game design concepts, world-building, voice impressions and digital online tools to create iteratively immersive and fun experiences for my players. 🎲 I have been rolling dice and telling stories with my friends, family, and local gaming club in South Africa for over a decade now. My love of fantasy began with Brian Jacques' Redwall series and other fantasy novels, then moved on to JRPGs like the Final Fantasy series, and now I get to tell my own fantasy stories for a living!

At a glance

3 years on StartPlaying

481 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Sets the Mood, Teacher

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

I got started GMing...

Ironically, with the D&D board games like Wrath of Ashardalon. I got frustrated with the rigid and random way it worked, so I started creating my own stories for my friends to play using the pieces. I then found out that there was an entire game system built for that, and here we are.

People are always surprised when I tell them

I have a doctoral degree in Marine Biology.

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

Experimenting with new tools and consuming media to enhance my games. Reading, watching, or playing stories or engaging in scientific research.

How Yanas runs games

👯 My foremost priority is that everyone has fun together as a group. 🐺 Player agency is my second priority. I try to allow as much freedom as possible without breaking things. 📚 Even in pre-written modules, I strive to integrate my players' characters' personal story arcs into the narrative. 🧚🏻 I lean toward a high-fantasy and somewhat light-hearted style of play, primarily focusing on role-play and combat. 🎭 I might not be a voice actor or theatre kid, but I've been told I have a talent for roleplay and voice impressions. 🗺️ I enjoy building captivating worlds and crafting immersive experiences for my players. 📖 I run the rules as intended for a fun group experience rather than how they might be written.

Featured Prompts

If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...

James Gunn

My games focus on...

a delicate balance between all the things everyone at the table finds fun.

Rules are...

an important framework to help run the game, but they are not set in stone or to be used at the cost of verisimilitude or a good story.

Yanas's ideal table

My ideal table is where everyone's playstyles complement each other. We respect the table rules but bend the game rules when needed. We share the spotlight, and we might crack jokes, but we also respect deep moments.