Zulu
he/him
5.0
(3)
Timezone
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Identity
About Zulu
Hello, I'm Zulu! I've been a GM for several years now and I've run campaigns in D&D 5e, SWN and FTL Nomad. I'm an amateur writer, law student and chronic worldbuilder. I started my TTRPG experience with a really small table in my hometown, and from there joined groups online on D&D, Pathfinder, Lancer and a couple of one-shot indie games. My first campaign was a good idea, but it was a mess - it only got better from there, as I hosted for friends and eventually people in my University and others, growing from a disorganized, chaotic DM to a... slightly less disorganized, chaotic one. I write sporadically on my Substack (when inspiration strikes), and I'm almost constantly coming up with new settings and ideas that eventually get converted into new campaigns. My main setting is a homebrew 1920s decopunk fantasy world, but I also have an alt history soft sci-fi world. Currently worldbuilding a modern fantasy setting inspired by True Detective! I run two campaigns right now, in person: a campaign on FTL Nomad, based around a United Nations ship and its adventures, and a second one on D&D 5e, which follows a group of police officers and their attempts to fight crime and paranormality in Norelva, my main homebrew setting!
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Creativity, Voices, Inclusive
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
back in the day, I used to write a lot. A LOT. I did text roleplay here and there, and I loved hosting scenes, describing areas, being the narrator. So when I started playing TTRPGs, my eye was always on the GM spot. And even now, I love being the narrator.
When I'm not running games I'm...
preparing for games, to be honest. But when I'm not doing that, I'm playing! In terms of TTRPGs, I dabbled in Pathfinder and Lancer, aside from a few D&D oneshots. In terms of videogames, mostly whatever comes up, but Disco Elysium, SOMA, Signalis and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs are my favorites!
How Zulu runs games
TL;DR: I prioritize roleplay and atmosphere above all else, combat as a way to show off a character or bring some tension, and puzzles that I rarely have a solution to. There is little more important to me than the moments in which the players, fully immersed in their characters, talk and discuss without my input. It is a special, unique moment that I aim to reach every session. Combat is mostly a tool to exhibit a character's skills and personality, less about padding a session and more about showing off a signature weapon or a cool skill. I typically fudge NPC rolls or let NPCs die even with 2-3 HP purely to maintain momentum in a session and avoid bogging it down. My sessions typically consist of: - roleplay, meeting NPCs, exploring the environment, shopping and preparing, - exploration, going through ancient ruins, dungeons, but also sewers and abandoned warehouses, solving problems and "puzzles" (see below), - combat, usually with a gimmick: the surroundings are on fire and the PCs need to run away, or the ship they're fighting on is sinking, or their target has a hostage. Puzzles are boring, though! Rather than a puzzle, I enjoy giving my players a room or a situation, telling them what the problem is, and letting them solve it on their own, to the point that I rarely have an actual solution in mind. It's much more engaging than presenting a group with a puzzle or a riddle, and lets them sort it out with their items and abilities rather than finding a pre-written solution.
Featured Prompts
If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...
Edgar Wright. If you know the Cornetto trilogy, you know. Snappy comedy, quick cuts, with a surprisingly melodramatic undertone to it all. Those movies will make you cry like a baby.
Rules are...
important, but... negligible. There's nothing more infuriating than a single enemy left on the battlemap with 2 HP holding up another combat turn - so just kill it. If a rule is conflicting with a really clever or cool moment, ignore it. The players and their shenanigans are above all else.
When it comes to voices
I go all out, to the point that I sometimes forget what voice a specific character has. My favorites are angels with a built-in reverb filter, old decrepit men with creaky voices and using regional accents for fun. There is nothing like an elf with a Boston accent, I can guarantee you.
Zulu's ideal table
My ideal table is made up of people who are willing to be funny, and also tremendously depressing. My campaigns, no matter where they're set, always have a comedic undertone. You're saving the world from a rogue nanomachine swarm? There's always time for a one-liner. The comedy is also there to cover up things that'd be unrealistic, or small plot holes, with a little humor tape: why is a vampire standing in sunlight? He has sunscreen on, duh. Comedy and jokes are also a fantastic icebreaker, a way to recover from a bad situation, an overall necessity for me. But my ideal players are also theater kids who can monologue about their dead parents, who can make me cry while I pretend I'm not crying, and who know how to balance serious moments with lightheartedness.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
takes the initiative. I love it when players, plural, take the initiative. As I already mentioned, my favorite moments as a GM happen when I sit back and watch the players plan, prepare, or talk their way out of/into a situation. I also love it when the PCs interact and talk, it's always a treat.
I think min/maxing...
is hilarious if it comes with the sincere understanding that you're min-maxing. Make a dumb little goblin wizard who deals 200 damage per turn. Make a druid with arachnophobia who only knows how to Wild Shape into a giant spider who happens to be ridiculously strong. Go wild. Go funny.