***EDIT MAR 24: Between two platforms I'm up to about 15 applicants so I'll be closing it off here. Thanks all for your interest.

Hi there!

My name is Jor (she/her), I'm 31, and I'm a Canadian living in Finland. I've been DMing for over 3 years and started 2025 strong with my third campaign. We are 12 sessions in, but unfortunately, a player just had an exciting job offer pop up that they can't refuse, and they will no longer be available during our game time. So, with that, we will have an upcoming spot opening. We're losing the only other woman at the table besides myself, so I would love if we could get one more to balance things out. My players are honestly an absolute dream to DM for and I can't sing their praises enough. They're thoughtful to each other and always find ways to add to each other's stories, and they're the perfect combination of serious and hilarious. We are a first-person-roleplay-focused group who stay in character as much as possible, and we prioritize storytelling above all else. I mean, we were already crying together session 4, what more could you ask for? We had combat in three of the first four sessions, then five straight roleplay sessions, and now have been back to a few sessions of combat. The story dictates what will happen; I don't force combat where it isn't natural. I'm not opposed to players with little experience, but it isn't necessarily a game I'd recommend for new players due to the additional rules we use that add extra layers of challenge and complexity. With that said, if you're a fast learner and you're willing to put in the effort to learn so sessions aren't slowed down forever, you are welcome.

We play every week on Tuesdays at 19:00 Eastern European time (GMT+3 in summer, GMT+2 in winter), and sessions last about 4-4.5 hours with a 10 minute break around the middle. We started at level 1 with the intention of telling a story of a bunch of curious nobodies who get thrust into more than they bargained for, but by the time a new player joins, you'll be level 4. This is designed to be a very long-term game, though due to the free-flowing, character-forward nature of it, I can't tell you what level we'll end at - it could be 12 or it could be 20. In any case, if you can't commit to joining for a good year or two to see it through to the end, or if you can't attend sessions regularly or on time, you need not apply.

Age must be 20+, no exceptions. Voice chat will be in Discord. You must have a good quality microphone with minimal background noise. Webcam is heavily preferred as the rest of us use them, but if there's a day here or there that you don't feel like it, that's completely fine - I'll do the same sometimes, I'm sure. We use a free Chrome or Firefox extension for our virtual tabletop as 90% of our fights will utilize battlemaps.

What you need to know about the world:

• It's a fairly traditional fantasy setting - medieval-adjacent with bits and pieces of more advanced tech, but nothing "futuristic". Magic is rare in most smaller places, but more common in larger ones. Everywhere is different. In addition, it is illegal to walk through city streets slinging spells for public safety, and any charm magics as well as resurrection magics are illegal nearly worldwide. However, this is not me discouraging the players from using these things - in fact, it makes it even more interesting and fun to find ways to use them appropriately, or in secret. This is a game of realism (to some degree) and stakes where your choices matter.
• It is not fully fleshed out. I am building the world as we play in it. A few cities are very detailed from time spent in the last campaign, but depending on where my new players go, I might be crafting on the fly. Don't expect incredibly complex, vast and complete lore just yet - but I'm working on it.
• Do expect consequences for your actions. Your reputation and public perception of you matters. You are not above the law. With that being said, it's D&D and I want you to have fun and do crazy things - just be mindful and know that I consider others' perception of you. Don't go around killing everybody in your path and call yourselves good-aligned or heroes.
• There is a somewhat limited playable species list, though you'll still have plenty of options to choose from. This is because I want to keep some species monstrous and/or uncommon, especially based on geography and considering the continent in which our game will take place. While this means some species may draw interest or uncertainty from people unfamiliar with them, they will not be ostracized or mistrusted. I don't want fantasy racism - but curiosity is reasonable.
• There will sometimes be very heavy topics and scenes (including but not limited to suicide, body horror, self-harm, animal abuse, etc). Early into the "interview" process, I will check with all potential players about lines & veils (uncomfortable topics you want out of the game). Most, I will be able to work around. But to be upfront, there are some I will not. No disrespect to anybody - we all just have different thresholds and different tones we enjoy. I enjoy punctuating my stories with darker moments - when it makes sense to. I want to be clear I don't throw in a ton of violence just for the sake of it. Everything will be relevant to the story. And there will absolutely be times to let loose and joke around too - it won't be super serious all the time. A balance is important.

What you need to know about the table:

• Zero-tolerance policy for any hate speech or demeaning behaviours, even as a "joke" or something you "didn't really mean". No sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, etc. While the theme of my games doesn't focus on any of these topics, respect is very important in my world and I try to be inclusive and offer a variety of representation with my NPCs. Things like race, gender identity or expression, etc. just aren't a problem in my world, even for the BBEGs. D&D is for everyone.
• This is a roleplay-oriented table. I love combat as much as the next person, but I do not love forced combat just for the sake of having it. Your decisions on what to do and where to go will guide how much combat there is. If you're in a city gathering intel for a mission, there may be two or three sessions without combat. If you're out on a dungeon crawl, there may be two or three sessions of nonstop combat. I don't force it one way or another.
• We use some rules that make the game mechanically more difficult in favour of storytelling and realism. These include, but are not limited to: exhaustion & potential injury on going unconscious; using hit dice to heal on a long rest; resurrection magic not being a guaranteed success.
• To elaborate on the above point, there is a real possibility of death in this game. I play my NPCs & monsters truthfully to their character: some will leave an unconscious person and go for the remaining party members, while some will attack someone until they're dead. Resurrection is not guaranteed to work. I do not make exceptions as that would not be fair. The same goes for the injury table - you must be okay with injuries which can either be very annoying temporarily, or potentially game-changing for your character going forward.

What I am looking for in a player:

• Collaboration with and respect for your fellow players. Do not hog the spotlight and do not ruin a moment for somebody else. Support the others at the table by showing interest in their characters' growth the same way you'd want them to do for yours. If somebody expresses a concern to you, listen openmindedly and take it on board without getting defensive. Let's look out for each other.
• Be comfortable with first-person roleplay. That doesn't mean you need to be a professional actor or be able to do a voice. It does mean that I expect you to stay in-character as much as possible and try to fully inhabit them. Avoid metagaming and stick to knowledge that your character knows. This also means putting yourself in your character's shoes when making decisions and consider how their morals would affect their choices and how those choices would emotionally impact them. Heroes have feelings - and trauma - too.
• Be punctual and timely. If you are frequently late or missing sessions with or without notice, you'll be removed. It's just too difficult to have people constantly needing to be caught up.
• Decision-makers. Now, I don't mean you should always push the big red button without trying to research what it is first - you absolutely should do that. But I do want you to collect and analyze information and decide what to do, and take initiative to tug on threads that are already laid out. I'm not going to railroad you into doing what I want you to or think you should. I will give you options, and sometimes a push, but what you do in the end is up to you. Don't be afraid to reject options I've laid out more plainly in favour of revisiting something else that was put on the back burner.
• Be positive. In a game of dice, sometimes you're going to have bad days. Sometimes, you'll just make a decision that has unforeseen adverse effects. You need to be able to roll with the punches and have a good time regardless. This is not about winning and losing or player vs. DM - it's about telling a story together, and that includes low moments to make the highs feel even better. View low moments as a storytelling opportunity and keep a positive attitude.
• You don't need to be online 24/7 by any means, but don't go completely MIA for 6 days between sessions. Sometimes housekeeping can be taken care of between game days and sometimes the party will want to do some planning. I really do keep this minimal, though - I enjoy my off days, too!

What you need to know about me as a DM: 

• I cannot do voices, so if a feminine voice for all NPCs is immersion breaking to you, you need not apply. With that being said, I fully inhabit my NPCs the best I can. I'll try to make you cry at least once as an NPC in this campaign, as I have in the past. :)
• I'm punctual and reliable. It's rare I'm late, and I don't know if I've ever been more than 5 minutes late, and I also rarely have to cancel sessions short notice.
• I tend to stick relatively closely to the rules. I enjoy the challenge of having to work within their limits, and I also think it's just the most fair way for me personally to DM. If all players have the same expectations for what they're able to do, then they're playing on a level field. The exception to this is where the rules don't feel like they fully account for narrative elements of current situations. For example, I might impose advantage or disadvantage if it makes sense, I consider terrain and how it would interact with spells, and I offer opportunity attacks if you crouch in front of an enemy. I think to myself, "what would make sense here?"
• The biggest thing I am currently trying to improve as a DM is pacing. Now of course it can be difficult to predict what players will do, especially when I'm trying to walk a fine line between giving them space to freeform RP and push the story along while also trying not to railroad. But this is part of why I want players who are not afraid to choose their direction and stick with it - let's help each other!
• I am going to work very closely with each of you on developing a detailed backstory that is integrated into the world. We will go back and forth until we get it just right. Many details will be agreed upon but I need some room to play and surprise you. You can expect your backstory to come into play and for your character to have a cool moment in the spotlight.

If you're interested and you don't mind the wait while we get to know each other and develop some characters, please fill out the questionnaire below:

1. Name: 
2. Preferred pronouns: 
3. Age: 
4. Country: 
5. Does the day and time for this game work with your schedule long-term, or do you anticipate a schedule change sometime in the next year or two?
6. What's your experience level with the game? 
7. What makes a game or a table excellent for you? 
8. What ruins a game or a table for you? 
9. What is a favourite memory from a game you've played? 
10. What is your strength as a player? 
11. What is your weakness as a player?
12. Do you have a class (no artificers) you're considering playing? 

I will read any responses over the coming days and make sure everybody gets a response either way so they aren't left hanging. Because I'm looking to find someone super cohesive with our existing group, I'd like to spend some time chatting with you so we can both determine if we think we'd be a good fit for each other. If we decide that we're a good match, we'll have you join the game for a few sessions to begin with as a sort of trial run, with a specific goal or quest for your character to aid the party with. If after a few sessions it's determined you're a good fit, we'll extend the invitation to be permanent.

I'm looking forward to talking to some people and telling a great story together! If you have any questions please feel free to send them along.

Thanks for your time reading all this, and happy hunting for a table!

Jor

Updating to say I've had about eight applicants now over two platforms, so conversations will be starting soon. Still keeping applications open for a time as I'm looking to find the best fit possible.

It has also been confirmed that next session will be the exiting player's last, so we can bring in a new PC as early as the week after next if we find the right person.