Satine Phoenix had already done a lot in the game industry before becoming one of the more recognizable women in the industry and a celebrity GM due to her work DMing for the official D&D Twitch channel and her popular video series, GM Tips. This is the second part of our interview with Satine, you'll find the first part here.
Satine isn't surprised that RPG actual play videos and streams have gained such a large audience.
"I think that with the intensity of real life, we are all hungry to escape and absorb new stories," Satine said. "The high budget Netflix and Amazon shows only produce a limited amount of story for us to digest. The formulas can be repetitive. With tabletop, we are able to experience hundreds of hours of a story we fall in love with that don't follow the storylines we are used to because of the unexpected element of THE PLAYER and their very random choices that move the story."
Of course, a lot of people watching Maze Arcana, Sirens of the Realms, Critical Role, etc. want to start their own streaming channel. Satine has some advice for those groups. "It's less about making a good channel and more about making a game and story that's fun for your friends," she said, "because if you're having fun doing it, others will enjoy watching it."
But public GMing, especially on a livestream, isn't a walk in the park. "Live GMing is really hard and nerve-wracking," said Satine. "As a live GM you really put yourself out there letting everyone see different parts of you, but it is incredibly satisfying, like being in a stage production. We all work together to tell a story. The cooperative storytelling is my favorite part. The orchestra of ideas is so beautiful!"
"The hardest part is remembering all of the rules. I have brain damage from a really intense car accident a couple years ago," said Satine. " I can guide the story, but some bits of information just disappear from my head. Luckily my group is very forgiving."
In addition to co-creating Maze Arcana, Satine GMs Sirens of the Realms on D&D's Twitch channel.
"I wanted to put together a Bard Band that tours through Faerun," she said. "I've been obsessed with Eberron for so long that this is a way for me to learn about the Forgotten Realms. The core cast is all female, but we have guests of all genders. I wanted to GM and have a story to tell. I'm a woman with a voice who doesn't tell stories the way others do. D&D provided a space for me to do that with Maze Arcana. I can make it as silly or serious as I want without anyone telling me my fun is wrong. On Sirens of the Realms, my friends and I play and make songs and get to be our fantasy selves. We feel so lucky to be able to play on D&D's twitch stream."
Since Satine is famous for her GM Tips videos, it seemed only fair to ask if she had a tip for players. "Remember that you are a part of a group," she said. "Listen and react to each other. Work together to accomplish your goals. The game is designed that way."
When Satine isn't writing, drawing or streaming, she works with the charity she founded, CelebrityChariD20. "I decided to combine my favorite hobby with my friends in LA to raise money for a children's literacy program called Reach out and Read. I picked this charity because of my life long love of books. As a child my grandmother lived next door to a library so I spent many years with that as my playground. Then we moved, and I rode my bike to the library a few times a week and devoured story after story. These helped my creative mind grow and now I get to share that with you. Perhaps this charity will help someone out there become a writer, artist or storyteller."
contributed by Beth Rimmels
Satine isn't surprised that RPG actual play videos and streams have gained such a large audience.
"I think that with the intensity of real life, we are all hungry to escape and absorb new stories," Satine said. "The high budget Netflix and Amazon shows only produce a limited amount of story for us to digest. The formulas can be repetitive. With tabletop, we are able to experience hundreds of hours of a story we fall in love with that don't follow the storylines we are used to because of the unexpected element of THE PLAYER and their very random choices that move the story."
Of course, a lot of people watching Maze Arcana, Sirens of the Realms, Critical Role, etc. want to start their own streaming channel. Satine has some advice for those groups. "It's less about making a good channel and more about making a game and story that's fun for your friends," she said, "because if you're having fun doing it, others will enjoy watching it."
But public GMing, especially on a livestream, isn't a walk in the park. "Live GMing is really hard and nerve-wracking," said Satine. "As a live GM you really put yourself out there letting everyone see different parts of you, but it is incredibly satisfying, like being in a stage production. We all work together to tell a story. The cooperative storytelling is my favorite part. The orchestra of ideas is so beautiful!"
"The hardest part is remembering all of the rules. I have brain damage from a really intense car accident a couple years ago," said Satine. " I can guide the story, but some bits of information just disappear from my head. Luckily my group is very forgiving."
In addition to co-creating Maze Arcana, Satine GMs Sirens of the Realms on D&D's Twitch channel.
"I wanted to put together a Bard Band that tours through Faerun," she said. "I've been obsessed with Eberron for so long that this is a way for me to learn about the Forgotten Realms. The core cast is all female, but we have guests of all genders. I wanted to GM and have a story to tell. I'm a woman with a voice who doesn't tell stories the way others do. D&D provided a space for me to do that with Maze Arcana. I can make it as silly or serious as I want without anyone telling me my fun is wrong. On Sirens of the Realms, my friends and I play and make songs and get to be our fantasy selves. We feel so lucky to be able to play on D&D's twitch stream."
Since Satine is famous for her GM Tips videos, it seemed only fair to ask if she had a tip for players. "Remember that you are a part of a group," she said. "Listen and react to each other. Work together to accomplish your goals. The game is designed that way."
When Satine isn't writing, drawing or streaming, she works with the charity she founded, CelebrityChariD20. "I decided to combine my favorite hobby with my friends in LA to raise money for a children's literacy program called Reach out and Read. I picked this charity because of my life long love of books. As a child my grandmother lived next door to a library so I spent many years with that as my playground. Then we moved, and I rode my bike to the library a few times a week and devoured story after story. These helped my creative mind grow and now I get to share that with you. Perhaps this charity will help someone out there become a writer, artist or storyteller."
contributed by Beth Rimmels
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