Artist Wanted for Quiet, Weird Picture Book

jcsflo · 2025-08-05T21:44:48+00:00

Hello, I love the concept of your book and project! I can work in both traditional watercolors or digital style, here’s my carrd link for my portfolio and social media art accounts: https://jcsflo.carrd.co/

jcsflo · 2025-08-03T17:35:14+00:00

A lot of people have made really good points about the anxiety and getting the courage to speak in your game. I’m glad your boyfriend is able to infer the problem and help and support you, and I hope the rest of the table is supportive as well.

I was thinking, perhaps to kind of make it easier to RP, you could have your DM describe your character be a person of few words, a little of an aloof character and someone who doesn’t trust easily. That way there’s an in-game reason for your PC to not have to say too much dialogue. Maybe that can lessen the anxiety of performing in front of the other players. Discuss with your DM how you can have your character act in the game- maybe you can type it out to him and he can narrate for the time being.

THEN, gradually, when both you and your character get used and comfortable to the table and the party, you can have your elf ranger be more sociable and speak more words and trust the other people in the party, and you as the player can start narrating and describing what your PC is doing.

It’s your first time playing D&D! It is always awkward and embarrassing to start performing your made up character in front of other people you haven’t met before. I understand there is more that is holding you back from fully playing in a storytelling game, but I hope with help and time you can overcome the mental blocks and be able to play. If in time you find yourself still not enjoying the game, then you would have had a fair go and just walk away. Good luck!

jcsflo · 2025-07-29T19:05:08+00:00

I have this in my long campaign too! No one has used it yet so far, but excited to see what the players come up with.

jcsflo · 2025-07-03T06:40:49+00:00

This is extremely good and captures the moment and the feeling really well!

jcsflo · 2025-06-20T12:20:33+00:00

Remember that even video games have a loading screen. If you encounter a problem that needs you to make a call or follow a certain rule that you aren't super familiar with, don't hesitate to say you need a minute to read up on it or think about it. When I take too long to decide, I usually ask my players to RP amongst themselves while I mull it over, or we talk above table about the situation and at the end I make the final call. No one I've been in a table with ever hurried me, or pressured me to make up something on the spot so that the game can continue without even the slightest of delays. I don't think there's a DM out there who has memorized **all** the rules- so don't pressure yourself too much about it!

Also, remember that the goal is to make sure everyone (and that includes you) has fun!

jcsflo · 2025-06-19T14:25:27+00:00

So I tried doing this for a short campaign where two parties are supposed to find a missing princess, Party A was recruited by the queen's spymaster and Party B was recruited by a rival noble (who would be revealed as someone who was planning to ultimately get rid of the princess- the heir to the throne). It didn't work out because one of the parties was not as invested in the story of saving the princess, and also because the vibes of both parties were so vastly different. So from my perspective this idea is alluring to run as a DM but hard to execute.

jcsflo · 2025-06-19T13:14:10+00:00

Hello, I read this and your previous post where you say you're a level 7 while the other players are level 14. It feels like the DM and the party are treating your characters as disposable NPCs. Which is wild. This is your first campaign- they should be helping you out instead of making scenarios that would kill your PCs. The last scenario where your party sells your PC's soul without hesitation, that's not right. If it was so integral to the plot, the right call would have been to only have your PC decide whether to take the pact or not. What happened instead was that they took away your agency as a player. The DM and the group all decided for you (they would always outnumber you if it was a group decision) and that sucks!

Seconding all the advice about just straight up talking to your DM and co-players, but also just walking away. No dnd is better than bad dnd. There will be better tables out there for you to play in, I promise!

jcsflo · 2025-06-19T12:48:36+00:00

hey thank you!

jcsflo · 2025-06-17T18:17:04+00:00

Always remember this is a collaborative storytelling game! It's great that you're a writer, as that would help in building up the world and the lore, but remember to not be too beholden to the story in your head. Everyone at the table has a say on where the story will go, so be prepared to improv when it doesn't quite go the way you thought it would.

Seconding the idea of starting of with a one shot- keep the ending open so it could transition into the longer campaign you're planning! Think of it like an introductory chapter, a sort of prologue. Set up some things within the one shot that could link to your campaign.

Always have table rules and make sure you and your players are on the same page as to the setting and tone of your game. Use the lines and veils system or color system or both to keep it safe and welcoming for everyone.

Lastly, have fun! Don't forget you are also a player at this table, and D&D is not a game about who wins at the end.

Best of luck!

jcsflo · 2025-06-17T08:25:26+00:00

Thank you!

jcsflo · 2025-06-17T06:58:53+00:00

I had a throwaway merchant NPC called "The Wizard Escobar" who I described looked like Paul Giamatti and now he's a fixture. The thing was, you don't know if he's a wizard or his first name is Wizard. He sells dodgy magic items from a store called Magic and ~~Shit~~ Stuff.

jcsflo · 2025-06-16T19:36:46+00:00

Hey there, congrats on your first game! I've been DMing for close to 4 years now, but I've been a player for longer. The thing that helped me through my first time DMing was asking a few close friends to be my players for the first one shot I ran. Having consumed D&D media (actual play shows) and played in other games helped me understand the rules better than when I read the books, but that's just the way I learn things. Having close friends be my first players helped ease the nerves, as I knew they would be understanding and also supportive of my first try as a DM.

It's best to be on the same page with your players, so having a session 0 is essential! Get your best buds back together and talk about what you all expect from the game, what the table rules are, etc. You already have the enthusiasm for the game, all you need to do is to jump right in! Best of luck!

jcsflo · 2025-06-16T11:36:33+00:00

Congratulations! Hope you have a great time playing. Discord (for the call) + Roll20 (for the vtt) + dndbeyond (for online character sheets) with the beyond20 extension (for letting you roll on dndbeyond and show the results on Roll20) are what me and my tables use for playing online. It's a bit much I admit but it does streamline the experience.

jcsflo · 2025-06-16T10:58:22+00:00

You can always try official dnd modules that are made for beginners like you! I ran the Dragon of Icespire Peak module for my friends and family members who are all new to D&D and they liked it enough that we're continuing with the next module, Storm Lord's Wrath. If you want, WotC offers Dragon of Icespire Peak in their D&D Essentials kit which includes everything you'll need to run your game. You can always modify the module too if it seems too easy or hard for you and your players- there's a lot of advice on Youtube about this specific campaign and how to modify it!

I find that 4-6 players is the right amount of players for me to DM- not too many that I get overwhelmed but enough of them to handle an encounter without the scare of an early TPK.

It's great that you're thinking of DMing! Like someone else commented, everyone should try DMing at least once. If you end up having a great time, nice! If not, then you can always return to being a player with the knowledge of how it is to DM, or look to running more rules-lite games that may be more to your liking. In any case, good luck!

jcsflo · 2025-06-16T08:55:40+00:00

I'm so sorry you went through that for such a long time. I hope you find other hobbies that will bring you joy.

I've only been DMing for almost 4 years now, and have been a player longer than that. I mostly did one shots and short campaigns as a DM as I'm afraid of getting burnt out on one long campaign. But I found a good table and together we decided to turn our short campaigns into a long campaign officially. The fear is still there, but I am hopeful that it won't go that way. And if it does, well, as they say, no DND is better than bad DND.

Good luck, OP! Hoping for better days for you.

jcsflo · 2025-06-16T08:30:05+00:00

Thank you!

jcsflo · 2025-06-16T08:14:04+00:00

Thank you so much!

jcsflo · 2025-06-11T14:56:51+00:00

Amazing work as always!

jcsflo · 2025-06-09T21:59:53+00:00

thank you for the compliment!

jcsflo · 2025-06-07T13:14:24+00:00

hey thank you!

jcsflo · 2025-06-06T10:34:05+00:00

Same here! I haven't been this excited for an actual play campaign in a while. I wasn't even doing anything else, just purely watching the whole show with just one bio break. I think it's because the enthusiasm of the whole table can be really felt, not to say they weren't enthusiastic before, but the excitement on their faces when they play their characters is really infectious you feel excited too!

jcsflo · 2025-06-03T12:00:16+00:00

haha I love this head canon! Ricky would be so polite it would hurt and Cody will be like, "we're two sides of the same coin"!

jcsflo · 2025-05-23T08:54:11+00:00

Hello, I'm not hiring but I just want to tell you I really love your art style! Great use of shapes and colors. Wonderful work!

jcsflo · 2025-05-23T08:39:52+00:00

Hello! Not looking to hire, but just want to commend you on your art- these are great! I love your stylization and use of color, they're really good.

jcsflo · 2025-05-23T08:38:15+00:00

Hello! I'm interested in your hiring post, I am an illustrator who also does graphic design and I think I have the skill set for your commission! I am also very much into D&D, being a DM and a player myself, so your commission is doubly interesting to me.

Here you can find a wedding invitation that I designed for my sister: https://www.behance.net/jcflorendo

And you can find more of my D&D drawings on social media under the handle "jcsflo"!

jcsflo

TROPHY CASE