Today's wonderful interviewee is Grace, who sent along the following with the fair warning of, "You probably will need to trim[...] attorneys are not known for their brevity, lol." But hey, we're nerds, we love details!!!
Can you please introduce yourself and your day job?
My name is Grace (they/them), and I am an employment law attorney in California. I represent plaintiffs in cases against their employers for issues including, but not limited to, discrimination and/or harassment on the basis of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, and ability, sexual harassment, failure to accommodate disability, defamation, and a variety of other claims.
How did you get into that line of work, and what’s your favorite thing about it?
I really liked my employment law class in law school, and when I saw the opportunity to transition into plaintiff's-side employment law, I took it. My favorite thing about what I do is helping the "little guy" against employers who have taken advantage of them or otherwise failed to protect them from discrimination and harassment. I get to help people every day.
What advice would you give to people who are interested in having that job?
Obviously law school is the path toward becoming an employment attorney, but there are a variety of other jobs that go overlooked! If law school is a hurdle for you right now, you can always start as a legal assistant or a paralegal and work for a bit before going into law school. Many people do that, and they have an advantage because they actually know a bit about what litigation is really like before starting law school. If you are going to law school, try to take classes in employment law and civil litigation if available, and intern at employment firms. If you are already an attorney looking to transition into employment law (which is what I did!), focus on transferrable skills and brush up on your employment law knowledge before interviews in that area. If you are looking for work-life (or more like work-D&D time) balance, you'll have more luck at a smaller firm.
When and why did you start DMing, and for what systems?
I'm a COVID TTRPG convert. I started watching Critical Role during lockdown and was inspired to try running a D&D game. I was a bit intimidated to start there, so I started with a few short campaigns in Monsterhearts 2 and Masks: The Next Generation. I then took the plunge into D&D and learned as I went. I really liked the collaborative storytelling aspect of roleplaying games, and I found a lot of fulfillment in creating a world that my friends wanted to explore. D&D is my creative and social outlet.
Are there any other systems, campaigns, modules, or one-shots you’d recommend?
Most of my experience is in D&D, so my main recommendation is for that system. I strongly recommond the Big Bads series from Hit Point Press. They create little mini-adventures/scenarios for a "big bag" that can slot well into a campaign. I run homebrew campaigns, and modules like these help reduce the campaign-prep load because I can insert something new and interesting that I don't always have to design from scratch. I also really enjoy Dynamic Dungeons maps on Patreon, but if you need free resources, r/battlemaps on Reddit has so many good ones folks publish for free.
What is your favorite part of DMing?
My players. I love the experience of giving my players something to enjoy every week. I've played with the same core group for nearly four years, and I love surprising and delighting them. There's really no rush like a player being so deeply involved and immersed in the story that they gasp in shock or cry or burst out laughing or deliver the most intimidating or heart-wrenching monologue you've ever heard. My players make every hour of prep time worth it.
On a scale of The Witcher to Monty Python, how silly do your games tend to get?
I'm running two campaigns for my group right now, one is once-monthly and the other is on the other weekends. Our once-monthly game is much more serious in tone and has darker, more realistic themes. We take breaks from that with a campaign about being college-age adventuring academy students who get up to ridiculous hijinks. So from Witcher to Monty Python, I'd say the full spectrum!
Can you tell us your best memory from the table? How about your favorite non-combat encounter?
Best Memory: When I first started running an in-person game, I ran it for undergraduate and other law students on campus. There was a big meeting for people who would be interested in D&D, and many people there had never played before. I... might have an issue with saying no to new players, so my first long-term campaign group had ten people. Somehow, that large group worked and was just an amazing experience. Over the course of the next two years, that group played almost every weekend during the semester, and we ended our campaign right before two of our number graduated with a mega-session and massive final showdown. By the end of the night, we were all in tears. Truly, the best D&D is the friends we made along the way. My first long-term campaign and all who played in it will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Favorite non-combat encounter: In our college-adventuring academy game, my players had to complete certain tasks to earn their place in the "house" of their choice. One of those houses was called the "Waymakers," associated with divine insight and foresight. The house dormitory was an incredibly tall tower. Several of my players wanted into that house, and thus had to complete the challenge of climbing the tower. An NPC told the players that the tower would read their intentions to climb and create handholds and footholds for them, but it was important that they keep their minds focused "regardless of what the tower may show you on the climb." If the players failed wisdom saving throws (which they were bound to do at least once on the climb), I prompted them to describe where their player character's mind wandered, and their descriptions shaped how the tower wall moved and shifted, making the climb more difficult. If they fell, they got a negative emotional backstory flashback. Over the course of the climb, the characters had to overcome these negative feelings and embrace an inner strength. It is hard to describe without writing a novel, but all the players involved completely understood the assignment and were able to create a really cool moment for the characters and a great feeling of accomplishment for them. Basically the rolls prompted the visions and descriptions, but the players and their in-character decisions ultimately determined success or failure.
Do any skills you use for your day job help you when you DM?
When practicing law, one applies the law to the unique facts of any given case to anticipate what the final ruling. Previous cases provide precedential value and help determine outcomes. It is not unlike applying the rules of D&D to a given scenario concocted by players, with previous "rulings" providing precedence for the given situation. Maybe a bit of a stretch, but I've used this comparison to talk about D&D in job interviews! (It tends to attract some attention when listed as a "special interest" on my resumé.)
What advice or house rules would you share with new DMs?
Storytelling Advice (for story/roleplay-driven tables, but maybe helpful for others too): Your players will never have a bad time if you craft your story with them in mind, not just their characters' backstories. It's a bit harder to do when you're playing with new people, but as you get to know your table, you can plan around their interests. This is more than just "shoot your monks" to let them mechanically shine. Some players like to be frightened, so give their character a nightmare! Some players are really into bugs, so give them bug-creatures in-game that let their real-life interest shine. Building an engaging campaign involves more than just creating encounters where characters thrive mechanically; it also requires building a world and story that reflects your players' interests. This can also stretch your creativity as a DM and present a fun challenge!
Scheduling Advice: Same time, same frequency, always. Our group plays at the same time every weekend. If one or two people are missing, we still play. If more than half are missing, we often just hang out for a bit and talk. Trying to accommodate everyone's schedules is impossible. If you set a consistent expectation for the D&D game, people can plan around it. Find the time that works for the most people most of the time and just be consistent. That might mean playing every other week, or once a month, but by being consistent with it, you keep your campaign from falling off entirely and not playing at all. As the DM, if you can't make it, then there won't be a session. Be realistic about your time commitments and what you can commit to consistently.
Anti-Burnout Advice: Communicate your limitations to your players. If you feel like you need to over-prep NPCs because your players always want to know the random guard's life story, and that isn't fun for you or is draining you, just tell your players! A little bit of an immersion-break is worth it to preserve your energy for more significant parts of the game. This goes for most aspects of prepping. If you were planning a huge intense combat encounter but your work week was particularly hard, you can tell your players you need to run a one-shot that weekend, have a non-linear chill session, or just hang out and talk for a bit without playing at all. If a player DMs, maybe they can run something to give you a little break. DMing is an act of service, and you have no obligation to exhaust yourself to do it. Your players won't hate you for being human.
General Advice: ALWAYS HAVE A SESSION ZERO. It doesn't matter how long you've been playing together. People change over time. A topic that was fine at the start of the last campaign might not be now, or vice versa. If your campaign runs for a long time, periodically check in to ensure everyone is on the same page. Communication is key. If you've implemented a safety tool at your table, remind people to use it. Model this behavior by ensuring you communicate and/or use safety tools at the DM.
What’s your dice situation, either when playing or DMing? How do you choose which sets to use?
My players have been very nice to me over the years and given me a couple sets of dice, so I normally use those sets. Since we play on Zoom now, I might switch to my metal dice for a really important encounter so its a bit easier for my players to hear the dice rolling sounds. I'm a forever DM, so I don't know what sets I'd use playing!
Final Q: dice tower, rolling tray, or raw table?
Dice tower! I need that clickity clackity to feel alive.