"Scarlet Succubus bikini" by FallFox (original) is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
I've started blogs and sites for different games over the years, run social media fan pages, contributed to Pathfinder 1st edition books with small gaming companies, and edited a couple of TTRPG books. This is a special part of my life that I indulge whenever I can, and it never fails to restore me. I only freelanced briefly and don't receive royalties, so most of what I offer is made in my personal time. While I accept donations, my sites are available for free because they're part of my hobby time and I enjoy sharing.
I conceptualize, organize, and compose most content on my sites myself. I also do my own proofreading and editing. Whenever I post anyone else's work, I do so with permission and cite them clearly. I have never - and will never - post paid-for "guest articles" (i.e., covert ads for products or companies); I find the whole scheme dishonest and distasteful.
I started my first website to practice and learn HTML. These days, I still do most of the coding on my sites, by hand or with limited assistance from my trusty old editor. I borrow snippets from W3Schools or similar free sources when I need to. This helps me understand how things work so I can update everything myself, which keeps costs low.
Kismet's World of Darkness [1999-present]: My first gaming website began as Kismet's Views on Vampire: the Masquerade but grew beyond that game line over time.
Kismet's Dungeons & Dragons [2002-present]: My second site has material for D&D, Pathfinder, and fantasy gaming in general.
Debriefing: the Stargate SG-1 Roleplaying Game [2005]: A repository of material I made for a game I ran that year.
Kismet's Dragon Age [2016-2017]: A repository of material I made for a game I ran.
Paths of Power [2009]
Player's Aid V: Bard Cards [2010]
Player's Options: Aasimars, Tieflings, and Elemental Templates [2011]
Inkantations: A Sourcebook of Tattoo Magic & Body Art [2011]
Please sign in to Drivethru before visiting the links below. The Nalbrezu, Xelusine, and Strivog are categorized as "adult" by the site (even though they aren't graphic), so you have to be registered, signed in, and old enough to view them.
Nalbrezu, Devils in Disguise [2015]
The Xelusine: Sirens of Sin [2015]
The Strivog: The Bone Drow [2016]
I backed these Kickstarters and enjoyed the material released to backers so much that I offered help with editing for free.
Defiant core rulebook [2021]
Hellywood core rulebook [2016]
BUST Magazine [April/May 2017]: I wrote a short piece titled: "Dungeons & Dragons Is Perfect For A Feminist Game Night."
Wyrd Science [2021]: I was interviewed for a piece on women in gaming for the Expert Rules (Vol.1 / Issue 2) edition.
I roleplayed throughout my early childhood without rules, unaware of TTRPGs. Then, in high school (the fall of 1995, to be exact), my first Storyteller introduced me to Vampire: the Masquerade. I fell in love with him and the game, hard. We played one-on-one through 1996 and I started gaming with others in AOL's chat rooms and private messages until 2001. I started my very first gaming website in 1999 to share my love of the game. Kismet Rose was my first character, and I've used her name for my online persona for over half my life.
I played 2nd edition D&D with college friends for the first time in 2001 and ran my first game in 3rd edition in 2002. Though my first Storyteller and I broke up before leaving high school, we became friends again a few years later and began gaming together via play by post. About a decade later, we got back together and nearly a decade after that, we got married. I ran a once-weekly game throughout college, but these days, my husband and I take turns running for each other in our own heavily homebrewed World of Darkness.
Since then, I've tried some different tabletop RPGs - AEG's Stargate SG-1, In Nomine, Pathfinder, Delta Green, Dragon Age, and a few others - but I haven't tried for an exhaustive variety. I've gamed in stores and other people's homes a little but prefer to play in my own space. The largest group I've been in had six people, including the GM; my normal group size is four people, but I've been gaming one-on-one with my husband since 2020. I'm not much of a LARPer, board gamer, wargamer, or a card player, though I support them as cousins to TTRPGs. I appreciate miniatures even if I don't use them, and I'm absolutely enthralled by gaming maps.
I have a lifelong love of history, mythology, fairy tales, folk tales, fantasy art, writing, reading, film, horror, the supernatural, the Gothic, cities (and Los Angeles in particular), and fictional places. I studied a number of these interests in college while majoring in English literature, in which I obtained a BA and MA from California State University, Los Angeles. I bring all of my background to bear when I write.
I live and love in Southern California with my husband. We're both native fauna to the area, and I have never lived anywhere else. Working in higher education is often demanding and challenging, which is why I relish whatever time I can spare for hobbies. I write game projects I might never finish, watch streaming series and films, read print works and visual novels, play video games, and interact with fellow gamers online, among other things.
In my game writing and roleplaying, I adhere to a few key principles:
I've covered a broad variety of grim, difficult, and complex situations in gaming on my sites over the years. I feel that while some games should be aimed at children, more adult concerns should be directly addressed and more mature options should be offered for older gamers. This doesn't mean that I write graphic material; on the contrary, I believe that even the darkest subjects can be presented calmly and without gratuitous nastiness. But my target audience has always been discerning adults.
I aim to give players and Game Masters more choices they can use as they wish, and to make it easier for them to tweak or discard what they don't like. I often use strong themes and have my own vision of how materials can work, but I would rather readers feel inspired instead of constricted, even if it means that readers only use my work in pieces or in other ways. Ironclad dictates don't usually appeal to me, so I try not to embed them in what I make. Each group is an organic assembly that has its own desires, experiences, and boundaries and I respect that.
I have no allegiance to "sacred cows" in any game and I'm willing to change or slay them outright, as needed. This isn't out of disrespect for the concepts, original creators, or fans, but to offer more options for those who want them. Strictly speaking, D&D doesn't need to have dungeons, elves don't have to be modeled after Tolkien's, and vampires can have sex if they want. Sometimes all it takes is a change to one aspect of a game that everyone takes for granted to open up a new world of fun. Those who want to keep the old ways will, but those in search of novelty deserve support, too.
I've been grateful to receive in-depth 4 and 5 star reviews on the products I've written for. I've also enjoyed emails and comments from readers who use my resources and think about the topic I've covered.
I was deeply surprised and pleased to have Kismet's Dungeons and Dragons nominated for an ENnie award in 2016, in the "Fan's Favorite Publisher" category. It's the only category for which you can be nominated by others. It was the last thing I expected to see when I went to vote, and I will always be touched by it.
If you have questions, reactions, constructive feedback, or other concerns, you can always email me. Although my days can be rather full - and I would prefer civil conversation, even with folks who disagree with me - I'm generally open to readers' enquiries.
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