Who Is Kismet Rose?


 

A gorgeous succubus with horns on her head and a cascade of fire-red hair has matching red wings spread out on either side of her and wears a red bikini with gold embellishments. She holds one hand on her right hip while her left hand holds a glowing red sphere the size of an apple.

"Scarlet Succubus bikini" by FallFox (resized) is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0


Published Works

Blogs & Websites

I conceptualize, compose, organize and code most content on my sites myself in my trusty old editor. I borrow code snippets from W3Schools or similar free sources when I need to and if I post anyone else's work, I do so with permission or by license and cite them clearly, while avoiding AI-generated content. I also do my own proofreading and editing. Whatever errors there are around here, they come from a human mind and hands.

4 Winds Fantasy Gaming

Drow of Porphyra for Purple Duck Games

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.


Editing

I backed these Kickstarters and enjoyed the material released to backers so much that I offered help with editing for free.


Miscellaneous

Design & Writing Principles

In my game writing and roleplaying, I adhere to a few key principles:

By & for Adults

While minors have always been - and should be - part of the tabletop roleplaying hobby, I believe public-facing, adult-oriented games, materials, and spaces are important, too. I'm a grown woman who games with and writes for other adults. I try to avoid gratuitous details, but I cover mature themes and complex situations directly for discerning readers.

More Options, Fewer Mandates

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.

Sacred Cows Aren't Sacred

I have no allegiance to "sacred cows" in any game. I mean no disrespect to the concepts, creators, or fans, but 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.

Awards & Accolades

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 topics 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.

History & Hobbies

I roleplayed throughout my early childhood without rules, unaware of TTRPGs. Then, in high school (autumn of 1995), 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 1e, Delta Green, Dragon Age, and a few others - but I haven't tried an exhaustive list. 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. I appreciate miniatures even if I don't use them, and I love gaming maps.

I love history, mythology, fairy tales, folk tales, art, writing, reading, film, horror, the supernatural, the Gothic, cities, 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 live and love in Southern California with my husband, and I bring all of my background to bear when I write. I hope something here help you enjoy roleplaying and writing even a little bit more than you did before!

How to Help

I do a lot on my own, but I'm always open to the kindness of strangers. Constructive feedback and suggestions are always welcome, but please note:

To ask a question or make a suggestion, report errors or share your thoughts about something I offer, please send me an email.

If you'd like to contribute to keeping my sites free (and ad-free), send a donation on ko-fi. If you'd like to send me a game, I have wish lists on itch.io and Steam. Donations and gifts are always appreciated but never expected. I can't guarantee I'll get around to playing and reviewing everything I receive, but I'll probably try.

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