Candace the Magnificent
she/they
Our interview this week is with @candacethemagnificent !
Candace is a TTRPG performer and GM, who is part of the team leading The Rainbow Roll, a four part series of Thirsty Sword Lesbians one-shots in support of @trevorproject . Catch her every Tuesday in June as both player and GM with an absolutely stellar cast!
It was so great to speak to Candace about this wonderful fundraiser, along with their favourite TTRPG moments and some great advice for any newer GMs out there.
What has the TTRPG community come to mean to you?
Opportunity, friendship, openness and acceptance. I’ve met so many fantastic people along the way, and it has truly changed my life! It’s allowed me to stretch muscles I forgot I had, like acting/improv, while being a phenomenal conduit for my creativity.
What advice would you offer to any players out there thinking about stepping behind the GM screen for the first time?
Just go for it! GMing is something you’ll know you like or dislike right away, so there’s no risk to trying it on. Gather the game you love the most, and some friends who won’t give you a hard time with the rules. And remember: while this is your story, it also belongs to your players. Being flexible and excited about their gameplay experience is key to telling the best tale you can!
As an actual play performer and GM, did you have any favourite moments you'd be willing to share with us?
I think my favorite moment so far as a player has been Dead Planet. My character Petty began as extremely distrustful of the android in our party, Chi. I expected the conflict to last through the entire campaign, but some failed dice rolls meant Petty had to take a knee and trust Chi to save her crew. The emotional development Petty experienced, coupled with the bond she forged with Chi is easily the coolest and most profound experience I’ve had in a TTRPG.
As a GM, it was the synergy at the table of my first streamed campaign, Monster Hunter’s Club. The players came in mostly fresh without prior experience gaming with anyone else at the table, so it was so cool to see them coalesce into a team. They each chose really incredible characters and shot for the moon on embodying their kid, which led to some truly hilarious scenes, as well as deeply touching moments. Such a great game!
Tell us all about your Thirsty Sword Lesbians fundraiser for The Trevor Project! Where can we find it and what have you got planned for this fab four part series?
Every Tuesday in June I’ll be hosting (and sometimes GMing) Thirsty Sword Lesbians as a part of The Rainbow Roll, a charity initiative led by me, Kay Damphyr and Todd Moonbounce, who’ll be running it on his channel. Each session will have a central theme of celebrating Pride and all the beautiful ways we can do that in TTRPGs. So far we have raised over $600 and hope to double or triple that in our next session! We were able to put together a tremendous cast of talent who are all donating their time to the cause, so please consider coming out, enjoying and helping us raise money to save LGBTQIA+ kids everywhere! We have a cute tier system of rewards too, including “thirsty” haikus, level ups for players, and a reroll and advantage pool.
What would be your dream TTRPG project?
Wow, that’s a big question. So much already exists in the space! I think I’d love to run a disco themed TTRPG, or even one based on Downton Abbey. But what would be crazy amazing is to run a table with a mix of celeb players and some of my favourite people, kind of like I’m doing for TSL.
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We are so grateful to Candace for taking the time to speak with us. Make sure you catch the Rainbow Roll, Thirsty Sword Lesbians fundraiser this month! Let’s support these amazing creators for this vital cause!
You can also catch Candace over on their Twitch for weekly Ukulele shows every Friday: www.twitch.tv/candacethemagnificent , and ice cream reviews (YES!) over on YouTube.
Image description:
A selfie of Candace, who is smiling at the camera. They have jaw-length black hair and are wearing cat eye, tortoiseshell glasses with gold details. Candace has a gold septum ring, ornate, round gold earrings, and blue and purple eyeshadow. They are also wearing a purple and blue, patterned collared shirt.
