Interview – Meadow Larson
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Our 99th interview is here! Join us for a chat with TTRPG powerhouse, Meadow Lawson.
When Meadow isn't GMing and playing in a myriad of stellar actual-play shows, they're also a professional GM, TTRPG content creator and indie game designer.
Meadow shared her advice for new GMs out there, and gave us the inside scoop on Meadow Lark Games.
1. As a professional GM and story teller, what advice would you offer women out there, looking to step behind the GM screen for the first time?
Not to incur the wrath of Nike, but just do it! As long as you keep your boundaries, table control, and track of your safety tools, you’ll have a great time. So will your players! Remember, there can be a lot of pressure to make the game fun for your players, but you’re also playing the game. It’s everyone’s responsibility to facilitate a safe, fun environment in which to tell a meaningful story. You as the GM deserve the same consideration as your players and the world you build for them to interact with. After all, no matter what system you’re using, you’re ultimately playing pretend with extra steps!
2. As an indie game designer, what can players expect from a Meadow Lark game?
I am proud to say that the only thing to expect with a Meadow Lark game is the unexpected. I love to create games that tell stories from strange and unique perspectives with odd mechanics. For example, I have a solo-journaling RPG where you play nothing more than a hand, feeding a beast until it inevitably bites, simply because I loved the saying “don’t bite the hand that feeds”. I like exploring how to tell new stories in new ways.
3. We'd love to hear the inspiration behind your game, Tick, Tick, Bloom.
Tick, Tick, Bloom is a cottagecore take on fantastical political intrigue media like Game of Thrones or Hunger Games. I wanted a game that answered the question, “But what if my character dies?” In TTB, you play as an entire faction of plants and insects with key figures you play at any given time, like a butterfly queen or a mushroom president. Though the goal is certainly to survive and keep influencing the story, you’ll still maintain agency and immersion at the table if one of your many people do fall. I felt that in times like these, it was sorely needed to find a way to tell the stories we love about power struggles, secrets, and assassinations without glorifying real world violence.
4. What brought you to content creation and actual play in the online TTRPG space?
Scheduling can often be the absolute bane of a party’s existence, mostly because real life must always take priority. So when I moved to a new state, I had no idea how to go about getting into a game. It felt overwhelming. But I found a group online and my love for TTRPG’s only grew. That’s why I am a professional game master now, to offer those safe, inclusive spaces for people. I’m overjoyed that most of my tables have majority women and femme-identifying players.
5. What role can content creators play in developing a more welcoming and diverse TTRPG space?
I encourage all creators in the TTRPG space, but especially the actual play community, to publicly display a DEI or inclusion policy/goal and stick to it. Committing to ensuring that all tables are at least 50% BIPOC or 80% marginalized community is a great way to stay away from running games with very little representation and encourage people of underrepresented backgrounds to feel comfortable applying for casting calls and supporting the channel itself. Half of the work is committing to doing it.
Thank you so much to Meadow for speaking to us and sharing her insights and experiences. If you haven't already, go follow Meadow to keep up to date with ALL they're up to.
Join us next time for our next interview!