About Me

My name is Isaac Shaker. I graduated from UC Davis in 2013 with a Bachelor’s in Molecular Biology. I married my high school sweetheart soon afterward. I live with her, our kids, and our pets in our home in Davis, CA.

After my Bachelor’s I got a Master’s in the same field from Sacramento State in 2017. I studied the effects of introns on gene expression in C. elegans. There’s a wikipedia article about intron mediated enhancement of gene expression and I’ve written some blog posts about it as well. After getting my MS I worked as a lab manager at UC Davis. The lab examined the interactions between the immune system and tuberculosis. Later on I moved into the private sector as a lab manager and scientist for TurtleTree in Woodland, CA. TurtleTree is developing cultivated milk, a type of milk that will be grown in a lab without the need for all the extra resources that support cows. I’ve since left the field of lab management and am now a project manager for the data division of California’s Department of Health Care Services.

My wife is a fifth grade school teacher at an elementary school in Davis. We have two daughters, a six year old and a four year old.

I like playing video games. I also enjoy reading Roman and Greek classics, learning new things, and playing Dungeons and Dragons. At the moment I’m enjoying learning all I can about Chinese history and culture.

My current recreational project is writing information about my ongoing D&D campaign set in the magical land of Cimmeria. I am edging closer to making it into something that is publishable.

I’m Isaac

Welcome to the GoCorral website! I’m Isaac Shaker and this is a place for me to write about D&D and occasionally other topics. I host a podcast called Setting the Stage that interviews different DMs about their campaigns. I’m currently focused on completing the Cimmeria campaign setting and turning it into a book.

Setting the Stage Podcast

87 – Adapted Azeroth D&D (Flare and Akridon) Setting the Stage, Campaigns for D&D and Other RPGs

Flare talks with us about his campaign world, Akridon. Three continents dominate the world, Tyros for humanoid races and Dusklands for bestial races. The third continent is known as the Scourge, having being destroyed in a cataclysmic war centuries ago. The world draws a lot of inspiration from the World of Warcraft setup with duality featuring in the continents, the racial appearance, and the gods of the world. And just like in WoW, the two sides often need to team up against larger threats that appear.Flare has a Google Doc with more information about Akridon if you're interested!Vote in the CRIT Awards! Voting is open until August 23rd.Check out the Setting the Stage website!Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey.Join our Discord!Support Setting the Stage on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  1. 87 – Adapted Azeroth D&D (Flare and Akridon)
  2. 86 – Wuxia Adventures in RPGS (Daniel and Metanoia/Ithasen)
  3. 85 – Medical Doctor D&D (Justin and Oops! All Healers!)
  4. 84 – Horseback Riding D&D Camp (Michael and SaddleSnaps)
  5. 83 – Call of Cthulhu's Garden (Hem and The Sprouting)