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

81 – Biopunk 2287 RPG (Seiya and Synesthesia Synthetica) Setting the Stage, Campaigns for D&D and Other RPGs

Seiya tells us about his TTRPG system and setting, Synesthesia Synthetica (SNS). SNS is a biopunk game adjacent to the cyberpunk and steampunk genres. After an asteroid induced climate disaster, Earth has rebuilt itself using bio-technology instead of the metal based tech that surrounds us in the real world. Genetically modified humans have split into distinct species and mutant horrors prowl the wastes outside civilization. The rich rule from their space stations up above but resistance is growing in the streets below.During the episode we discussed a piece of art that Seiya had made for the game. A picture of that bio-tank is available for you to look at.At the moment, Synesthesia Synthetica is available for free as an early access game on itch.io and DriveThruRPG.If you want to learn more or find a group to play with, you can do that on the Synesthesia Synthetica Discord.Remember to nominate your favorite TTRPG shows/creators/things for the 2026 CRIT Awards!Check out the Setting the Stage website!Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey.Join our Discord!Support Setting the Stageon Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  1. 81 – Biopunk 2287 RPG (Seiya and Synesthesia Synthetica)
  2. 80 – Dynamic RPG Countries (Travis and Tetara)
  3. 79 – Dragon Age Degenerates (Zoe from Degenerates with Dice)
  4. 78 – D&D in Suburbia (Ryan and Serenity Springs)
  5. 77 – KPop DnD Hunters (Dan and Idols of the Neon Dark)