Alphastream

The Alphastream Game Design Blog

Return of the Classics – Why 5E is Such a Success

Which adventures are considered D&D classics? How is it that 3E and 4E produced so few, if any, classics? And, let’s reveal how 5E is bringing back the classics!

January 4, 2017 · 15 Comments

Origins and Gen Con 2016 Bring Big News

Origins becomes the big D&D Convention, but Gen Con and PAX still bring excitement. I am fortunate to have a trio of projects released during this convention season!

May 29, 2016 · 2 Comments

Making Confrontation at Candlekeep Interactive

Previous public play events inspired Candlekeep, but its interactive design faced some daunting design constraints.

November 6, 2015 · 5 Comments

Writing Confrontation at Candlekeep

Vault of the Dracolich was a big influence, but in writing Confrontation at Candlekeep we also had our own unique vision and goals.

November 4, 2015 · 4 Comments

How Vault Influenced Confrontation at Candlekeep

Confrontation at Candlekeep was a success as a convention event, but it owes much to the lessons learned from Vault of the Dracolich.

November 4, 2015 · 4 Comments

Incentives for Roleplaying in D&D Next

Learn how rules can stimulate role-playing by studying the successful approaches of several excellent RPGs.

October 20, 2015 · 1 Comment

D&D Next: A Touch of Class

Class, subclass, build, kit, theme… just what goes into defining a character’s class?
What do we gain, and how best can we reflect commonalities and differences between the different varieties of classes in the game?

October 20, 2015

D&D Next: A Model for Skills

How D&D Next can bring skills and feats into the game in ways that stimulate imaginative story-telling, creativity, and engaging play.

October 20, 2015

D&D Next: A Model for Feats and Other Build Options

Character generation can be fast, robust, balanced, and foster imagination… all while creating a great personality for your character.

October 20, 2015

Classic Adventures: Converting Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh to 5E (or D&D Next)

Learn the steps to easily convert a classic adventure to 5E. The excellent Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is used as an example.

October 17, 2015 · 1 Comment

Using Classic Adventures with DnD Next: ToEE and Relationships

Learn how to converte the classic Temple of Elemental Evil to 5E, and how to incorporate FIASCO-styled relationships into your D&D campaign.

October 17, 2015 · 2 Comments

Interlude: Extending the Five Minute Workday

The “five minute workday” can destroy a gaming session’s intended flow and balance. Here is how D&D can avoid that problem.

October 17, 2015

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