Alphastream

The Alphastream Game Design Blog

Experience a New RPG in Just 4 Easy Steps

Learning a new RPG can seem daunting. It doesn’t have to be. Here’s how to experience a new RPG the easy way.

April 29, 2024 · Leave a comment

Where Are We One Year After the D&D Summit?

It’s been a year since the OGL debacle and the Creator Summit. Touted as the first of many, will there be another? What has D&D accomplished and what remains to be done?

April 21, 2024 · 13 Comments

Choosing the RPG for Your Next Campaign

What kind of campaign do we want to run? We may have many ideas for campaigns, making it hard to choose the right RPG with which to run it. Let’s create a process to compare options and pare down to one great campaign.

April 19, 2024 · 1 Comment

New Campaign? Finish the Old One with a To-Do List

The end of a campaign is the perfect time to reflect on what we enjoyed, wish we had done, and hope to do in our next campaign.

April 10, 2024 · 4 Comments

Three Lessons from Emerald City Comic Con

How appealing is D&D to the casual and geeky crowd at Emerald City Comic Con? Very! Here are the top impressions I had from the experience.

March 13, 2024 · 9 Comments

Can You Predict the Golden Age of RPGs?

Is the golden era of D&D about to end? Let’s examine how well can we predict the industry, and how a decline for all RPGs may not be so bad.

January 9, 2024 · 9 Comments

Make the Most of 5E’s Planescape Adventures in the Multiverse

D&D brings back Planescape! Here’s how to make the most of the 5E adventure, Turn of Fortune’s Wheel, and the accompanying monster and setting books.

January 8, 2024 · Leave a comment

What we can learn from WotC’s Core Book Sensitivity and Inclusivity Changes

In 2023, WotC updated the language of the 2014 core books for sensitivity and inclusivity. Let’s examine the changes and learn how to improve our own creations.

November 17, 2023 · 13 Comments

12 RPG Lessons from GameHole Con

GameHole is a fantastic convention filled with amazing gamers and top quality events. Here are the top lessons I learned from each event.

November 3, 2023 · 2 Comments

Estimating D&D’s Revenue

The BookScan data gives us a potential window into estimating D&D’s overall revenue, especially when combined with previous clues. If we can estimate the percentage BookScan might be of D&D’s overall revenue, we can get a rough estimate of individual revenue from different core books, adventures, sourcebooks, and even licensed products.

October 13, 2023 · 6 Comments

Are D&D Sales Declining?

In all other RPGs and D&D editions, we see diminishing returns. Each follow-up supplement, adventure, or other product will sell fewer copies and have a shorter tail than the first ones. Is 5E D&D seeing declining sales?

October 9, 2023 · 7 Comments

D&D 5E’s Top-Selling Settings, Sourcebooks, and Accessories

How do the sales of 5E D&D settings, sourcebooks, and accessories compare to adventures? Let’s take a look at the BookScan data and find out.

October 2, 2023 · 7 Comments

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