Alphastream

The Alphastream Game Design Blog

Join My Tables at 2024 GameHole Con!

Come join me at GameHole 2024 for games, panels, and more!

August 17, 2024 · 2 Comments

Focusing a Campaign Through Themes and Truths

We can focus our campaign through themes and truths, delivering on player expectations and creating engaging play for us and our players.

July 20, 2024 · 4 Comments

The Campaign Our Players Want?

Our next RPG campaign will be more successful if we consider what will appeal to our players.

May 27, 2024 · Leave a comment

What Kind of DM Are You?

Many types of campaigns seem to appeal to us. But if we think more carefully, we may find certain types of campaigns appeal to us more than others!

May 12, 2024 · 3 Comments

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 · 1 Comment

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 · 3 Comments

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 · 2 Comments

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 · 9 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

Improve Your Adventures and Campaigns by Focusing on Threats

The 5E Dungeon Master’s Guide narrowly defines a villain and their role in an adventure. By widening the definition and leaning into the concept of Threats, we can create better campaigns and adventures.

June 1, 2023 · 2 Comments

Enhancing Monsters with Monster Powers

Monster Powers can transform your game, and here’s how! Monster Powers come from the Forge of Foes, live on Kickstarter!

March 6, 2023 · Leave a comment

Back the Forge of Foes!

Mike Shea, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, and I have just launched the Kickstarter for the Lazy DM’s Forge of Foes! Learn about this awesome monster project!

March 1, 2023 · 2 Comments

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