Alphastream

The Alphastream Game Design Blog

Dragon Talk: Give Your D&D Campaigns Purpose with Group Patrons

Want an awesome D&D campaign? Make the most of 5E’s rules for a Group Patron – an organization or entity that oversees the party, often acting as employer, financier, or mentor.

December 15, 2021 · 1 Comment

My Process for Creating a Cool Character (using Fantasy AGE as an example)

A great character concept makes the games we play even better. How can we create memorable characters? What is a good process to tease ideas from our minds? What can we learn from different RPGs? And, how do we create characters in Fantasy AGE? Let’s find out!

May 7, 2020 · 2 Comments

Using Cinematic Montages in RPGs

Cinematic montages bring blockbuster action to your adventures. Learn when and how to bring the camera into your game!

September 27, 2017 · 5 Comments

Breathing (Extra) Life into Characters

Extra-Life is an opportunity to help children’s hospitals, and to explore how to create a memorable character based on a few initial parameters. Exciting developments are coming soon due to donors’ efforts, and the week is stuffed full of podcasts!

September 22, 2016 · Leave a comment

5 Questions for Character Creation

5 Questions is a supplement designed to help you create robust and interesting characters. It works well as both a DM and player tool.

January 30, 2016 · 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 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

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

D&D Next and Classic Adventures: Organizing the (Caves of) Chaos

Classic adventures can be easily converted to 5E, but the writing approach often falls shorts of today’s standards. Six techniques help us modernize the classics, preserving the feel and increasing the fun.

October 17, 2015 · 2 Comments

Defining Character

Every RPG struggles with how best to allow players to tell the story of the characters, both their origin or backstory and their ongoing story as they advance in power through accomplishments.

October 13, 2015 · 4 Comments

Integrating PC Backstory

A player-driven campaign really takes off when we encourage the players to collaborate on backstories that tie them to the setting.

October 7, 2015 · 1 Comment

Dark Sun Campaign Development: PCs, The Stars of the Show

As a player, do you struggle to give your PC a convincing personality and backstory? As a DM, are your PCs’ backgrounds disconnected or even at odds? Read on for some solutions.

October 7, 2015

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