Alphastream
James Rodríguez takes on a Tarrasque! How can a sports game that ends 0-0 be exciting? Explaining RPGs to a non-gamer can be a similar struggle. The similarities, and the differences, can help us appreciate what makes for great RPG campaigns. Competitive vs Collaborative Soccer is a chess...
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Art from WotC; a bribe to look the other way. D&D and other RPGs initially didn’t have skills. And some modern roleplaying games no longer use skills. Let’s look at the impact on play with and without skill checks and consider our own approach to how often we should have players roll...
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Art from Draw Steel, Heroes book A character tries to roll a skill check in D&D or another RPG. The rest of the players want to roll at the same time. Should we allow that? Let’s examine the math! First, Lessons From DMAP A quick note! I’ve been examining various aspects of how to run...
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Art by Franz Vohwinkel How many times can a PC reroll a skill check? Can other PCs help? How does the math of the game change if several PCs try the same check… or cast Guidance or use the Help action? And how frequently should we as DMs ask for skill checks? But First, Draw Steel! Just...
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The kids reach the triumphant end of a campaign. The Stranger Things TV show did an amazing job illustrating why D&D is an amazing game. This post is for the person who has never played, or who hasn’t played in a long time, and how they can start playing D&D. Why D&D is...
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My fear tracker in action I share how to build two variations on an abacus-style Fear tracker for the Daggerheart RPG! This project is very easy, low cost, and fun! Tracking Fear in Daggerheart The Daggerheart RPG provides the GM with a special Fear currency. As play begins, and as...
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Time dragons! (Art from Crack the Sun) Creators are sharing their 2025 accomplishments online. Let’s take a look at ways we can measure a year and what might help us achieve a healthy and productive 2026. Healthy Measurements Measuring what we’ve accomplished can be healthy. Just putting...
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My new initiative tracker! After considering a few options, I get crafty and find an excellent way to track initiative in Draw Steel. I share how I made it, so you can too! Initiative Approaches Matter As you may know, I take initiative very seriously in RPGs! The right approach to an...