How to Play

Altered Realms is a d20 based tabletop role playing game. It will require a 1x1 inch grid or flat surface and a measuring stick, or tape. 20 sided dice, 12 sided dice, 10 sided dice, 8 sided dice, 6 sided dice, 4 sided dice and a coin to flip, or you can use an online dice roller or dice roller app. Miniatures or objects to represent players and creatures on the playing area are a must have. A Narrator’s Screen or something to block line of sight to where the Narrator rolls is recommended.

Altered Realms, like many role playing games relies heavily on one person, who we refer to as the Narrator, to generate content and to mediate and permit all rolls. Players build characters and use them to interact with the game world selected or crafted by the Narrator. As a general rule the Narrator should be a bit more familiar with the rules and role playing games, as people will look to them for answers to all their questions not related to the functioning of their characters.

Players need only be familiar with the basic mechanics and how their character functions in game.

A typical game consists of one Narrator and between 2 and 6 players, however we recommend 3-4 players for the ideal game flow.

There are a lot of ways to start a new campaign but we recommend deciding as a group what genre would be the most enjoyable to play for everyone involved. The Narrator then either selects an existing world or module or creates their own using Altered Realms Creatures and Abilities as placeholders or creating their own with the building tools provided. Then players can build genre and level appropriate characters to fit in the campaign.

If this is your first time playing or running Altered Realms we recommend you start your campaign between levels 1-3. Once everyone has finished the character and world building phase, the Narrator can approve all the characters the first official session can begin.

A good time box for tabletop RPGs tends to be around 3-6 hours, however some may prefer to go for longer or shorter intervals. Meeting regularly, like once every one or two weeks, will allow players to keep the events of the last session still fairly fresh in their memories. There are a variety of virtual tabletop softwares available online that allow for remote meeting and play which may suit long distance groups and allow them to play the game with people all over the world.