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Justin Alexander

@alexandrian.bsky.social
5.1K followers 241 following 2.6K posts

Creator of the Alexandrian. Author of So You Want To Be a Game Master. ENnie Award Winner. USA TODAY Bestselling Author. thealexandrian.net

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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 19h
That's so wonderful to hear. So happy for your brother and his players!
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Post Mahone @thegingercolossus.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
This is a genuinely terrific book. A very accessible and truly useful guide. I gave it to my brother for Christmas, and he used it to run his first game in over 30 years. Huge hit. He says the advice he found inside gave him confidence and it inspired him to write his own material.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
This is incredibly exciting news for me.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Well, guess it's time for a rewatch.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
People wearing liquid eyeliner pre-1950 wouldn't be whores, they'd be time travelers. It hadn't been invented yet. www.vogue.in/beauty/conte...
vogue.in
The real story behind the cat-eye flick, the world’s oldest makeup trick
From Dior and Chromat to Chloé and Valentino, winged eyeliner dominated the SS21 shows, all in bright colours, graphic lines, and geometric shapes. Today, the feline-inspired beauty go-to is highly in...
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
First: Not what anachronism means. (People named Verity have been around for centuries.) Second: Lucy, while still more popular than Verity, was at its lowest point of popularity in the early '80s. Verity, OTOH, was on the upswing and entered the SSA charts for most popular baby names in 1986.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Shanna Germain being accused of AI writing is an insult to the human soul.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Your players want to search the wilderness for the Crimson Caves, but you don't want to run a hexcrawl? I can help with that. thealexandrian.net/wordpress/53...
thealexandrian.net
Ask the Alexandrian #26: (Not So) Lost in the Wilderness
E. wrote:My Lost Mine of Phandelver group has decided to go cross-country to find the goblin castle (Castle Cragmaw). They have vague directions from a goblin they spoke to, but I think it’s h
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Honestly, just add a God of Traps and Labyrinths to your local pantheon and it'll provide all the is justification you'll ever need for funhouse dungeons.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Fake doors. First thing that popped into my mind after teleportation traps. Honorable mention: Two-stage pit trap. Falling in sucks, but then there's some sort of escalation that triggers as you're trying to get out.
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Gabriele Svelto @gabrielesvelto.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026
I double-checked this on a couple of Xitter stat sites and it's true. Average views of the main AfD account dropped 90% and average engagement dropped by 60%. This is commercial social media for you: bots, damn bots and Russian bots.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The Revenant Lake is a really cool riff. Wonder if I could make it work in Mothership. monstersandmanuals.blogspot.com/2026/10/the-...
monstersandmanuals.blogspot.com
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Seth Skorkowsky @sskorkowsky.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
February 13th 1995, Milla Jovovich goes onto an AOL chat to answer fan questions, and perfectly captures what life will feel like in only a few short years.
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John Nephew @johnnephew.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
ARS MAGICA DEFINITIVE FOR FREE! Well, the text at least. Thanks to OriginalMadman and friends, it's all on GitHub in Markdown format, and I just set it up as a free download on @drivethrurpg.com: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
drivethrurpg.com
Ars Magica Definitive Edition Markdown Text | Atlas Games | Atlas Games | DriveThruRPG
Twenty years after the original release of 5th Edition comes Ars Magica Definitive Edition! While the underlying manuscript is the 5th Edition text, extensive revisions reflect decades of play. It inc...
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
My daughter saw "Amok Time" and declared that the green ceremonial gong was made from CRYSTALLIZED VULCAN BLOOD. So that's my head canon now. Also just makes sense given the symbolism and function of the koon-ut-kal-if-fee in civilizing the biological imperative of pon farr.
Spock and T'Pring standing in front of a green gong from the Star Trek episode "Amok Time"
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
static.klipy.com
Rick And Morty: Morty Says 'I'm In'
Alt: Morty says, "You son of a bitch... I'm in."
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Ghoula RPGs @gilarpgs.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
What if I told you that you could follow the page for it right now? www.backerkit.com/c/projects/g...
backerkit.com
BANK
Get notified when BANK launches on BackerKit!
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
static.klipy.com
Mochi Mochimons YAAAAS! Super Saiyan Cat
Alt: Cat screaming YAAAAAS!
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Jason Bradley Thompson @mockman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Our three-year-old drew a kitten on the Magical Kitties character sheet by @alexandrian.bsky.social from @atlasgames.bsky.social
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Running big communal/crossover events for an open table is tricky. thealexandrian.net/wordpress/53...
thealexandrian.net
Random GM Tip – Open Table Communal Events
In my Mothership open table, a character named Manny Vasquez recently died. One of the other PCs, Dürmig Ableton, decided to use one of his downtime actions to arrange a memorial service for Manny
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Jason Bradley Thompson @mockman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Hey everyone! I'm so excited to announce this! If you like the D&D 'walkthrough maps' I've done over the years, I'm proud to present my new book... DUNGEONS! ILLUSTRATED MAPS OF CLASSIC DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ADVENTURES, coming from Ten Speed Press on April 27, 2027! (1/4) #dnd #ttrpg
"Dungeons!" book cover showing the exterior of the Tomb of Horrors, in a nighttime swamp, surrounded by red-eyed monsters. A group of stick-figure adventurers stands with a lantern preparing to enter the tomb
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
They don't form an independent mental model of reality and then use words to describe it. There's just predictive guessing at context. There's times that we, as humans do this. ("Enjoy your movie!" "You, too!") But generally not. The closest analog might be the main character from MEMENTO.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Cyber-zombies hunting the 'net, cracking open AI-brains and eating them up.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I know some get upset that there's no macro-canonical "truth," but it's like truly understanding what Azathoth is. Even if you did, it would be less special. There's truth in the 8th World, it's just a local truth. And if you lean into that, the game's resources are an endless font of inspiration.
thealexandrian.net
Numenera: The Aldeia Approach
Numenera 2: Discovery and Destiny, the second edition of the game making the exciting promise of expanding its core gameplay to include developing local communities and rebuilding civilization in th
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I also simply adore the setting. The "billion years in the future; remains of eight mega-civilizations beyond comprehension" is a sort of inverted Mythos: The same sense of enigma, but filled with hope instead of horror... except when it's horror again.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Cyphers are very effective at giving players a constant supply of fresh options while also providing the occasional "pop" to pacing. I don't like when they become dissociated in other settings, but in the Numenera setting they're fantastic. Also, the fractal NPCs make improv and prep a breeze.
thealexandrian.net
Numenera: Fractal NPCs
One of the things for which Numenera (and the Cypher system as a whole) is rightfully lauded is how easy it is for the GM to prep material for the game. The cornerstone for this is creating stats for
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Rest requiring more time (but not necessarily linearly) creates a good sense of pace through a scenario. The special rolls are hardly unique, but provide just the right amount of spice to vary things up. The retry system provides a nice compromise between "no retries" and "reroll forever."
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
In terms of system, GM intrusions are utterly brilliant: thealexandrian.net/wordpress/35... The way difficult shifts work + assets usually incentivizes players to seek in-fiction advantage. Every die roll gets invested in, and therefore feels special and is framed as a significant moment.
thealexandrian.net
Numenera – The Art of GM Intrusions
The design ethos of Numenera is focused on providing the GM with a strong mechanical structure for making rulings while keeping those mechanics minimal so that the GM is free to make those rulings. Th
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
(You did not need to hide my D&D books.)
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Very jealous. My WEG Star Wars collection, although not as large, was stolen out of my car long ago and I've never been able to rebuild it.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Numenera.
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Mitch Benn @mitchbenn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Mitch Benn presents Gilbert & Sullivan’s DRACULA Lost for 120 years, restored, recreated and completely made up by MITCH BENN STRICTLY LIMITED RUN - FOUR PERFORMANCES ONLY 24/25 October www.tickettailor.com/events/circl... #dracula #gilbertandsullivan #operetta #mitchbenn
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Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Facial Expressions of Tethys by artist Julius von Bismarck. A suspended high-sea buoy that moves in real time. Sensors on a twin buoy out in the Atlantic Ocean send live satellite data to motors inside the museum. This makes the indoor buoy copy the exact, real-time movements of the ocean waves.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
It's really awesome to see you finally getting your big break.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"Two red granite statues flank the entrance. One uses Stone Golem stats--" (okay, makes sense) "--the other uses Iron Golem stats." Go home, adventure, you're drunk.
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TekknoNerd - Commissions open @tekknonerd.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Voyager, walking on those tiny legs.
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Atlas Games @atlasgames.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Definitive Edition RELEASES TODAY! #ArsMagica #DefinitiveEdition
dlvr.it
Definitive Edition RELEASES TODAY!
Salve sodales! Today is the OFFICIAL GENERAL RELEASE of Ars Magica Definitive Edition! That's right, you can jump on our website to order it for IMMEDIATE delivery, or look for it at your friendly local game store.  Get Definitive Edition NOW at atlas-games.com/definitive To celebrate Definitive Edition's release, we've ALSO set up a special deal on the ENTIRE Ars Magica 5th Edition line in PDF! You'll find digital bundles of the sourcebooks for 20% off. Buy all five …
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#BruceSterling @bruces.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"Wait a minute, I just woke up, 'digitized fruit fly brains,' what on Earth are they even talking about" #briefing #refresher www.404media.co/a-digital-fl...
404media.co
A Digital Fly Brain Has Taken Over the Internet
How to make a fly play Doom, Minecraft, Beat Saber, parallel park, trade bitcoin, cut doner kebab, and more.
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Mike Z @mikez.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
#swordtember
A monochromatic watercolor painting of a woman in a long dress holding a heavy sword as she faces off against a large robot emerging from the mist.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Ratatouille is not only a mecha movie, but arguably the best mecha movie of all time.
static.klipy.com
Remy from Ratatouille Pulling Hair
Alt: Remy from Ratatouille pulling the hair of his bio-mecha, the Alfredo Mk. 1, to control its movements
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A space opera set amongst the million planets orbiting the black hole at the center of a galaxy. www.space.com/astronomy/ex...
space.com
'We were astonished': Millions of exoplanets could be born near active supermassive black holes
"We were totally amazed when we noticed this mass and size range of planet formation."
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It's a decade old, so probably not.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Then she gets confused because, while standing on a mountain herself, she can look down and see trees that are below her. Multiple paragraphs talking about how weird this is. One of those moments where I start wondering if I'M the crazy one.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"In the distance between the mountain range and the rising sun, she saw buildings." So the sun is on THIS side of the mountain? Or are the mountains transparent? I have questions.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"She knew she was on another world because the clouds were too big. Looking up, she saw a cloud bigger than a two-storey building." Was this written by a space alien who'd never seen a cloud before? "She'd seen clouds before. Spent hours staring up at them." Hmm. Exactly what an alien would say.
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"You're thinking about it! This media only sucks if you think about it!" People who say things like this really don't understand how much they're telling on themselves.
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Johanna T 👻 📚 @johannamation.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A spooky book a day keeps the ghosts away (because the ghosts are reading, too) ✌️👻 theghostkeeper.carrd.co
Lucy the ghost girl and Muffin the ghost cat lounge against a headstone in Warriston Cemetery, Edinburgh. She's reading THE GHOSTKEEPER, my graphic novel. (Fun fact, I took this photo during a 2022 research trip for this same book)
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Random GM Tips going live on Twitch now! See you there! twitch.tv/TheAlexandrian
https://twitch.tv/TheAlexandrian
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Last season Kirk/Spock do a mega-mind meld and learn all their intimate secrets so that we can shortcut the storytelling of their friendship growing over time. Now: Spock thinks Kirk is a hallucination so he... shares all his intimate secrets? So that we can shortcut..? WTF are we doing here?
static.klipy.com
Spock: I Vulcan't Meme
Alt: Spock collapses. TEXT: I Vulcan't
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Justin Alexander @alexandrian.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Last season Kirk/Spock do a mega-mind meld and learn all their intimate secrets so that we can shortcut the storytelling of their friendship growing over time. Now: Spock thinks Kirk is a hallucination so he... shares all his intimate secrets? So that we can shortcut..? WTF are we doing here?
static.klipy.com
Spock: I Vulcan't Meme
Alt: Spock collapses. TEXT: I Vulcan't
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