Interviewing Phil Benson

By Alex White

- 4 minutes read - 651 words
Find out about Alpengard, the fulfilment of a lifelong dream!

Please tell me a bit about yourself

My name is Phil Benson, and I’m an avid writer and gamer who has enjoyed fantasy literature and TTRPGs since childhood. I’d always wanted to develop my own TTRPG—since 2011, I’ve been writing, creating and playtesting Alpengard, which is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream! In January 2025, I launched the core rulebook, Alpengard: Tales and Adventurers, and it’s exciting to introduce Alpengard to the gaming world, including its dynamic new d30-based system.

By the way, in gaming circles I’m known as Secg—pronounced sedge, as “cg” is an Old English consonant diphthong that is equivalent to the Modern English “dg” found in words like hedge. Secg is an Old English word meaning man, warrior, hero or sword.

logo in blue with mountain peaks above and a long sword below

What do you like best about designing games?

TTRPGs are a brilliant way to capture the imagination and release creativity, and I thoroughly enjoy working through both the literary aspect, such as building fantasy worlds and characters, and the mathematical aspect, namely making sure the game works from a statistical power-balance standpoint. During the game-design journey, I was able to connect with other gamers who were invaluable during the development phase—getting feedback from both veteran and novice gamers was crucial in refining Alpengard. Watching players enjoy Alpengard is definitely the most rewarding part!

What are you working on at the moment, and what excites you about it?

I’m actively promoting the core rulebook, Alpengard: Tales and Adventurers, and designing monsters for the future monsterbook, Alpengard: Creatures and Origins—for now, playable prototype monsters can be found on the Alpengard website’s “Foes” page: https://www.alpengard.com/foes. Part of marketing Alpengard involves the opportunity to join new gaming groups online, and it’s been great to get support and encouragement from the gaming community—it definitely keeps me motivated!

Can you tell me more about Alpengard?

Alpengard is a stark-fantasy TTRPG offering multiple unique elements, such as:

  • A d30-based roll-high system where you can upgrade rolls to boost your odds of success.
  • An energy pool called pneuma that will let you fuel your powers and enhance your rolls.
  • Tailoring your roottraits (ability scores) and capabilities to match your character’s personality.
  • All lifeskills play a role, not just sneaking and picking locks—you need solid nutrition to regain your lost pneuma each day, so it’s helpful to have a chef in the party! Ogre-kabobs, anyone?
  • Entwine magic objects to your soul so they grow in power with you throughout your quests; your favorite sword, cloak or ring will not become obsolete during your career.

Alpengard: Tales and Adventurers also includes a well-developed campaign world along with an exciting introductory adventure!

What experience(s) are you trying to give to players? Where do they find the fun in your game?

My vision in creating Alpengard is ultimately to provide game-masters and players with an immersive storytelling experience that engages the heart and mind, relating fantasy to reality. There is real risk, and you must manage your resources well—lack of food and water will prevent you from recharging your pneuma each day, and climbing a high mountain is a difficult challenge (i.e. there are no bypass-all-the-obstacles teleport spells). The “fun factor” comes down to the enjoyable system, the customization options that allow you to really invest in your character, and the fact that no character is either overpowered or underpowered-the game shines in its balance!

Is there anything you would like to promote right now?

Absolutely! Alpengard: Tales and Adventurers is available on Amazon and DriveThruRPG:

It means a lot to me each time someone buys the game and shares it with friends.

Blue mountains in the background, a party of adventurers in the foreground armed with magic and steel are facing off against wolf-like creatures

Where should people go to follow you, and to find your products?

Thanks for asking! ;) You can check out Alpengard at: www.alpengard.com, and more information is available here:

The Alpengard YouTube channel includes Roll20 gameplay episodes with the friendly folks at the Talking Crit Discord channel!