The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide (First Look)

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When it comes to tabletop RPGs, a good villain can make or break a campaign. Fortunately, creating the perfect Big Bad Evil Guy (or Gal) is about to get a whole lot easier thanks to The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide.

The book is the latest entry in the popular Ultimate RPG line; a series of system-agnostic guides designed to help Game Masters and players improve the storytelling side of their games rather than the mechanics. This latest title will be coming out early next month, but you can pre-order it now from your local game store, book store or Amazon.

So will this new Ultimate RPG guide help you be good at being bad? Below, we get Chaotic Evil with all the details.

What is “The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide” about?

The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide is a 256-page softcover workbook published by Simon & Schuster and written by James D’Amato and Dillin Apelyan.

As the name suggests, the book is focused on creating memorable antagonists for TTRPG campaigns across a wide range of systems. It does so through a structured, step-by-step approach that includes a variety of prompts and brainstorming activities that both Game Masters and players can use. The goal is to look beyond alignment alone in order to design villains with believable motivations and detailed backstories.

Notably, the guide also includes a variety of examples, covering everything from classic villains to morally complex antiheroes. It also dives into a wide range of TTRPG genres including fantasy, sci-fi and horror, so can be used in any just about game, campaign setting or ruleset.

Who are the authors of “The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide”?

The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide is co-written by James D’Amato and Dillin Apelyan, both of whom are best known for hosting the popular One Shot actual play podcast, which features a rotating cast who play through various tabletop RPGs in short, 4-5 episode arcs.

Notably, D’Amato has also written numerous other entries in the Ultimate RPG series, while Apelyan has appeared in a variety of actual play shows, including Critical Role.

How much is “The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide”?

The physical copy of the book retails for $15.99 USD (not including shipping and handling), with a Kindle eBook version going for $11.99 USD. It’s not clear yet if an audiobook will also be available at some point in the near future.

When is “The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide” coming out?

The book is scheduled to release on March 10th, 2026, at which point you’ll be able to pick up from most physical and online retailers.

What other books are in the Ultimate RPG series?

Simon & Schuster’s Ultimate RPG series has become increasingly popular over the past few years, and now features almost a dozen books, collections, card sets and tie-in products, including:

• Ultimate RPG Gameplay Guide
• Ultimate RPG Game Master’s Guide
• Ultimate RPG Game Master’s Worldbuilding Guide
• Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide
• Ultimate Character Backstory Guide (Expanded Genres)
• Ultimate Random Encounters Book
• Ultimate RPG Quest Keeper
• Ultimate RPG Boxed Set
• Ultimate RPG Worldbuilding Deck
• Ultimate RPG Campfire Deck

Final Thoughts

Villains are often the dark, beating heart of an RPG campaign, yet in a lot of cases they’re also the least developed characters at the table. The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide looks to be a solid attempt to address that gap with practical tools and prompts. Whether or not this new guide will deliver a Big Bad Evil Guy worthy of the name, however, remains to be seen.

We’ll be offering a complete review closer to launch, but in the meantime you can pre-order the book now from your local game store or Amazon.