The first specialist Wizard came BEFORE D&D’s schools of magic did. My new video traces how the Illusionist forced D&D's designers to rethink how magic was organized, and how different designers answered that question over the next 15 years. youtu.be/ymvreYg6Cjk

Most people THINK D&D has had so many editions because publishers wanted to sell more books. The real history is MUCH more interesting. In my latest deep-dive video on YouTube, I explore why each edition existed and what problem it was trying to solve. youtu.be/w5L5kmZzEtA

My latest video looks at where a lot of old-school D&D habits came from: carrying 10-foot poles, checking ceilings, listening at doors, declaring marching order, and knowing when to retreat. 🎥 Watch the full deep-dive here: youtu.be/BsDtfpthyeo #DnD #TTRPG #OldSchoolDnD #DnDHistory

My new video is about why D&D kept classes, levels, hit points, Armor Class, and spell slots, even after so many other RPGs moved in different directions. This one looks at how those rules worked together. Watch the full deep-dive here: youtu.be/vC3KkLEQjH8

When many people talk about early D&D, they often talk about how deadly it was. What interests me more is what happened 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 a character died. If death was so common, how and why did campaigns keep going? 🎥 youtu.be/GJJGh_ynb58 #DnD #OSR #TTRPG

The Beholder wasn't adapted from mythology or fantasy fiction. It was created by a 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧 trying to challenge powerful D&D characters who had become very good at surviving everything else. That idea became one of D&D's most feared monsters. 🎥Watch the full deep-dive here: youtu.be/OR0TRnZgbx4

My new video looks at Dragon Magazine in 1979, when D&D was successful, but still very much in flux. Players were debating alignment, realism, class roles, life beyond the dungeon, and what the rules were even supposed to cover. Watch on YouTube now: youtu.be/DdkwxWMbVCU

This week’s video is about my feeling that AD&D started start feeling really different in the mid-1980s. Unearthed Arcana, Oriental Adventures, and the Survival Guides did more than just add more material. They also changed what characters and rules were expected to do. youtu.be/AYUW0E8kBzo #ttrpg

My new video looks at B1, B2, T1, N1, and U1, and what those early TSR “starter” adventures were actually teaching players and novice DMs. They weren’t all teaching the same kind of D&D. 🎥 Watch the full deep-dive here: youtu.be/0M4hh2d4dB0 #DnD #TSR #OSR

I’ve got a new video up looking at how treasure actually worked in early D&D, including gold-for-XP, treasure tables, encumbrance, and why so many TSR-era mechanics were connected through treasure in the first place. #DnD #OSR #TTRPG youtu.be/rOQzmDL4o7w

A lot of people say D&D is supposed to be about story. But when you look at early D&D, that expectation gets more complicated. My new video looks at where that idea came from, and what the early game was actually built to do. 🎥 youtu.be/ue_OG-eSk4U

My new video is live! I’m looking at Isle of Dread, Castle Amber, and Curse of Xanathon to ask what they reveal about what “exploration” actually meant in early D&D. Surprisingly (to me) the answer is not as simple as “hex crawling.” 🎥https://youtu.be/LX2OYovtlPM #DnD #DNDHistory #TSR #OSR

My new video is now live! This one is on the Druid in early D&D, and the more I worked on it, the more it felt like the class is a bit strange, and not just because of its abilities. And, that was yet another piece in the puzzle of how early D&D really worked. Watch now: youtu.be/0y95DI-XEsA

My new video is about why early D&D dungeons could look random on the page, but still worked at the table. I get into how dungeon crawling actually functioned in early D&D, and why those old designs made more sense in play than they sometimes do in hindsight. youtu.be/lVcPLnZBg3s

✨👕Day 197 of Nerd Fashion Monday of non-repeated geek shirts! A week late! And another gift from Mrs. "You Have Too Many T-Shirts" Rolled a 1! @worldofcorde.bsky.social, @grinningpik.bsky.social, & EVERYONE ELSE, share YOUR nerd fashion! I love to put names with faces! #NerdFashionMonday

My new video is about 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀. To me, a lot of the usual criticisms of old-school D&D have more to do with expectations than rules. 🎥 Watch the full deep-dive here: youtu.be/WMkraXjErcg

I’ve been looking at how balance works in early D&D, and it doesn’t really match the modern idea of fairness. Uneven XP tables. Fragile low-level characters. No encounter balancing. And yet, it works. So what is the game actually balancing? Check out the full deep-dive here: youtu.be/k3xCKeei-iA

✨👕Day 196 of Nerd Fashion Monday of non-repeated geek shirts! This is from yesterday; my 3rd different Green Lantern t-shirt! @worldofcorde.bsky.social, @grinningpik.bsky.social, & EVERYONE ELSE, share YOUR nerd fashion! I love to put names with faces! #NerdFashionMonday

✨👕Day 195 of Nerd Fashion Monday of non-repeated geek shirts! Yes, this is from last week 03/23/2026. My daughter couldn't stop laughing! @worldofcorde.bsky.social, @grinningpik.bsky.social, & EVERYONE ELSE, share YOUR nerd fashion! I love to put names with faces! #NerdFashionMonday

Most people run AD&D combat the same way: roll initiative, attack, move on. And that works. But the books include all these other rules that only show up in certain moments: weapon speed, armor adjustments, segments. They’re not optional… so why are they there? Find out now! youtu.be/Amt06YbR7nE

✨👕Day 194 of Nerd Fashion Monday of non-repeated geek shirts! I work at my friend's record store on Mondays but keep forgetting to post! @worldofcorde.bsky.social, @grinningpik.bsky.social, & EVERYONE ELSE, share YOUR nerd fashion! I love to put names with faces! #NerdFashionMonday

In 1979, AD&D was already on store shelves, but many players were still trying to figure out how the game actually worked at the table. I took a look at Dragon Magazine issues #23–25, where designers and readers debated combat rules and campaign play in real time. 🎥 youtu.be/1cipMmun90c

Make your old-school D&D wizards weird! Strange masters. Odd spellbooks. Questionable magical habits. I just released Weird Magic-User Traits, a small table-based supplement exploring ideas like that. Available for patrons now: patreon.com/DaddyRolledA1

✨👕Day 193 of Nerd Fashion Monday of non-repeated geek shirts! You probably all know I'm a jazz nerd... this was 1 of Chet Baker's labels! @worldofcorde.bsky.social, @grinningpik.bsky.social, & EVERYONE ELSE, share YOUR nerd fashion! I love to put names with faces! #NerdFashionMonday

In 1983 Gary Gygax wrote 2 unusual AD&D modules: Dungeonland & The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror. They look like Alice in Wonderland adventures, but they reveal a lot about how he designed his Castle Greyhawk campaign. My new video takes a closer look: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h8d...

✨👕Day 192 of Nerd Fashion Monday of non-repeated geek shirts! Forgot to post earlier this week! This is from the Dead Rabbit, a favorite NYC pub! @worldofcorde.bsky.social, @grinningpik.bsky.social, & EVERYONE ELSE, share YOUR nerd fashion! I love to put names with faces! #NerdFashionMonday

In Advanced D&D, you paid gold to level up. Your character aged. They could get sick. Time kept moving. I think those rules were meant to keep the campaign world bigger than any one hero. My new video looks at what AD&D assumed about campaign play. youtu.be/lOU1MCw_rRE #DnD #ADnD #TTRPG

✨👕Day 191 of Nerd Fashion Monday of non-repeated geek shirts! Forgot to post this last Monday! Anybody remember the old TV show "Heroes"? @worldofcorde.bsky.social, @grinningpik.bsky.social & EVERYONE ELSE, share YOUR nerd fashion! I love to put names with faces! #NerdFashionMonday

When the Mind Flayer appeared in early D&D, it felt different. It didn't just threaten hit points. It attacked Intelligence & brought psionics into encounter design. My new video looks at why the Illithid marks a turning point in TSR-era D&D. Watch here: youtu.be/Tys81dk1t7k #DnD #MindFlayer

In 1978, TSR built more than a dungeon. They built a Drow CITY with hierarchy, faith, & power struggles. My new video looks at D1-D3 & why I think they changed D&D adventure design. If you ran/played them, what do you remember most? 🔗Video: youtu.be/R8-LLjnEs3Q #DungeonsAndDragons #DnDHistory