The History of Original Dungeons & Dragons

Note: This was a revised version after the original was taken down on a copyright notice. The video has been edited to resolve the original claim and hopefully prevent a future takedown. New videos to come!

In this episode we introduce another new format as we discuss an entire D&D system and it's history. This episode focuses on the original edition of D&D, the one that is often referred to as edition zero. Come learn about the origins of many early D&D concepts such as levels, classes, and THAC0.

Music: Telengard (Avalon Hill), Ultima III: Exodus (Origin Systems)

Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:27 Chainmail
6:53 White Box
20:41 Supplements
33:52 Conclusion

Random Clips: Sci-Fi Channel (Masters of Fantasy), Dungeonmaster Mark (60 Minutes), jason dandy, David Pretty, KallistraLTD (Agincourt), Grim2 (AD&D Commercial), GamersOnGames (Basic Commercial)

Video Game Clips: ProJared (Order of the Griffon, Pool of Radiance), Ben102938, Mmrrggll (World of Warcraft), StoneMonkWisdom (Final Fantasy I), RPG Limit Break (Final Fantasy II), XepaLP (Final Fantasy X), shiranaivideo (Final Fantasy IX), SeijinMahoutsukai, TF Squad (Final Fantasy Tactics), MrRokWar (Final Fantasy Tactics Advance), VixyNyan (Shadow Over Mystara), TASVideosChannel (Super Robin Hood), Official Best of NES (Ultima III: Exodus), WorldofLongplays (Warcraft III), MrLlamaSC (Diablo II), Beat em up Master (Tekken 3) rock962000 (Skyrim), Winsilator (AD&D: Treasures of Tarmin)

[eldergroan]

the first time i played D&D was with a buddy of mine named Mark in the early 80's. he had the game because his mother was creating maps for this company called TSR.

[johnarmenta]

And to think, all this was being developed BEFORE "Personal Computer" was even a thing. I still have all of my D&D and AD&D books from the late 70's and early 80's. I still have a number of modules, and TON (figuratively) of dungeon dice. They are my treasures! . . . p.s. - I am 54 years old. Still a kid at heart!

[mr.e]

D&D was my life in the late 70’s. I had no money. I always wanted the blue box set (loved looking at the the cover at the store) which was before the basic red box set. I just memorized everything I was told about the game. I would sometimes find a way to get some change and would go to the hobby shop and buy a cheap lead figure. I think like 25 or 50 cents. These were in a glass shelf and you had to tell the shop owner which number you wanted. I could never be able to afford a 15 dollar giant. I was lucky at one time to be able to get the Tom Meier elven archer with the star belt buckle, so cool (long gone now). I had no dice or anything so at recess at school we would just talk roll play. The dm would just say yes you defeated the monster or no you didn’t. I spent time after school copying pictures that were copies by other kids from the books, that I would borrow (that is, I would just get to borrow their drawings not any book). At the time I didn’t even realize life was bad but looking back, being poor sucks!

[iapetusmccool]

"If there are exactly 300 bandits there will absolutely be a magic user". Good to know bandits have such well-organised and precisely defined employment structures.

[darlenehoover]

My husband started playing in 1982 on the old Gagax rules. I started playing 1st and 2nd edition in 1990. We got our kids into it and they now play with friends every Sunday.

[tonydabaloney]

I'm 72yrs old and first played D&D in 1974 when it first came out. I played it from then til early 1980s almost daily. Being a Tolkien fan, it really filled a spot I didn't know was empty. I had a group that met at a neighbors house to play. I've never considered myself a typical need except for this. Now I'm still gaming, but do so on line. Best thing about being 72 and retired is I can indulge in whatever I like. Wife doesn't quite get it, but I'm proud to say I have a squad of gaming grandkids. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. My only regret is not saving all the D&D toys I accumulated. I had everything including many, many volumes of Master notes and worlds and characters I created, along with all the figurines and dice. I had it all. If I went back to the old neighborhood, I bet I'd still find my buddy living in the same rundown house with the smell of pipeweed in the air. At the time we thought we were spending a fortune on all that stuff, but now would be collecters items now.😢😂😢

[johnkarper]

I started playing D&D in the late 70's when my brother wanted to try this new game he found. It was him, two friends, my girlfriend (now wife of over 30 years), her brother, and me. He was the DM and we took turns as "Caller". Over time, I played with a lot of other players, and I still get together weekly with friends to play. A couple of those friends are from the beginning years, and many more were met along the way. I have had the gamut of DMs, from the "killing the party early and often" type, to "the world is benevolent and wants them to survive" type, . There have been Monty Hall dungeons full of magic and treasure, to magic is so rare the third level fighter is sometimes using a dagger because it is the only +1 weapon in the party. Some nights are more screwing around and Monty Python references, while others are really focused on teamwork and taking out that dragon or cult harassing the nearby town.

The odd numbered D&D versions always seem to be the better versions, with 2 and 4 being weak\neutered versions of the previous versions. (Anyone want to run a Druid after they became clerics with a bad spell list and no decent armor in 2?) We have tried other D20 versions (Pathfinder, etc.), and other types of games, like Superheroes and others, but always seem to come back to D&D after a bit.

I always laugh at the "geek" motif attributed to D&D players. Some of our early players were military - marines, army rangers, air force, etc. Some of our players have masters and doctorates and run a college English department, while others created their own companies including construction and concrete businesses. Some are now retired and still have a blast. Our imaginations (and Gygax' crew's imaginations) have lead to lifelong friends.

If you have not tried D&D, get some pizza and try it with a seasoned DM, and see if there is a new world of friends waiting out there for you!

[DHRGrafix]

I first played D&D at the Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy convention in L.A. in 1977. TSR was there promoting their new game. They were giving demos to people at the convention that wanted to sign up and learn to play. I was with 2 friends that had played before. I never had. We signed up to play. As luck would have it the DM was Dave Arneson himself. I got to learn how to play from one of the creators of the game which at the time really helped. As the video said the original 3 books were more of an outline. It helped to have somebody that knew the game fill in the gaps.

[blockmasterscott]

In the late 70s and early 80s D&D gave me an outlet from life. I cannot overstate just how much Gary Gygax saved my sanity.

[Boomlahood]

This video got to me play dnd with a group of my friends. I’ve been dming every week for 2 years now and loving every second of it. Thanks for sparking my interest!

[TheMonkePrince]

I really want another one of these videos for every past version

[IMHendle]

This brought back a lot of memories. I started playing in 1976 when my two little nephews came up to me on Christmas morning and asked if I would help them play a new game they received for Christmas. The white box cover said for players 12 and up. I had just turned 13 and my nephews were 9 and 10. We went of to a corner of my sisters house and I began reading the rules. My first game was as a DM and I was hooked ever since. I remember countless hours drawing maps on graph paper and filling rooms with monsters and treasure.

[idunno...someguy]

I ran an OD&D campaign with some friends after our DM, who was running 4th edition, ended the game very suddenly. I can say that is was a lot of fun and gave me a great deal of experience DMing. We only ran with the base three books, which were my grandfather's when he was in the army in the 70s.

[mistergrool]

I really like how the 8-bit music, black and white artwork in this video creates an atmosphere of an early DnD dark age, when the rules were still being formed and anything was possible. Great atmosphere for a great video!

[vonslagle]

I’m getting back into it after 40 years. I went to the legendary D&D Camp at Shippensburg University in the Early 80’s. Gary Gygax was there and spoke to us eager children

[DolkkarToyznstuff]

D&D has such a rich origin story, thank you for taking the time to share it.

[TheRandomDave]

man, some of those illustrations really brought back memories of playing dnd in the 1980s. great video.

[CaptCook]

My first experience of D&D was watching some guys play with the 3 book set and using the Arduin Grimoire rules for Critical Hits. Some of my friends played D&D and I heard them talk about it so I decided to watch them and knew I had to play this game.
I even played the basic box set as a class in high school. The Caves of Chaos was one great adventure and I learned how to play a thief which became my favorite class of character from then on.
I'm 59 years old now and just wish I had the time to play D&D like I used to.

[calvinhobbes]

Concurrent with "Chainmail" and maybe slightly before, there was Tractics .... a great WWII simulation with miniatures. Gary Gygax was a big part of the design team. You could play it on a carpeted navy barracks floor (ask me how I know). Table legs and bed linen made excellent cover until we decided that a round from a German Tiger II could penetrate a navy blanket with little trouble. :)

[rogerdunn]

What a well-constructed and edited video!! That looks like a lot of work, love, and TLC. I had a break from D&D for years when I realized I was an addict in college. I quit cold turkey and threw everything away. Decades later, I found D&D again in version 5 and have loved it. I get together with my friends a few times a month. I ended up buying the premium versions (green cover) of those old AD&D books, but just for nostalgia's sake; not to actually use them. It is now a hobby, not an addiction, and my well is pretty balanced. It is just such a great game. And who knew Gygax didn't like Tolkien's most famous works?