For the record*, Ryan Dancey did *not* come up with open source approach for D&D. I did... over Christmas in late 90’s... and shared the suggestion by email up the food chain at WotC. Shortly after, Ryan Dancey actually asked me for a copy of my email explaining my brainstorm to principles at WotC. I obliged him with understanding he would provide me his feedback (which he never did). As I recall, Dancey was subsequently made head of D&D. (I did not know it was on the back of my open source licensing suggestion.) Dancey never looped me in that he was (and the entire D&D team were) using my open source licensing idea for the new edition of D&D. I was squeezed out of WotC shortly before the new edition of D&D was released and find the timing... curious. I now gather Ryan Dancey sold my idea as his own (especially since he did not credit me in D&D 3E) and if Matt says Dancey originated the idea. So shady days at WotC by shady people. (If you don’t believe me, don’t bother to google Ryan Dancey.) And, yes, I’m noticing OGL/D20 wiki entries are wrong on this point, e.g.: “Dancey largely conceived of the Open Gaming License(OGL) and d20 System Trademark License, based on his belief that the true strength of D&D was in its gaming community.[2]:287” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Dancey) * Matt makes Dancey claim at about 40min of video. I did email Matt this correction, and he replies below.
@@leeshackelford7517 #IANAL Whom would you have me sue? WotC/Hasbro? Dancey? The former is huge with an infinite warchest and offices of lawyers, and the other may not even be worth suing. Dancey can’t give me credit, and Hasbro didn’t even own WotC back then. [Actually some was pre-Hasbro, some (publishing) was under Hasbro.] Messy. And what would I sue for? Credit? Damages (and how to calculate)? (And what would this (presumably) undisclosed loose end do to the Hasbro purchase of WotC?-) At least now I know more specifics about it (but it would still require discovery process). But suing is not really fun nor... quick nor... reliable. And then I’d need to find a good lawyer appropriate for the case. And to sue for real requires damages, or judges throw suit out. And it requires deep pockets, and years of time, and patience with ridiculous results; suits get thrown out for technicalities all the time (no matter how incorrect or absurd). And then there’s things like proof... do I still have the original email? Does WotC have it? I would need to find it. And then there’s priorities. I’d like credit. Do you get credit by suing? And one (cynical but) final thing... courts don’t always stick to the facts even when presented with them. So really, it’s a game of percentages. In a perfect world, a lawsuit would be ideal, and all would be made whole. But in reality... I’m not even in the game industry anymore. Good question. I hope my answer gives some perspective. I thank Matt for highlighting the issue with his pin of my message.
@@leeshackelford7517 I don't think he could sue anyone over this. Under most employment contracts, the "idea" would have been owned by the company if it was hatched on company time/with company resources. He could certainly complain about which employee got the praise and credit, but you can't sue for praise. It's possible that WotC's contract allowed creators to retain ownership of ideas, but I wouldn't know if that was the case.
I could sit through hours of Matt's conent and I do. Often rewatching or listening and absorbing it while I'm working. Enchancing my knowledgebase for DMing.
I think it took about 10 hours total to record and edit this video. So you better like it! :D Actually it’s longer than that if you include all the prep and research.
Thank you so much for this video - this series was the one to get me initially into following you (and then your Playing The Game series). I admit to fearing this series was dead because in a Q&A you had said something about the series being a low-watched one, so you were making content that would be more likely to watch
@@staytonanime What do you mean? It is the eight video on the subject. (Although one of the old ones is set to private, which might cause som confusion?).
This comment is positive reinforcement so you'll make the 4e video in less than like 5 years. Big fan of that edition. Can't wait for the larger, newer community of players to see it.
@@simulation5627 Meaning it is the first edition of D&D to know it was being played on a grid? Yeah that's true. Does a great job of that. But be careful, the way your comment is phrased might make someone think you're one of those mouth breathing morons who thinks 4e isn't an RPG or is a lesser version of D&D just because it knew it was a game.
4th edition was to much like playing a tabletop rpg mmo with all its at will powers , daily powers and encounter powers , it's healing surges and movements in squares . It lost the feeling that d&d was in favor of trying to grab the mmo crowd and pull them into the game . As for playing on a grid it's what we used to do back in the late 70s and 80s using graph paper taped together to make dungeons for out miniatures to move around on based on their movement score .. While 4th edition was a fantasy rpg mixed with a mmo it moved away from what D&D was because wizards wanted to cash in on the mmo craze and bring those players onto the game which failed in the end hence 5th edition going back to what d&d used to be in many ways yet it's kept a little bit of the mmo aspect
If anything 4th edition gets hard to play because there is too many things at once to remember, to calculate and to choose for each character each round. I like the ease of access to powers and the broader range of potential to affect various subsystems and create codified tactics into the game itself. but unless you give time to really understand the system it can easily get bogged down. 4th edition is not for the faint of heart if you want to push it to the limits.
Fourth edition was the high water mark of D&D. It was the only edition me and my group ever truly enjoyed for the game and the game mechanics. It did heroic fantasy better than anything I've ever played and I'm looking back on the 7 year campaign from Level 1 to Level 30 we played in that game as a true testament to how great those rules are. The tactical aspect was finally back after it had been missing since original D&D many years ago and the Character Classes were all interesting and viable from 1st to 30th Level. Ritual Casting allowed for incredible epic feats of magical grandeur without spellcasters making all other Classes second rate at high Levels. The Healing Surge Mechanics, the Bloodied condition, the incredible Skill Challenge system (that we now use in all roleplaying games since it's the epitome of narrative interactive gameplay based on Characters rather than Players), the Minions and Monster Types in general, the Encounter design. Everything was just top notch. Beautiful fluid design that worked exactly as it intended. Yes, removing the OGL probably hurt this edition quite a bit and that was a dumb decision, and there was a lot of complaining from people who had no knowledge of D&D's roots but it is the best strategic and tactical roleplaying game ever designed.
@@kgacalendar I've heard 13th age is good and similar in vein. It's made by some of the people who worked on 4th edition and they have a second edition of 13th age in production.
Matt: publishes a new video Me: Wait, there's an entire Matt Colville series I've never seen about D&D?!?! *watches 6 hours of UA-cam to get here* I've not watched this episode yet but this whole series has been a blast. Love the history of this hobby.
Commenting in 2022 (almost 2023) to let Matt know WE NEED THE 4E VIDEO!!! I've only played 5e for the last 5 and a half years, and I've thought about running a game in older editions, so these videos have been very insightful so far.
I would love to see the videos for 4e and 5e too (especially living in 2023, post OGL fiasco.) As much for the illustration of rules as for the history it uncovers about the game and each edition. I also wouldn't mind seeing - perhaps in a separate playlist - a similar series on OSR games. The big names, I mean. Doing everything would be impossible, there's so many little heartbreakers out there, but doing a similar review of some of the larger entries in the OSR space, comparing and contrasting the retroclones with the original editions they emulate, could be interesting.
Matt has said that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
Wait! What? This series doesn't finish!? Sadness. Dear Mr. Colville, I know you're a busy man, but your scholarly approach to this series is an absolute gem and joy of revelation and history. Please make part 8 (4th edition). Please, please, please. (Also, the 5th ed, if it's not too much trouble. ) Thank you, The People.
Matt has said recently that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
Just for the record, let's a get the story straight: Matt'n Uncle Tom was fishin' it was gettin' pretty late... out on a cypress limb above the wishin' well... where they say it got no bottom it'll take ya straight to the Ninth Ring of Hell...
@@Braincain007 that makes no sense. If someone wants next video, it means they liked this one. "Not talking about the content"? And what is there to talk about? "Good video, can we have another?" is the best you can ask for.
Me and my friends still play 3.5 edition! And I've been running Red Hand of Doom for them the last 5 months! All thanks to you, Matt. Happy Thanksgiving.
I remember sneaking the Complete Wizard and the Elves splat books home in my back pack because my parents didn’t want me playing D&D. I never played 2E, but still have a lot of fond memories of those books as reading material like Matt was saying.
Man, I can relate to the, "These are books that people bought just to read them." I read through the AD&D monster manual and players handbook so many times as a child, and was always sad that I never got to play it.
Did the same thing with all the character class source books. White Wolf/ World of Darkness has a lot of vampire clan & werewolf tribe books, they are just fun to read.
Matt has said recently that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
@@Braincain007 Well i don't have anything to add to the discussion i wouldn't have written any comment if i hadn't written this one. Besides im not asking for the release date of the next episode im showing appreciation for two of his series'. This is basically a thumbs up in comment form which is good for the algorithm. If he truly has a problem with this then i don't understand him at all.
I just finished a marathon of watching your whole series, and man I can say, I can't wait to see all the Duncans fight each other. Duncan the First, Junior and the Third better ought to team up against those beefy, competent later fighters.
I really liked this one a lot! I think this series really speaks to those "read only" hobbyists you mentioned. When I was 12 we moved across country and I spent the whole summer reading, and reading the player's handbook because that was all that I had!
I love the attention to detail you put into these histories. The calling out of how the books were made, printed, laid out all helps set the stage for what the game was trying to do. The character sheet captures the mechanics, but the book tries to capture the players from the shelf. Very neat to be drawn back to when 3.0 launched!
I mean the tradition of hating on the new/old edition of D&D when the new one comes out started here. Chainmail/Ad&D/basic ...I don’t remember gamers talking smack about those iterations of the game but 2nd Ed. got so much hate. Then when 3rd came out it got hated on as well. It actually IS a new game but people didn’t treat it like a new game (if that makes any sense) just like it was an attack on their way of playing. I never understood the edition wars but it sure was interesting to linger longer in the minis section of the RPG store listening to people passionately argue. (Mostly listening, I did get sucked in some times).
@@Amberthyme ah yeah fair enough. i starrted playing on the eve of 3e really and we just played 3e/3.5 to death. never engaged in edition wars until a bit of bantering when 4e came out and didn't fit our style at all, so like many others we moved to pathfinder. now of course we play 5e like the unwashed masses but i am now starting to run very lite/basic hacks a la prof dm. i do get that people are passionate about what to spend their time and money on, but i feel like 'toxic edition wars' get blown out of proportion. when i bant with friends we get heated and jab at each other in fun and respect at the end of the day. someone listening in would think we were terrible people and hating on everyone else's good time but honestly the message is 'that's not for me'.. guess i was never exposed to it with other randos and never had to deal with it lol
@@Bondanalloy Spend anytime on the internet, and you will find toxic asshats looking for an excuse to hating on people. Very different from friends messing with each other
This is a fantastic historical analysis from an industry insider and long-time consumer of the product - rare stuff, we're privileged to have your perspective. Thanks for this, Matt - it's obvious this is a bit of a labour of love. We appreciate all your efforts!
I honestly had forgotten what started me onto this playlist last night, so I actually got kinda distressed that the series was gonna end years ago, and instead I got reminded that you gave us this great new entry. I certainly hope you'll find time to continue and get that 4e entry.
The group who I learned to play D&D with started me on 5e, and they all talked about 4th edition as if it was designed like an MMO "Because it came out around the era of WoW and it tried to hard to be like that" I am really interested in hearing what you have to say about 4e, because that's literally all I know about it, and also your video about implementing 4th edition design into 5e, which I thought was a really cool video.
Looking forward to the 4th Edition video, it is hands down my favorite edition of the game, and I am so glad there are some other people who love it too. I almost gave up on the hobby because of the way I was treated by people because I liked 4e so every time I come across someone else who like 4e it means a lot to me, probably more than it should.
At least some of us used Player Options. My table we were playing it in the 2010s. A bunch of us wanted to play D&D. One of us had the Forgotten Realms box set from childhood. So we played 2e. Eventually we downloaded pretty much all of second edition. And played what we called the 'Baldur's Gate 2' rules. Which was mainly giving warriors much higher to hit and whole heap of extra attacks. Which did make them competitive with casters. The late 2000, early 2010s was a great time to play 2e. There were just so many resources on line.
In my experience nearly everyone played humans in 3rd edition because of that feat at 1st level. It was the powergamer standard. Variant Human in 5E is still highly coveted for the same reason. It puts you 4 levels ahead of everyone else when it comes to combat talents and customization.
When i first started playing DnD in the late 2000's, it was with all my friends huddled around a single 3.5e handbook, writing character sheets on notebook paper and passing around one set of dice. We played 3.5 well into the 2010's and we loved every bit of it. Thank you Matt for all the work you've done in this series and for letting me look through these old books with you
Please finish this series. It is by far one of the best. For us long time D&D dudes I’ve been playing since 1982 it puts the whole game history into perspective. I currently run 5e campaigns but never dipped into 4th Addition as I just stuck with 3.5. I really want some clarity on your “favorite” addition.
Matt has said that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
I always loved the way that the 3rd edition art imitates some kind of research journal or something, like someone was studying and making notes on all the ancestries and classes. It pays tribute to the b/w art of the original game while also making the core rule book itself stylistically similar to the game’s world.
It's a shame we haven't gotten a 4e fighter video, especially since he references it a lot in the previous videos. I really enjoyed 4e and the series Matt put out of his actual play.
Matt has said that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
man I started with 3rd edition and seeing that art style again really made me nostalgic for the feeling of just discovering the game and going through these pages as a kid building his first wizard, good times
First 6 videos: 1 year, 7 months. 7th video: 5 years later. Some would say this makes Matt a UA-cam necromancer, but this series is continuing where it left off, not making a mockery of former greatness. I say this makes Matt a powerful cleric of Pay Tron!
This edition was my entry to D&D and I loved it. I still love it. I love the artwork which I think was supposed to resemble Leonardo Da Vinci's sketch books. So much of D&D going forward draws from this edition.
Yay! Can't believe I missed this! 2 hours of noodly goodness. Love that it has the exact same feel as the first videos. Thank you for putting in the work!
I still play 2E, and I'll stick up for the non-uniform stat bonuses. Obviously, there's something to be said for the uniformity of WotC-era D&D, but it also shaves down a lot of interesting and potentially enjoyable stuff, and there's a case to be made for more complexity from a simulationist point of view (of course, not everyone cares about simulationism, but some of us do!). On some level, it just makes sense that, say, being a bit stronger than someone else might result in a bigger improvement to one thing than to another. Whether one cares about that granularity is another question (and of course, whether 2E gets those details "right" is yet another question). I was really glad to see this series revived! Slightly disappointed we didn't get a dedicated 2.5E video, but it's quite understandable. I don't know anybody who adopted more than maybe 25% of the stuff in Player's Option, if that. But that's by design - "option" is the critical word there, and it's in line with the general 2E philosophy of basically giving the user a toolbox of options to pick and choose from (a philosophy I quite like, incidentally). I use just a few little things from the Player's Option books, but I like having all that stuff available.
1:54:09 Sam Gamgee knew the value of "a good bit o' rope"... And I remember my copy of the VtM rule book including a quote from Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown” 😏
Just wanting to comment here to say that I’ve loved this series. Hope it’s continued as I’m a primarily pathfinder player these days, but me first D&D was 4e and I have a fondness for that system
Matt has said that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
@@Braincain007 I hope this doesn’t discourage him then. Not asking about when, just expressing excitement for the next edition as it was my first D&D and I know Mat has a fondness for 4e too
I'm now *really* interested to hear Matt's super in-depth thoughts on 4e, since The Inevitable MCDM RPG seems like it's drawing from the 4e well so far
this series gives so much insight into the design of dnd; learning about the changes and proliferation of optional rules in second addition shows just how hard it is to design when you have to keep things the same, or at least compatable.
I actually found a copy of the Complete fighter at a local bookstore and got it for a steal and "Player's Option: Combat & Tactics". I love these books, it's so much fun to go back and see how things used to be!
I'd love to see a Pathfinder video in addition to a 4th ed one. I think the splinter in design is a really interesting part of the legacy of these games.
This reminds me of my first DnD group. I never played it before, so I did some research online. The next session I asked the DM: "Is passing an object a free action?" My friend started laughing and the DM raised his voice and said: "NO! There will be no peasant rail gun!" It still brings a smile to my face when I think about it.
This has got to be the most unexpected but exciting UA-cam notification I've ever received. I feel like I'm way back as a baby DM, using Matts videos to try and understand the game I was falling in love with.
We used the term "Seesaw Balance" to refer to the power creep of Mages over Fighters. Fighters were more likely to survive low level play than mages, whilst mages were more likely to survive high level play.
A 2 hour video!? What a gift for a Friday morning! Thank you for the work you consisently deliver, Matt; writing, recording and editing a two hour video is a marathon effort. It does not go unappreciated!
@Steven Victor Neiman : Yeah 3E still had a big chunk of simulationist in there where they wanted to apply the same rules to everything. Monster hit dice were even a sort of fake class that granted hit dice, saving throw progression, skills, etc. NPCs used the exact same rules as PCs for classes and everything. The big problem though was that this was incredibly tedious to design as a DM and really didn't help do anything you actually cared about. Put 2 levels of wizard onto a fire giant and it doesn't do much to its challenge, but add barbarian or fighter levels and it makes it tougher. 4E and 5E were pretty much the simulationist design getting nearly completely wiped from D&D.
Professor Colville presents us with facts and opinions on the history of our favorite TTRPG. 2 hours well spent to digest the historical record. All game designers should take heed (and copious notes)!
As someone who's only been inducted into 5e, videos like this really show how simple things like Archetypes and Multi-classing, things we in 5e take for granted, came from and the archaic way they used to be.
The only peacetime decade in seventy years, the only decade in the last fifty with a strong economy, and what do people play? Sentimental story games about outcasts. Kinda telling about how "good" life might be in the current system if we somehow return to the state of the 90s.
Matt, having been off of work the last week, I've really enjoyed The History of D&D Playlist! I'm a new player (5e) and DM during the pandemic and I've really enjoyed this history of the game. I remember my dad (who was a pastor at the time, I was 7 or 8) playing D&D back in the late 70s in Pacific Grove, California. I can remember large cardboard boxes cut up and a grid drawn on the cardboard covered with clear plastic. Thank you for the time you've taken over the years to put together this series of the history of D&D, it's been fantastic!
I went back and watched the entire One Fighter at a Time series several months ago, and I loved every second of it. This feels like an anthropological study of my favorite hobby, which is especially useful for someone like me who started playing in 5th edition. Great video!
I remember second edition character sheets that we only filled out our primary stat infoand ignore the rest. We ran essentially a different game to what was presented in the book, just with thaco and AC the same. I am exactly the person described by Matt, I bought the books to read and imagine, we never allowed kits but I remember creating barbarians and cavaliers on rainy afternoons
I've been on a kick recently of reading through a lot of the old school adventures that have been published online. History of dnd videos like this one really help to put all that stuff into context and give an idea of what the designers were thinking back then. I think this will help me to better adapt those old adventures to my 5th edition game. Besides the practical value of it, this history is really entertaining to watch.
This "History of D&D" videos are a godsend: high quality, really streamlined in the topics, easy to understand: please, I need the next videos, as much as I need air to live!!!!! Thank you very very much for all you incredible, detailed hard work. The passion you convey through your words and your tone makes me wanna play (again) all the previous versions of D&D, even if I think that 5e really nailed it.
Matt has said that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
@@Braincain007 There is an hidden meaning in this kind of message: appreciation. What if I do not have anything to add more to this enormous work? I am a total n00b compared to him. Good to know Matt preferences but that's how youtube works. Other platform could be more engaging to have a real discussion with users.
I love the D and D histories, since like you I started playing in the 80s, but kind of got out of it in the early 2000s but now my son is 16 and I am trying to get him into it, thank you for your time and happy thanksgiving!!!
I go to sleep listening to the playlist of these all the time. Please do make the 4e video at some point, pretty pretty please. You definitely know the archaelogy of it well, and then in however many years it takes to get 5e we can finally see all the Duncans fight in a battle royale. That will be so cool.
Just discovered this video. Have gone back and binged watched all the others. Amazing! I’m very much in the Old school camp after not moving beyond 2nd edition in my youth and having rediscovered basic dnd through OSE. Saying all that can’t wait to see how dnd moves forward through 4th and 5th as has never played these systems. Fun, engaging and fascinating. Loving these videos Matt.
For the record*, Ryan Dancey did *not* come up with open source approach for D&D. I did... over Christmas in late 90’s... and shared the suggestion by email up the food chain at WotC. Shortly after, Ryan Dancey actually asked me for a copy of my email explaining my brainstorm to principles at WotC. I obliged him with understanding he would provide me his feedback (which he never did). As I recall, Dancey was subsequently made head of D&D. (I did not know it was on the back of my open source licensing suggestion.) Dancey never looped me in that he was (and the entire D&D team were) using my open source licensing idea for the new edition of D&D. I was squeezed out of WotC shortly before the new edition of D&D was released and find the timing... curious. I now gather Ryan Dancey sold my idea as his own (especially since he did not credit me in D&D 3E) and if Matt says Dancey originated the idea. So shady days at WotC by shady people. (If you don’t believe me, don’t bother to google Ryan Dancey.)
And, yes, I’m noticing OGL/D20 wiki entries are wrong on this point, e.g.:
“Dancey largely conceived of the Open Gaming License(OGL) and d20 System Trademark License, based on his belief that the true strength of D&D was in its gaming community.[2]:287” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Dancey)
* Matt makes Dancey claim at about 40min of video. I did email Matt this correction, and he replies below.
This is super interesting! Thanks for the comment. I pinned this, so other folks will see it.
@Matt: You are welcome, and TY!
If this is true, why didn't you sue?
@@leeshackelford7517 #IANAL Whom would you have me sue? WotC/Hasbro? Dancey? The former is huge with an infinite warchest and offices of lawyers, and the other may not even be worth suing. Dancey can’t give me credit, and Hasbro didn’t even own WotC back then. [Actually some was pre-Hasbro, some (publishing) was under Hasbro.] Messy. And what would I sue for? Credit? Damages (and how to calculate)? (And what would this (presumably) undisclosed loose end do to the Hasbro purchase of WotC?-)
At least now I know more specifics about it (but it would still require discovery process). But suing is not really fun nor... quick nor... reliable. And then I’d need to find a good lawyer appropriate for the case. And to sue for real requires damages, or judges throw suit out. And it requires deep pockets, and years of time, and patience with ridiculous results; suits get thrown out for technicalities all the time (no matter how incorrect or absurd). And then there’s things like proof... do I still have the original email? Does WotC have it? I would need to find it. And then there’s priorities. I’d like credit. Do you get credit by suing? And one (cynical but) final thing... courts don’t always stick to the facts even when presented with them. So really, it’s a game of percentages. In a perfect world, a lawsuit would be ideal, and all would be made whole. But in reality... I’m not even in the game industry anymore.
Good question. I hope my answer gives some perspective. I thank Matt for highlighting the issue with his pin of my message.
@@leeshackelford7517 I don't think he could sue anyone over this. Under most employment contracts, the "idea" would have been owned by the company if it was hatched on company time/with company resources. He could certainly complain about which employee got the praise and credit, but you can't sue for praise. It's possible that WotC's contract allowed creators to retain ownership of ideas, but I wouldn't know if that was the case.
Did this man seriously just continue this series as if there wasn’t a 5 year gap between this and the last episode
lol I looked back a few *weeks* to see if I’d missed a video
@@willowweedsYT I honestly thought youtube did that thing where it suggest really old videos lol.
And I'm glad he did, because I hadn't watched the previous videos
And boy does it look better. maybe we'll get 4th and 5th ed before 2030. ;) lol.
Completely baller move!
"2 hours? Who the hell is gonna sit through all that?" - Me, 2 hours ago.
Me realising I missed out on a cool playlist 6 years plus in the making.
Well time to do nothing but listen to past Matt talk about DnD.
Two hours well spent. Well. More like 8 cause I watched them all to get to here.
Could have done a 30-minute video on Skills & Powers and such. Matt didn't talk about 3E -- the subject of the video -- for the first 30 minutes. LOL.
Yeah I've been watching all of these. It's really cool to go back and see all the different design paradigms they went through.
I could sit through hours of Matt's conent and I do. Often rewatching or listening and absorbing it while I'm working. Enchancing my knowledgebase for DMing.
I think it took about 10 hours total to record and edit this video. So you better like it! :D Actually it’s longer than that if you include all the prep and research.
Thank you so much for this video - this series was the one to get me initially into following you (and then your Playing The Game series).
I admit to fearing this series was dead because in a Q&A you had said something about the series being a low-watched one, so you were making content that would be more likely to watch
OMG, I didn't dare hope! I know what I'm watching tonight! Hope it get's the attention it deserves this time!
Video looks great but I'm pretty sure the roman numerals are wrong in the title and that's all I can think about when I see it.
@@staytonanime What do you mean? It is the eight video on the subject. (Although one of the old ones is set to private, which might cause som confusion?).
Always think your videos are the best on youtube
This comment is positive reinforcement so you'll make the 4e video in less than like 5 years. Big fan of that edition. Can't wait for the larger, newer community of players to see it.
@@simulation5627 Meaning it is the first edition of D&D to know it was being played on a grid? Yeah that's true. Does a great job of that.
But be careful, the way your comment is phrased might make someone think you're one of those mouth breathing morons who thinks 4e isn't an RPG or is a lesser version of D&D just because it knew it was a game.
4th edition was to much like playing a tabletop rpg mmo with all its at will powers , daily powers and encounter powers , it's healing surges and movements in squares .
It lost the feeling that d&d was in favor of trying to grab the mmo crowd and pull them into the game .
As for playing on a grid it's what we used to do back in the late 70s and 80s using graph paper taped together to make dungeons for out miniatures to move around on based on their movement score ..
While 4th edition was a fantasy rpg mixed with a mmo it moved away from what D&D was because wizards wanted to cash in on the mmo craze and bring those players onto the game which failed in the end hence 5th edition going back to what d&d used to be in many ways yet it's kept a little bit of the mmo aspect
If anything 4th edition gets hard to play because there is too many things at once to remember, to calculate and to choose for each character each round. I like the ease of access to powers and the broader range of potential to affect various subsystems and create codified tactics into the game itself. but unless you give time to really understand the system it can easily get bogged down. 4th edition is not for the faint of heart if you want to push it to the limits.
Fourth edition was the high water mark of D&D. It was the only edition me and my group ever truly enjoyed for the game and the game mechanics. It did heroic fantasy better than anything I've ever played and I'm looking back on the 7 year campaign from Level 1 to Level 30 we played in that game as a true testament to how great those rules are.
The tactical aspect was finally back after it had been missing since original D&D many years ago and the Character Classes were all interesting and viable from 1st to 30th Level. Ritual Casting allowed for incredible epic feats of magical grandeur without spellcasters making all other Classes second rate at high Levels. The Healing Surge Mechanics, the Bloodied condition, the incredible Skill Challenge system (that we now use in all roleplaying games since it's the epitome of narrative interactive gameplay based on Characters rather than Players), the Minions and Monster Types in general, the Encounter design. Everything was just top notch. Beautiful fluid design that worked exactly as it intended.
Yes, removing the OGL probably hurt this edition quite a bit and that was a dumb decision, and there was a lot of complaining from people who had no knowledge of D&D's roots but it is the best strategic and tactical roleplaying game ever designed.
@@kgacalendar I've heard 13th age is good and similar in vein. It's made by some of the people who worked on 4th edition and they have a second edition of 13th age in production.
I love how it seemlessly transitions from the last video, like not time has passed.
now I gotta go back and watch
Time is an illusion, and so are pants.
Accurate
@@Yora21 That is so different in the UK 😏
It's the Eraserhead of our time.
Matt: publishes a new video
Me: Wait, there's an entire Matt Colville series I've never seen about D&D?!?!
*watches 6 hours of UA-cam to get here*
I've not watched this episode yet but this whole series has been a blast. Love the history of this hobby.
I like how Colville just picks up like he didn't drop this series for years. What a wonderful surprise!
Doesn't even acknowledge that any time has passed whatsoever. Classic Colville.
I actually hadn't watched any of the videos before, so I got that out of the way first. I have had Matt in my ear all day
@godminnette2 This!
I would love a pathfinder and pf2e video.
Hearing the history and reaction is really interesting.
Happy to wait another 6 years :)
@@captain-hooked second this
I'm literally just writing this so your engagement stats go up and it makes you go over why 4th edition is great again.
Commenting in 2022 (almost 2023) to let Matt know WE NEED THE 4E VIDEO!!! I've only played 5e for the last 5 and a half years, and I've thought about running a game in older editions, so these videos have been very insightful so far.
I would love to see the videos for 4e and 5e too (especially living in 2023, post OGL fiasco.) As much for the illustration of rules as for the history it uncovers about the game and each edition. I also wouldn't mind seeing - perhaps in a separate playlist - a similar series on OSR games. The big names, I mean. Doing everything would be impossible, there's so many little heartbreakers out there, but doing a similar review of some of the larger entries in the OSR space, comparing and contrasting the retroclones with the original editions they emulate, could be interesting.
Matt has said that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
Wait! What? This series doesn't finish!? Sadness.
Dear Mr. Colville,
I know you're a busy man, but your scholarly approach to this series is an absolute gem and joy of revelation and history. Please make part 8 (4th edition). Please, please, please. (Also, the 5th ed, if it's not too much trouble. )
Thank you,
The People.
Matt has said recently that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
Just for the record, let's a get the story straight: Matt'n Uncle Tom was fishin' it was gettin' pretty late... out on a cypress limb above the wishin' well... where they say it got no bottom it'll take ya straight to the Ninth Ring of Hell...
@@Braincain007 that makes no sense. If someone wants next video, it means they liked this one. "Not talking about the content"? And what is there to talk about? "Good video, can we have another?" is the best you can ask for.
"I am Fighter the White. And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide."
*Sweeping orchestral crescendo*
Anyone else get a bit of enjoyment out of watching his clock in the bottom right hand corner? Starts at 2:20pm, video ends after 10pm
MATT HAPPY THANKSGIVING THIS WAS THE BEST SURPRISE EVER
Came here to say this!
Hell yeah! Happy Thanksgiving Matt, and all!
"I don't know if you remember Maxim.... or magazines."
It's funny because I'm old.
Ah, this old series.
Glad to see it running again, it's a good way to keep the history of the game archived somewhere.
Me and my friends still play 3.5 edition! And I've been running Red Hand of Doom for them the last 5 months! All thanks to you, Matt.
Happy Thanksgiving.
It is going to be so nice in 5 years when we get 4th edition.
The interval has increased between successive videos, so I'm guessing we'll get the next one the same year Winds of Winter comes out.
You mean 3.5
We’re getting closer!! Only 2 more years to go
I remember sneaking the Complete Wizard and the Elves splat books home in my back pack because my parents didn’t want me playing D&D. I never played 2E, but still have a lot of fond memories of those books as reading material like Matt was saying.
Man, I can relate to the, "These are books that people bought just to read them." I read through the AD&D monster manual and players handbook so many times as a child, and was always sad that I never got to play it.
Did the same thing with all the character class source books.
White Wolf/ World of Darkness has a lot of vampire clan & werewolf tribe books, they are just fun to read.
So I’m a recent fan of Matt. I didn’t know this series existed. I just binged watched all of them and they are fantastic.
You are why I made Part VII! :D
Would love to see the 4th edition episode after your recent DUSK campaign :D. I just love all the small side stories you provide in this playlist.
Matt has said recently that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
@@Braincain007 Well i don't have anything to add to the discussion i wouldn't have written any comment if i hadn't written this one.
Besides im not asking for the release date of the next episode im showing appreciation for two of his series'. This is basically a thumbs up in comment form which is good for the algorithm.
If he truly has a problem with this then i don't understand him at all.
@@Braincain007
Sometimes there's just nothing to comment and you want to continue with a series.
I just finished a marathon of watching your whole series, and man I can say, I can't wait to see all the Duncans fight each other. Duncan the First, Junior and the Third better ought to team up against those beefy, competent later fighters.
What an unexpected treat! We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Poland, but hey - Happy Thanksgiving y'all who do ;)
Czesc!
Great think about Thanksgiving is that it's a completely secular holiday. Anyone can celebrate it!
I really liked this one a lot!
I think this series really speaks to those "read only" hobbyists you mentioned. When I was 12 we moved across country and I spent the whole summer reading, and reading the player's handbook because that was all that I had!
"That video [3rd edition] should come much more quickly" - Matthew Colville Oct 2015
I love the attention to detail you put into these histories. The calling out of how the books were made, printed, laid out all helps set the stage for what the game was trying to do. The character sheet captures the mechanics, but the book tries to capture the players from the shelf. Very neat to be drawn back to when 3.0 launched!
It really seemed like the “edition wars” started here. I started playing in ‘89 and I had a lot of groups I joined would only play 1st Edition.
yeah cause 3e is actually a new game.
I mean the tradition of hating on the new/old edition of D&D when the new one comes out started here. Chainmail/Ad&D/basic ...I don’t remember gamers talking smack about those iterations of the game but 2nd Ed. got so much hate. Then when 3rd came out it got hated on as well. It actually IS a new game but people didn’t treat it like a new game (if that makes any sense) just like it was an attack on their way of playing. I never understood the edition wars but it sure was interesting to linger longer in the minis section of the RPG store listening to people passionately argue. (Mostly listening, I did get sucked in some times).
@@Amberthyme ah yeah fair enough. i starrted playing on the eve of 3e really and we just played 3e/3.5 to death. never engaged in edition wars until a bit of bantering when 4e came out and didn't fit our style at all, so like many others we moved to pathfinder. now of course we play 5e like the unwashed masses but i am now starting to run very lite/basic hacks a la prof dm.
i do get that people are passionate about what to spend their time and money on, but i feel like 'toxic edition wars' get blown out of proportion. when i bant with friends we get heated and jab at each other in fun and respect at the end of the day. someone listening in would think we were terrible people and hating on everyone else's good time but honestly the message is 'that's not for me'.. guess i was never exposed to it with other randos and never had to deal with it lol
I know a guy who played uptill 5th and then just went back to basic. No accounting for taste or a better game
@@Bondanalloy Spend anytime on the internet, and you will find toxic asshats looking for an excuse to hating on people. Very different from friends messing with each other
I remember 2nd edition. I had a dozen of those books and monster manuals. As messed up as it was I still loved it. I miss being 14 .
The 3E Draconomicon is my favorite book in all of D&D. that cover is breathtaking
This is a fantastic historical analysis from an industry insider and long-time consumer of the product - rare stuff, we're privileged to have your perspective. Thanks for this, Matt - it's obvious this is a bit of a labour of love. We appreciate all your efforts!
The absolute madlad. He finally did it.
I honestly had forgotten what started me onto this playlist last night, so I actually got kinda distressed that the series was gonna end years ago, and instead I got reminded that you gave us this great new entry. I certainly hope you'll find time to continue and get that 4e entry.
Matt Colville goes full Dan Carlin on D&D! Absolutely brilliant. Begs the question, was the lengthy wait an homage? :D
Enjoyed this quite a bit! Thanks for the content.
greetings captain
"They fixed all of this, by the way, but nobody liked that edition so they threw it out." Lmao yes
We like to whine, not to see our problems go away!
The group who I learned to play D&D with started me on 5e, and they all talked about 4th edition as if it was designed like an MMO "Because it came out around the era of WoW and it tried to hard to be like that"
I am really interested in hearing what you have to say about 4e, because that's literally all I know about it, and also your video about implementing 4th edition design into 5e, which I thought was a really cool video.
Looking forward to the 4th Edition video, it is hands down my favorite edition of the game, and I am so glad there are some other people who love it too. I almost gave up on the hobby because of the way I was treated by people because I liked 4e so every time I come across someone else who like 4e it means a lot to me, probably more than it should.
The rope talk makes me think of The Boondock Saints- you never know what you're going to need rope for, you just always know you're gonna need it!
I love when martial characters have tactics, combat moves and fighting styles. I'm also a huge fan of weapon properties.
At least some of us used Player Options. My table we were playing it in the 2010s. A bunch of us wanted to play D&D. One of us had the Forgotten Realms box set from childhood. So we played 2e. Eventually we downloaded pretty much all of second edition. And played what we called the 'Baldur's Gate 2' rules. Which was mainly giving warriors much higher to hit and whole heap of extra attacks. Which did make them competitive with casters.
The late 2000, early 2010s was a great time to play 2e. There were just so many resources on line.
In my experience nearly everyone played humans in 3rd edition because of that feat at 1st level. It was the powergamer standard. Variant Human in 5E is still highly coveted for the same reason. It puts you 4 levels ahead of everyone else when it comes to combat talents and customization.
When i first started playing DnD in the late 2000's, it was with all my friends huddled around a single 3.5e handbook, writing character sheets on notebook paper and passing around one set of dice. We played 3.5 well into the 2010's and we loved every bit of it. Thank you Matt for all the work you've done in this series and for letting me look through these old books with you
I've been waiting YEARS for this!!!! This is much appreciated...now I need to go back and rewatch from the start.
Please finish this series. It is by far one of the best. For us long time D&D dudes I’ve been playing since 1982 it puts the whole game history into perspective. I currently run 5e campaigns but never dipped into 4th Addition as I just stuck with 3.5. I really want some clarity on your “favorite” addition.
Matt has said that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
This is the most unexpected vid I've ever seen come up in my recommended! Thanks for going through with your old series, we really appreciate them.
I always loved the way that the 3rd edition art imitates some kind of research journal or something, like someone was studying and making notes on all the ancestries and classes. It pays tribute to the b/w art of the original game while also making the core rule book itself stylistically similar to the game’s world.
It's a shame we haven't gotten a 4e fighter video, especially since he references it a lot in the previous videos. I really enjoyed 4e and the series Matt put out of his actual play.
Matt has said that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
man I started with 3rd edition and seeing that art style again really made me nostalgic for the feeling of just discovering the game and going through these pages as a kid building his first wizard, good times
First 6 videos: 1 year, 7 months.
7th video: 5 years later.
Some would say this makes Matt a UA-cam necromancer, but this series is continuing where it left off, not making a mockery of former greatness. I say this makes Matt a powerful cleric of Pay Tron!
This edition was my entry to D&D and I loved it. I still love it. I love the artwork which I think was supposed to resemble Leonardo Da Vinci's sketch books.
So much of D&D going forward draws from this edition.
Yay! Can't believe I missed this! 2 hours of noodly goodness. Love that it has the exact same feel as the first videos. Thank you for putting in the work!
I still play 2E, and I'll stick up for the non-uniform stat bonuses. Obviously, there's something to be said for the uniformity of WotC-era D&D, but it also shaves down a lot of interesting and potentially enjoyable stuff, and there's a case to be made for more complexity from a simulationist point of view (of course, not everyone cares about simulationism, but some of us do!). On some level, it just makes sense that, say, being a bit stronger than someone else might result in a bigger improvement to one thing than to another. Whether one cares about that granularity is another question (and of course, whether 2E gets those details "right" is yet another question).
I was really glad to see this series revived! Slightly disappointed we didn't get a dedicated 2.5E video, but it's quite understandable. I don't know anybody who adopted more than maybe 25% of the stuff in Player's Option, if that. But that's by design - "option" is the critical word there, and it's in line with the general 2E philosophy of basically giving the user a toolbox of options to pick and choose from (a philosophy I quite like, incidentally). I use just a few little things from the Player's Option books, but I like having all that stuff available.
This was hands down the best two hours of my week, thanks for remembering me the fun of days past
1:54:09 Sam Gamgee knew the value of "a good bit o' rope"...
And I remember my copy of the VtM rule book including a quote from Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown” 😏
Feeding the algorithm but loved this content, binged all of them today! Thanks Matt!
Just wanting to comment here to say that I’ve loved this series. Hope it’s continued as I’m a primarily pathfinder player these days, but me first D&D was 4e and I have a fondness for that system
Matt has said that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
@@Braincain007 I hope this doesn’t discourage him then. Not asking about when, just expressing excitement for the next edition as it was my first D&D and I know Mat has a fondness for 4e too
My wish spell has finally taken effect
You first had to get to 17th level.
There might be some backfire to it. Watch out!
The problem is, you cast Wish back in second edition, when it aged the caster five years. That's why we had to wait.
Second time through the whole series and it is such a treat watching people discover these gems again and again. Can’t wait for 4th Edition!
I'm now *really* interested to hear Matt's super in-depth thoughts on 4e, since The Inevitable MCDM RPG seems like it's drawing from the 4e well so far
this series gives so much insight into the design of dnd; learning about the changes and proliferation of optional rules in second addition shows just how hard it is to design when you have to keep things the same, or at least compatable.
so excited to watch, this video series got me to watch all your other videos and back into D&D last year!
I actually found a copy of the Complete fighter at a local bookstore and got it for a steal and "Player's Option: Combat & Tactics". I love these books, it's so much fun to go back and see how things used to be!
I'd love to see a Pathfinder video in addition to a 4th ed one. I think the splinter in design is a really interesting part of the legacy of these games.
These videos have become one of my happy places. Matt, your combination of casual confidence and joyful enthusiasm are a balm to the anxious soul.
Child screaming at the screen with fists clenched, "YEEEAAAASSSS!!"
This reminds me of my first DnD group. I never played it before, so I did some research online. The next session I asked the DM: "Is passing an object a free action?" My friend started laughing and the DM raised his voice and said: "NO! There will be no peasant rail gun!" It still brings a smile to my face when I think about it.
Yaaaay! Its finally here. Truly a river to his people
Yes!
This is the series that got me started on your channel. As a 4th Edition junkie I'm excitedly waiting for Duncan IX!
This has got to be the most unexpected but exciting UA-cam notification I've ever received. I feel like I'm way back as a baby DM, using Matts videos to try and understand the game I was falling in love with.
This is the best thing one can wake up to on Thanksgiving morning!
Just knowing you are a fan of 4e makes me shamelessly love these videos even more. Such an undervalued core system.
We used the term "Seesaw Balance" to refer to the power creep of Mages over Fighters. Fighters were more likely to survive low level play than mages, whilst mages were more likely to survive high level play.
A 2 hour video!? What a gift for a Friday morning! Thank you for the work you consisently deliver, Matt; writing, recording and editing a two hour video is a marathon effort. It does not go unappreciated!
3rd Edition: "It made sense at the time!"
Still does.
@@Voldine2 Not really.
@@Oldentide That's only your opinion, not a fact.
Yeah. Still playing pathfinder.
@Steven Victor Neiman : Yeah 3E still had a big chunk of simulationist in there where they wanted to apply the same rules to everything. Monster hit dice were even a sort of fake class that granted hit dice, saving throw progression, skills, etc. NPCs used the exact same rules as PCs for classes and everything. The big problem though was that this was incredibly tedious to design as a DM and really didn't help do anything you actually cared about. Put 2 levels of wizard onto a fire giant and it doesn't do much to its challenge, but add barbarian or fighter levels and it makes it tougher.
4E and 5E were pretty much the simulationist design getting nearly completely wiped from D&D.
Putting up Christmas decorations while listening to this. Very intriguing for someone who was introduced to D&D a year and a half ago. Thanks so much.
Professor Colville presents us with facts and opinions on the history of our favorite TTRPG. 2 hours well spent to digest the historical record. All game designers should take heed (and copious notes)!
As someone who's only been inducted into 5e, videos like this really show how simple things like Archetypes and Multi-classing, things we in 5e take for granted, came from and the archaic way they used to be.
The most anticipated sequel in cinematic history
As someone who started on 4th edition as a teenager it is awesome watching this series. 5 years later but well worth the wait for the next one!
As a historian and professional educator each new video in this series warms my heart and engages my mind. Thank you, and happy Thanksgiving!
OMG I had lost all hope. I absolutely love this series Matt. This is phenomenal. Thank you for continuing to give the history of the game.
"The 90's are just a fad" sums up the 90's as a whole pretty well.
The only peacetime decade in seventy years, the only decade in the last fifty with a strong economy, and what do people play? Sentimental story games about outcasts.
Kinda telling about how "good" life might be in the current system if we somehow return to the state of the 90s.
I love this series! Would love to see the 4th Edition version with the Dusk campaign's popularity recently!
THIS IS SUCH A GREAT PRESENT. AHHHH SOMETHING TO WATCH WHILE I COOKKK
Matt, having been off of work the last week, I've really enjoyed The History of D&D Playlist! I'm a new player (5e) and DM during the pandemic and I've really enjoyed this history of the game. I remember my dad (who was a pastor at the time, I was 7 or 8) playing D&D back in the late 70s in Pacific Grove, California. I can remember large cardboard boxes cut up and a grid drawn on the cardboard covered with clear plastic. Thank you for the time you've taken over the years to put together this series of the history of D&D, it's been fantastic!
The History of D&D? Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time...
I went back and watched the entire One Fighter at a Time series several months ago, and I loved every second of it. This feels like an anthropological study of my favorite hobby, which is especially useful for someone like me who started playing in 5th edition. Great video!
I remember second edition character sheets that we only filled out our primary stat infoand ignore the rest. We ran essentially a different game to what was presented in the book, just with thaco and AC the same.
I am exactly the person described by Matt, I bought the books to read and imagine, we never allowed kits but I remember creating barbarians and cavaliers on rainy afternoons
I've been on a kick recently of reading through a lot of the old school adventures that have been published online. History of dnd videos like this one really help to put all that stuff into context and give an idea of what the designers were thinking back then. I think this will help me to better adapt those old adventures to my 5th edition game. Besides the practical value of it, this history is really entertaining to watch.
I’ve been waiting years for this moment!
This "History of D&D" videos are a godsend: high quality, really streamlined in the topics, easy to understand: please, I need the next videos, as much as I need air to live!!!!! Thank you very very much for all you incredible, detailed hard work. The passion you convey through your words and your tone makes me wanna play (again) all the previous versions of D&D, even if I think that 5e really nailed it.
can't wait to see the video on fourth edition. hope it will be released soon 😁
Matt has said that it really upsets him when he looks in the comments and sees people asking about when the next video is without actually talking about the content of the video. He puts a lot of work, research, and time into making them and seeing hundreds of people that just ask "When's the next video" has discouraged him from making another one for a while.
@@Braincain007 There is an hidden meaning in this kind of message: appreciation. What if I do not have anything to add more to this enormous work? I am a total n00b compared to him.
Good to know Matt preferences but that's how youtube works. Other platform could be more engaging to have a real discussion with users.
I love the D and D histories, since like you I started playing in the 80s, but kind of got out of it in the early 2000s but now my son is 16 and I am trying to get him into it, thank you for your time and happy thanksgiving!!!
Funny how kits have kind of come back in Tasha's list of battlemaster builds.
Super fascinating. I don't remember if I listened to the other ones but I should go back and listen to all of it. History is friggin sweet.
Could it really be? After all this time there is a new video in the series? Hallelujah 2020 doesn't suck 100% after all
I go to sleep listening to the playlist of these all the time. Please do make the 4e video at some point, pretty pretty please. You definitely know the archaelogy of it well, and then in however many years it takes to get 5e we can finally see all the Duncans fight in a battle royale. That will be so cool.
No one knew that this would be the perfect thing to listen to while making Thanksgiving.
But I knew.
It was a legend.
Perfect post-dinner kitchen cleaning video for me
Just discovered this video. Have gone back and binged watched all the others. Amazing! I’m very much in the Old school camp after not moving beyond 2nd edition in my youth and having rediscovered basic dnd through OSE. Saying all that can’t wait to see how dnd moves forward through 4th and 5th as has never played these systems. Fun, engaging and fascinating. Loving these videos Matt.