The importance of The Dragon to the early gaming community cannot be overestimated. It was how we connected with each other, and kept abreast of what was new and upcoming in the industry. I love the hour-long format, think profiles of important personalities of gaming sounds great, and the new intro is a nice look! Cheers for more gaming history through 2024!
Fanzines filled that role here. Dragon was a publication an ocean away in a foreign language. A few of them were focused on one game but most were much more eclectic. Other companies, local ones included, had their own in-house magazines but they often had the same mix and match of stuff. Publishing a Call of Cthulhu adventure or a review of a new Thieves' World book didn't stand out. Other hobbies had and still have their own membership publication or fanzines or newsletters. The bonsai society nearby has one. Associations had to inform members about the pure formalia as well. Voting for the board and changes to dues and locales could be announced.
Your pronunciation of “Leiber” is correct. I heard an old audio recording of Fritz introducing himself at some theatre production (which one escapes me at the moment), and that is how he said it.
Thank you so much for watching all the way through the bonus content! I really appreciate it. You are obviously a person of good taste and culture! Cheers!
Sadly I only ever had a few Dungeon or Dragon as these were just not common in either Waldens or the hobby shops near me. Thankfully a complete digital archive exists and I love being able to use it with my original B/X and now 1st Ed AD&D books plus modules.
Another fine video. This covered all three 20-minute cardio sessions AND loading the dishwasher! I used to have a Digital Marketing Business. My clients were 99% shut down by Covid and we just closed up shop. Thank you for another informative video!
Your deep dives with rules interpretations and D&D history are enlightening to those of us who were there and invaluable for posterity. Keep going per Dragon issue! Thank you!!
Even if Leiber didn't coin "sword & sorcery", it seems reasonably likely that the term would've derived from the title of his Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser story collections "Swords and Deviltry", "Swords Against Wizardry", etc.
Love these in depth histories! Reminded me of the Deities and Demigods hullabaloo with Chaosium - I ran across a video recently where Sandy Petersen told his almost first hand version of that strangeness.
We really need someone to copy all the issues from Strategic Review, Polyhedron, Dragon, Dungeon and White Dwarf (to the mid 1980’s) magazines to a PDF (disc or discs) and sell it. This video is very, very good!!
I don't think it's ever been done with Dungeon or Polyhedron, but Strategic Review/Dragon and White Dwarf had CD-ROM collections in the late 90's or early 2000's. The Dragon one (I have it) had issues #1 - #250 and also included all 7 issues of the Strategic Review. White Dwarf had I believe issues #1 - #100 but I unfortunately don't have that one. There was a bit of a kerfuffle with the Dragon one because of rights issues with the art, as I understand. I don't believe the artist contracts, including the cartoons, included the ability for Dragon to redistribute them in electronic format, and since the magazines included all of the original art (and even the ads), it caused some issues. As I understand it, the creator of the Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip, which was published in Dragon starting in issue #226, was particularly unhappy (but that's hearsay coming from someone who worked at WotC around 2000-2002 and I don't have actual documentation).
Thank you so much for watching all the way through to the bonus content. I really appreciate it. It's a funny story how I ended up at that concert, but the short version is that my ex-girlfriend (with whom I was friends) won tickets by calling in to our local alternative radio station (KROQ-FM) and they gave her a choice of R.E.M. or NIN/Bowie and she chose the latter because she knew at the time that I was a big NIN fan. The tickets were in the Pit, which is awesome and the only time I've ever done that! Your roommate must have told you, but the transition between NIN's set and Bowie's set, where they didn't take an intermission but instead little by little replaced NIN musicians with Bowie's band, taking turns to play each other's songs, until all that was left was Bowie's band with Trent and Bowie singing a duet, then Trent just calmly walks off-stage and Bowie does his set... it was incredible and by far the best concert experience I've ever had. Being ~10 feet away from the stage probably helped as well!
When I started watching this video I was a bit hesitant on the idea of a full video for each issue - it seemed a bit much. But after watching the video I think I'm going to join the majority of comments so far and endorse the idea of one video per most issues. I would suggest spreading them out rather than having them drowned out all the other content (esp. the DM advice ideas from your daughter's campaign - I've been GMing since 1989 and I'm finding great ideas in those videos). Keep up the good work. :D
I am always interested in the other magazines too. In older magazines, there's often a low bar for what to review and what content to accept. It's as interesting to read what was going on in White Dwarf (for some time when GW was even an official D&D distributor), in TAS/Challenge, in White Wolf Magazine etc. They're often not strict in-house magazines, and could have odd D&D adventures, general articles about how many candlestick makers a town got, an adventure for Call of Cthulhu or Traveller, a review of a new Leiber book, someone's RuneQuest rules adaptation for Aragorn etc. And all the local fanzines and magazines that covered local conventions, tournaments and debates of very local relevance.
47:00 I'd always wondered why Illusionist was its own class in 1e and they didn't have, say, dedicated necromancer or summoner classes, but it makes a lot more sense now that I know it was a fan submission.
Been working my way through some of your older history videos that I'd not gotten a chance to listen to over the last few months, and I was really pleased to hear you namecheck Lee Gold's name. She's a dear friend of mine, and it's great to see her ber recognized for her contributions to the hobby!
Aw, that's so cool! I've actually been emailing with her recently and I'm hoping to do a kind of Q&A with her (via email) to chat about her long and storied history in the TTRPG community. Things got a little behind for me due to work but I hope to get back to her soon. Thanks for the reminder!
Also had all the FGU and Chaosium Games you have discussed and hand managed to still keep and hold on to quite a few of them, despite the Military, losing some of my hobby items in moves.
Another great video. As to your question about doing profiles similar to your tribute for Ms. Jaquays I would enjoy that greatly. Many of those mentioned in your various videos are strangers to me despite having a huge influence in my life. I simply never took notice of the writers and staff doing the work, a failing of mine to be sure. I did enjoy the format and agree that 12 issues is a bit much for one video. Perhaps as time goes on you may find that 2 to 3 per video works, but this one deserved its own for sure. I look forward to your next production.
This was an awesome video. Please keep this series coming. And yes, by all means do a video on the curmudgeonly Tim Kask. We were lucky enough to play in his Wheel of Blame with him this past weekend, our seventh outing with him running that game online for our group The Seven Winds down here in Okinawa, Japan. He's spry as all get out, has a mind like a steel trap, and isn't afraid to turn PCs into chickens and chickens into kings. A true living master of the game!
Just discovered your channel. One issue/episode would be great. I think they might go a little faster after the first handful of episodes because you've already laid the background-stories for many staff members & don't have to do so again. My first character was a Dwarf named Rolf Stonebreaker; Pink Box creation. All I recall about him was hiding behind a tree outside an inn and shooting a crossbow at an orc.
I am so glad you found the channel! Thank you for your support in subscribing, and for watching and commenting. Also, thanks for your feedback regarding the format of the future Dragon Magazine videos. I, too, started with the "Pink Box" (Moldvay B/X) in 1981 and my first character was a fighter named Dovirr. I still have his character sheet!
1 issue at a time. I have faith that your channel will grow and be sustained till at least the end of the magazines. 🎉 i think keeping them around 45min or less might help too. 1hr is long, imo.
I really appreciate the feedback, and the positive thinking for the future of the channel! Thank you so much for watching and commenting, and for your support. Cheers!
The comment about the size of these companies as they start out was true here as well. They always needed more artists and writers and could call up and ask relatively unknown people with little previous experience they came into contact with or new. But I like the people out of nowhere, who showed up and took a small commission for art in the magazine or wrote a small adventure there and slid into more work. Bergting starts drawing for Äventyrsspel before he was getting started on comics, before he was "the Mignola-like guy". Sometimes the magazine could be a sort of testing ground for people who wanted to share something or do a small job but weren't able to leave their day job.
Our groups used or didn't use all kinds of rules. As far as rolling for a "stat", the DM would usually tell us to roll 3d6 or 4d6 or a d20, depending on the difficulty or whatever. We seldom argued unless we had reason for an adjustment. And yes, we had many references to Monty Python, Dr Who and others during our games. Sometimes laughing so hard we had to take a break. With no Internet or "Bulletin Board" system as it was called in the old days, these magazines and fanzines were invaluable for ideas.
I didn't really get into Bowie until a bit later. In the mid-80's I was all into punk and the younger New Wave bands and felt that Bowie was "old people music" (yeah, I was young and stupid). It took me getting into college in the late 80s/early 90s to appreciate him. I've slowly been trying to collect his catalogue on vinyl but there is so much!
I saw that video after I posted this. I think it's one of those cases of the original intent being overshadowed by the legions of folks who came after since the "Pronunciation Guide" by Mentzer offers four legitimate pronunciations!
Idk, I say "adventure fantasy" when thinking about Gamma World. Heh, we were half way to Minneapolis for that "Glass Spider" tour/fiasco when we stopped and checked in with our friend back home. They told us about the cancelation because of the blizzard we were plugging through. Missed my chance...
Leiber is pronounced "LEE-bur." I actually met Fritz in the late 1980s, just a few years before he passed away. Fritz was scheduled to be a guest in Orlando at World Con in 1992, and he cancelled because of illness. During the convention, his death was announced and 30,000 people went silent enough to hear a pin drop. He meant a lot to science fiction and fantasy. I had actually packed my Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books for him to sign. It was a very sad day at the convention. When I met in a few years before, he mentioned that corresponded with H.P. Lovecraft when he was a teenager, and Lovecraft encouraged his writing. I really enjoy learning about the history of D&D and Dragon Magazine's early days. I almost bought a copy of Dragon #1 back in the early '90s. It was only going for $200-300 back then. Now it goes for $1500-$3000, depending on condition. Crazy! My Dragon Magazine collection goes back to issue #16.
Great video as always! I am in for the DEEP DIVES too! I believe this is something that will enlighten a lot and enrich our view of the evolutionary consistency of the game. One quick question... is the page 9 illustration a Jennell Jaquays (signing with P.J. may be a clue)??
Wow - great catch! In my tribute to Jennell Jaquays I mentioned that her first work for TSR was for Dragon Magazine #2, but I looked again after you pointed this out and confirmed via Shannon Applecline (author of "Designers & Dragons") that this illustration is by her as well! Thank you so much for catching that - I'll make sure to include it in my "corrections" video when I get around to making that. Cheers, and thanks so much for watching, commenting, and subscribing! I really appreciate it.
Since you are open to opinions, I'd prefer one issue per video, long-form (but not padded), dropping about every two weeks until you are ready to stop. If you get through 2 or 3 years of issues, that's great.
It may take ages, but I would like to watch 1 video per issue. Tho I'd recommend to put the number of said issue in the video and make a playlist out of it. In the future, people may want to search for an specific issue and your videos will be there.
In my opinion, there never should've been another edition of D&D after 1e. All that D&D ever needed after 1e is what Dragon Magazine gave it; optional rules. Had Gary Gygax and TSR managed their company better, they never would've gone out of business. Instead, we have new editions, over and over, and the only reason any of them were written was for money, which they would've made with revisions too. By revisions, I just meant alternative rules, different ways to play D&D. There really is no wrong way to play D&D. That's why it was called The Dungeon Masters "Guide" and The Players "Handbook" and not "Rulebook". Use whatever rules you want. As long as everyone is having fun playing "your version" of D&D, that's ALL that matters.
@@williampalmer8052 oh there's no doubt about that. So glad he wrote it, but I wish he did it "with" Arneson, instead of for the reasons he did. Sad those two couldn't work out their issues and stay friends.
As someone who has played 2e since it came out, I would have to respectfully disagree, but I definitely wish the takeover had never happened, and that we'd been able to see what direction TSR would have gone from 97 to now.
@@IbnShisha1 We all played 2nd edition too. That is, we used the rules from 2nd edition that we liked, and ignored the ones we didn't. Same with 1st edition, but I'm pretty sure the only reason TSR put out 2nd edition AD&D was to get Gary Gygax off the payroll. Had Gary not had his company taken from him; something that never would've been allowed before, I don't think Gary would've made a "2nd edition". I'm sure many of the 2nd edition rules though would've been implemented in articles, and that he might've even written a "Revised Edition". What WotC did to the game though is just ridiculous; turning it into a game of Super Heroes who never die, who fly up levels. I'm shocked that they succeeded with it.
Argh! I knew that! E.G.G. Of course. I sometimes get a little flummoxed while recording because I don't write a script but mostly ad lib around my notes, so I from time to time make small mistakes like this. Thanks for catching that, and thanks for watching.
I like Benedictine because it’s a great sipper, but is also good in a Singapore Sling. Nice pairing with a Bowie record I had never seen. What is the concert story?
I don't think it would be worth going over ever issue of the dragon. I would like to see some of your favorite issues, or even just articles, and how they influenced you. Maybe especially momentous dragons, the first after 2e released, the first Paizo issued, the first after 4e released etc. could also be interesting.
That's a really interesting approach! And it does make sense. I'll think about how I might change, although I do think going through the first few issues each to show how the magazine changed and developed over time would be worth it. Thanks for the ideas!
Hey, quick comment: I like your overviews, it feels like I'm talking to most of my friends. Lin Carter is best remembered for being the line editor for the Ballantine Adult Fantasy line of books, which brought a lot of out of print early fantasy and proto-sword and sorcery back into print in the wake of the JRR Tolkien resurgence of the late sixties. Also: It's probably been a hot minute since you've read Robert E. Howard, and what you might know about him is only what you read in the intros to the Conan paperbacks. Those were written by series editor L. Sprague de Camp and his biographical information has been thoroughly refuted and/or redressed, as he was very unkind and very unsympathetic to REH. There's a lot of new, better information out there about Howard and his work, if you're interested. It's kind of a deep dive, but if you're a fan, it's worth checking out. Keep up the good work!
that people write first as fans and than later get noticed and write as employees seems an old and tested trends, sometimes even know (although more people tend to do their thing outright themselves than). I know White Wolf did that in the 90s and Onyx Path later, also the biggest german ttrpg The Dark Eye did that in the 80s and 90s, sometimes still. (which was especially cool as it is a living world, the original company doesnt exist anymore btw, now done by Ulisses)
I enjoy these kinds of reminiscences, and hopefully your younger viewers will be interested in gaining insight on how different things once were. In the Before Times, every D&D group was like an island unto itself, and Dragon was one of the few things that made us feel like a part of a larger community. Edit - While I think names should be pronouced however you prefer, Tim Kask (who invented the Bullette) says it's pronounced "boo-lay."
I just stumbled across a video where Tim Kask says it’s pronounced “Boo-lay”. He did that on purpose to mock anti-French sentiment at the time. Also weird: the Landshark common name came from him watching a Jaws parody skit on SNL while under deadline to publish for this featured issue.
I was This Many years old (i.e., decades into the hobby) when I learned "Oerth" (which by all rules of phonics should be pronounced "OH-urth" or maybe "OHr-th" ) was supposed to be "OI-th"; like Bugs Bunny saying "Earth". Seems like "Oyth" or "Oyeth" would have been a better transliteration. 🤷♂️
The early days of the game were very much adversarial in nature, and James Ward has a long term and well earned reputation for his games being TPK fests.
... and Charisma is being able to sell someone a tomato-based fruit salad! I used that example myself in the game I run for my daughter and also included the physical stats (STR = crush a tomato with your first, DEX = throw a tomato with accuracy, CON = eat a poisoned/rotten tomato without getting sick). I have heard some people "helpfully" add, "But isn't a tomato-based fruit salad just a salsa?" Also, another example I've heard that I quite like, but I don't think the players in my daughter's game were old enough to get it is: "Intelligence is knowing the monster is not named Frankenstein. Wisdom is knowing the monster *is* named Frankenstein." Thanks for watching and commenting!
The importance of The Dragon to the early gaming community cannot be overestimated. It was how we connected with each other, and kept abreast of what was new and upcoming in the industry. I love the hour-long format, think profiles of important personalities of gaming sounds great, and the new intro is a nice look! Cheers for more gaming history through 2024!
Fanzines filled that role here. Dragon was a publication an ocean away in a foreign language. A few of them were focused on one game but most were much more eclectic. Other companies, local ones included, had their own in-house magazines but they often had the same mix and match of stuff. Publishing a Call of Cthulhu adventure or a review of a new Thieves' World book didn't stand out.
Other hobbies had and still have their own membership publication or fanzines or newsletters. The bonsai society nearby has one. Associations had to inform members about the pure formalia as well. Voting for the board and changes to dues and locales could be announced.
36:55 "Anologic Computer" sounds like a King Crimson album.
Your pronunciation of “Leiber” is correct. I heard an old audio recording of Fritz introducing himself at some theatre production (which one escapes me at the moment), and that is how he said it.
Bowie and Benedictine sounds like a great combination to ponder all things D&D history.
Thank you so much for watching all the way through the bonus content! I really appreciate it. You are obviously a person of good taste and culture! Cheers!
I love longer videos, but I'm the kind of person who enjoys 4 hour TH-cam documentaries.
Thank you for the feedback, and for watching and commenting!
43:50 I love this ad, it's got circus poster energy without using a different font for every line or word.
Sadly I only ever had a few Dungeon or Dragon as these were just not common in either Waldens or the hobby shops near me. Thankfully a complete digital archive exists and I love being able to use it with my original B/X and now 1st Ed AD&D books plus modules.
Another fine video. This covered all three 20-minute cardio sessions AND loading the dishwasher! I used to have a Digital Marketing Business. My clients were 99% shut down by Covid and we just closed up shop. Thank you for another informative video!
Keep these going - 1 hour is great. I listen to this while I work.
Bravo. For someone that started playing in 1978 this was an awesome walkthru of gaming at the time and Dragon magazines role in that.
Your deep dives with rules interpretations and D&D history are enlightening to those of us who were there and invaluable for posterity. Keep going per Dragon issue! Thank you!!
Even if Leiber didn't coin "sword & sorcery", it seems reasonably likely that the term would've derived from the title of his Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser story collections "Swords and Deviltry", "Swords Against Wizardry", etc.
Love these in depth histories! Reminded me of the Deities and Demigods hullabaloo with Chaosium - I ran across a video recently where Sandy Petersen told his almost first hand version of that strangeness.
We really need someone to copy all the issues from Strategic Review, Polyhedron, Dragon, Dungeon and White Dwarf (to the mid 1980’s) magazines to a PDF (disc or discs) and sell it.
This video is very, very good!!
I don't think it's ever been done with Dungeon or Polyhedron, but Strategic Review/Dragon and White Dwarf had CD-ROM collections in the late 90's or early 2000's. The Dragon one (I have it) had issues #1 - #250 and also included all 7 issues of the Strategic Review. White Dwarf had I believe issues #1 - #100 but I unfortunately don't have that one.
There was a bit of a kerfuffle with the Dragon one because of rights issues with the art, as I understand. I don't believe the artist contracts, including the cartoons, included the ability for Dragon to redistribute them in electronic format, and since the magazines included all of the original art (and even the ads), it caused some issues. As I understand it, the creator of the Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip, which was published in Dragon starting in issue #226, was particularly unhappy (but that's hearsay coming from someone who worked at WotC around 2000-2002 and I don't have actual documentation).
My roommate in college went to that tour and raved about it. NIN is my favorite band so now I'm jealous of both of you.
Thank you so much for watching all the way through to the bonus content. I really appreciate it. It's a funny story how I ended up at that concert, but the short version is that my ex-girlfriend (with whom I was friends) won tickets by calling in to our local alternative radio station (KROQ-FM) and they gave her a choice of R.E.M. or NIN/Bowie and she chose the latter because she knew at the time that I was a big NIN fan. The tickets were in the Pit, which is awesome and the only time I've ever done that!
Your roommate must have told you, but the transition between NIN's set and Bowie's set, where they didn't take an intermission but instead little by little replaced NIN musicians with Bowie's band, taking turns to play each other's songs, until all that was left was Bowie's band with Trent and Bowie singing a duet, then Trent just calmly walks off-stage and Bowie does his set... it was incredible and by far the best concert experience I've ever had. Being ~10 feet away from the stage probably helped as well!
When I started watching this video I was a bit hesitant on the idea of a full video for each issue - it seemed a bit much. But after watching the video I think I'm going to join the majority of comments so far and endorse the idea of one video per most issues. I would suggest spreading them out rather than having them drowned out all the other content (esp. the DM advice ideas from your daughter's campaign - I've been GMing since 1989 and I'm finding great ideas in those videos). Keep up the good work. :D
I am always interested in the other magazines too. In older magazines, there's often a low bar for what to review and what content to accept. It's as interesting to read what was going on in White Dwarf (for some time when GW was even an official D&D distributor), in TAS/Challenge, in White Wolf Magazine etc. They're often not strict in-house magazines, and could have odd D&D adventures, general articles about how many candlestick makers a town got, an adventure for Call of Cthulhu or Traveller, a review of a new Leiber book, someone's RuneQuest rules adaptation for Aragorn etc. And all the local fanzines and magazines that covered local conventions, tournaments and debates of very local relevance.
I really like these deep dives. Put them out whenever you can.
47:00 I'd always wondered why Illusionist was its own class in 1e and they didn't have, say, dedicated necromancer or summoner classes, but it makes a lot more sense now that I know it was a fan submission.
I loved the full scale map of the interior of Baba Yaga's Hut in one of the issues. That was awesome beyond words.
Been working my way through some of your older history videos that I'd not gotten a chance to listen to over the last few months, and I was really pleased to hear you namecheck Lee Gold's name. She's a dear friend of mine, and it's great to see her ber recognized for her contributions to the hobby!
Aw, that's so cool! I've actually been emailing with her recently and I'm hoping to do a kind of Q&A with her (via email) to chat about her long and storied history in the TTRPG community. Things got a little behind for me due to work but I hope to get back to her soon. Thanks for the reminder!
I would LOVE to see a deep dive on each individual issue. Even if it takes a decade.
Regarding the question you asked at 6:00 or so, I'll watch in either format to be honest.
Also had all the FGU and Chaosium Games you have discussed and hand managed to still keep and hold on to quite a few of them, despite the Military, losing some of my hobby items in moves.
Another great video. As to your question about doing profiles similar to your tribute for Ms. Jaquays I would enjoy that greatly. Many of those mentioned in your various videos are strangers to me despite having a huge influence in my life. I simply never took notice of the writers and staff doing the work, a failing of mine to be sure.
I did enjoy the format and agree that 12 issues is a bit much for one video. Perhaps as time goes on you may find that 2 to 3 per video works, but this one deserved its own for sure. I look forward to your next production.
This was an awesome video. Please keep this series coming. And yes, by all means do a video on the curmudgeonly Tim Kask. We were lucky enough to play in his Wheel of Blame with him this past weekend, our seventh outing with him running that game online for our group The Seven Winds down here in Okinawa, Japan. He's spry as all get out, has a mind like a steel trap, and isn't afraid to turn PCs into chickens and chickens into kings. A true living master of the game!
I enjoy listening to the videos while doing my job so I'm totally okay with really long videos, but whatever is best for you :)
Thank you for watching and commenting, and for adding your opinion regarding video length! I appreciate it.
as long as you can handle it and enjoy it that way, longer and more thorough is almost always going to be better.
Just discovered your channel. One issue/episode would be great. I think they might go a little faster after the first handful of episodes because you've already laid the background-stories for many staff members & don't have to do so again.
My first character was a Dwarf named Rolf Stonebreaker; Pink Box creation. All I recall about him was hiding behind a tree outside an inn and shooting a crossbow at an orc.
I am so glad you found the channel! Thank you for your support in subscribing, and for watching and commenting. Also, thanks for your feedback regarding the format of the future Dragon Magazine videos.
I, too, started with the "Pink Box" (Moldvay B/X) in 1981 and my first character was a fighter named Dovirr. I still have his character sheet!
Loved this episode, and if you could do every edition, even once a month and it took years, would love to see it
1 issue at a time. I have faith that your channel will grow and be sustained till at least the end of the magazines. 🎉 i think keeping them around 45min or less might help too. 1hr is long, imo.
I really appreciate the feedback, and the positive thinking for the future of the channel! Thank you so much for watching and commenting, and for your support. Cheers!
Yay!!! Pre watch comment for the algorithm gods 😊
Awesome! Thank you so much!
The comment about the size of these companies as they start out was true here as well. They always needed more artists and writers and could call up and ask relatively unknown people with little previous experience they came into contact with or new. But I like the people out of nowhere, who showed up and took a small commission for art in the magazine or wrote a small adventure there and slid into more work.
Bergting starts drawing for Äventyrsspel before he was getting started on comics, before he was "the Mignola-like guy". Sometimes the magazine could be a sort of testing ground for people who wanted to share something or do a small job but weren't able to leave their day job.
Our groups used or didn't use all kinds of rules.
As far as rolling for a "stat", the DM would usually tell us to roll 3d6 or 4d6 or a d20, depending on the difficulty or whatever. We seldom argued unless we had reason for an adjustment.
And yes, we had many references to Monty Python, Dr Who and others during our games. Sometimes laughing so hard we had to take a break.
With no Internet or "Bulletin Board" system as it was called in the old days, these magazines and fanzines were invaluable for ideas.
I love your person profiles!
I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you very much for letting me know! And, thanks for watching and commenting, and for your support of the channel!
LOVE Bowie! Found him right after I found D&D.
I didn't really get into Bowie until a bit later. In the mid-80's I was all into punk and the younger New Wave bands and felt that Bowie was "old people music" (yeah, I was young and stupid). It took me getting into college in the late 80s/early 90s to appreciate him. I've slowly been trying to collect his catalogue on vinyl but there is so much!
Tim Kask (who created the monster) clarified in a convention video I saw that its "Buu-lay". lol
I saw that video after I posted this. I think it's one of those cases of the original intent being overshadowed by the legions of folks who came after since the "Pronunciation Guide" by Mentzer offers four legitimate pronunciations!
Idk, I say "adventure fantasy" when thinking about Gamma World.
Heh, we were half way to Minneapolis for that "Glass Spider" tour/fiasco when we stopped and checked in with our friend back home. They told us about the cancelation because of the blizzard we were plugging through. Missed my chance...
Leiber is pronounced "LEE-bur." I actually met Fritz in the late 1980s, just a few years before he passed away. Fritz was scheduled to be a guest in Orlando at World Con in 1992, and he cancelled because of illness. During the convention, his death was announced and 30,000 people went silent enough to hear a pin drop. He meant a lot to science fiction and fantasy. I had actually packed my Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books for him to sign. It was a very sad day at the convention. When I met in a few years before, he mentioned that corresponded with H.P. Lovecraft when he was a teenager, and Lovecraft encouraged his writing.
I really enjoy learning about the history of D&D and Dragon Magazine's early days. I almost bought a copy of Dragon #1 back in the early '90s. It was only going for $200-300 back then. Now it goes for $1500-$3000, depending on condition. Crazy! My Dragon Magazine collection goes back to issue #16.
Great video as always! I am in for the DEEP DIVES too! I believe this is something that will enlighten a lot and enrich our view of the evolutionary consistency of the game.
One quick question... is the page 9 illustration a Jennell Jaquays (signing with P.J. may be a clue)??
Wow - great catch! In my tribute to Jennell Jaquays I mentioned that her first work for TSR was for Dragon Magazine #2, but I looked again after you pointed this out and confirmed via Shannon Applecline (author of "Designers & Dragons") that this illustration is by her as well! Thank you so much for catching that - I'll make sure to include it in my "corrections" video when I get around to making that.
Cheers, and thanks so much for watching, commenting, and subscribing! I really appreciate it.
Since you are open to opinions, I'd prefer one issue per video, long-form (but not padded), dropping about every two weeks until you are ready to stop. If you get through 2 or 3 years of issues, that's great.
This is a great way to do it.
It may take ages, but I would like to watch 1 video per issue. Tho I'd recommend to put the number of said issue in the video and make a playlist out of it. In the future, people may want to search for an specific issue and your videos will be there.
That's a great idea. Thank you! And thank you for watching and for your feedback. I really appreciate it.
Take your times with these but keep doing them, they are great.
Imagine thinking that 'Packaged in a Zip-Lock Bag' is a selling point that you should advertise.
In my opinion, there never should've been another edition of D&D after 1e. All that D&D ever needed after 1e is what Dragon Magazine gave it; optional rules. Had Gary Gygax and TSR managed their company better, they never would've gone out of business. Instead, we have new editions, over and over, and the only reason any of them were written was for money, which they would've made with revisions too. By revisions, I just meant alternative rules, different ways to play D&D. There really is no wrong way to play D&D. That's why it was called The Dungeon Masters "Guide" and The Players "Handbook" and not "Rulebook". Use whatever rules you want. As long as everyone is having fun playing "your version" of D&D, that's ALL that matters.
I don't completely disagree, but keep in mind that Gary wrote AD&D mostly "for money" - i.e. to cut Arneson out of the deal.
@@williampalmer8052 oh there's no doubt about that. So glad he wrote it, but I wish he did it "with" Arneson, instead of for the reasons he did. Sad those two couldn't work out their issues and stay friends.
As someone who has played 2e since it came out, I would have to respectfully disagree, but I definitely wish the takeover had never happened, and that we'd been able to see what direction TSR would have gone from 97 to now.
@@IbnShisha1 We all played 2nd edition too. That is, we used the rules from 2nd edition that we liked, and ignored the ones we didn't. Same with 1st edition, but I'm pretty sure the only reason TSR put out 2nd edition AD&D was to get Gary Gygax off the payroll. Had Gary not had his company taken from him; something that never would've been allowed before, I don't think Gary would've made a "2nd edition". I'm sure many of the 2nd edition rules though would've been implemented in articles, and that he might've even written a "Revised Edition". What WotC did to the game though is just ridiculous; turning it into a game of Super Heroes who never die, who fly up levels. I'm shocked that they succeeded with it.
Great vid as usual! Gygax's middle name was not "Ernst." His full name was Ernest Gary Gygax.
Argh! I knew that! E.G.G. Of course. I sometimes get a little flummoxed while recording because I don't write a script but mostly ad lib around my notes, so I from time to time make small mistakes like this. Thanks for catching that, and thanks for watching.
I like Benedictine because it’s a great sipper, but is also good in a Singapore Sling. Nice pairing with a Bowie record I had never seen. What is the concert story?
One video an issue gets my vote
I really appreciate the feedback. Thank you!
There's artificer specialist wizard in 2e player's options.
I don't think it would be worth going over ever issue of the dragon. I would like to see some of your favorite issues, or even just articles, and how they influenced you. Maybe especially momentous dragons, the first after 2e released, the first Paizo issued, the first after 4e released etc. could also be interesting.
That's a really interesting approach! And it does make sense. I'll think about how I might change, although I do think going through the first few issues each to show how the magazine changed and developed over time would be worth it.
Thanks for the ideas!
Hey, quick comment: I like your overviews, it feels like I'm talking to most of my friends.
Lin Carter is best remembered for being the line editor for the Ballantine Adult Fantasy line of books, which brought a lot of out of print early fantasy and proto-sword and sorcery back into print in the wake of the JRR Tolkien resurgence of the late sixties.
Also: It's probably been a hot minute since you've read Robert E. Howard, and what you might know about him is only what you read in the intros to the Conan paperbacks. Those were written by series editor L. Sprague de Camp and his biographical information has been thoroughly refuted and/or redressed, as he was very unkind and very unsympathetic to REH. There's a lot of new, better information out there about Howard and his work, if you're interested. It's kind of a deep dive, but if you're a fan, it's worth checking out.
Keep up the good work!
that people write first as fans and than later get noticed and write as employees seems an old and tested trends, sometimes even know (although more people tend to do their thing outright themselves than). I know White Wolf did that in the 90s and Onyx Path later,
also the biggest german ttrpg The Dark Eye did that in the 80s and 90s, sometimes still. (which was especially cool as it is a living world, the original company doesnt exist anymore btw, now done by Ulisses)
oh and the wall thing, the dark eye has a spell that lets you ask yes/no question to objects. invisible sun has something similar
Learning that Greyhawk's setting is pronounced "Oith" just makes me imagine all the characters talking like Bugs Bunny.
36:08 "He's talking about Artificers, which I think is interesting because as a class that doesn't really come into D&D until 3.5 Eberron Campaign Setting."
Artificers classes:
'85 Artificer, White Dwarf #68
'96 Artificer, Spells & Magic
'98 Gnome Artificer, Demihumans of the Realms
'98 Artificer, Jakandor: Isle of Destiny Player's Guide
'04 Artificer, Eberron Campaign Setting
Somewhat similar classes:
'76 Alchemist, Dragon #2
'81 Alchemist, Dragon #45 & #49
'87 Tinker, DL Adventures
'88 Alchemist, Dragon #130
'92 Tinker, Tales of the Lance
'94 Clockwork Mage, Complete Sha'ir's Handbook
'96 Alchemist, Spells & Magic
'96 Engineer, Sages & Specialists
'96 Apothecary, Sages & Specialists
I enjoy these kinds of reminiscences, and hopefully your younger viewers will be interested in gaining insight on how different things once were. In the Before Times, every D&D group was like an island unto itself, and Dragon was one of the few things that made us feel like a part of a larger community. Edit - While I think names should be pronouced however you prefer, Tim Kask (who invented the Bullette) says it's pronounced "boo-lay."
I just stumbled across a video where Tim Kask says it’s pronounced “Boo-lay”. He did that on purpose to mock anti-French sentiment at the time. Also weird: the Landshark common name came from him watching a Jaws parody skit on SNL while under deadline to publish for this featured issue.
I was This Many years old (i.e., decades into the hobby) when I learned "Oerth" (which by all rules of phonics should be pronounced "OH-urth" or maybe "OHr-th" ) was supposed to be "OI-th"; like Bugs Bunny saying "Earth".
Seems like "Oyth" or "Oyeth" would have been a better transliteration. 🤷♂️
How about a video on Dungeon Magazine 🙂?
Do each dragon till you get to wizards of the coast then do the rest in groups of 24. That will give you a balance on interesting content per episode.
Paul was the man.
The early days of the game were very much adversarial in nature, and James Ward has a long term and well earned reputation for his games being TPK fests.
Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
... and Charisma is being able to sell someone a tomato-based fruit salad! I used that example myself in the game I run for my daughter and also included the physical stats (STR = crush a tomato with your first, DEX = throw a tomato with accuracy, CON = eat a poisoned/rotten tomato without getting sick).
I have heard some people "helpfully" add, "But isn't a tomato-based fruit salad just a salsa?"
Also, another example I've heard that I quite like, but I don't think the players in my daughter's game were old enough to get it is:
"Intelligence is knowing the monster is not named Frankenstein. Wisdom is knowing the monster *is* named Frankenstein."
Thanks for watching and commenting!