Chainmail, Braunstein, & Blackmoor | History of D&D, One Book At a Time [Episode 1]

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another video. My name is Kevbot, and I am so excited to finally release the first video in what I hope to be a full series where I take an anthropological approach to understanding the history of Dungeons & Dragons, the people who created it, and the people who play it, one book at a time. In this episode, I am going to analyze the history leading up to the creation of D&D, and how it, along with the very idea of table top role playing games, evolved from collaborations and innovations within the board and miniature wargaming communities of the late 60s and early 1970s, forever changing how we play games. My focus in this episode will be on how elements from Gary Gygax’s Chainmail, David Wesely’s Braunstein, and David Arneson’s Blackmoor all played a role in influencing what would become the original version of Dungeons & Dragons, along with fundamental elements that would shape hundreds of different role playing games in the decades that followed. We’ve got a ton of information to cover today, so lets get started!

0:00 Introduction
1:02 Part 1: Board & Miniature Wargames - Innovations & Collaborations
7:02 Part 2: Chainmail - Will Cooperate on Game Design
17:06 Part 3: Braunstein - Anything Can Be Attempted
24:29 Part 4: Blackmoor - The Fantasy Game
32:03 Part 5: Conclusion - Dungeons & Dragons

Bibliography of sources used for resources in creating the video: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i...

For business inquiries, please contact: [email protected]