The Curmudgeon in the Cellar

No. I don't mean me. Although the description is becoming more true as time goes by I suppose.

I mean the title of a series of YouTube videos by Tim Kask, one of the fathers of Dungeons & Dragons. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson are credited with creating the game, but Tim Kask was an early playtester, proofreader, confidant and editor for Gary Gygax. He was the first editor of Dragon magazine, helped launch the careers of many of the pantheon of 70's and 80's fantasy artists, and helped Gygax split the game into Basic and Advanced D&D in the late 70's. His contribution was substantial, and his stories and memories of the behind-the-scenes goings-on are priceless.

The YouTube video series is now up to 50+ entries and counting (he is still posting new ones as of now), and is a rambling (and sometimes repetitive) series of stories told in the form of answering viewer/reader questions.

For those such as me with an interest in the history of D&D and the behind the scenes stories, these videos are a treasure trove of interesting bits. Gygax and Arneson are both gone, having passed before the proliferation of this sort of thing, and so their memories are largely lost, at least in the format of stories being told directly to you as the audience. Tim Kask is one of the ones remaining who is able to fill this role, at least from the earliest days.

He seems like a nice guy. Curmudgeonly for sure. A bit disdainful, if respectfully, of many of the more modern iterations of the game and the various developments thereof. A true proponent of "original D&D is the game we made, the game we loved, and it's all I need". Which is fine, as those are the stories and viewpoint I am working my way through this series for.

These ramblings and recollections aren't for everybody, but if you have an interest in the history of the game, and RPGs in general, this is worth an occasional listen in on.