@@SourBramble sure, just the fact that he played with Gygax, not a big deal. He's only the creator of DnD, so playing DnD with him is nothing of importance. And also Greyhawk is not to make fuzz about. It's only one of the original and more legendary settings in the game, created by Gygax himself and expanded over many decades. An unremarkable quote indeed.
@@TheNeilChatelain I'm fully aware the importance of playing with the founder of the game and the world that started it all, I was just clarifying that that was what his comment was about and making sure I understood the context, I appreciate the information though and I hope you have a great day!
@@SourBramble i think its just the idea of playing with some a famous individual in the D&D community, in HIS own world. Someone who many of us were toddlers when he died ( id have been 10, 2 years before id play d&d for the first time ). Its like saying you personally knew steve jobs and worked with him on the Apple-1
@@bluedwarf1699 That's fair and I appreciate the perspective and I agree with you, to be totally honest I think I just misinterpreted the emotion behind the emoticon of the original commenter, that's all.
16:16 Matt: "how many minies do you have" Jim: "4 thousand" Matt: (trying to fathom the amount of time, money and work that means) "that's-... okay" Priceless
Jim Murphy definitely will see it. Thank you for taking your time and doing this. your share of the history and how it was...I felt like I was there. You mention that you are a dislecsy Dm. what has been the most challenging thing that has happened?
I was not sure of my issue until university. Before I just thought I was stupid or slow witted. I was able to work around the problem but it took time. Gaming helped a lot with rules and reading short stories of magazines. Now people are more aware and have better treatments for the issue, but gaming always helps train the mind. Game on
25:40 the story about rolling 200 characters until you got one with good stats, I never played that kind of D&D but I did exactly the same thing in Baldur’s Gate on pc when I was 12 😆
Great discussion. My only complaint is that Matt interrupted him at some really good points several times that I wanted to hear his train of thought. Most seemed to be Matt trying to get a finer detail on something else but I really just wanted to hear Jim tell the story.
It's really hard when you interview somebody to stay quiet, especially when you like what they're saying. You just want to talk, nod, in a way to interact and encourage what they're saying. That said, Matt should really learn not to interrupt next time he interviews somebody.
As a long time gamer ('79+), I'm at the hour mark and really liking this conversation. Tomorrow, when I DM for my wife and three of my girls, I'll steal at least one thing from this conversation in honor of you both.
1:15 - Remembering the time the party I was DMing for was camping in a cave when we stopped gaming for the night - hard-drive crashed that week and when we resumed we realized my brother's character sheet had been burned, literally, to start a fire after the game and we didn't have ANY other copies... so his character died in his sleep from the mold spores they'd breathed in earlier in the adventure. And the players loved it because it felt real in some strange way.
1979 is when I discovered AD&D and this hobby, as well. I played for about a half year before starting running games myself and I have been running all sorts of different games ever since.
Jim has a channel now so if you like me are watching this in 2019. I really hope he keeps up with content cause he is a literal living treasure trove of D&D in that he spans its entire chronological timeline...VERY cool.
As an old guy, seeing Jim so enthusiastic gives me hope for my old, creaky D&D frame. I started out with the first three booklets, which I was given as a parting gift, when a store I was an employee at was closing their doors. I gave them up a few years later when I shed most of my belongings for a move across the country. Ah, well.
I said it on Twitter, but it's worth repeating. This was an absolute delight in every sense of the word. Jim is a phenomenal guy. This was like watching Howard Cosell interview Babe Ruth, only Ruth is also a Jedi. I would love to see more Jim videos. A basic painting video, DM improvisation technique, how to design a mega-dungeon, or whatever else he wants to talk about. Even if it's Matt and Jim responding to viewer questions. Hearing where they align is almost as interesting as finding out where they diverge. Matt, if your rolls suck, it must because you used up all your luck gaining Jim as a friend.
Matt, many thanks for this treasure. Here, in Brazil, D&D (and rpgs as general) started to became popular in the 90s (with D&D basic "blackbox" translated by a local toy company), so our first days dates back to that time. But man, it's so awesome to listen someone who has been playing since the beginning. (Sorry for the sh*tty english)
OMG Brookhurst Hobbies! I love it. That's one of the places my friends and I went to get our roleplaying supplies when I started out gaming in middle school.
This is just so good. I have gone through the full 2hrs twice now. Once last year and again today. It's funny how some things that made an impression on me weren't worded exactly as I reminded them. Curious. I guess that reinforces the idea of Matt and Jim remembering the same events differently. I love how much of a good listener Jim is. He is totally invovled and paying attention when matt interjects. A loveley display of friendship and humanity!
This is easily one of the finest interviews I've ever had the pleasure to listen to about roleplaying and DnD on youtube. I imagine that Murphy could write an autobiography about his career with roleplaying and I'd read it happily.
You warned that few people could watch till the end. I thought it was way too short, he’s very animated and engaging. Matt THANK YOU for this! A brief suggestion, you will not see this, but you need to let the subject of your interviews finish their thoughts before jumping into the next question. Think Letteman and not Fox News.
You managed to make one more DM. Your videos helped me be confident enough to try and I just finished my first one-shot while my DM was busy this week, and it was awesome! The improv wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, and the players said they had fun! :) Also, awesome video and interesting interview.
This video was fun to watch despite its prodigious length. I am going to be a jerk and say that I really wish you would have just let him finish a sentence, even if it would have made the vid much longer.
So glad there are people who have played the previous editions and loved 4e. I remember feeling like the outcast of my game shop with all the 3.5 diehards. It was my first foray into tabletop RPGs and it was awesome once I found my group. It was rough going for a while after initial release.
It honestly makes me emotional sometimes hearing about this history. Listening to Jim talk about his first time playing D&D, I feel like I'm sitting there with him, in his friend's game room, next to him and his girlfriend, discovering this experience that we both share. It's truly amazing.
It was awesome listening to a true OG DM! This was amazing and brought back so many great memories of my early RPing. (Started playing in '82 with AD&D, DM'ed off and on until the mid "90"s until my group broke up and my Social Anxiety Disorder hobbled me.) Love all of your videos, Matt!
I would normally run screaming from a 2 hour interview but I thouroughly enjoyed this. You can't help but love Jim, I want to play with him so badly now. As a long time DM i can relate to so many of these stories. Great Interview.
Thanks. Boy do I relate. I am a little younger than Jim, a little older than Matt, and people who were like Jim really brought me to D&D. Great interview. I am going to send it to the best DM I know, who I first played with in about 1978 and he and I are still in touch. Well done Matt and Jim. Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts and accumulated wisdom.
I come pack to this video way to often . . . plz for the love of god make another interview with Jim This whole thing was just awsome his storys and his extremly clear memory of it all still impresses me every time i watch it
That was really enjoyable and informative. It was also fun to see how many times I could move my curser from one side of the bench to the other without touching Jim or the plants!
This is one of the greatest treasure troves a 25 year old DM could ask for in 2021. I fully watched it finally, after knowing about this interview for nearly 3 years. God bless you Game Methuselah and Matt Colville for all the amazing experience and advice you provide for us younger DMs.
This is amazing. Sadly my own inspiring DM from the days of yore, has passed away. I'm quite envious. What I wouldn't give for a day of reminiscing with him, if I could.
I lost Steve KIsh, and thus wore his hat and shirt for the interview. Never played World of Warcraft again and think of him all the time. I know how you feel, but find a new group and play, you will meet more great people like I did in Matts group of friends.
Thank you Jim and Matt for this outstanding experience. I found it inspiring to hear what the two of you have been through, as well as learned over so many years of play, I look forward to using this new found knowledge and enthusiasm for the games I will run in the future!
I agree, a video on your stronghold rules might prove incredibly useful for the campaign I, and i'm sure others, are running at the moment. Would love to see them!
I'm very patiently waiting for Matt's stronghold rules too. I found this on reddit and really liked it: www.reddit.com/r/mattcolville/comments/4qp5yd/some_stronghold_rules_to_hold_us_over_until_matt/ Maybe it will tide you over till Matt's rules are available.
There is so much oral history here and Jim seems like a real treasure of a guy. I could listen to these types of gaming histories for HOURS (and I did!) and trying to piece together the influences of the old school and make sense of what types of games you played... it's so fascinating. This whole interview is evergreen.
Loved the video matt. I agree its so important we archive these tales of how the hobby grew and evolved into what we have today. We need these stories kept for future generations. Great work guys. 👍
"If you put half as much effort into your homework as your game you'd get straight A's." My dad used to say the same thing to me (do they take a class to learn this stuff?) I started playing in the late 70's and had the same type of super geeky friends. Fun stuff.
Matthew Colville i would like to thank you! i'm a brand new DM that lives in Norway and had never Tried D&D, now i lead a party of 4 to trough a fantastic Campaign that i started from the Mines of Phandelver then crossed it over to my own world. so i do have Waterdeep as a city and Neverwinter was the Starting town. Thank you Matt keep it up!
Good stuff, fond memories. I started in March of 1978. My mom took me to The Pegasus Gift Shop off of Foothill Blvd in a small shopping center near a Carl's Junior as I recall in LaVerne California, I was thirteen at the time. A woman named Kathy owned and ran the shop, she later moved her shop to Covina or it might have been West Covina (its been to long for me to recall which) Anyhow there were a couple gaming tables and we would play the brand new ADnD 1st edition though only the players handbook and monster manual were out and a lot of us were also playing with the rules from the small original DnD books as well. I also used to hang out at another gaming shop off of Foothill known as The Strategic Retreat as I recall. A lot of late night weekend games there. Good times those early days of the hobby. The Retreat became my main hangout for some years before I joined the military. I also recall going to The Last Grenadier Game Store as well but that was more to snag things that the other stores didn't have, they were too far for us to make it a hangout as teens.
I absolutely love listening to this guy. His stories are great, he articulates well, he's incredibly personable, and so very much more. I would love to see more content with him involved. It was a real treat. Truly, thank you for the interview!
I'm really glad you uploaded this and I appreciate the disclaimer at the beginning because it highlights that in the end, it doesn't matter if something is perfect, what matters is that people are exchanging good stories and enjoying themselves telling those stories! Really cool to hear about some of the early days of D&D!
This was great to watch! Please thank Jim it was fantastic hearing about the early days of the game and his experiences playing. The only unanswered question I have is whether his girlfriend ended up his wife? I feel that it was alluded to but not clearly clarified. Thanks again to you both!
Sorry to dash you hopes we did not marry. We were young and things do happen. We are still in contact and she even came back and played with us years later(she missed the game so, not me) You will be pleased to hear I am married to another hot girlfriend. I am lucky that many hot women have poor eyesight.
I just looked through a few comments and I believe i never saw anyone ask what quantification your wife came up with 2 years ago, so I would like to do that, even if it may be a little late for that.
This is pure GOLD. As a player I love hearing these two people talk about D&D; but as a DM, the advice that you can distill out of it all is just PRICELESS. Thank you Jim. Thank you Matt.
Thank you for this Matt - Dear Lord, so much in common with Jim, I also worked at a hobby shop, and helped them set up and stock D&D, I also am a very similar DM, with a similar style and thought process, I'm just amazed. Thank you for sharing.
The audio is fine. Nature of the beast when recording outdoors without clip-on mics. Really what's often lost in these situations is the balance between the different people's voices. And that isn't happening here. It's all totally legible; so good job sir. I don't know what your noise reduction software is; but it's doing an admirable job. Even EQ on the offending higher frequencies could clear it up a bit more; but you do run a risk of the upper end (articulated consonants, sibilant "s" sounds etc) getting a bit murky. Standard practice is to sample a bit of the noise in question; run that as your "baseline" and let the Noise reduction algorithm know that you want it to filter out only those frequencies. Blah, blah, blah... I digress. Now then; onto the conversation. This is a wonderful treasure trove of old-school insight. Absolutely fascinating stuff. It's been such a great thing to see gamers, designers,etc from that generation being interviewed and those vids popping up on blogs and on YT in recent years. And this is a really worthy addition. Thanks so much for posting this. REALLY cool man, really cool. M.
I really enjoyed this. I love hearing about the evolution of D&D, as I played in the early 80s myself and spent many a night reading and re-reading the DM guide. I also love the war stories. Keep up the good work!
What a great video. I felt like I really got to appreciate this history and the whole time I felt like I was experiencing something greater than myself. as a dm, I'm just humbled and have so much more appreciation for what dnd means to not just me but to the fantasy culture in general.
Yo, thanks so much for making and posting this video; best thing of video and platforms like youtube is the archiving of elders who function like people's historians of culture and traditions. This video is awesome! My first ever gaming/dnd shop experience was at the War House in Longbeach, hahahaha, I had no idea it had that kind of history; it was a funny experience. I show up an hour before the store's listed closing time and the older gentleman there was already locking up; he greets me at the door and asks, "Are you going buy something?" I say yes but that I'll return when he's open and the guy looks at my 9 year old nephew and says, "No, no, no, if you're buying than I have a responsibility to stay open.. As long as you actually are buying.. What do you want because I know where everything is and it'll be faster if I get it for you." He was actually sort of funny/rude, I could see him rubbing people the wrong way but I have always enjoyed the experiences I have with him as sort of humorous scenes.
History lesson, anecdotal laugh-and-cringe fest, instructional video with a few twists thrown in. You guys brought me into your games, giving me (as a DM who has only played with murder hobos) a few more tools to bring to the table: negotiations, Hades-delving if needed, mini's versus theater of the mind, and everything improv'ed, barely clinging to one screeching, sparking, conversational rail...just like a good DM should. Thank you.
My dad started playing AD&D in 1980, his first year of Senior High school in the small town of Las Cruces, NM. The bookstore he got his stuff from had a 1978 Third Alpha print of Monster Manual (despite more recent printings having hit the shelves elsewhere), but his first book was the 1980 Sixth print of the PHB. Watching this interview inspired me to ask him about his own experiences. He didn't start as early as 1974, but only six years later he was building his own dungeons and making his own characters (always a Half-Elf; he was a big Tolkien fan). Thanks for this great interview!
There is a lot of fun and knowledge to glean from this video! Thanks Matt! Also, because of all the tips you've given in your running the game videos, I was able to run my first session as DM the other week with a group of mostly veteran players and was able to give them a memorable and fun time! Thanks for what you contribute to the hobby!
Great video, I'd love to see more like this. Not just with other DMs (though that would be awesome,) but more conversations with Jim. He's a great wealth of knowledge, and beyond entertaining to listen to. P.S. Thanks for the recommendation on the Casca series, Jim; they were a lot of fun.
Thanks for the video! As wargamers in Northern IL in the early 1970s, we saw (O)D&D at our game clubs in early 1974 and started playing right away. Now, years later, I am semi-retired to Lake Geneva, WI, and working at the game store, running my 1E AD&D campaign, playing wargames, RPGs, boardgames, plus MtG and card games. What is best in life from Conan has nothing on that. ;-)
Wonderful interview, Matt. Never heard such an in depth interview with a true old salt RPG'er before. This makes a great bookend with your History of D&D videos.
I binge watched all your other videos and saved this one for last. I knew it would bring back all my old memories, and it did. I became my group's DM early on, because we just had to play and there were no other DM's around. Thanks for the videos. I have tons of stories to tell. Now, I want to go make new memories.
What a cheeky way to end the video :P I really enjoyed this one. It's so neat to get the perspective of someone who has been around in the hobby for so long talking about what it was like back when (as he said) "life [was] cheap", etc. Thanks Matt, and thanks Jim!
Hey Matthew I really loved this interview and I learned some cool things about DMing . I was hoping that you can bring him back again for some more stories , this was some great stuff ...soon
this is an awesome interview! ive been watching your videos for about a month now and you are so clear and concise with your knowledge as an experienced DM im picking up a whole lot from you that i never thought about. thank you for all the great videos
This is by far the best interview for a dungeon master speaking about his or her craft that I have ever seen I've been playing DND for over 10 years and have been a dungeon master 4 7 years and this resonates on so many levels this is a man who is in touch with all of the aspects of the game that is needed to connect to your players in a deeper way than most people would realize. Thank you for this upload I will share it with all of my friends.
I discovered your channel the other day, after promising to run my first game in decades for the nieces and nephews. This interview brought it all back. Once again I could see the dealer table at Minicon 11 where my fifteen year old self picked up the three original books plus Chainmail. Thanks to you and Jim for sharing these stories!
This was fantastic. Thank you for sharing your stories. Your channel has inspired our old group to get back together and added new members. Bless you both!
I think my favorite little tidbit from this whole long video is when he said that the night after D&D, his girlfriend said "Man I wish we could play again tonight" That's such a magical special moment, that still happens to me almost every week when I have a particularly good session. D&D just activates your ideas and energizes you in a way that very little else can.
Hi Matt. That was a great video. It was great to learn some history about DnD. It was fun hearing Jim's experiences - and the experiences the two of you shared. And, I received some great advice. Wow! Thank you and Jim for taking the time to do this. Like someone else commented, I would enjoy watching vids of you interviewing your other DM buddies. I sat through the two hours and DID NOT get bored. Maybe Jim will provide us a "Part 2"? I tell you...I subscribed to your channel for the DM advice but I've gotten so much more - including two cool books (Priest and Thief). Awesome!
Thank-you for this, Matt and Jim. I finally had occasion to listen to the whole thing today, while doing some non-verbal work, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Good friends telling stories of the great times they've had at the gaming table. Priceless first-hand accounts of the early days of D&D. And lots of great advice.
clicking on the video: "Gosh it's two hours long..."
after one hour: "Tell me more wise elder!"
His channel is a good listen
Stay awhile and listen!
G
D
R
"I went to Greyhawk. I played with Gary Gygax in Greyhawk." O.o
Why is this such a weird quote? Not trying to be rude but is there something I’m not understanding? Just the fact he played with Gary?
@@SourBramble sure, just the fact that he played with Gygax, not a big deal. He's only the creator of DnD, so playing DnD with him is nothing of importance. And also Greyhawk is not to make fuzz about. It's only one of the original and more legendary settings in the game, created by Gygax himself and expanded over many decades. An unremarkable quote indeed.
@@TheNeilChatelain I'm fully aware the importance of playing with the founder of the game and the world that started it all, I was just clarifying that that was what his comment was about and making sure I understood the context, I appreciate the information though and I hope you have a great day!
@@SourBramble i think its just the idea of playing with some a famous individual in the D&D community, in HIS own world. Someone who many of us were toddlers when he died ( id have been 10, 2 years before id play d&d for the first time ). Its like saying you personally knew steve jobs and worked with him on the Apple-1
@@bluedwarf1699 That's fair and I appreciate the perspective and I agree with you, to be totally honest I think I just misinterpreted the emotion behind the emoticon of the original commenter, that's all.
"I don't expect you to listen to the entire thing"
Well, now I have to.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Eric McKinnon challenge completed
Why wouldn't I listen to the entire thing?!
Challenge completed
Hold my beer! No wait! I'll hold it while listening!
16:16 Matt: "how many minies do you have"
Jim: "4 thousand"
Matt: (trying to fathom the amount of time, money and work that means) "that's-... okay"
Priceless
Beyond priceless.
Jim: "It's more likely 6 thousand, but I don't - "
Matt: "You don't want to sound crazy"
The Movie mentioned was not the Broken Sword, but the Magic Sword (1962) can be seen on RUclips. It is 62 so expect less flash, but the story is good.
Thanks Jim. ;-)
Jim Murphy definitely will see it. Thank you for taking your time and doing this. your share of the history and how it was...I felt like I was there.
You mention that you are a dislecsy Dm. what has been the most challenging thing that has happened?
I was not sure of my issue until university. Before I just thought I was stupid or slow witted. I was able to work around the problem but it took time. Gaming helped a lot with rules and reading short stories of magazines. Now people are more aware and have better treatments for the issue, but gaming always helps train the mind. Game on
I watched that movie as a kid and somehow was scared by the hag. Surprisingly fun when I saw it last.
There's also the MST3K version, which I've seen chunks of. It's pretty funny.
25:40 the story about rolling 200 characters until you got one with good stats, I never played that kind of D&D but I did exactly the same thing in Baldur’s Gate on pc when I was 12 😆
every time I play Rimworld :)
We all did this.
I’ve never rolled 200 but I’ve done it... 😂🤣
Oh man, trying to get that 18/00, lol
Great discussion. My only complaint is that Matt interrupted him at some really good points several times that I wanted to hear his train of thought. Most seemed to be Matt trying to get a finer detail on something else but I really just wanted to hear Jim tell the story.
It's really hard when you interview somebody to stay quiet, especially when you like what they're saying. You just want to talk, nod, in a way to interact and encourage what they're saying.
That said, Matt should really learn not to interrupt next time he interviews somebody.
Agree. Jot down the follow up questions. Let him speak. Then ask.
only just found this vid - but was just thinking that - mat speaks over the top - there chatting as friends (sorry for the necro'ing the thred ;) )
As a long time gamer ('79+), I'm at the hour mark and really liking this conversation. Tomorrow, when I DM for my wife and three of my girls, I'll steal at least one thing from this conversation in honor of you both.
1:15 - Remembering the time the party I was DMing for was camping in a cave when we stopped gaming for the night - hard-drive crashed that week and when we resumed we realized my brother's character sheet had been burned, literally, to start a fire after the game and we didn't have ANY other copies... so his character died in his sleep from the mold spores they'd breathed in earlier in the adventure. And the players loved it because it felt real in some strange way.
1979 is when I discovered AD&D and this hobby, as well. I played for about a half year before starting running games myself and I have been running all sorts of different games ever since.
Theft is the highest form of flattery!
Sandbox on Rails is now my motto.
"Putting the rails down as the train is going" is my favourite
When your celebrities watch your celebrities 😬
I would watch a video of Jim showing off the prides of his miniature collection.
thx
Jim, I love you I was so amazing to hear from you and you experience as a new DM it is a blessing to have you. Wish you all the best in the world.
thank you. Game ON
Jim has a channel now so if you like me are watching this in 2019. I really hope he keeps up with content cause he is a literal living treasure trove of D&D in that he spans its entire chronological timeline...VERY cool.
1:02:35 "I'm a bard"
I about died! This was the best line in the whole episode!
As an old guy, seeing Jim so enthusiastic gives me hope for my old, creaky D&D frame. I started out with the first three booklets, which I was given as a parting gift, when a store I was an employee at was closing their doors. I gave them up a few years later when I shed most of my belongings for a move across the country. Ah, well.
All the advice i get from other DMs are one of these three things, Plagiarize, Improvise and Compromise
I'm going to plagiarize that advice
Ha!
You forget the most important rule. Have fun.
I think that comes from Compromise ;)
Awesome picture sir, great album! Rocka Rolla, Sad Wings of Destiny, and Sin After Sin are my favorite albums up till Painkiller.
I said it on Twitter, but it's worth repeating. This was an absolute delight in every sense of the word. Jim is a phenomenal guy. This was like watching Howard Cosell interview Babe Ruth, only Ruth is also a Jedi.
I would love to see more Jim videos. A basic painting video, DM improvisation technique, how to design a mega-dungeon, or whatever else he wants to talk about. Even if it's Matt and Jim responding to viewer questions. Hearing where they align is almost as interesting as finding out where they diverge.
Matt, if your rolls suck, it must because you used up all your luck gaining Jim as a friend.
Jason Shamblin the love, I feel it! Great comment, I got misty eyes.
Matt, many thanks for this treasure. Here, in Brazil, D&D (and rpgs as general) started to became popular in the 90s (with D&D basic "blackbox" translated by a local toy company), so our first days dates back to that time. But man, it's so awesome to listen someone who has been playing since the beginning. (Sorry for the sh*tty english)
Fernando Kowalski Dude, your English is better than 50% of American high school graduates lol don't sweat it
Dude, your written English is great. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
your english is probably better than mine dont apologize your english is very good
+1 Brazilian playing D&D Team :D
Mesa quando???
Never have 2 hrs felt so short :(
This was amazing to listen to.
OMG Brookhurst Hobbies! I love it. That's one of the places my friends and I went to get our roleplaying supplies when I started out gaming in middle school.
Two dudes that love to talk. I liked it. but I bet it was difficult to keep the conversation on rails!
It was mostly down to Jim just trusting that I would get to the stuff he wanted to talk about.
Yeah, I could tell that there was a lot that you guys wanted to say. You're both very passionate about the topic.
ya its hard to get forty years into a few hours. Maybe a cheat sheet would have helped. But again, this was the first time at this.
Maaan the Albion setting sounds so interesting, I would love to play that campaign
This is just so good. I have gone through the full 2hrs twice now. Once last year and again today.
It's funny how some things that made an impression on me weren't worded exactly as I reminded them. Curious. I guess that reinforces the idea of Matt and Jim remembering the same events differently.
I love how much of a good listener Jim is. He is totally invovled and paying attention when matt interjects. A loveley display of friendship and humanity!
This is easily one of the finest interviews I've ever had the pleasure to listen to about roleplaying and DnD on youtube. I imagine that Murphy could write an autobiography about his career with roleplaying and I'd read it happily.
You warned that few people could watch till the end. I thought it was way too short, he’s very animated and engaging. Matt THANK YOU for this! A brief suggestion, you will not see this, but you need to let the subject of your interviews finish their thoughts before jumping into the next question. Think Letteman and not Fox News.
You managed to make one more DM. Your videos helped me be confident enough to try and I just finished my first one-shot while my DM was busy this week, and it was awesome! The improv wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, and the players said they had fun! :)
Also, awesome video and interesting interview.
This video was fun to watch despite its prodigious length. I am going to be a jerk and say that I really wish you would have just let him finish a sentence, even if it would have made the vid much longer.
This is an incredible interview! His passion for the game is infectious!
So glad there are people who have played the previous editions and loved 4e. I remember feeling like the outcast of my game shop with all the 3.5 diehards. It was my first foray into tabletop RPGs and it was awesome once I found my group. It was rough going for a while after initial release.
It honestly makes me emotional sometimes hearing about this history. Listening to Jim talk about his first time playing D&D, I feel like I'm sitting there with him, in his friend's game room, next to him and his girlfriend, discovering this experience that we both share. It's truly amazing.
My favorite quote about improv is that improv is about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable
[1:09:17] love this part. "I'm a game master player character" @JimMurphy
I think I am becoming one too. Let's make a great story is my motto lately.
It was awesome listening to a true OG DM! This was amazing and brought back so many great memories of my early RPing. (Started playing in '82 with AD&D, DM'ed off and on until the mid "90"s until my group broke up and my Social Anxiety Disorder hobbled me.) Love all of your videos, Matt!
I hope Jim can guest star on the Chain or another MCDM game.
I would normally run screaming from a 2 hour interview but I thouroughly enjoyed this. You can't help but love Jim, I want to play with him so badly now. As a long time DM i can relate to so many of these stories. Great Interview.
if your in So Cal sometime. Let me know and will get you into a game.
Thanks. Boy do I relate. I am a little younger than Jim, a little older than Matt, and people who were like Jim really brought me to D&D. Great interview. I am going to send it to the best DM I know, who I first played with in about 1978 and he and I are still in touch. Well done Matt and Jim. Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts and accumulated wisdom.
I absolutely loved this. Thank you both for doing this. I would love to hear more from Mr. Murphy!
omg Matt :D stop interrupting the guy :D
i was thinking same thing he starts looking frustrated
Just friends talking we could finish each other’s sentences.
I am SO late to the party on this one but it is MORE than worth the investment of time. Jim truly is a treasure.
I come pack to this video way to often . . . plz for the love of god make another interview with Jim
This whole thing was just awsome his storys and his extremly clear memory of it all still impresses me every time i watch it
That was really enjoyable and informative. It was also fun to see how many times I could move my curser from one side of the bench to the other without touching Jim or the plants!
I'm glad this is on RUclips, Matt. Thank you for uploading despite the original recording deficiencies.
This is one of the greatest treasure troves a 25 year old DM could ask for in 2021. I fully watched it finally, after knowing about this interview for nearly 3 years. God bless you Game Methuselah and Matt Colville for all the amazing experience and advice you provide for us younger DMs.
Wow! Living history! Thanks for this awesome interview with a D&D Legend! I can't believe that there's 244,000 views and only 5,000 Thumbs Up!
I don't know how much I've learned objectively, but I have basked in the warmth of your history and friendship and come away inspired.
This is amazing. Sadly my own inspiring DM from the days of yore, has passed away. I'm quite envious. What I wouldn't give for a day of reminiscing with him, if I could.
I lost Steve KIsh, and thus wore his hat and shirt for the interview. Never played World of Warcraft again and think of him all the time. I know how you feel, but find a new group and play, you will meet more great people like I did in Matts group of friends.
Thanks for the reply, Jim. Appreciate it!
Thank you Jim and Matt for this outstanding experience. I found it inspiring to hear what the two of you have been through, as well as learned over so many years of play, I look forward to using this new found knowledge and enthusiasm for the games I will run in the future!
Matt any chance you could do an episode on your stronghold rules they sound amazing!
yes pls. i would love to see the concept.
I agree, a video on your stronghold rules might prove incredibly useful for the campaign I, and i'm sure others, are running at the moment. Would love to see them!
I'm very patiently waiting for Matt's stronghold rules too.
I found this on reddit and really liked it:
www.reddit.com/r/mattcolville/comments/4qp5yd/some_stronghold_rules_to_hold_us_over_until_matt/
Maybe it will tide you over till Matt's rules are available.
Geoff Sayre Oooh, those will work pretty nicely. thanks for the link!
You're welcome, I really like them too
Just watched this for the THIRD time again.
This is by far the best most inspiring clip about roleplaying games I have seen.
There is so much oral history here and Jim seems like a real treasure of a guy. I could listen to these types of gaming histories for HOURS (and I did!) and trying to piece together the influences of the old school and make sense of what types of games you played... it's so fascinating. This whole interview is evergreen.
this is exactly how i imagined one of the oldest dms to be like
A 2 hour slice of D&D History. Keep up the good work Matt!
Loved the video matt. I agree its so important we archive these tales of how the hobby grew and evolved into what we have today. We need these stories kept for future generations. Great work guys. 👍
This is fantastic, from someone who has over 20 years in the hobby, this was remarkable to hear and share in. Thanks Jim and Matt.
I think you discovered exactly what kind of player Jim is when he said something along the line of "what I care about is the story!"
That bulette encounter had me on the edge of my seat! I can see how this guy is such a good DM! Makes me want to play/DM so badly :(
watched all 2 hours super worth.
It took me ages to work out that he was saying "bulette". Thanks for confirming!
"If you put half as much effort into your homework as your game you'd get straight A's." My dad used to say the same thing to me (do they take a class to learn this stuff?) I started playing in the late 70's and had the same type of super geeky friends. Fun stuff.
Matthew Colville i would like to thank you! i'm a brand new DM that lives in Norway and had never Tried D&D, now i lead a party of 4 to trough a fantastic Campaign that i started from the Mines of Phandelver then crossed it over to my own world. so i do have Waterdeep as a city and Neverwinter was the Starting town. Thank you Matt keep it up!
Good stuff, fond memories. I started in March of 1978. My mom took me to The Pegasus Gift Shop off of Foothill Blvd in a small shopping center near a Carl's Junior as I recall in LaVerne California, I was thirteen at the time. A woman named Kathy owned and ran the shop, she later moved her shop to Covina or it might have been West Covina (its been to long for me to recall which) Anyhow there were a couple gaming tables and we would play the brand new ADnD 1st edition though only the players handbook and monster manual were out and a lot of us were also playing with the rules from the small original DnD books as well.
I also used to hang out at another gaming shop off of Foothill known as The Strategic Retreat as I recall. A lot of late night weekend games there. Good times those early days of the hobby. The Retreat became my main hangout for some years before I joined the military. I also recall going to The Last Grenadier Game Store as well but that was more to snag things that the other stores didn't have, they were too far for us to make it a hangout as teens.
This is a gem in the history of D&D. Thank you for being a DM
I absolutely love listening to this guy. His stories are great, he articulates well, he's incredibly personable, and so very much more. I would love to see more content with him involved. It was a real treat. Truly, thank you for the interview!
On RUclips
I'm really glad you uploaded this and I appreciate the disclaimer at the beginning because it highlights that in the end, it doesn't matter if something is perfect, what matters is that people are exchanging good stories and enjoying themselves telling those stories! Really cool to hear about some of the early days of D&D!
This was great to watch! Please thank Jim it was fantastic hearing about the early days of the game and his experiences playing. The only unanswered question I have is whether his girlfriend ended up his wife? I feel that it was alluded to but not clearly clarified. Thanks again to you both!
Sorry to dash you hopes we did not marry. We were young and things do happen. We are still in contact and she even came back and played with us years later(she missed the game so, not me) You will be pleased to hear I am married to another hot girlfriend. I am lucky that many hot women have poor eyesight.
I just looked through a few comments and I believe i never saw anyone ask what quantification your wife came up with 2 years ago, so I would like to do that, even if it may be a little late for that.
why my games are good???.......I put my heart in it, you always get the chance to be a hero and save the day, Hope that was it/ Heart...Game ON
This is pure GOLD.
As a player I love hearing these two people talk about D&D; but as a DM, the advice that you can distill out of it all is just PRICELESS.
Thank you Jim.
Thank you Matt.
Thank you for this Matt - Dear Lord, so much in common with Jim, I also worked at a hobby shop, and helped them set up and stock D&D, I also am a very similar DM, with a similar style and thought process, I'm just amazed. Thank you for sharing.
Matt, please, we need more Jim in our lives! This was a brilliant interview, I loved listening to you guys tell stories!
This was an awesome interview. I have learned so much from listening to this guy and I have been DM’ing since 1981.
The audio is fine. Nature of the beast when recording outdoors without clip-on mics. Really what's often lost in these situations is the balance between the different people's voices. And that isn't happening here. It's all totally legible; so good job sir.
I don't know what your noise reduction software is; but it's doing an admirable job. Even EQ on the offending higher frequencies could clear it up a bit more; but you do run a risk of the upper end (articulated consonants, sibilant "s" sounds etc) getting a bit murky. Standard practice is to sample a bit of the noise in question; run that as your "baseline" and let the Noise reduction algorithm know that you want it to filter out only those frequencies. Blah, blah, blah... I digress.
Now then; onto the conversation. This is a wonderful treasure trove of old-school insight. Absolutely fascinating stuff. It's been such a great thing to see gamers, designers,etc from that generation being interviewed and those vids popping up on blogs and on YT in recent years. And this is a really worthy addition. Thanks so much for posting this. REALLY cool man, really cool. M.
I've only been playing for 3 years and DMing for about 2, this is so amazing to watch
If Matt's a river to his people, Jim is clearly some sort of glacier.
thank you both matt and jim for this interview, it was fantastic history and fun to listen to
I really enjoyed this. I love hearing about the evolution of D&D, as I played in the early 80s myself and spent many a night reading and re-reading the DM guide. I also love the war stories. Keep up the good work!
What a great video. I felt like I really got to appreciate this history and the whole time I felt like I was experiencing something greater than myself. as a dm, I'm just humbled and have so much more appreciation for what dnd means to not just me but to the fantasy culture in general.
Yo, thanks so much for making and posting this video; best thing of video and platforms like youtube is the archiving of elders who function like people's historians of culture and traditions. This video is awesome!
My first ever gaming/dnd shop experience was at the War House in Longbeach, hahahaha, I had no idea it had that kind of history; it was a funny experience. I show up an hour before the store's listed closing time and the older gentleman there was already locking up; he greets me at the door and asks, "Are you going buy something?" I say yes but that I'll return when he's open and the guy looks at my 9 year old nephew and says, "No, no, no, if you're buying than I have a responsibility to stay open.. As long as you actually are buying.. What do you want because I know where everything is and it'll be faster if I get it for you." He was actually sort of funny/rude, I could see him rubbing people the wrong way but I have always enjoyed the experiences I have with him as sort of humorous scenes.
This was fascinating. I hope you will consider doing more DM interviews in the future, or even more with Jim!
History lesson, anecdotal laugh-and-cringe fest, instructional video with a few twists thrown in. You guys brought me into your games, giving me (as a DM who has only played with murder hobos) a few more tools to bring to the table: negotiations, Hades-delving if needed, mini's versus theater of the mind, and everything improv'ed, barely clinging to one screeching, sparking, conversational rail...just like a good DM should. Thank you.
My dad started playing AD&D in 1980, his first year of Senior High school in the small town of Las Cruces, NM. The bookstore he got his stuff from had a 1978 Third Alpha print of Monster Manual (despite more recent printings having hit the shelves elsewhere), but his first book was the 1980 Sixth print of the PHB.
Watching this interview inspired me to ask him about his own experiences. He didn't start as early as 1974, but only six years later he was building his own dungeons and making his own characters (always a Half-Elf; he was a big Tolkien fan).
Thanks for this great interview!
There is a lot of fun and knowledge to glean from this video! Thanks Matt! Also, because of all the tips you've given in your running the game videos, I was able to run my first session as DM the other week with a group of mostly veteran players and was able to give them a memorable and fun time! Thanks for what you contribute to the hobby!
Great video, I'd love to see more like this. Not just with other DMs (though that would be awesome,) but more conversations with Jim. He's a great wealth of knowledge, and beyond entertaining to listen to. P.S. Thanks for the recommendation on the Casca series, Jim; they were a lot of fun.
This was absolutely fantastic, I listened to this while doing inventory at work and after it ended I wanted more.
Loved the video! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us Jim, and thanks for putting this up Matt!
Matt, this is a great interview. Very enjoyable, and we need more. Always more. Thank you and also Jim Murphy.
This is so cool to hear another fellow DM talk about the history from his perspective! So valuable! Thanks Matt and Jim. :-)
I just watched this in it's entirety for the second time. Such an interesting interview.
Thanks for the video! As wargamers in Northern IL in the early 1970s, we saw (O)D&D at our game clubs in early 1974 and started playing right away. Now, years later, I am semi-retired to Lake Geneva, WI, and working at the game store, running my 1E AD&D campaign, playing wargames, RPGs, boardgames, plus MtG and card games. What is best in life from Conan has nothing on that. ;-)
i absolutely love when players create the story without knowing it. your idea is amazing! sure thats what happens!
Wonderful interview, Matt. Never heard such an in depth interview with a true old salt RPG'er before. This makes a great bookend with your History of D&D videos.
I binge watched all your other videos and saved this one for last. I knew it would bring back all my old memories, and it did. I became my group's DM early on, because we just had to play and there were no other DM's around. Thanks for the videos. I have tons of stories to tell. Now, I want to go make new memories.
What a cheeky way to end the video :P I really enjoyed this one. It's so neat to get the perspective of someone who has been around in the hobby for so long talking about what it was like back when (as he said) "life [was] cheap", etc. Thanks Matt, and thanks Jim!
Hey Matthew I really loved this interview and I learned some cool things about DMing . I was hoping that you can bring him back again for some more stories , this was some great stuff ...soon
one of my favourite videos on RUclips. seriously this is history,D&D shaped a great deal of popular culture and things like THIS are invaluable.
this is an awesome interview! ive been watching your videos for about a month now and you are so clear and concise with your knowledge as an experienced DM im picking up a whole lot from you that i never thought about. thank you for all the great videos
Matt: "So when did you transition from being mostly a player to mostly a DM?"
Jim: "Almost immediately."
I relate to this so much.
This is by far the best interview for a dungeon master speaking about his or her craft that I have ever seen I've been playing DND for over 10 years and have been a dungeon master 4 7 years and this resonates on so many levels this is a man who is in touch with all of the aspects of the game that is needed to connect to your players in a deeper way than most people would realize. Thank you for this upload I will share it with all of my friends.
I discovered your channel the other day, after promising to run my first game in decades for the nieces and nephews. This interview brought it all back. Once again I could see the dealer table at Minicon 11 where my fifteen year old self picked up the three original books plus Chainmail. Thanks to you and Jim for sharing these stories!
This was fascinating. I watched this all the way through and could not tear myself away. Very interesting friend you have. :) Thanks for sharing.
This was fantastic. Thank you for sharing your stories. Your channel has inspired our old group to get back together and added new members. Bless you both!
I think my favorite little tidbit from this whole long video is when he said that the night after D&D, his girlfriend said "Man I wish we could play again tonight"
That's such a magical special moment, that still happens to me almost every week when I have a particularly good session. D&D just activates your ideas and energizes you in a way that very little else can.
Hi Matt. That was a great video. It was great to learn some history about DnD. It was fun hearing Jim's experiences - and the experiences the two of you shared. And, I received some great advice. Wow! Thank you and Jim for taking the time to do this. Like someone else commented, I would enjoy watching vids of you interviewing your other DM buddies. I sat through the two hours and DID NOT get bored. Maybe Jim will provide us a "Part 2"? I tell you...I subscribed to your channel for the DM advice but I've gotten so much more - including two cool books (Priest and Thief). Awesome!
Thank-you for this, Matt and Jim. I finally had occasion to listen to the whole thing today, while doing some non-verbal work, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Good friends telling stories of the great times they've had at the gaming table. Priceless first-hand accounts of the early days of D&D. And lots of great advice.
Matt and Jim, that was one of the most moving, funny, engaging, informative and elegiac interviews I have ever listened to. Thank you.
Was intimidated by the 2 hr time mark at first, but the time flew by listening to you guys talk. Cool video thanks!