Secret Histories of D&D

DM Inspiration, News, RPG Wishlist, TekWar, and Much More...

We sharpen our GM skills through stories and knowledge.

The newsletter is approaching 10,000 subscribers, which is amazing. If you’d like to help it reach that milestone, please share the newsletter using the button below.

---

Dive into the History of D&D and RPGs

Dungeons & Dragons creates unforgettable adventures. Its creation was unforgettable in its own right.

• Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons - The story behind the creation of D&D is absolute madness.

• Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It

• Playing at the World, 2E, Volume 1: The Invention of Dungeons & Dragons

• Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons

• Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground: A Guide to Tabletop Roleplaying Games from D&D to Mothership

• Game Histories (9 books)

Older D&D Rule Books

• Dungeons and Dragons 0e PDFs

• Dungeons and Dragons Basic PDFs

• Dungeons and Dragons 1e PDFs

• Dungeons and Dragons 2e PDFs

• Dungeons and Dragons 3e and 3.5 PDFs

• Dungeons and Dragons 4e PDFs

My Interview with Author Ben Riggs

---

RPG Wishlist

• The GameMaster's Apprentice 2e: Base Deck

• ZWEIHANDER RPG Reforged Edition Core Rulebook

• Flint: A Cairn 2e Solo Handbook

• Shadowrun: Margin Calls

• The Aberrant Codex: Mutations and Aberrations

• High Noon at Midnight

• Scion Second Edition: Wild Hunt

DMs Guild Titles

• Ravenloft Backgrounds: The Carnival

• Mulhorand Campaign Guide

• Through the Veil: Monsters of the Feywild

• Weapons of Myth

• War of the Lance (3.5)

• Bestiary of Krynn

---

RPG Articles

• Challenging The Tropes: The Chaos Gremlin

• Gorgonites! Varieties for every occasion

• My experience with Dialect (Why you should try it!)

• Designing A Divided Die Roll

• Marvel Multiverse RPG Character Sheet PDF

---

---

RPG News from Around the Web

• If You're Playing As An Artificer In DnD, These Are The Boons You'll Want

• Dungeons & Dragons: Every Feat In The Humblewood Campaign Setting, Ranked

• Best Tabletop RPGs For Large Groups, Ranked

• Dungeons and Dragons Fan Builds 'Truly Random' Die

---

STAR HEIST: An EXODUS Story | Episode 6 — “Mutiny at Sublight”

---

---

The Screening Room

Dungeon Masters can draw inspiration from movies to create better, more engaging sessions.

• ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’: THR’s 1999 Review

• International Cinematographers Guild Launches Podcast

• VFX Workers Behind Marvel, Disney and ‘Avatar’ Ratify First Labor Contracts

• ‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’: THR’s 1980 Review

• Netflix Is Making a ‘Clash of Clans’ Animated Series

• Diller Speaks: Hollywood’s Most Fearsome Legend Bares His Soul

William Shatner’s TekWar

A fascinating snapshot of late ’80s and early ’90s sci-fi—cyberpunk-ish multimedia and brought to you by none other than William Shatner (well, kind of).

The documentary below is well done and thorough. It rightly highlights the odd vision of future technology—basically the ’80s with a few technobabble terms thrown in.

I read a few of the books, watched the TV movies, and saw a handful of the TV show episodes back in the day. I never even knew there was a video game. A few years ago, I reread the first two books and rewatched some clips of the movies on YouTube.

People make fun of it as a celebrity cash grab. I know I’m wearing thick nostalgia glasses, but I’ve read worse books and seen worse movies and shows—way worse, in fact.

Movie Extras:

---

---

Down the Long Haul into History Back

Real history is one of the best sources for GMs.

---

RPG Videos