D&D General Which D&D-related You Tube channels do you find worth watching? (+)

[Reynard]

I second William SRD and Pointy Hat. Pointy Hat's main thing is giving a new and interesting twist on old ideas, monsters, and classes. He also gives out rules and art based on his ideas free of charge. I don't play 5th myself, so I can't say how good the rules implementation is, but his ideas are always fun to listen to. Here's one of my favorites of his:

I forgot about Pointy Hat. I love Pointy Hat but I usually only watch it if it comes up in a search on a specific subject i am looking for.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I haven’t seen D4: D&D Deep Dive mentioned yet. It’s a very good and in-depth channel for D&D optimization.

 

[lolsworth]

The top tier stuff like Ginny Di, Sly Flourish and Dungeoncraft have already been mentioned so I'll throw out one that's little known:

Knights of Last Call.
They are technically Pathfinder-aligned but discuss a lot of different game systems, often comparing and contrasting to 5e (and previous d&d versions) as its the big dog. Videos are usually long, but are methodical and go in depth. I really enjoy Derik's ability to be both measured in his critique but also extremely flippant and sarcastic

 

[tomedunn]

I've enjoyed many of the other channels people have posted over the years, but lately I've been enjoying The Bard's College. It's a small channel with only a handful of videos, but I've found the content to be a good source of inspiration for creating adventures. It also helps that videos tend to be short and to the point, and that the presenter has an infectious enthusiasm for the game which makes their videos easy to watch.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I listen to @SlyFlourish in podcast form, as well as subscribing on YouTube (some of the shorter videos are new-to-me things that I probably missed in previous podcasts).

I also subscribe to:

• Bob World Builder -- As mentioned, chill vibes (the Bob Ross of D&D!), with interesting, well-reasoned videos and a curiosity about D&D and adjacent RPGs. He's a big fan of Dungeon Crawl Classics, but is more approachable than some of the DCC-focused channels can sometimes be.
• Corkboards & Curiosities -- A recent discovery, with a young French teacher (as in, she's French, not that she teaches it) giving generally pretty good DMing advice
• Cubicle 7 Entertainment -- Because they're one of these companies that seem to prefer YouTube videos to press releases and I want more information on C7D20.
• Deerstalker Pictures -- who I have also supported on Kickstarter, because their 1 For All videos are hilarious.
• DnD Shorts -- who occasionally gets a bit ranty about WotC, which seems to be him genuinely running out of patience for them, rather than an act on behalf of the algorithm, but I like his DMing and character building videos. And, honestly, I like his crazy energy.
• Dropout -- I actually subscribe to the full Dropout service, initially for Dimension 20, but also for Um Actually, Gamechanger, Make Some Noise and many of their other shows. The YouTube channel also serves up lots of short clips from College Humor's history.
• Dyson Logos -- Because sometimes, it's restful to just watch a map being drawn.
• Ginny D -- The character voices aren't always my thing, but I like her stuff outside of the characters and, again, good energy.
• Hildegard von Blingen -- Hands down, the best bardcore on YouTube, which I love to use as the opening and closing music for online games.
• Limithron - The official Pirate Borg channel. Again, really good energy here and lots of positive RPG advice.
• Master the Dungeon - They haven't produced any videos for a while, and a lot of it skews toward younger and newer DMs (they reference video game level design when talking about dungeon designs, so old fogies might have to Google some of the games to get everything they're saying), but it's good advice communicated through charming cartoons.
• Matthew Colville -- Binged the entire Running the Game series during lockdown and found it, generally speaking, to be some of the best DMing advice I've ever encountered. He's hilariously wrong in nearly all of his movie and book reviews, though.
• Me, Myself and Die -- Hands down, the best solo RPG channel.
• Michael Ghelfi Studios -- Great sound effects and music for games.
• Monarch Factory -- Dael Kingsmill, like Brennan Lee Mulligan from Dimension 20, has a lot of deep and interesting thoughts about RPGs, along with doing plenty of fun silly stuff.
• Questing Beast -- Head and shoulders, the best OSR YouTube channel and one of the best RPG channels. While Ben has a point of view, he mostly focuses on stuff he likes, rather than stuff he doesn't.
• Sly Flourish -- A really solid channel for DMs. Even if I occasionally disagree with the advice, it's given in such a way that I end up thinking through my own personal process and making me a better DM as a result. And he's from the town next to where I grew up, so I like to support that.
• The Arcane Library -- Even if you don't care about Shadowdark, Kelsey Dionne's videos on adventure writing are really excellent, which makes sense if you've ever seen any of her 5E adventures. A real masterclass of a channel.
• Tulok the Barbarian -- You know what, I would like to know how to create Wonder Woman or Zorro or Wolverine as a 5E character, thank you. He also has good energy and, when he deviates from his usual format, the videos tend to be even better than his usual standard, which is already quite high.
• Zee Bashew -- Great D&D animated shorts. Sadly his channel has been silent for a while, but the backlog is worth going through if you've never checked out his work.

That is a big list, but the list of D&D YouTubers I've told the algorithm I've told never to recommend to me again is much, much longer.

 

[overgeeked]

I listen to @SlyFlourish in podcast form, as well as subscribing on YouTube (some of the shorter videos are new-to-me things that I probably missed in previous podcasts).

I also subscribe to:

• Bob World Builder -- As mentioned, chill vibes (the Bob Ross of D&D!), with interesting, well-reasoned videos and a curiosity about D&D and adjacent RPGs. He's a big fan of Dungeon Crawl Classics, but is more approachable than some of the DCC-focused channels can sometimes be.
• Corkboards & Curiosities -- A recent discovery, with a young French teacher (as in, she's French, not that she teaches it) giving generally pretty good DMing advice
• Cubicle 7 Entertainment -- Because they're one of these companies that seem to prefer YouTube videos to press releases and I want more information on C7D20.
• Deerstalker Pictures -- who I have also supported on Kickstarter, because their 1 For All videos are hilarious.
• DnD Shorts -- who occasionally gets a bit ranty about WotC, which seems to be him genuinely running out of patience for them, rather than an act on behalf of the algorithm, but I like his DMing and character building videos. And, honestly, I like his crazy energy.
• Dropout -- I actually subscribe to the full Dropout service, initially for Dimension 20, but also for Um Actually, Gamechanger, Make Some Noise and many of their other shows. The YouTube channel also serves up lots of short clips from College Humor's history.
• Dyson Logos -- Because sometimes, it's restful to just watch a map being drawn.
• Ginny D -- The character voices aren't always my thing, but I like her stuff outside of the characters and, again, good energy.
• Hildegard von Blingen -- Hands down, the best bardcore on YouTube, which I love to use as the opening and closing music for online games.
• Limithron - The official Pirate Borg channel. Again, really good energy here and lots of positive RPG advice.
• Master the Dungeon - They haven't produced any videos for a while, and a lot of it skews toward younger and newer DMs (they reference video game level design when talking about dungeon designs, so old fogies might have to Google some of the games to get everything they're saying), but it's good advice communicated through charming cartoons.
• Matthew Colville -- Binged the entire Running the Game series during lockdown and found it, generally speaking, to be some of the best DMing advice I've ever encountered. He's hilariously wrong in nearly all of his movie and book reviews, though.
• Me, Myself and Die -- Hands down, the best solo RPG channel.
• Michael Ghelfi Studios -- Great sound effects and music for games.
• Monarch Factory -- Dael Kingsmill, like Brennan Lee Mulligan from Dimension 20, has a lot of deep and interesting thoughts about RPGs, along with doing plenty of fun silly stuff.
• Questing Beast -- Head and shoulders, the best OSR YouTube channel and one of the best RPG channels. While Ben has a point of view, he'd mostly focus on stuff he likes, rather than stuff he doesn't.
• Sly Flourish -- A really solid channel for DMs. Even if I occasionally disagree with the advice, it's given in such a way that I end up thinking through my own personal process and making me a better DM as a result. And he's from the town next to where I grew up, so I like to support that.
• The Arcane Library -- Even if you don't care about Shadowdark, Kelsey Dionne's videos on adventure writing are really excellent, which makes sense if you've ever seen any of her 5E adventures. A real masterclass of a channel.
• Tulok the Barbarian -- You know what, I would like to know how to create Wonder Woman or the Zorro or Wolverine as a 5E character, thank you. He also has good energy and, when he deviates from his usual format, the videos tend to be even better than his usual standard, which is already quite high.
• Zee Bashew -- Great D&D animated shorts. Sadly his channel has been silent for a while, but the backlog is worth going through if you've never checked out his work.

That is a big list, but the list of D&D YouTubers I've told the algorithm I've told never to recommend to me again is much, much longer.

Great list. I also recently found Curiosities and promptly forgot the name. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[MNblockhead]

• XP to Level 3 (https://www.youtube.com/@XPtoLevel3). Very positive and some funny skits.
• Viva La Dirt League (https://www.youtube.com/@VivaLaDirtLeague) is not D&D specific, but their D&D Logic episodes are fun. The do have a separate D&D live play channel, but I never got into it. I love their skits though.
• I used to watch Matt Coleville's Running the Game series but others have mentioned him and I haven't watched any of his videos for a while now.
• Zee Bashew's (https://www.youtube.com/@zeebashew) short animations are a lot of fun, especially his animated spell book videos. He doesn't post new content often, but if you haven't watched his videos and are looking for a fun binge watch, you are in for a treat. My favorite is his "everyone's lying about dice videos" (), () and ()
• Locrius Planetoid's (https://www.youtube.com/@locriusplanetoid2682) D&D's Deadliest is an oldie by goodie. I cracks me up. He hasn't made any videos for 6 years, but I still revisit the old ones on occasion.

 

[Tonguez]

DungeonDad, Tulok the Barbarian How to Play series, BECMI Beserker, GinniD. I read blogs more than I watch vlogs though

 

[Clint_L]

• Critical Role
• Dimension 20
• Dungeon Dudes
• Gallant Goblin
• Treantmonk's Temple (occasionally)
• DM It All

I'm not super interested in channels that are mostly opinions about D&D or WotC, or anything that is frequently negative (same thing, really). It's a pastime; if I ever find myself wanting to feel angry about it, I'll know it's time to quit.

Nothing turns me off more than a YouTube video featuring a shocked face and hyperbolic title. Or even just the hyperbolic title.

 

[MoonSong]

The only one I think nobody has mentioned yet is Puffin Forest. I like the campaign logs. But yeah, I second -or third?- Pointy Hat, I like his channel a lot.
And I'm happy to see Treantmonk and Dungeoncraft when they pop up in my feed, I also check when other channels show interesting stuff, but I'm a bit wary of all of the drama. The Rules Lawyer is also beginning to grow on me.