How to Run Your First OSR D&D Campaign if You're Coming From 5e

If you have been running 5e and you want to try old school D&D — the OSR — this is the video to watch first. Joe covers how he set up his own 2e AD&D campaign: the region-based sandbox design, the mindset shift that separates OSR from 5e, how PC level determines the scale of influence in the world, the role of hirelings, encounter tables that make ecological sense, NPCs with actual personality, and what happens to the world while the players are away. This is the video that brought 36,000 people to this channel. Watch it and then watch every other video on the channel in sequence. 00:01 Intro — who this video is for and where the idea came from 03:09 Which modules and OSR games to start with 05:22 The key mindset shift from 5e to OSR 06:24 Setting up your region map — the foundation of your campaign 06:19 How PC level determines the scale of their influence 12:47 The world changes while the PCs are away — how to handle it 19:04 Economics and trade routes as adventure hooks 05:35 Building encounter tables that make sense for your region 11:57 NPCs that matter — how to make them feel real 25:20 Hirelings — why you need them and how to find them 28:30 High-level play: rulers and factions start to notice the PCs 30:40 Joe's game note-taking system — capture ideas while they're fresh My FREE Patreon has all the work-in-progress on the 5e Old School D&D Hack that I’m building: 📍   / joethelawyer   My FREE Substack has essays about TTRPG/D&D games and the hobby: 📍 https://analogmancave.substack.com/ Channel membership ($0.99/month for early access and members-only updates on the game): 📍    / @joethelawyer   Follow me on Twitter/X: 📍 https://x.com/analogmancave Discord is where the fans of the channel, the “Cavemen”, hang out: 📍   / discord   You can find me everywhere else! 📍 Podcast (Spotify, Apple, Rumble — all platforms): search “Joethelawyer’s Analog Mancave” On the channel I cover D&D 5e, OSR, old-school D&D, tabletop RPG advice, classic dungeon design, and what makes great sessions actually feel great. #DnD #5e #DungeonsAndDragons #OSR #OldSchoolDnD #DungeonMaster #5eDnD #OSRDnD #OldSchoolRenaissance #TabletopRPG