Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Dave Arneson is Still with Us

The report of Dave's death I received was apparently mistaken. I had been told by someone who had worked with Dave in recent years that Dave had passed away earlier today, but this seems not to be the case. He is currently in a hospice where he is being cared for at this time.

I am both glad to hear that Dave is not dead, as I was led to believe, and rather mortified at my having posted this information before it had been confirmed by a second source. I had no reason to doubt my original source, given his close proximity to Dave, but apparently I should have.

My apologies to everyone to whom my post has caused distress. I can't begin to describe how embarrassed I feel right now, particularly since I should have known better.

27 comments:

  1. Holy...

    This has got to have been one of the biggest roller-coaster days this fandom has seen yet.

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  2. Good grief!

    What the hell was your source thinking?

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  3. This would explain why the wikipedia article has been locked instead of the news of his passing beeing posted...

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  4. Now I know what wargamer felt in Braunstein 60's.

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  5. Sad and just as embarrassed that I followed you right off the cliff. That'll teach me. *sigh*

    The most important thing is that his family is taking care of him and he has a lot of family and friends who are sending him love and good energy. That's all we can do. I'm glad the family has a thread up on ODD that we can watch for the time being.

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  6. Believe me, I am not at all happy about this. I only made a post about it, because I'd been told by someone I trust implicitly and who actually does have a connection to Dave that he had passed away. I am trying to find out just what happened.

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  7. Thank you for rapidly posting this new blog entry, James.

    @Jonathan Holt: Dave's page on Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Arneson ) was locked as "standard practice" whilst awaiting formal confirmation.
    Could still do with more quality, neutral-point-of-view information, sources, etc., however, to ensure Dave's contributions to various fields are clearly stated there.
    (I've copyedited some of the worst of the mess, but there's still plenty to do).

    Regards,
    David.

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  8. Thank you for rapidly posting this new blog entry, James.

    I just wish I could have caught this sooner. I feel like an utter idiot right now.

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  9. I too followed this lead. I checked the source on the forum and thought that, like many others, due to the proximity the source has to Dave that it would be true.

    It's just a lesson we need to learn in internet news.

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  10. Oh well, lesson learned. If anything it brought a little more attention to his compliments.

    No harm, no foul James!

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  11. So, while on the topic of Dave Arneson, James, is there any chance you will at some stage do a write up on his Adventures in Fantasy?

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  12. Ug, I'm having one of those days too

    compliments = accomplishments

    /done in by my own stupid fingers!

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  13. Don't blame yourself, James. We've all been expecting this bad news, and it's all too easy to believe. I have a mutual friend with Dave, and when she vanished today on zero notice, I assumed the worst.

    Take care and best regards,

    Jefferson (aka Kobold Curry Chef)

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  14. Don't sweat it, James.

    Some good comes of it--- it allows everyone to give Dave the roses while he lives.

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  15. Seems like it's just one of those days for lots of folks. But maybe it is for the best that this happened. The premature news of his death has, I think, prompted many to reflect on the monumentality of his contributions to the hobby and brought him out of Gygax's shadow, as your own post did. That he's still alive to hear the outpouring of well-wishes and "thank yous" is perhaps a silver lining on all this.

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  16. Not the best day for the RPG blogging community.

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  17. On the plus side James, you gave him a heck of a eulogy.

    If you somehow come into contact with him because of this, could you implore him to start work on a book about the origins of D&D?

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  18. No, we have some eggs on our collective faces today. We all followed you right off the lemming cliff, James, so don't feel too bad. :)

    Besides, this made me realize how much DA's contributions meant to me. I'm working on a card and letter now. I'd much rather be wrong and still have DA here, embarrassing as it is.

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  19. James,
    Do you think you could edit your original post as well to indicate the truth? I know I've been passing around a direct link to that post during the day so people may not see the correction.

    Thanks,
    Joe

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  20. It wasn't James fault.

    Even so, I should have been less credulous than I was. Given how many people seem to pay attention to what I say, I have a responsibility to double-check my sources, regardless of who they are. I am still very much at fault.

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  21. I understand, I myself placed info form your blog on Polish site (Digg-like), but quickly added those false infos from dnd4.com and RPGNet - it's bigger picture and still don't know what to think of such (not yours) guys from "Very Large Game Companies" and posts like this on dnd4.com.

    Anyway, heads up, Dave is alive and this is most important thing for us right now. Fight on & Wish Him Best!

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  22. Well the obviously bright side of the coin is that Dave is still with us. No harm, no foul.

    I would think that "if" he took a look around the internet, saw all the postings, it would only illustrate to him how much his accomplishments are appreciated by the faithful throngs of gamers.

    I might call it inspiring in fact.

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  23. As far as DA goes, I think people need to remember the following.

    1) He is not out of the woods yet, so let's just pray he can get through this hard time.

    2) If he chooses to be more open, he will. If he wants to remain private and not talk a lot, he will. We should not push our wishes on him. (And keep in mind there is still stuff he can't discuss legally).

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  24. I'd like to echo what FASERIP and some others have said. I'll also add: Don't beat yourself up too bad. Crap happens.

    At least folks are reminded about DA and his importance. And you did give one heckuva eulogy.

    Take care and keep up the excellent blog, sir.

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  25. I went with the story too after checking OD&D, this blog, and the wiki entry (yeah, smart move using wikipedia as a source).

    James, you and I are done professionally. ;P

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  26. My first game of D&D was with the original wood grain box set and Dave Arneson's First Fantasy Campaign. I still have the character sheet for my first PC; Trey, True Born Knight of Blackmoore. I am forever in Mr. Arneson's debt for creating the inspirational material that set me on the path of a truly enjoyable life long hobby.

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  27. Eastertide. I understand there's precedent for being mistaken about these things at this time of year. ;)

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