Thursday, October 1, 2020

Remembering Dave

Arneson showing off the cover painting to Adventures in Fantasy
On this day in 1947, David Lance Arneson was born, without whom Dungeons & Dragons would never have existed. I've written on multiple occasions about my early ignorance of Arneson, his life, and his foundational contributions to the hobby with which I've occupied myself for four decades. That's why I've tried, in the years since, to correct my nescience on these subjects and encourage others to do the same. 

To that end, I encourage anyone who hasn't yet seen it to watch the documentary Secrets of Blackmoor, about which I'll have more to say later today. It's an important film for anyone curious about the prehistory not just of D&D but of roleplaying more generally. It's also a great way to honor the memory of one of the founding fathers of our shared hobby, especially on the anniversary of his birth. 

2 comments:

  1. I am glad to see that we have (mostly?) moved past the Team Gygax/Team Arneson junk that seemed to plagued the community and can appreciate the many contributions to this hobby.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I bought the 2-disc set for SoB, and loved it. very interesting.

    ReplyDelete