Dave Arneson, Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator, Dead at 61
Portions of this were lifted from our report on Gary Gygax, who died a year ago.
Dave Arneson, who with Gary Gygax created Dungeons & Dragons which changed both fantasy and gaming, died at age 61. As Steve Jackson wrote, "Dave never did get as much attention as the other guy whose name was on the box, and he never will." It was apparently Arneson who had the idea of playing not a group of miniatures as is done in war games, but a single one, an independent "character," who could grow in power through adventuring.
Arneson's game-in-progress Blackmoor, which became a D & D suppliment, was likely the first true roleplaying game. Without their creation, Steve Jackson Games might never have existed. It wouldn't have produced the roleplaying game GURPS, and probably wouldn't have published the most-seen edition of Principia Discordia, or hosted perhaps the first open online discussion of Discordianism. These in turn led to the creation of several Discordian works.
Alden Loveshade and I have a personal interest here. Years ago Alden got involved in a D & D group, which eventually led em to GURPS in Steve Jackson Games. Most of es closest friends played one or the other game with em as either player or Game Master (GM). During a very difficult phase of es life, es weekly GURPS game kept em going. These also led em to involvement in the Society for Creative Anachronism, which lead to an interest in alternative forms of society, which led to...well, keep reading.
I, Reverend Loveshade, saw the Steve Jackson Games edition of Principia Discordia (the first edition that put the book in bookstores) when it came out in 1994. Before that I didn't know of the book, but it led me to some very strange places. Discussing it with my Mum led to my learning that my Mum had been friends as a teenage girl with Luna Wilson, who was murdered at age 15. Luna was the daughter of Robert Anton Wilson who contributed to the Principia, and who wrote about the Illuminati. I had learned about the Illuminati through one of Bob Wilson's books, but didn't know of es connection to my mother. But learning this connection led to my contacting the borderline fringe-mainstream writer whom I grew to call Grandbob.
These various connections came together when I had a vision of doing a book, which became the still evolving Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: The Tales of Shamlicht. Alden brought es vision to it, as did Princess Unicornia, Fairy Princess Yoshikyoko, Dr. Sinister Craven, Untroubled Teen and many others. Each of those mentioned above connected to the book either through fantasy or roleplaying. It's likely that, without Dave Arneson and all the interconnections made through the creation of D & D, our book would never have happened, and likely neither would Apocrypha Discordia or several other great Discordian works.
See the CNN report at http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/04/10/obit.david.lance.arneson/index.html and the AP story at http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/10/us/AP-Obit-Dave-Arneson.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
(Alden Loveshade contributed to this report. For rights information on the photo, see http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dave_Arneson.png)
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See blog entry on the loss of Gary Gygax at http://loveshade.org/blog/2008/03/dungeons_dragons_cocreator_gar.html
Comments
We just lost Gary a year ago, and now Arneson. The greats are dying, and too young.
Posted by: Harry | April 15, 2009 06:11 AM
Goodbye, Dave. Sorry you missed your last saving throw.
Posted by: Gary | April 15, 2009 02:34 PM
I didn't even know somebody else did D & D! I thought it was just Gygax and then peeps after him. 61 isn't very old. Good luck on the other side, Dave!
Posted by: Queen Melissa | April 16, 2009 02:05 PM
I think of you, Dave, the next time I roll the dice. Here's to you.
Posted by: Willie Doit | April 17, 2009 12:16 AM
Here's a link to Rich Burlew's 'Order of the Stick' strip remembering Arneson:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0644.html
Dave Arneson, hail and farewell.
Posted by: Ron Bacardi | April 18, 2009 07:47 AM
He did so much to get people off the television and to reading and thinking. Even if his game became violent, it was better than watching passively and you could have adventures for good. Bless you, Dave!
Posted by: TawTew the Naturally Perfumed | April 18, 2009 08:05 AM
We will miss Dave forever and ever
Posted by: Vernon Avaritt | April 20, 2009 01:06 PM
We shall miss him for ever and ever
Posted by: Vernon Avaritt | April 20, 2009 01:17 PM
Gygax and Arneson? I didn't vote for either one of them. How'd they get elected?
Posted by: Rev. Bootie | May 5, 2009 11:58 AM