Dave Arneson was born on today’s date in 1947.
He was a big miniatures wargamer in the late 1960s. He became central to the Twin Cities gaming scene, and then the wider scene in the upper Midwest, joining the Castles and Crusades Society where he met Gary Gygax.
Braunsteins were wargames developed in that area, focusing on a 1:1 figure ratio rather than massed armies, and focused on intrigue. Arneson developed the idea further, moving into the fantasy realm. He created the Blackmoor game, featuring characters that adventured in the dungeon beneath the castle of Blackmoor, as well some wilderness adventures and battles.
Gygax heard about this kind of gaming, and one snowy day Arneson ran Blackmoor for Gygax and a few others at the latter’s house in Lake Geneva. The two exchanged notes, and developed the rules and concepts together and independently.
There are lots of partisans in the two camps of who did more in developing the rules that became Dungeons & Dragons and who deserves the most credit for its creation. I don’t care about that kind of drama; it’s pretty clear that they did it together, despite later legal claims.
At any rate, the initial role playing concept was more-or-less developed by Arneson from the early Braunstein games. And for that he is one of the founders of what has become role-playing.
So thanks, Dave! And Happy Birthday. Wish you were still around.
Hiya Blog Buddy!
Thanks for that concise rundown on the arneson/gygax thing. I knew about all that in passing, just whispers over the years in gaming circles. But I never really investigated the matter, so thanks for reminding me that I need to look into Braunstein-ian gaming. But Ive always felt that my obsession with the idea of what Oldhammermeans to me has been that intersection of the proto-rpg world. And Yeah, lets raise a tankard in honor of the almighty Arneson! Cheers, Mar
Hey, Mar! Good to hear from you!
Yeah, this is the Cliff Notes version of a complicated and still touchy subject. Glad you found it informative.
Braunsteins were developed by Dave’s friend, David Wesely. I think it was the second one that was run, set in a Banana Republic, that Arneson took over by grabbing all the “cash” and setting off in a plane, leaving the rest of the players wondering what had just happened.
Your Moria Reclamation reminds me a lot of that style of loose gaming. A hybrid of roleplaying and wargaming. Really the best of gaming styles.
Cheers, buddy! I hope you are doing well!
Just swung by your blog before hitting “post comment” and I see you have a few new posts up! I’ll be excited to get caught up!