Has anyone ever created a definitive list of the core differences or the major new additions in each iteration of Blackmoor?
Obviously it's impossible to document every difference or addition. I'm mainly interested in major elements that are core aspects of the setting, such as races or subraces, organizations, major NPCs, campaign-level plot lines, etc. And it's potentially useful to know which came from Dave Arneson and which came from other designers, if possible.
As I've been learning more about Blackmoor and its different iterations, I've been reviewing and joining some of the discussions about differences between the First Fantasy Campaign (FFC), the DA series of modules (DA1 - DA4) and the later setting updates and materials published by Zeitgeist Games (ZGG). I've also been sorting out which elements of the setting were explicitly Dave Arneson's creation versus the creations of designers at TSR, Inc. or ZGG.
For example, the , a designer who worked on the ZGG materials, revealed that the Westryn and Cumasti elves were his creation. Prior to this, in DA1, there are "various elvish factions," including the "Northern Elves," and there is reference to brethren in the Duchy of Ten who are suffering from a blight that is destroying their woods. These are the "western" elves that would later become the Westryn in the ZGG publications, but the pre-ZGG elves seem to be generic and merely divided into different clans or factions.
Of course, we also know that the Afridhi were partly a TSR creation by David Ritchie and his wife, based on nomadic invaders and possibly the Paynim Princess in Dave Arneson's original Blackmoor game. And the Wizard's Cabal changed dramatically from the DA modules to the ZGG version of the setting.
There are many other examples, but it would be great to have a high-level list or summary of the major differences or additions in each setting update. Does something like this exist, or do any of the folks here have enough knowledge to assemble a basic list from memory?
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