In this article, I take a look at the name Arn and its origins in the history of D&D and Arneson lore. 

Arn has been referenced several times in the history of D&D

1. Most recently in the 2024 DMG Greyhawk Map
2. Arn Yonson, an NPC from DA1 Adventure in Blackmoor
3. The Coat of Arn, an artifact from OD&D's Supplement 3: Eldritch Wizardry
4. Lord of Arn, a character from the obscure Beyond This Point Be Dragons, early D&D draft document.

Are there other references that I have missed?


-Havard

Quote:WotC removes Blackmoor from Greyhawk in 2024
Wizards of the Coast has produced a new map of Greyhawk where Blackmoor has been removed. I first learned about this when I saw a post by my friend Big Mac at the Piazza the Piazza D&D Worlds forum where he discusses the lastest youtube video from Greyhawk Grognard video from Greyhawk Grognard going through the new WotC produced map.

The map in question is the Greyhawk map that is going to appear in WotC's upcoming 2024 D&D DMG. Greyhawk is from what I understand going to be used as a default setting in the new D&D core rulebooks. The new map looks somewhat reminiscent of the beloved map made by Darlene back in the days, but there are some interesting changes. Greyhawk Grognard's excellent video goes through these changes and speculates to reasons why these changes have been made and what might be possible consequences of the large and small changes.



The change that will likely be of most interest to the readers of this blog is probably the removal of Blackmoor. Removal may be a strong term. Rather, Blackmoor has been renamed Arn. Now Arn is a name that could be familiar to hard core Blackmoor fans as it also appears in several of Dave Arneson's writings.

Why has this change been made? Could it be linked to rights issues? Could it be to reduce confusion with the other Blackmoor product lines available that are less compatible with Greyhawk? Could it be linked to this map detailing a different part of Greyhawk's timeline?  Or is there another reason?

In any case, the original intent of paying homage to Dave Arneson is retained in the new name.

What do you think of this new Greyhawk map and the changes made?

Quote:About the adventure
At the very origin of Dungeons & Dragons lies Castle Blackmoor, the dungeon Dave Arneson started running in 1970. In 1980, Dave published a large portion of his campaign notes as The First Fantasy Campaign. I will be using that to take you on a short tour of the City, the Castle, and the Dungeon of Blackmoor.
Although Castle Blackmoor predates D&D, I will be using the original D&D rules (1974 ed) to run it. Play careful, because your fighters, magic-users, and clerics are dead at 0 hit points!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPG5jBea0jk

Pretty long video going through a lot of stuff, but also showcases the upcoming Blackmoor Foundations book. 

-Havard

Quote:Fellowship of the Thing have just announced that they are releasing a new book. Titled Blackmoor Foundations, this book promises to present early documents and RPG creations by Dave Arneson. The book is to include History, Maps and Lore from 1971 to 1985.

The official description has the following:


Within the pages of this book, you will find maps and writings by David Arneson as he recounts the events and people in his Blackmoor, a living game environment that gamers are still experiencing over 50 years later. With the emergence of more historical documents, it's undeniable that Dave Arneson pioneered the play methods used in every role-playing game since the birth of Blackmoor in 1971. This collection, much of which has only recently been discovered, is an astounding glimpse into the historical writings that remain from Arneson's life. Yet, it can also be a guide to creating your own version of Blackmoor for you and your friends to play in.

This is going to be very interesting. A lot of documents from the early D&D creators is becoming available to a wide audience this year so it is is great that coverage from the Dave Arneson side of things is also going to be presented.

Hello all, I've seen a massive index to Greyhawk listing mentions of important persons/places/things sprinkled throughout various rulebook, modules and gazetteers and wondered if such a thing existed for Blackmoor? Would an attempt to index Blackmoorian lore in TSR, Judge's Guild, Zeitgeist, etc. publications be redundant to some resource already available online?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueMK11qIE98

Professor DM talks about his time at DaveCon 2024 and what he learned about D&D's history from talking to Dave Wesely, Mike Carr, Bill Hoyt and others.

-Havard

Another Blackmoor video!

-Havard

Officially WotC lisenced T-shirts with the Supplement II image on the cover:

https://blackmoormystara.blogspot.com/20...stees.html

-Havard

Questing Beast - The Story of Blackmoor

The fantasy campaign that created DnD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=deskto...79WXUEYe2T


-Havard