There is something called DaveCon

[aldarron]

I did not get the reference, but it kinda looks like you with a guitar

-Havard

Is that what Rafe looks like? heh.

Actually, I'm totally surprised by this, and intrigued.

Edit: well, okay - I just read all the rest of the posts. I mean how odd, how baffling. I don't think I know Mr, Dorso, nor how he could get so many high profile folks sign up to a first-time convention that has seemingly ignored most of the actual Blackmoor fanbase. Isn't that strange? He must be quite the salesman, I guess. But why not reach out beforehand? And why highlight Tim Kask, given what he has made very plain regarding his feelings toward Mr. Arneson? And between Mentzers harassment issues and all the hate thrown at Ernie lately, its like asking for a giant firestorm, so why even invite, let alone give top-billing to these guys especially when they have no (Mentzer) or little (Ernie) relation to Arneson? This is Twilight Zone stuff. I mean no disrespect to Mr. Dorso, but I can't see how this convention makes sense.

[chirine ba kal]

It makes perfect sense if one happens to be a friend of the Lake Geneva / TSR-3 people, has no idea of the history of D&D, and wants to have a convention just like Gary Con. I've been now invited to be a guest of honor at both conventions (Mr. Dorso's and the one later on in the year being run by Kevin McColl and Griffith Morgan) because of my Tekumel connections, and I am having to advise both parties of the issues that the Tekumel Foundation has with my running anything related to Tekumel at conventions. I don't want to have happen to either of them what happened to Luke when he asked me to run a Tekumel room at Gary Con, so I've had to do a lot of explaining about the issue.

I am not pleased. My impression is that Dave is getting shunted aside in all of this.

[Rafael]

Is that what Rafe looks like? heh.

Actually, I'm totally surprised by this, and intrigued.

:mrgreen: That's not me, of course - that's the guy who became a memetic internet hero after asking at a Blizzard Q&A whether some announcement was an out-of-season April Fools joke.
Havard is too kind - I look way more like the reincarnated "abuela" from Altered Carbon. Honest to God, I tend to behave the same way.

Edit: well, okay - I just read all the rest of the posts. I mean how odd, how baffling. I don't think I know Mr, Dorso, nor how he could get so many high profile folks sign up to a first-time convention that has seemingly ignored most of the actual Blackmoor fanbase. Isn't that strange? He must be quite the salesman, I guess. But why not reach out beforehand? And why highlight Tim Kask, given what he has made very plain regarding his feelings toward Mr. Arneson? And between Mentzers harassment issues and all the hate thrown at Ernie lately, its like asking for a giant firestorm, so why even invite, let alone give top-billing to these guys especially when they have no (Mentzer) or little (Ernie) relation to Arneson? This is Twilight Zone stuff. I mean no disrespect to Mr. Dorso, but I can't see how this convention makes sense.

Yeah, pretty much. The only place where this is okay is Bizarro World, and the whole setup looks very, very, very much like some strawman deal to secure the name rights now that Blackmoor is becoming "a thäng" again. Going to be very, very, very careful with what I suggest here, but it's difficult for me not to assume that Ernie Gygax - or rather, Mr Dorso - has a smart tax consultant at hand who has told him how to fiscally optimize a one-weekend side-gig.
But in principle, if this not the doing of total idiots - which is a possibility, seeing who is involved in running this operation -, then it's all about occupying "territory", or, rather, about market space. Which is a strategy that's about as stupid as everything else we've seen so far - but then, if you do the math, hosting such a con (no pun intended) will give you pretty beautiful tax returns, at the very least, and if you manage to get your, whatever, two-hundred people in there who buy the premium tickets to the assigned price, then... Then it's not quite "stupid", any more.

Personally, I can only marvel at the way some of these folks are behaving. Instead of trying to desperately declare their ownership of stuff that clearly neither morally nor factually belongs to them, one would wish that people like Ernie or the T. I. M. would just lock themselves into their basement for a few years, and just write: Just create cool stuff, and the rewards will come. Number one rule in life, "game recognizes game". Especially with these guys: Maybe not us, in particular, but I'm pretty sure there are people out there who would love to love them if they only stopped embarrassing themselves with stupid shit like this.

Anyway - not my milk, not my cornflakes. If these morons want to continue being the laughing stock of the entire RPG community, then that's their decision.

[Rafael]

Leaving this here for posterity: This is the cover page of the advertised Facebook event for the convention, as I watch it from some Canary development screen:

"DaveCon", one month after its announcement, still sporting a snapshot from the '83 "Greyhawk" boxed set, advertising with the names displayed above, above all others. - Can't make this stuff up.

In all fairness, the current official website looks, ugh, "better".

https://www.davecon.net

DaveCons theme is "The Unification"

I'm just so glad that Tim and Ernie have apparently found it in their hearts to finally forgive Mr Arneson for... Inventing D&D? Coming to work and expecting to get paid for it?

- I don't get it, I don't think any of you will really get it, but... I don't think we're supposed to, really. ...So, I'll try and not think about this too much.

[RobJN]

Art that has nothing to do with Dave.

Guests who have nothing to do with Dave.

A date that I have yet to figure out the significance of, but am pretty sure has nothing to do with Dave.

Yup, this just screams "Let's celebrate the legacy of Dave Arneson" :|

[Rafael]

Well, the date has a context, but is equally tasteless: Mr Arneson died on April 7th, 2009. - And now these guys, of all people, want to give him a belated eulogy? - Like, "why"? "Why would they think they should be the ones doing this?"

If this was Wesely's thing, or Hoyt's thing, it would, of course, be a different matter. But as it is - what is it?

Because if they put any thought into this, at all, then they must be aware that this would look like a bad attempt at some form of "hostile takeover", bordering on "wrongful appropriation". You are seriously interested in doing something like that, you prepare it differently, and you talk, and act, and behave with greater sensitivity. Like, one week of additional preparation, and public perception could be completely different.

The way they've been doing this so far, a nightmare, and a nightmarish self-parody, really. Sure, it's mildly convenient for them to run such a convention, and have the name rights, and all, for such an event - but on every level, and within any margin, unless these guys are outright planning in generational dimensions, the losses outweigh the gains in ways that are impressive.

...Then again: Let's start with the part where this is my -or, for that matter, our - problem.