The Term "Arnesonian"

[Havard]

I swear that there is another thread like this one. Maybe it's on DF and not here. Seems like a topic we've visited before... 8)

Im sure it could be!

Yet, when Dave thought that players didn't play "his way" he sometimes involked a "wrath of God" kind of punishment where characters might take damage every round for not playing right, etc. Rules lawyers seem to be the focus of a lot of bad karma in Dave's campaigns.

I hadnt heard about the Wrath of God mode, but he clearly had a dislike for rules lawyers (who hasnt?)
That is pretty interesting though.

For me, much of the "Arnesonian way" is playing with rules only known to the Referee. Dave seems to have enjoyed a loose style with few rules at all on occasion, where he had total control of when characters leveled up and kept monster stats hidden from his players so that they couldn't challenge his rulings. But that in itself doesn't really define the way Dave did it, since a lot of his rules sets seem to be quite complex when he wanted them to be.

True. Of course, the rules were "under construction" when most of the campaign happened. But Dave had obviously had some bad experiences with games being bogged down by rules discussions back in the war gaming days so it seems he was intent to avoid that here. IMO this style of game only works as long as there is a bond of trust between the players and the GM. I think there was such a bond in the Minnesota group, at least with the ones who stuck with the game for the long haul.

OTOH, Greg DMed many sessions independently of Dave, and other players also took on the role of Refree, so it couldnt all have been secret?

Another trait of an "Arnesonian" game seems to be a mix of styles in one place, such as the introduction of Star Trek tricorders into his First Fantasy Campaign rules. I don't like to think of Blackmoor as a highly technological place, but instead as a place where occasionally at random one might find some unexpectedly cool item that doesn't really fit the setting. The serendipity of Dave's campaign seems like it made Blackmoor a fun place to play in.

I think you are spot on here.

A third trait I see is that of freedom. If a player wanted to be a vampire or a cleric or a balrog, Dave didn't worry about the fact that there weren't rules for it but allowed it anyway and (it sounds like) worked out rules as needed. Dave doesn't seem to have been limited by the rules and encouraged his players to think "outside the box" as well.

Absolutely. This is really one of the things that draws me to the Arnesonian way of playing. After having the game around for over 30 years it is easy to get stuck in old patterns.


-Havard