The AD&D N Module Series and Blackmoor (Split from:What was

[Rafael]

In any case, it would make sense that after a year of being in charge, Williams decided to make the move on the DA line. Remember how Dave Arneson was not consulted for DA4 by Ritchie and how DA5 was subsequently cancelled. This does suggest a change of policy from the top level.

Quite frankly, outside of our bubble, this seems to be a pretty well-known fact. Williams actively pursued to minimize stafff employees at TSR; this was not some nefarious scheme, however: TSR was simply bankrupt at the time. So, production schedules were cleaned (mind you, 1987 would also have been the year for Frank Mentzer's Aquaria), and cheaper writers came in for the better-paid regulars.

I am not familiar with any company being set up by Arneson & Barker at this time? Adventure Games had been sold to Flying Buffalo in 1984. Are you perhaps thinking of Different Worlds Publication (set up in 1987)?

Can't remember, really. Ask Chirine, he knows best.

Interesting Could you give some more specific examples?

HAHAHA. No, thanks. I have a dayjob, you know. :o

However, pretty much every name sounds SUSPICIOUSLY familiar; to a degree when I stop believing in coincidences. You might simply want to make a table - the results are surprising.

That is an interesting categorization. Do you have any information about the "Ungulian Campaign" beyond what is found in the published material? Such as which players were involved?

Nothing written, lamentably, and only vague info I picked up here and there. Basically, the it encompasses all the games Mr Arneson ran with a new group after his friends from the FFC left the Twin Cities area; here's where the strong ties to Tekumel were explored, and where the emphasis of the shared stories switched towards Marfeldt, Ungulian, and, I think, the halflings from Boggy Bottom. It ended when Arneson himself moved away from the area, in 1982, and contact to many of the players of that generation broke off, for all the reasons that contact to friendly acquaintances tends to break off when you move 3,000 miles away. That's why many of those storylines were not really finished, or, for that matter, polished for publication. - Like that of Ungulian himself.

Some connection is definitely possible. I am going to treat anything beyond that as speculation untill we can get anything confirmed by Bourne or others, but there is nothing wrong with speculation. It would be interesting to reach out to Bourne about this. Given that he is a Mystara author as well it would have alot of things to talk to the man about

My main reason for having some reservation is that it is not a name that has appeared anywhere else in my material, but of course the number of people having played with Arneson is so large that it cannot be ruled out. Certainly worth investigating further!

Sure; if you can contact him, please do so! Now, I hope he is not offended by my speculation, As I said, very dififcult to escape that special sort of chivalric fantasy, back in 1986.