05-15-2019, 03:18 PM
Overall, I think this is a nice article. It is great seeing more attention given to Dave Arneson now, 10 years after his passing. I'm guessing the recent release of the documentary Secrets of Blackmoor may have contributed to this revival.
The article sadly makes the classic mistake of putting too much emphasis on the role of Chainmail in the development of Blackmoor, which I have written about here.
This is an interesting observation, that I believe came to light in one of the recent books on Gygax. It was previously assumed that Arneson showed little interest in helping fund a company, mainly because he was in his early 20s, still a student and probably did not have the kind of money Gygax needed from partners. The lack of financing was what lead Gygax to partner up with people who would eventually force him out of the company.
This was quite a curious turn of events that gave us the DA modules. It seems that TSR's serious financial crisis at the time was what may have spurred Gygax to contact Arneson about the Blackmoor modules. This, in addition to various other moves by Gary helped save the company, but resulted in Lorraine Williams taking control of TSR forcing Gary out. Apparently Williams was set to undo these moves by Gary, resulting in the DA module line being cut short. Various people have tried to portray either Gygax, Williams or Arneson as villains in the story of TSR, but I try to avoid that type of discussion. Still, the dynamics between them and the decisions made are interesting to a Blackmoor fan. I'm glad we finally got the Blackmoor modules, but it is a shame that Dave wasn't consulted for DA4 and that DA5 was cancelled even thought he script was completed.
It is a a shame that the article doesnt go into Dave's role in co-founding Zeitgeist Games and releasing the D20 Blackmoor line as well as him being involved with WotC under Peter Adkinson as a playtester of D&D, being allowed to write articles on WotC's website, being invited to the set of the D&D movie etc. I think that these were things that were important to Dave.
-Havard
The article sadly makes the classic mistake of putting too much emphasis on the role of Chainmail in the development of Blackmoor, which I have written about here.
MinnPost Wrote:Dave Arneson was not asked to join the company, in part because Gygax saw Arneson as a designer, not a businessman.
This is an interesting observation, that I believe came to light in one of the recent books on Gygax. It was previously assumed that Arneson showed little interest in helping fund a company, mainly because he was in his early 20s, still a student and probably did not have the kind of money Gygax needed from partners. The lack of financing was what lead Gygax to partner up with people who would eventually force him out of the company.
MinnPost Wrote:In 1984, Arneson was elected into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame. Gygax contracted him to write adventures for TSR based on his original Blackmoor setting in 1986.
This was quite a curious turn of events that gave us the DA modules. It seems that TSR's serious financial crisis at the time was what may have spurred Gygax to contact Arneson about the Blackmoor modules. This, in addition to various other moves by Gary helped save the company, but resulted in Lorraine Williams taking control of TSR forcing Gary out. Apparently Williams was set to undo these moves by Gary, resulting in the DA module line being cut short. Various people have tried to portray either Gygax, Williams or Arneson as villains in the story of TSR, but I try to avoid that type of discussion. Still, the dynamics between them and the decisions made are interesting to a Blackmoor fan. I'm glad we finally got the Blackmoor modules, but it is a shame that Dave wasn't consulted for DA4 and that DA5 was cancelled even thought he script was completed.
It is a a shame that the article doesnt go into Dave's role in co-founding Zeitgeist Games and releasing the D20 Blackmoor line as well as him being involved with WotC under Peter Adkinson as a playtester of D&D, being allowed to write articles on WotC's website, being invited to the set of the D&D movie etc. I think that these were things that were important to Dave.
-Havard
Currently Running: The Blackmoor Vales Saga
Currently Playing: Daniel S. Debelfry in the Throne of Star's Campaign
Currently Playing: Daniel S. Debelfry in the Throne of Star's Campaign