Curious about Dave Arneson's Player Characters

[Havard]

Meaning no disrespect to anyone, but Dave was quite emphatic that Harchar was not a 'pirate'; he always described Harchar as "an honest, seafaring merchant". Dave managed to hornswoggle Phil with his "enhanced wealth management" schemes, and I -looking on with awe - would be able to describe Harchar and his merry crew as 'buccaneers' but never as mere 'pirates'. Blackbeard was an amateur compared to Dave's Harchar.

Dave was very well-versed in Technicolor 'swashbucklers', and I can only suggest a book that he suggested to me: George Macdonald Frasier's "The Pyrates", which was pretty much the Operations Manual for him.

"pirate"? Tcha, sirrah, and sink me for a lubber, else! You don't know the half of it.

No disrespect taken chirine my friend! I am always glad to have you here to share your knowledge and memories. You were the one who told me about Harchar in the first place. I am not sure where I picked up the pirate bit, but thank you for clearling up that misunderstanding!

Steve Lortz played Firebeard, of course. (He had the beard for it, so saving on make-up costs.) When he wasn't being a particularly demented dwarf, of course.

That is awesome. I wish I had had a chance to talk to Lortz.

As far as I know, in the Banana Republic Game Dave played a student leader, who was supposed to win by distributing leaflets to the crowds. He, however, concocted a set of fake CIA credentials which the good Major allowed in the game; Dave then persuaded all the rest of the players that he was the CIA's man on the ground, and wound up convincing everyone to give him the national treasury and a helicopter to get out of the country.

As his last move in the game, I'm told that he dumped the briefcase with all the leaflets out of the helicopter, thus making his victory conditions. And then some.

Dave was - in my experience of him as a player - very fast, very quick, very clever, and always thinking outside the box. (Watching him and Phil trying to outwit each other made for the greatest gaming nights. Ever.)

Thanks for sharing this! Your description of Dave as a player matches well comments made about him by Wesely and others from the group. It would have been fun to watch or even better participate in a game with him

I started a new thread specifically about The Banana Republic Braunstein Game here.

I can also imagine Dave and Phil playing together. Sounds like so much fun!

-Havard