12-09-2020, 04:01 AM
It is worth considering what happened with Blackmoor between the release of the FFC and the time when Dave submitted his documents for the DA series to TSR.
We know that prior to this, Dave Arneson was working on a manuscript called The Blackmoor Chronicles that he was hoping to have released from Mayfair Games, possibly turned into as many as 12 adventures. This is something Dave talked about in 1985, but in 1986 Dave revealed that he was working with TSR. The plan had now changed to 8 modules and a novel, according to an interview in Space Gamer.
Most likely TSR hired Dave Ritchie to coordinate with Arneson and work as a co-writer for what became 4 modules.
It seems to me that already before talking to Ritchie, Dave was developing Blackmoor's post FFC timeline. During the FFC Blackmoor is still a part of the Great Kingdom/Thonia and this realm functions as a supporter of "the Good Guys". In the Post-FFC setting on the other hand, Thonia is an adversary. In this context, the Iron Duke, becomes a much more meaningful NPC than he would have been during the FFC era.
One question is how closely this post FFC setting is connected to events in Dave's later campaign. Based on Dave's earlier works, it seems likely that this is a combination of actual play experiences, unused ideas etc. TSR/Ritchie's influence is clear on the first couple of pages of each module where the connection to The Known World/Mystara and how to bring Known World PCs back to Blackmoor, but it is not apparent to me that TSR excerted a strong influence on the main parts of the adventures. It is a shame that we never got to interview Ritchie about this before he passed away. Regarding The Rand and the Iron Duke, we do know that that material was presented in modules DA1 and DA3 which were fully approved by Arneson.
Comparing the d20 material and the DA modules, I also don't see a lot of disparity. Indeed, without a handful of specific exceptions, the d20 material seems to follow the DA modules very closely. The d20 line does add to and expand on this material, but rarely omits or changes that material except when done to accomidate the d20 rules.
When writing the Thonia Sourcebooks, I have become more and more aware of the fact that Thonia in the post FFC era is a realm that is a contrast to Blackmoor and while PCs in Blackmoor can be allies of the King and The Regency Council, heroic PCs adventuring in Thonia ought to be freedom fighters working in opposition to the ruling class. This is especially true in The Rand where you have the Iron Duke as the main antagonist.
-Havard
We know that prior to this, Dave Arneson was working on a manuscript called The Blackmoor Chronicles that he was hoping to have released from Mayfair Games, possibly turned into as many as 12 adventures. This is something Dave talked about in 1985, but in 1986 Dave revealed that he was working with TSR. The plan had now changed to 8 modules and a novel, according to an interview in Space Gamer.
Most likely TSR hired Dave Ritchie to coordinate with Arneson and work as a co-writer for what became 4 modules.
It seems to me that already before talking to Ritchie, Dave was developing Blackmoor's post FFC timeline. During the FFC Blackmoor is still a part of the Great Kingdom/Thonia and this realm functions as a supporter of "the Good Guys". In the Post-FFC setting on the other hand, Thonia is an adversary. In this context, the Iron Duke, becomes a much more meaningful NPC than he would have been during the FFC era.
One question is how closely this post FFC setting is connected to events in Dave's later campaign. Based on Dave's earlier works, it seems likely that this is a combination of actual play experiences, unused ideas etc. TSR/Ritchie's influence is clear on the first couple of pages of each module where the connection to The Known World/Mystara and how to bring Known World PCs back to Blackmoor, but it is not apparent to me that TSR excerted a strong influence on the main parts of the adventures. It is a shame that we never got to interview Ritchie about this before he passed away. Regarding The Rand and the Iron Duke, we do know that that material was presented in modules DA1 and DA3 which were fully approved by Arneson.
Comparing the d20 material and the DA modules, I also don't see a lot of disparity. Indeed, without a handful of specific exceptions, the d20 material seems to follow the DA modules very closely. The d20 line does add to and expand on this material, but rarely omits or changes that material except when done to accomidate the d20 rules.
When writing the Thonia Sourcebooks, I have become more and more aware of the fact that Thonia in the post FFC era is a realm that is a contrast to Blackmoor and while PCs in Blackmoor can be allies of the King and The Regency Council, heroic PCs adventuring in Thonia ought to be freedom fighters working in opposition to the ruling class. This is especially true in The Rand where you have the Iron Duke as the main antagonist.
-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