Bill Owen on the First Fantasy Campaign

[Havard]

Editor's don't edit, or if they are forced to do so by their superiors they whine and resist as much as possible. This is something I've learned from dealing with the publishing industry over the past 16 years. :? They will reject something before they ever decide to use any red ink. :evil:

Interesting to hear about your experiences DungeonDevil. I have no personal experience with publishing, only things I have read. I think it may depend on which industry and the kind of publisher though.

Dave was really lucky that he had friends at JG.
99.99% of any publishers would have instantly rejected the disorganised heap of random, crazy material in the FFC. I've learned to appreciate the book's 'raw', natural state--kinda like seeing the universe a millisecond after the Big Bang: chaotic, oftimes incomprehensible, but awe-inspiring and humbling.

I think you are forgetting that we are talking about Dave Arneson here. I suspect that already at this time he was a legend in D&D circles, even if he had gained some enemies. The interview with Owen seems to confirm this too. Getting to publish Arneson's campaign was a big opportunity for JG and they knew that this was something they would have to do right. I wonder if Owen's awe of Arneson may have been a problem for JG too though. If Owen had that many questions, why didnt he just call Arneson and ask him? Afterall, he did say that Dave was easy going about Owens input to the product.

-Havard