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From: ps238principal.livejournal.com/83...tml
The bookends to Dungeons and Dragons have entered the great hereafter with the passing of Dave Arneson, following Gary Gygax's own death in March of 2008. Though influential to role-playing games on a level few could dream of, Arneson is almost an unsung legend. There's a lot of "unknown" surrounding who contributed what to our beloved Dungeons & Dragons, and it would appear that Gary and Dave had a falling out or two over their careers (though they were reportedly on good terms in the end). Dave was, by many accounts, humble and soft-spoken, never getting as much fame as his co-creator did. Even now, with all of the tributes for his memory, I'm not seeing as much grandeur attached to his name as to Gygax when he passed. Dave didn't get a heartfelt mention on NPR, and the news stories about him mostly call him a "co-creator" as opposed to titles like "father of D&D" or "the dungeon master" that were attached to his colleague.
I'm not saying that Gygax didn't deserve the farewell he received, not at all. I just think Dave Arneson was at least as worthy of our thanks and admiration for all he created and what he helped to build. I hope he's remembered fondly this year, and I'll have to pull out my old copy of "Blackmoor..."
The bookends to Dungeons and Dragons have entered the great hereafter with the passing of Dave Arneson, following Gary Gygax's own death in March of 2008. Though influential to role-playing games on a level few could dream of, Arneson is almost an unsung legend. There's a lot of "unknown" surrounding who contributed what to our beloved Dungeons & Dragons, and it would appear that Gary and Dave had a falling out or two over their careers (though they were reportedly on good terms in the end). Dave was, by many accounts, humble and soft-spoken, never getting as much fame as his co-creator did. Even now, with all of the tributes for his memory, I'm not seeing as much grandeur attached to his name as to Gygax when he passed. Dave didn't get a heartfelt mention on NPR, and the news stories about him mostly call him a "co-creator" as opposed to titles like "father of D&D" or "the dungeon master" that were attached to his colleague.
I'm not saying that Gygax didn't deserve the farewell he received, not at all. I just think Dave Arneson was at least as worthy of our thanks and admiration for all he created and what he helped to build. I hope he's remembered fondly this year, and I'll have to pull out my old copy of "Blackmoor..."
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