R.I.P. David Arneson, the Unsung Legend

[Elros Amandil]

David Lance Arneson (October 1, 1947 – April 7, 2009) was one of the creators of the RPG genre, and should be recognized for adding the concept of a "campaign setting" to war games. We should all recognize his role in creating the hobby that we all enjoy. Without his influence, there wouldn't be Warhammer, only nameless miniatures fighting each other for no good reason.

4/9/2009 (quoted from Giant in the Playground)

After some confusing rumors and retractions, it has been confirmed by multiple sources that Dave Arneson passed away late on Tuesday, April 7, 2009.

Many of our younger readers may not know who Mr. Arneson was, but he was a pivotal part of the birth of the hobby we all play. By most accounts, he literally invented the very concept of role-playing games. While he would share official credit for the original Dungeons & Dragons rules with the late Mr. Gygax, Mr. Arneson was the first to take the Chainmail wargaming rules and run a game where players controlled a single character, rather than an army, and described that character's actions to a judge who would determine how the environment reacted to them. Pretty much every roleplaying game (and many computer games) can trace their lineage to this single idea. He also invented the first campaign world, Blackmoor, which is hardly surprising considering he invented the concept of campaign worlds in the first place. It is impossible for me to overstate the impact his games had on what would become our mutual hobby.

Sadly, there won't be the outpouring of mainstream condolences for Mr. Arneson that we all saw for Mr. Gygax. There won't be an AP obituary or celebrity commentaries. For better or worse, Mr. Gygax was always identified as the creator of the game in the eyes of the media. But while I never met Mr. Arneson, I hope you will all join me in remembering a man from whose mind sprung the critical innovations that led to the birth of role-playing games. D&D may never have become popular without the work of Mr. Gygax, but it never would have existed at all without that of Mr. Arneson.

Read more about him here and here, and there is a nice webcomic tribute (from Order of the Stick) here.

[Prince Eldarion]

Rest In peace, I give my strength to his family.