Hail fellow traveler, and well met
This guy, Dave, invented the whole idea of a role playing world. An idea so cool, and so different and amazing that, as a long standing member of the Guy Club, I had to take his Blackmoor apart to see how it worked. I then decided to make my own version.
I started out small by inventing monsters and sending them out into the barrens of my little brother's lunch time D&D games at school, where his friend's held admantium death-cage matches between their PCs and the monsters of the day, and then I moved on to small vignettes of a hypothetical campaign of my own.
I am a big picture kind of guy, so I made up a huge mechanical pen and ink and colored pencil continent on four sheets of Bristol board (or was it d'Arches paper?) and started running adventures in that world. Over time, I lost three parts of it.
Running a game was so damned much fun (and cheap) that suddenly everything else had to relate to it. History books got sacked for events, schedules were cleared to allow role playing time and my social set suddenly crystallized into gamers and non gamers, with one of them being the obvious favorites. This even extended to girlfriends, well the more successful ones anyway.
So Dave Arneson basically changed the way I look at the world, and how I even relate to it and its myriad denizens. When I met him last year in godforsaken Indianapolis, he was sitting in a wheelchair. I shook his hand. He looked just like a normal person, only older. I am glad I got to meet him, even briefly because he died the other day.
Thank you, Dave. The words seem so paltry, but I just need you to know that you changed me more than just about anything else could have. Empires have come and go, but gaming has stayed with me through everything. I hope I can pass this on to my niece (maybe) and nephew (more likely).
If the name rings a bell, or a few cathedrals out your way, drop his family a card, or dip your sword, or toast him or do whatever your tutelary muse provides you with.
The Arneson family would like to thank everyone for their support over the last few days, and for the support the entire community has shown Dave over the years.
We are in the process of making final arrangements and will provide additional details as we work them out. We will continue to receive cards and letters in Dave's honor. We are planning to hold a public visitation so that anyone wishing to say their goodbye in person has the opportunity to do so.
Cards and letters can continue to be sent:
Dave Arneson
1043 Grand Avenue
Box #257
St. Paul, MN
55105
Visitation will be on April 20th
Time: yet to be determined
Address:
Bradshaw Funeral Home
687 Snelling Avenue South
St. Paul, MN 55105