View source for Canon:Dave Arneson

'''David Lance "Dave" Arneson''' (October 1, 1947<ref name="Minnesota DoH">Minnesota Department of Health. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002'' [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.</ref>&nbsp;– April 7, 2009) was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published [[role-playing game]] (RPG), ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', with [[Gary Gygax]], in the early 1970s.<ref>{{cite book| last = Cook| first = Monte|authorlink=Monte Cook|coauthors=Tweet, Jonathan; Williams, Skip| year = 2000| title = Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook| location = Renton, Washington| publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]]| page=2|quote=Based on the original Dungeons & Dragons rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson <!-- No trailing period or italics in original -->}}</ref> Arneson's early work was fundamental to the development of the genre, developing the concept of the RPG using devices now considered to be archetypical, such as adventuring in "dungeons", using a neutral judge, and having conversations with imaginary characters to develop the storyline.<ref>{{cite journal  | last = Lafarge  | first = Paul   |  title = Destroy All Monsters: A journey deep into the cavern of Dungeons & Dragons, a utopian, profoundly dorky and influential game that, lacking clear winners or an end, may not be a game at all  | journal = The Believer  | volume = 4  | issue = 7  | date = September 2006  | url = http://www.believermag.com/issues/200609/?read=article_lafarge  | accessdate = 2009-03-22}}</ref>

Arneson discovered wargaming as a teenager in the 1960s, and began combining these games with the concept of [[role-playing]]. He was a [[Wikipedia:University of Minnesota|University of Minnesota]] student when he met Gygax at the [[Gen Con]] gaming convention in the late 1960s. In 1970 Arneson created the game and fictional world that became ''[[Blackmoor]]'', writing his own rules and basing the setting on [[Wikipedia:Medieval fantasy|medieval fantasy]] elements. Arneson showed the game to Gygax the following year, and the pair co-developed a set of rules that became ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Gygax subsequently founded [[TSR, Inc.]] to publish the game in 1974. Arneson worked briefly for the company.

Arneson left TSR in 1976, and filed suit in 1979 to retain credits and royalties on the game. He continued to work as an independent game designer, briefly worked for TSR again in the 1980s, and continued to play games for his entire life. Arneson also did some work in computer programming, and taught computer game design and game rules design at [[Wikipedia:Full Sail University|Full Sail University]] from the 1990s until shortly before his death in 2009.

==Experience with miniature wargaming==
Arneson's role-playing game design work grew from his interest in [[Wikipedia:Wargaming|wargames]]. His parents bought him the [[Wikipedia:Board wargame|board wargame]] ''[[Wikipedia:Gettysburg (game)|Gettysburg]]'' by [[Wikipedia:Avalon Hill|Avalon Hill]] in the early 1960s.  After Arneson taught his friends how to play, the group began to design their own games<ref name="gamespy2004">{{cite web| url = http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/540/540395p1.html| date = August 19, 2004| title = Dave Arneson Interview| accessdate = January 31, 2007}}</ref> and tried out new ways to play existing games. Arneson was especially fond of [[Wikipedia:Naval wargaming|naval wargames]].<ref name="FRPGB">{{cite book|last=Fannon|first=Sean Patrick|title=The Fantasy Roleplaying Gamer's Bible|publisher=Obsidian Studios|year=1999|edition=2nd|chapter=9: Wargames, the Early Roots; 10: The Birth of a Hobby|isbn=0-9674429-0-7}}</ref> Exposure to [[role-playing]] influenced his later game designs. In college history classes he role-played historical events, and preferred to deviate from recorded history in a manner similar to "what if" scenarios recreated in wargames.<ref name="gamespy2002">{{cite web| url = http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/august02/gencon/arneson/ | date = August 11, 2002| title = Dave Arneson Interview| accessdate = January 31, 2007}}</ref>

In the late 1960s<ref name="gamespy2004" /> Arneson joined the [[Wikipedia:Midwest Military Simulation Association|Midwest Military Simulation Association]] (MMSA), a group of [[Wikipedia:Miniature wargaming|miniature wargamers]] and [[Wikipedia:Miniature figure (gaming)|military figurine]] collectors in the [[Wikipedia:Minneapolis|Minneapolis]]-[[Wikipedia:Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]] area that included among its ranks future game designer [[David Wesely]]. Wesely asserts that it was during the ''Braunstein'' games he created and refereed, and in which other MMSA members participated, that Arneson helped develop the foundations of modern role-playing games on a 1:1 scale basis by focusing on non-combat objectives—a step away from wargaming towards the more individual play and varied challenges of later RPGs.<ref>{{cite book  | author=Fox, Benjamin F. | editor=Lancaster, Kurt; Mikotowicz, Thomas J. | title=Performing The Force: Essays on Immersion into Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Environments | chapter=The performance of Wargames | publisher=McFarland | year=2001 | isbn=0-7864-0895-2 | pages=74–75 }}</ref><ref name ="DW03">{{cite journal | last = Arneson | first = Dave | authorlink = | title = My Life and Role-Playing | journal =[[Wikipedia:Different Worlds|Different Worlds]] | issue = 3 | pages = 6–8 | publisher = [[Wikipedia:Chaosium|Chaosium]] | date = June/July 1979 }}</ref> Arneson was a participant in Wesley's wargame scenarios, and as Arneson continued to run his own scenarios he eventually expanded them to include ideas from ''[[Wikipedia:The Lord of the Rings|The Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:Dark Shadows|Dark Shadows]]''.<ref name=tresca2010>{{citation | first1=Michael J. | last1=Tresca | title=The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games | publisher=McFarland | year=2010 | isbn=078645895X | page=61 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8H8bzqj6S4sC&pg=PA61 }}</ref>

In 1969 Arneson was a history student at the [[Wikipedia:University of Minnesota|University of Minnesota]] and working part-time as a security guard.<ref name="Wired">{{cite news | last = Kushner | first = David | title = Dungeon Master: The Life and Legacy of Gary Gygax | work = Wired.com | url = http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2008/03/ff_gygax | accessdate = October 16, 2008 | date=March 10, 2008}}</ref> He attended the second [[Gen Con]] gaming convention in August 1969 (at which time wargaming was still the primary focus) and it was at this event that he met [[Gary Gygax]],<ref>{{Cite book| last1=Arneson| first1=D.| last2=Gygax| first2=G.| last3=Carr| first3=M.| title=Don't Give Up the Ship!| publisher=[[Wikipedia:Guidon Games|Guidon Games]]| place=Evansville, IN| edition=1st| pages=ii| year=1972 }}</ref><ref name="bbc">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7994444.stm BBC: Role-playing games pioneer dies]</ref> who had founded the [[Wikipedia:Castle & Crusade Society|Castle & Crusade Society]] within the [[Wikipedia:International Federation of Wargaming|International Federation of Wargaming]] in the 1960s at [[Wikipedia:Lake Geneva, Wisconsin|Lake Geneva, Wisconsin]], not far from Arneson's home in Minnesota.<ref name="gamespy2004"/><ref name="Wired"/> Arneson and Gygax also shared an interest in sailing ship games and they co-authored the ''[[Wikipedia:Don't Give Up the Ship!|Don't Give Up the Ship!]]'' naval battle rules, serialized from June 1971 and later published as a single volume in 1972 by [[Wikipedia:Guidon Games|Guidon Games]] with a revised edition by [[TSR, Inc.]] in 1975.<ref name="Wired"/><ref>{{cite journal | last = Arneson | first = Dave | coauthors = Gary Gygax | title = Don't Give Up The Ship | journal =International Wargamer | volume = 4| issue = 6 | publisher = [[Wikipedia:International Federation of Wargamers|International Federation of Wargamers]] |date=June 1971}}</ref>

==Blackmoor==
Following the departure of David Wesely to armed service duty in October 1970, Arneson began to imagine a medieval fantasy style Braunstien wherein the players  explored the dungeons of a castle inhabited by fantastic monsters.<ref name="Pegasus01">{{cite journal | last = Anon. | title = An Interview with Dave Arneson | journal = Pegasus | volume = | issue = 1 | pages = 4 | publisher = [[Judges Guild]] | date = April/May 1981 | url = http://www.judgesguild.net/guildhall/pegasus/pegasus_01/interview.shtml }}</ref><ref name="D&Dfaq">{{cite web| url = http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_FAQ.asp| title = ''Dungeons & Dragons'' FAQ| accessdate = October 3, 2008| publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]]| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2FDnDArchives_FAQ.asp&date=2008-10-03| archivedate = October 3, 2008}}</ref><ref name="history">{{cite web| url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp| title=The History of TSR| publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]| accessdate=September 20, 2005| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2FDnDArchives_History.asp&date=2008-10-04| archivedate=October 4, 2008}}</ref> Originally Arneson played his own mix of rules and used [[Wikipedia:Rock-paper-scissors|rock, paper, scissors]] to resolve combat, but later adapted elements from his naval wargame rules which had an [[armor class]] system like that later used in ''D&D''. "I had spent the previous two days watching about five monster movies on channel 5’s 'Creature Feature' weekend, reading several Conan books (I cannot recall which ones, but I always thought they were all pretty much the same), and stuffing myself with popcorn, doodling on a piece of graph paper. At the time, I was quite tired of my Nappy (Napoleonic) campaign with all its rigid rules and was rebelling against it."<ref name="Dragon #249"/>  The Fantasy combat system appearing in the ''[[Chainmail (game)|Chainmail]]'' rules, written by Gygax and [[Jeff Perren]] and published in the spring of 1971, were also applied for a short time.<ref name=tresca2010/> Finding those lacking, Arneson wrote modified rules to apply to his role-playing game scenarios.<ref name="gamespy2004"/><ref name="gamespy2002"/><ref name="Wired"/> The game that evolved from those modifications to ''Chainmail'' was the game ''[[Blackmoor]]'', which modern players of ''D&D'' would describe as a campaign setting rather than a "complete game."  The gameplay would be recognizable to modern ''D&D'' players, featuring the use of fixed [[hit point]]s, [[armor class]], character development, and [[dungeon crawl]]s. This setting was fleshed out over time and continues to be played to the present day.<ref name="Pegasus14">{{cite journal | last = Anon. | title = Pegasus chats with... Dave Arneson | journal = Pegasus | issue = 14 | pages = 6 | publisher = [[Judges Guild]] | date = August 1999 | url = http://www.eostros.com/guildhall/epegasus/pegasus14/interview.htm }} {{Dead link|date=January 2010}}</ref> Arneson described ''Blackmoor'' as "roleplaying in a non-traditional medieval setting. I have such things as steam power, gunpowder, and submarines in limited numbers. There was even a tank running around for a while. The emphasis is on the story and the roleplaying."<ref name="Dragon #249"/> Details of ''Blackmoor'' and the original campaign, which was by then established on the map of the Castle & Crusade Society's "Great Kingdom",<ref>{{cite journal | last = Gygax | first = Gary | authorlink = Gary Gygax | coauthors = | title = Gary Gygax on Dungeons & Dragons: Origins of the Game | journal =[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon Magazine]] | volume = 1 | issue = 7 | pages = 7 | publisher = [[TSR, Inc.]] |date=June 1977}}</ref> were first brought to print briefly in issue #13 of the ''Domesday Book'', the newsletter of the Castle & Crusade Society in July 1972, and later in much-expanded form as ''The First Fantasy Campaign'', published by [[Judges Guild]] in 1977.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Arneson | first = Dave | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Facts about Black Moor | journal = Domesday Book | issue = 13 | pages = 6–7 | publisher = [[Castle & Crusade Society]] |date=July 1972}}</ref>

Although much of what was later deemed to be "[[Wikipedia:J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]-influenced" in ''D&D'' and the concept of adventuring in "dungeons"<ref>{{cite journal | last = Gygax | first = Gary | authorlink = Gary Gygax | title = D&D Ground and Spell Area Scale | journal =[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon Magazine]] | volume = | issue = 15 | pages = 13 | publisher = [[TSR, Inc.]] |date=June 1978}}</ref> originated with ''Blackmoor'', as a setting it was not purely fantasy-oriented, as it incorporated recent history and science fiction elements. These are visible much later in the [[DA module series]] published by TSR (particularly ''City of the Gods''), but were also present from the early to mid 1970s in the original campaign and parallel and intertwined games run by [[Star Probe (game)|John Snider]], whose ruleset developed from these adventures and was intended for publication by TSR from 1974 as the first science fiction RPG.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Arneson | first = Dave | title = (in) Mapping the Dungeons | journal =[[The Strategic Review]] | volume = 1 | issue = 3 | pages = 6 | publisher = [[TSR, Inc.]] | date = Autumn 1975 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Snider | first = John M. | title = Letter from John M. Snider (dated April(?) 1974) | journal =Supernova | volume = SF&F Gaming Info—Supplement | publisher = [[Wikipedia:Lew Pulsipher|Lew Pulsipher]] | date = June 1, 1974 }}</ref>

==''Dungeons & Dragons''==
In November 1972, Arneson and David Megarry traveled to Lake Geneva to meet with Gary Gygax.  Arneson thought that Gygax would be interested in Megarry's [[Wikipedia:Dungeon!|Dungeon!]] boardgame, which Megarry had developed as player in Blackmoor, and Gygax had expressed a desire to play a game of Blackmoor itself.<ref>Robert Kuntz: "Dave Arneson was the judge, and the other players were: EGG, Terry Kuntz, Ernie Gygax and myself. Megarry was the de facto leader as he understood the campaign area and rules and so he was our overall integration point in the adventure which took place on EGG's dining table." {{Cite web | title = Original D&D Discussion: Lake Geneva Gaming Group? | date = 2010-07-19 | url = http://odd74.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=gygax&action=display&thread=4176 | accessdate = 2011-06-30}}</ref>  After playing in the Blackmoor game Arneson refereed, Gygax almost immediately began a similar campaign of his own which he called [[Greyhawk]] and asked Arneson for a draft of his playing rules.<ref name="Wired" /> The two then collaborated by phone and mail, and playtesting carried out by their various groups and other contacts.  Gygax and Arneson wanted to publish the game, but [[Wikipedia:Guidon Games|Guidon Games]] and [[Wikipedia:Avalon Hill|Avalon Hill]] rejected it. Arneson could not afford to invest in the venture.<ref name="DW03"/><ref name="D&Dfaq"/><ref>{{cite journal | last = Gygax | first = Gary | authorlink = Gary Gygax | title = D&D, AD&D and Gaming | journal =[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon Magazine]] | issue = 28–29 | pages = 7 | publisher = [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]] |date=June 1979}}</ref>

Gygax felt that there was a need to publish the game as soon as possible, since similar projects were being planned elsewhere, so rules were hastily put together and Arneson's own final draft was never used.<ref name ="DW03"/> Despite all this, [[Brian Blume]] eventually provided the funding required to publish the [[Dungeons & Dragons (1974)|original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' set]] in 1974, with the initial print run of 1,000 selling out within a year and sales increasing rapidly in subsequent years.<ref name="gamespy2004"/><ref name="D&Dfaq"/> Further rules and a sample dungeon from Arneson's original campaign (the first published RPG scenario in a professional publication) were released in 1975 in the ''[[Blackmoor (supplement)|Blackmoor]]'' supplement for ''D&D'', named after the campaign setting.<ref name="FRPGB" /> The supplement offered little in the way of details from Arneson's actual campaign, however.<ref name="Dragon #249"/>

Arneson formally joined TSR as their Director of Research at the beginning of 1976 but left at the end of the year to pursue a career as an independent game designer.<ref name="Pegasus01"/><ref>{{cite journal | last = Kask | first = Tim | authorlink = Tim Kask | title = In The Cauldron | journal =[[The Strategic Review]] | volume = 2 | issue = 1 | pages = 2 | publisher = [[TSR, Inc.]] |date=February 1976}}</ref>

==After TSR==
In 1977, despite the fact that he was no longer at TSR, Arneson published ''Dungeonmaster's Index'',<ref>{{cite web  | title = Dungeonmaster's Index  | publisher = Tome of treasures for Dungeons & Dragons Collectibles  | url = http://www.tomeoftreasures.com/tot_nontsr/arneson.htm  | accessdate = 2009-06-07}}</ref> a 38-page booklet that indexed all of TSR's ''D&D'' properties to that point in time, including ''[[Chainmail (game)|Chainmail]]'', the [[Dungeons & Dragons (1974)|original 3-book set of ''D&D'']], the five ''D&D'' supplements (''[[Greyhawk (supplement)|Greyhawk]]''; ''[[Blackmoor (supplement)|Blackmoor]]''; ''[[Eldritch Wizardry]]''; ''[[Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes]]''; and ''[[Swords & Spells]]''), and all seven issues of ''[[Strategic Review|The Strategic Review]]''.

TSR had agreed to pay Arneson royalties on all ''D&D'' products, but when the company came out with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'') in 1977, it claimed that this was a significantly different product and did not pay him royalties.<ref name=30years>{{cite book  | title =  30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons  | publisher = Wizards of the Coast  | year = 2004  | location = Renton WA  | page = 247  | isbn = 0-7869-3498-0}}</ref> In response, Arneson filed the first of five lawsuits against Gygax and TSR in 1979. In March 1981, as part of a confidential agreement, Arneson and Gygax resolved the suits out of court by agreeing that they would both be credited as "co-creators" on the packaging of ''D&D'' products from that point on,<ref name="Wired"/> but this did not end the lingering tensions between them.<ref name="gamespy2004"/> (Twenty years later, [[Wizards of the Coast]] (WotC) bought TSR and wanted to drop the word "Advanced" from its planned third edition of ''D&D''. WotC CEO [[Wikipedia:Peter Adkinson|Peter Adkison]] approached Arneson to resolve the two-decade-old issue and Arneson released all claims to ''D&D'' for an undisclosed sum of money.<ref name=30years />)

In 1979 Arneson and Richard L. Snider, an original ''Blackmoor'' player, co-authored ''[[Wikipedia:Adventures in Fantasy|Adventures in Fantasy]]'', a role-playing game that attempted to recapture the "original spirit of the Role Playing Fantasy Game" that Arneson had envisioned in the early 1970s, instead of what ''D&D'' had become.<ref>{{cite book |last=Arneson |first=David L. |coauthors=Richard Snider |title=Adventures in Fantasy: Book of Adventure |publisher=Excalibre Games Inc./Adventures Unlimited |year=1979 |page=1}}</ref> In the early 1980s he established his own game company, [[Wikipedia:Adventure Games|Adventure Games]], that produced the [[Wikipedia:Miniature Games|miniatures games]] ''[[Wikipedia:Johnny Reb|Johnny Reb]]'' and ''Harpoon'', as well as his own ''Adventures in Fantasy'' role-playing game.<ref name="Dragon #249">{{cite journal| last = Varney| first = Allen| authorlink = Allen Varney| title = Profiles: Dave Arneson| journal = [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]| issue = #249| page = 120| publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]]| location = [[Wikipedia:Renton, Washington|Renton, Washington]]| month = July | year = 1998}}</ref> Adventure Games was profitable, but Arneson found the workload to be excessive and finally sold the company to [[Wikipedia:Flying Buffalo|Flying Buffalo]].<ref name="sacco">{{cite web | url=http://www.enworld.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=47&page=1  | title=An Interview with Dave Arneson | author=Sacco, Ciro Allessandro | accessdate=June 3, 2009 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20040707092754/http://www.enworld.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=47&page=1 |archivedate = July 7, 2004}} (Alternative URL: [http://www.thekyngdoms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=35].)</ref>

While Gary Gygax was president of TSR in the mid 1980s, he and Arneson reconnected, and Arneson briefly relinked ''Blackmoor'' to ''D&D''<ref name="gamespy2004"/> with the [[DA module series|"DA" (Dave Arneson)]] series of modules set in Blackmoor (1986–1987). The four modules, three of which were written by Arneson, detailed Arneson's campaign setting for the first time.<ref name="Dragon #249"/> When Gygax was forced out of TSR, Arneson was removed from the company before a planned fifth module could be published. Gygax and Arneson again went their separate ways.<ref name="gamespy2004"/> In 1986 Arneson wrote a new ''D&D'' module set in Blackmoor called "The Garbage Pits of Despair", which was published in two parts in ''[[Different Worlds]]'' magazine issues #42 and #43.

Arneson stepped into the computer industry and founded 4D Interactive Systems, a computer company in Minnesota that is still in business today. He also did some computer programming and worked on several games. He eventually found himself consulting with computer companies.<ref name="gamespy2004"/>

Living in [[Wikipedia:California|California]] in the late 1980s, Arneson had a chance to work with [[Wikipedia:Special education|special education]] children. Upon returning to Minnesota, he pursued teaching and began speaking at schools about educational uses of role-playing and using multi-sided dice to teach math.<ref name="pioneer"/> In the 1990s he began working at [[Wikipedia:Full Sail University|Full Sail]], a private university that teaches multimedia subjects,<ref name="gamespy2004"/> and continued there as a professor of computer game design until 2008.

Around 2000, Arneson was working with [[Wikipedia:Videographer|videographer]] John Kentner on ''Dragons in the Basement'', a video [[Wikipedia:Documentary film|documentary]] on the early history of role-playing games. Arneson describes the documentary: “Basically it is a series of interviews with original players (‘How did ''D&D'' affect your life?’) and original RPG designers like [[Wikipedia:Marc Miller|Marc Miller]] (''Traveller'') and [[Wikipedia:M.A.R. Barker|M.A.R. Barker]] (''Empire of the Petal Throne'').”<ref name="Dragon #249"/> He also made a [[Wikipedia:Cameo appearance|cameo appearance]] in the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons (movie)|Dungeons & Dragons]]'' movie as one of many [[Wizard|mages]] throwing fireballs at a [[dragon]], although the scene was deleted from the completed movie.<ref name="gamespy2002"/> Arneson and Dustin Clingman founded [[Zeitgeist Games]] to produce an updated [[d20 System]] version of the ''Blackmoor'' setting.<ref name="gamespy2004" /> [[Goodman Games]] published and distributed this new ''Blackmoor'' in 2004.

==Personal life==
Arneson married Frankie Ann Morneau in 1984;<ref>Ancestry.com. ''Minnesota Marriage Collection, 1958–2001'' [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.</ref> they had one daughter,<ref name="Minnesota DoH" /> Malia, and two grandchildren.<ref name="pioneer">{{cite news | first = Amy | last = Forliti | title=Arneson, co-creator of D&D, dies at 61 | url=http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/04/10/arneson_obit/ | publisher= [[Wikipedia:Assiciated Press|Associated Press]] | date= April 10, 2009 | accessdate=May 31, 2010 }}</ref>

Arneson continued to play games his entire life, including ''D&D'' and military miniature games, and regularly attended an annual meeting to play the original ''Blackmoor'' in Minnesota.<ref name="gamespy2004" /> At Full Sail University he taught the class "Rules of the Game",<ref name="Wired"/> a class in which students learned how to accurately document and create rule sets for games that were balanced between mental challenges for the players and "physical" ones for the characters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/front-page460.php|title=Interview with Dave Arneson|date=|work=|publisher=Kobold Quarterly|accessdate=December 4, 2010}}</ref> He retired from the position on June 19, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/etan_on_tech/2008/06/dd-co-creator-d.html |title=D&D co-creator Dave Arneson retiring from Full Sail |work=[[The Orlando Sentinel]] |author=Horowitz, Etan |date=June 18, 2008 |accessdate=May 31, 2010| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080621171233/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/etan_on_tech/2008/06/dd-co-creator-d.html| archivedate = June 21, 2008}}</ref>

Arneson died on April 7, 2009,<ref name="WotC News">{{cite web|url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4news/20090409|title=Dave Arneson|date=April 9, 2009|work=News|publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|accessdate=April 10, 2009}}</ref> after battling cancer for two years.<ref name="bbc" /> According to his daughter, Malia Weinhagen, "The biggest thing about my dad's world is he wanted people to have fun in life&nbsp;... I think we get distracted by the everyday things you have to do in life and we forget to enjoy life and have fun."<ref name="pioneer"/>

==Honors and tributes==
Arneson received numerous industry awards for his part in creating ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and other role-playing games. In 1984 he was inducted into the [[Wikipedia:Origins Award|Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design's Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1983/list-of-winners | title = List of Winners | accessdate = January 31, 2007| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070927011414/http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1983/list-of-winners| archivedate = September 27, 2007}}</ref> and in 1999 was named by ''[[Pyramid (magazine)|Pyramid]]'' magazine as one of ''The Millennium's Most Influential Persons'', "at least in the realm of adventure gaming".<ref>{{cite journal|title=Second Sight: The Millennium's Best "Other" Game and The Millennium's Most Influential Person|journal=[[Wikipedia:Pyramid (magazine)|Pyramid]] (online)|url=http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=1306|last=Haring|first=Scott D.|date=December 24, 1999|accessdate=February 15, 2008}}</ref>

Three days after his death, [[Wizards of the Coast]] temporarily replaced the front page of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' section of their web site with a tribute to Arneson.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/arneson_main.jpg | title = David Lance Arneson| accessdate = April 10, 2009| date = April 10, 2009| work = wizards.com| publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]]| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2Fimages%2Farneson_main.jpg&date=2009-04-10| archivedate = April 10, 2009}} The image originally appeared [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/welcome here].</ref> Other tributes in the gaming world included ''[[Wikipedia:Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'' #644,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0644.html | title = The Order of the Stick #644 | last = Burlew | first = Rich | authorlink = Rich Burlew | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.giantitp.com%2Fcomics%2Foots0644.html&date=2009-04-10 | archivedate = April 10, 2009 | publisher = [[Giantitp]]}}</ref> and ''[[Wikipedia:Dork Tower|Dork Tower]]'' for April 8, 2009.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.dorktower.com/2009/04/08/dork-tower-april-8-2009-thanks-dave/| title = Dork Tower April 8, 2009| accessdate = April 10, 2009| date = April 8, 2009| last = Kovalic| first = John| authorlink = John Kovalic| work = [[Dork Tower]]| publisher = Dork Storm Press| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dorktower.com%2F2009%2F04%2F08%2Fdork-tower-april-8-2009-thanks-dave%2F&date=2009-04-10| archivedate = April 10, 2009}}</ref>

Video game publisher [[Wikipedia:Activision Blizzard|Activision Blizzard]] posted a tribute to Arneson on their website and on April 14, 2009, released patch 3.1 of the online role-playing game ''[[Wikipedia:World of Warcraft|World of Warcraft]]'', ''The Secrets of Ulduar'', dedicated to Arneson.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/patch3p10.html | title = World of Warcraft Patch Notes 3.10 | publisher = Blizzard Entertainment}}</ref>

Turbine's ''[[Dungeons and Dragons Online]]'', now ''Dungeons and Dragons: Eberron Unlimited'', added an in-game memorial altar to Arneson in the Ruins of Threnal location in the game.<ref>{{cite web | title = DDO Release Notes: Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited | url = http://ddowiki.com/page/Eberron_Unlimited_Release_Notes | accessdate = January 19, 2011}}</ref> They also created an in-game item named the "Mantle of the Worldshaper" that is a reward for finishing the Threnal quest chain that is narrated by Arneson himself.  The Mantle's description reads: "A comforting and inspiring presence surrounds you as you hold this cloak.  Arcane runes run along the edges of the fine cape, and masterfully drawn on the silken lining is an incredibly detailed map of a place named 'Blackmoor'."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Item:Mantle_of_the_Worldshaper | title = Mantle of the Worldshaper | accessdate = September 30, 2010}}</ref>

==Partial bibliography==
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons (1974)|Dungeons & Dragons]]'' (1974) (with [[Gary Gygax]])
* ''[[Blackmoor (supplement)|Blackmoor]]'' (1975)
* ''Dungeonmaster's Index'' (1977)
* ''The First Fantasy Campaign'' (1977)
* ''Adventures in Fantasy'' (1979) (with Richard L. Snider)
* ''[[Wikipedia:Thieves' World#Role playing games|Robert Asprin's Thieves' World'']] (1981) (co-author)
* ''Citybook II – Port o' Call'' (1984) (co-author)
* ''[[Adventures in Blackmoor]] (D&D Module:DA1)'' (1986) (with David J. Ritchie)
* ''[[Temple of the Frog]] (D&D Module:DA2)'' (1986) (with David J. Ritchie)
* ''[[City of the Gods]] (D&D Module:DA3)'' (1987) (with David J. Ritchie)
* ''DNA/DOA'' (1989)
* ''The Case of the Pacific Clipper'' (1991)
* ''[[The Haunted Lighthouse]] ([[Dungeon Crawl Classics]] Module #3.5)'' (2003)
* ''Dave Arneson's Blackmoor'' (2004) (lead designer)
* ''Player's Guide to Blackmoor'' (2006)

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://blackmoorcastle.com Official website] of Dave Arneson.
* "[http://www.dignews.com/feature.php?story_id=2514 Dave Arneson Interview]" by [[Wikipedia:Harold Foundary|Harold Foundary]] at ''Digital Entertainment News''.
* "[http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/august02/gencon/arneson/ Dave Arneson Interview]" by Andrew S. Bub at ''GameSpy'', August 11, 2002.
* "[http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2008/03/08/slice-of-scifi-151/ Slice of SciFi #151: Interview with “Dungeons & Dragons” co-creator Dave Arneson]" by ''Farpoint Media'', February 8, 2008.
*Jeremy L.C. Jones. [http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/article460.php “Interview with Dave Arneson”], koboldquarterly.com, 2009-04-11. Retrieved on 2009-05-03. Arneson’s last known interview.

{{Wikipedia|Dave Arneson}}


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