I have learned that this is Blackmoor Week 2016, I was already aware of Saturday, October 1st being Dave Arneson Game Day (his birthday) and was planning for it and I am happy to find out about this too. So the question is how are you going to celebrate Blackmoor Week 2016 (or perhaps Dave Arneson Week)?
Many fans of Dave Arneson and of Blackmoor, spend a lot of time learning about Blackmoor and running their own Blackmoor campaigns built on the Blackmoor Canon as they best see it. Nothing wrong with that at all, I am not critising that, so let's be clear about that.
I enjoy hearing about other campaigns and stories from bitd, but I have no desire to try to imitate them. I have no Blackmoor or Greyhawk or Kalibruhn or _____________ in my world, nor will I ever. I happen to really love these campaigns, but I have no desire to spend my time trying to recreate them. Those worlds belong to those who created them and although there is nothng wrong with playing in those existing worlds, IMO the way to honor those early campaigns and the pioneers/creators of the hobby especially Dave Arneson the prime mover and primary creator of the game we love is to make something of my own that is truly unique and different and can not be found anywhere else.
That is what I have always striven to do. Bitd (1975) I never worried about what someone else was doing nor did I ever worry about how it was played by Dave or Gary - it never crossed my mind. They were authors of something I enjoyed and that is about all I knew at the time. The admonitions in the text about making the game your own I took to heart.Those things were written to me. So as I read and learn about Dave Arneson and about Blackmoor - The First Fantasy Campaign, I am inspired and given a vision of where imagination can take you and I - and that is anywhere our minds can conceive.
So no matter how you celebrate Blackmoor and the life and work of Dave Arneson, take a moment to tip your hat to his genius - the fruit of which brings you so much pure joy and game like Dave Arneson - without limits - always searching and exploring and as they said in Star Trek "To boldly go where no man has gone before."
Many fans of Dave Arneson and of Blackmoor, spend a lot of time learning about Blackmoor and running their own Blackmoor campaigns built on the Blackmoor Canon as they best see it. Nothing wrong with that at all, I am not critising that, so let's be clear about that.
I enjoy hearing about other campaigns and stories from bitd, but I have no desire to try to imitate them. I have no Blackmoor or Greyhawk or Kalibruhn or _____________ in my world, nor will I ever. I happen to really love these campaigns, but I have no desire to spend my time trying to recreate them. Those worlds belong to those who created them and although there is nothng wrong with playing in those existing worlds, IMO the way to honor those early campaigns and the pioneers/creators of the hobby especially Dave Arneson the prime mover and primary creator of the game we love is to make something of my own that is truly unique and different and can not be found anywhere else.
That is what I have always striven to do. Bitd (1975) I never worried about what someone else was doing nor did I ever worry about how it was played by Dave or Gary - it never crossed my mind. They were authors of something I enjoyed and that is about all I knew at the time. The admonitions in the text about making the game your own I took to heart.Those things were written to me. So as I read and learn about Dave Arneson and about Blackmoor - The First Fantasy Campaign, I am inspired and given a vision of where imagination can take you and I - and that is anywhere our minds can conceive.
So no matter how you celebrate Blackmoor and the life and work of Dave Arneson, take a moment to tip your hat to his genius - the fruit of which brings you so much pure joy and game like Dave Arneson - without limits - always searching and exploring and as they said in Star Trek "To boldly go where no man has gone before."
No comments:
Post a Comment