October 1st - Dave Arneson Game Day - 51st Anniversary of Blackmoor

Celebrating Dave Arneson Game Day - October 1st - 51st Anniversary of Blackmoor.

David "Dave" Lance Arneson - October 1, 1947 – April 7, 2009 would have been 74 years old today; however he prematurely left this world at only 61.

He loved games, all kinds of game, and he loved for everyone to enjoy them. That is what he spent his whole life doing, helping people enjoy their leisure time.

Blackmoor was his creation, also known as The First Fantasy Campaign. Sadly the campaign journal by the same title is out of print and has been for a long time.

Read the following about one fan who is trying to do his part to change that. You can find the story here The First Fantasy Campaign - Digitized.

A couple of months ago I won an eBay auction of the 1977 print edition wherein all illustrations were done by Dave himself. The book cost me $150 -- and yes, it really is that hard to obtain, though it was in rather good condition with both maps present. The books is beautiful and a unique insight into the early days of our hobby. One that I am truly sorry to see people being restricted from by its steep price.

Through the last couple of months I have busied myself with the creation of a digital PDF version of the whole book and have gone to great lengths at creating the best result I possibly could. I will return to this digitizing process below, but before that I would like to present my plans to you.

Please go read the entire thing, no piracy involved, he has a more elegant plan. 

One other thing, were you able to game today? I was not, but I will be gaming tomorrow on Oct 2nd Saturday. I hope you can do that too. Dave would be happy to know people are gaming in honor of his birthday. People having fun, enjoying life while they remember you, now that is a legacy we can all hope to have.