I still don't know what to say. Some of that is that James Maliszewski, Zachary the First, and Mike Mearls have already said most of what needs to be said. We all owe Professor Arneson an immeasurable debt.
I know what I can do: I'm adding a Blackmoor-themed sublevel to the megadungeon, and I'm dedicating this week's Traveller game to his memory. (No dungeons, but there's plenty of room for a few ravenous frog monsters.) But it still doesn't feel like enough.
Dave Arneson co-created Dungeons & Dragons. The game that got me many of my closest friends. The game that's given me countless knowledge of excitement, frustration, and joy. There are days when I feel like D&D -- Friday nights in basements with the handful of people in the world who seemed to really understand me -- got me through high school, and a lot of dark times during it.
I'm sure a lot of people have stories like this, but when I was introduced to D&D, I was a pretty lonely kid. A world where I didn't find D&D is a world I don't want to think about too hard.
So how do I do justice to that?
Maybe someday I'll find the right words. Right now, all I can do is keep gaming, and do my part to keep the flame going.
Thank you, Professor Arneson. I hope someday I'll live up to what you've given me.
You could always add a "Frogs" row to your Dungeonwatch Gadget. It's the Arnesonian (Arnesonesque? Arnesquich?) thing to do. ;)
ReplyDeleteA world where I didn't find D&D is a world I don't want to think about too hard.
Life without D&D?
+++ Divide By Cucumber Error. Please Reinstall Universe and Reboot +++
There are days when I feel like D&D -- Friday nights in basements with the handful of people in the world who seemed to really understand me -- got me through high school, and a lot of dark times during it.
ReplyDeleteThe dark times don't stop. Neither does D&D, if you don't want it to.
Thanks for this. Not enough good can be said about these folks like Arneson. :)
We Fight On. That's what we do.
ReplyDeleteAnd we're all in it with you, you know. :)
There are days when I feel like D&D -- Friday nights in basements with the handful of people in the world who seemed to really understand me -- got me through high school, and a lot of dark times during it.
ReplyDeleteBeen there, done that, burned the tour t-shirt.
I'm sure a lot of people have stories like this, but when I was introduced to D&D, I was a pretty lonely kid. A world where I didn't find D&D is a world I don't want to think about too hard.
Ditto. RPGs have given me a creative outlet that, if it wasn't there... well, I'm not certain what path my life might have taken, but I'm willing to bet it would have been an emptier one.
Chris: There are already a few frog-men on the first level . . . hmm . . .
ReplyDeleteTrollsmyth: Very true. But I still wouldn't want to go back to being 14, D&D or no.
Zachary the First: Yes! And sometime I gotta write a paen to the RPG blogging community. You guys rock.
Knightsky: I should check my drama/music nut friends if they feel the same way about their respective activities, especially regarding the whole high-school-as-pit-of-despair thing. It seems like a very classic gaming culture kind of thing, but it might just be relevant to anyone with odd interests. School sponsored stuff does have the advantage of being sort of socially acceptable.
but it might just be relevant to anyone with odd interests.
ReplyDeleteI'm not certain if it's just an 'odd' interest so much as it's a creative interest... and by 'creative' I'm emphasizing the 'create' part. Whether it's a new guitar riff or coming up with a neat tale around a RPG table, I think the act of creation, no matter how small or ephemeral, is something that can provide a powerful refuge against the soul-sucking blight of junior high and high school.
It also doesn't hurt that, like playing in a band, getting together for a RPG session is a communal act. It may only be a handful of people, but at least you're not completely alone during that magical time.