Game Designer Jamie Chambers' Meeting with Dave Arneson

Jamie Chambers with Felicia Day (left)

 Game Designer Jamie Chambers is perhaps best known for creating the Cortex RPG system for Margaret Weis Press (MWP) and for his other work with MWP including Sovereign Stone, Serentiy RPG, Dragonlance etc. 

Jamie only met Dave Arneson once in the mid 2000s at RockCon in Rockford, Illinois, but it did leave an impression. Jamie was one of the organizers of the small convention at the time. He wasn't sure about the exact year but it would have been 2006 or 2007:

I got to meet Dave Arneson just the once when I was helping manage a little convention in Rockford, Illinois. It was the last con season he was up for traveling. Nothing earthshaking was revealed, but I remember being jealous I couldn't go back and experience what it was like during those early days as wargaming evolved in to tabletop RPGs and we understand them today.

Source.

I think Jamie's comments well reflect how many of us feel when learning about Dave Arneson and his players. This hobby means so much to all of us and the talking to the people who were there at the beginning feels like being in direct contact with history. Understanding where the hobby came from can also help us gain a deeper understanding of what the game has developed into today. Extremely useful for those who are interested  in game design!

RockCon is still a successful convention today and takes place Nov 3.-5. This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the convention and TSR's Harold Johnson will be among the honored guests. 

-Havard

Fundraiser for Jennell Jaquays

 

Jennell Jaquays shoudl be a well known name to most readers of the blog, both as a highly influential game designer and artist of the industry since the early days. I found out about her health situation at The Piazza. You can read more about this and the fund raiser organized by her wife here or go straight to the fundraiser here. 

I tend not to post about fundraisers on this blog, but Jennell deserves our support.

I take no responsiblity for any money you donate, but as this was posted on the facebook page of Jennell's wife it seems pretty trustworthy. 

-Havard

ArneCon 2023 Reports are in!

 ArneCon 1 took place this weekend and reports are coming in. I have made several posts about ArneCon this fall talking about the announced program and the guests of honor which included many of the original Blackmoor players and other alumni. 

I snatched a bunch of these photos from the ArneCon Facebook page. As announced, it looks like this was a nice and intimate convention which makes sense since it was the first convention organized by the creators of the Secrets of Blackmoor documentary. 

It looks like everyone is having a great time and it was especially nice to see Dave Arneson's daughter present along with the original Blackmoor players. These nice people have always been helpful and supportive of my blog and the Comeback Inn website. Also nice to see Paul Stormberg and Dan H Boggs present. In addition to being co-author of  Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg, Boggs is also a friend of the Comeback Inn. 

Did you attend ArneCon 2023? I would love to hear your war stories and photos you might want to share!

-Havard

Dave Arneson Game Day 2023

 Dave Arneson Game Day is today!

Please join in our celebrations! This is what Blackmoor Week 2023 has been leading up to

Dave Arneson Game Day Partners

• Havard's Blackmoor Blog
• The Comeback Inn
• Blackmoor Fans Facebook Group
• The Piazza
• OD&D 74 Fan Forum
• And Many Other Places

What Dave Arneson Game Day is:

• October 1st is Dave Arneson's birthday. Every year we invite fans of tabletop gaming, D&D, Blackmoor and Dave Arneson to join in celebration worldwide to celebrate the hobby that we all feel so passionate about. 

What Dave Arneson Game Day is not:

• It is not a commercial activity. If gaming stores, game producers, artists and others want to attach themselves to this day, that is great. But the main organizers are fans who have no commercial interest in any of the activity that goes on on this day
• It is not an opportunity to dig up old grudges. This is not a day to take stabs at corporations or individuals that you don't like and somehow use Dave Arneson's legacy to that effect. This day is about love and passion.

Already reports of various activities have been coming in. I will add these to the Comeback Inn discussion found here.

Official Comeback Inn Dave Arneson Game Day Discussion

-Havard

Tonisborg Creator Greg Svenson Excited to Attend ArneCon 2023 (Blackmoor Week Day 2)

 

Greg Svenson, best known as one of the Original Blackmoor Players and co-author of The Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg, will attend ArneCon later this year where he will be one of the guests of honor. Greg is looking forward to being reunited with friends he has not seen in a long time.

It should be fun to see the old gang again! I believe that it has been over 9 years since I have been with the old gang. Not since the Secrets of Blackmoor interview and reunion game with Bob Meyer. I think that was in April of 2014.

Greg has been a supporter of my Internet projects for years and we have worked together on  several PDFs that are available at the Comeback Inn. I have even been lucky enough to have Greg as my player in one of my online Blackmoor campaigns. I hope to return to that one some day. If you see Greg at ArneCon, please say hi to him from me!

We are celebrating Blackmoor Week. Come back every day for more Blackmoor content!

-Havard

Blackmoor Week 2023 Day 1

 

Dear friends! 

Once again, Dave Arneson Game Day is approaching and loyal fans world wide are getting ready to celebrate Blackmoor Week as the week leading up to October 1st, Dave Arneson's birthday. 

Dave Arneson Game Day is a world wide event. It is a celebration of the D&D Co-Creator, Dave Arneson, his gaming group, and of our love of Tabletop Gaming in general. As this is the Internet, it is important to stress that this event is only about love and passion and should never be used to attack or belittle others.

This year's event will among other places be celebrated on:

• Havard's Blackmoor Blog (This site)
• The Comeback Inn - The Ultimate Blackmoor Fan Website
• The Piazza - The D&D Worlds Forum
• OD&D74 - The Original D&D Forum
• Blackmoor Fans Facebook Group 

Also, make sure to sign up for the Facebook Event:

• Dave Arneson Game Day 2023 Facebook Event

What are you doing in gaming this week and on October 1st specifically? Share your stories with us!

-Havard

Bruce Heard's World of Calidar Comes to an End After 10 Years

Game designer Bruce Heard should be well known to fans of TSR era Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. In particular, he is known for his work on the Classic D&D (BECMI) game and the World of Mystara, including his role in creating the Gazetteer series and the Voyage of the Princess Ark. He was the Product Manager of the Classic D&D line and eventually became Product Manager of TSR before the company was acquired by WotC. 

When he returned to game design after a hiatus, Bruce attempted to gain permission from WotC to produce 3rd party content for Mystara, but when those negotiations failed, he decided to create his fantasy own world. That world is the World of Calidar. 

Sadly, fans learned yesterday that the Calidar series have come to an end. When asked about future Calidar books, Bruce Heard responded the following in the Calidar Facebook Chat Group:

Given the limited sales of the last series, I can't find the energy to launch another. These books represent a major amount of work, and I'm not getting any younger. It's a heartbreaking decision, but in the face of the apparent lack of activity after the latest Kickstarter and little or no ensuing feedback, I'm not comfortable pursuing the Calidar project.

The first Calidar Kickstarter was launched in 2013 and it has been an amazing ride since then. The World of Calidar is a unique fantasy universe spanning many worlds with their own unique atmosphere, brought to life by the writing of Bruce Heard with additional contribution from other collaborators, most notably Thorfinn Tait.

Following the adventures of the sky ship Star Phoenix in its exploration of the World of Calidar and its universe has been an amazing ride over the last decade. I am greatly thankful to Bruce Heard for the books and gaming material he has provided for us during 10 year run. You can follow Bruce Heard via his blog. If you want to show your thanks to Bruce, now is the time to buy Calidar books!

Get Your Calidar Books from DrivethruRPG (Not an Affiliated Link)

 -Havard