Fred Funk has been mentioned before on this blog. He was one of Dave Arneson's players where he famously played Frederick, King of the Orcs from the Dungeon of Castle Blackmoor. Fred also created his own setting called Fred's World which is available at The Comeback Inn Forum.
This photo of Funk's OD&D ruleset was shared on X by Griff Morgan. According to Griff, Fred had erased Gary's name from his set. Perhaps something done in solidarity with Arneson at the time when he and Gary were not getting along so well? According to Morgan, this rulset is currently owned by another of the Blackmoor players, James Lafererrie. Lafferierre was the inspiration for the character Jallapierrie (Jal) who appeared in DA1 The Adventures of Blackmoor.
Have you used Fred the Orc King or Jallapierrie in any of your Blackmoor adventures?
-Havard
"Funk the First, King of All the Orcs."
ReplyDeleteI knew Fred. He was an interesting fellow - he always dressed well: sport jacket, button-down shirt, tie, slacks. He had a carry permit (IIRC) at a time when that was unusual. He LOVED dogs, particularly German Shepherds, and used them as a model for his Gullivernians. He had strong opinions about most everything, but he also had a whimsical sense of humor. I think he took some guff from other gamers for being "weird" but he lived life on his own terms and seemed happy enough. I'm sorry I fell out of touch with him - and I definitely miss him now.