OP 17 February, 2024 - 09:16 AM
I’ll be clear with a few things. I’m not trying to prove anything about Gary Gygax, like the idea that he was some irredeemable thief or something, the genre would not be the same without his actions. My interest is purely historical. I’m just looking for as concrete an answer as I can find.
With that said, I have heard many things about the contributions to DnD Arneson made. I’ve heard interpretations that paint Gygax as an IP stealing thief who contributed little to the game design. I’ve also heard stories that tell of Blackmoor being little more than a free form narrative RPG that Gygax codified into rules. I’ve heard the original rules were based of a heavily modified version of Chainmail, a game Gary co-created with Jeff Perren. I’ve also heard that the blackmoor system not only had confided rules but that it contained many integral features of DnD. Things like skills, attributes, experience, character classes, levels, and the idea of a continuous narrative by the players.
The point being is that I’ve heard many contradictory tales about Dave and his contributions. Some depict him as the true father of DnD and fantasy RPGs with Gygax merely being the sales guy. Others say it was mostly Gary who Codified things. The only concrete point against Gygax I could find was that he definitely tried to screw over Dave, which led to the lawsuit. This being the reason his name is on the cover of Original DnD at all, and the reason for ADnD being named that way, so they didn’t have to pay Dave royalties.
With all this contradiction in mind, what is the truth? How much did Dave contribute to this game which kickstarted a genre and how much credit is he due?
I would very much appreciate and answer. If one cannot be provided I would appreciate a source I could investigate. I ask, again, out of historical interest.
With that said, I have heard many things about the contributions to DnD Arneson made. I’ve heard interpretations that paint Gygax as an IP stealing thief who contributed little to the game design. I’ve also heard stories that tell of Blackmoor being little more than a free form narrative RPG that Gygax codified into rules. I’ve heard the original rules were based of a heavily modified version of Chainmail, a game Gary co-created with Jeff Perren. I’ve also heard that the blackmoor system not only had confided rules but that it contained many integral features of DnD. Things like skills, attributes, experience, character classes, levels, and the idea of a continuous narrative by the players.
The point being is that I’ve heard many contradictory tales about Dave and his contributions. Some depict him as the true father of DnD and fantasy RPGs with Gygax merely being the sales guy. Others say it was mostly Gary who Codified things. The only concrete point against Gygax I could find was that he definitely tried to screw over Dave, which led to the lawsuit. This being the reason his name is on the cover of Original DnD at all, and the reason for ADnD being named that way, so they didn’t have to pay Dave royalties.
With all this contradiction in mind, what is the truth? How much did Dave contribute to this game which kickstarted a genre and how much credit is he due?
I would very much appreciate and answer. If one cannot be provided I would appreciate a source I could investigate. I ask, again, out of historical interest.