# RIP Dave Arneson **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 9, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502 "2009-04-09T13:56:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/1 "2009-04-09T13:56:25Z")
Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons has passed away. > **[Examiner is back - Examiner.com](https://examiner.com)** > > Examiner.com is the go-to source for millions of people who want to know what's happening in their city. And we're still growing! Here is a message from Gary Gygax (in better times) > **[An Early Testimonial](http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2009/04/early-testimonial.html)** > > Dave Arneson ... Is there really such a creature? Yes, Gentle Readers, there is, and shudder when the name is spoken. Although he is a man... Brian ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/2 "2009-04-09T14:23:18Z")
Hasn’t been a good year for the genre innovators, has it? Shame that Arneson doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves… ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/3 "2009-04-09T16:21:09Z")
Sad to hear about that. Always thought Dave Arneson got a bit of the shaft in the 70s on this. He’s as much a part of the reason we even have the genre as Gary Gygax was. ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/4 "2009-04-09T21:21:15Z")
Today’s Order of the Stick is a tribute to him: [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0644.html](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0644.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/5 "2009-04-09T21:25:23Z")
I played with him once without even knowing who he was. Some guy talking about the glory days of Lake Geneva. Now, it will be awkward to hang around that gaming group for a couple weeks cause it appears he was a fairly regular gamer there. (Awkward because I don’t really know how close he was to them so don’t know how much condolences should be in order.) I do give him mad props for starting the RPG industry, and I don’t even know how many props to give him because all the classic TSR material is in Gary Gygax’s name even if Arneson did write much of it! ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/6 "2009-04-10T02:17:42Z")
Not all of it. The original three rule books are in the name of both, and the second supplement, Blackmoor, was authored by Arneson alone. Blackmoor, IIRC, introduced the Assassin character. :evil grin: ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/7 "2009-04-10T09:46:41Z")
I’ve spent 30 years roleplaying Dungeons and Dragons, so many thanks to both Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/8 "2009-04-10T12:16:56Z")
What is it that makes FRP creators die in their sixties? Still vividly remember the thrill of opening the D&D basic box back in '89, the fact slowly dawning on me that this is something Big (ended up gaming all through elementary school). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/9 "2009-04-10T13:32:03Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > What is it that makes FRP creators die in their sixties? The hardcore gamer lifestyle tends not to be terribly healthy. Lots of sitting around indoors during your leisure time. Lots of opportunities to snack on junk food. I’ve been gaming since the 70’s and I’ve met a lot of unhealthy people. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/10 "2009-04-10T13:32:46Z")
Dave Arneson, co-designer of D & D, lost his battle with cancer. Story here [http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/58082](http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/58082). ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/11 "2009-04-10T13:46:57Z")
you’re soooo late with this info (and joke) ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/12 "2009-04-10T13:57:47Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > Lots of opportunities to snack on junk food. I’ve been gaming since the 70’s and I’ve met a lot of unhealthy people. That was my first thought as well. I’ve been gaming for over 30 years, and have never seen a veggie tray on the table, not once. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/13 "2009-04-10T15:10:34Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > That was my first thought as well. I’ve been gaming for over 30 years, and have never seen a veggie tray on the table, not once. I have. The group I used to regularly game with would have a mix of food and drink. From sushi to veggies to chips to beer to soda to candy. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/14 "2009-04-10T19:23:58Z")
Rest in peace, Dave. Thanks for all you did to give us such a fun hobby. I hoist my glass of Dorwinion merlot to your memory. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/15 "2009-04-10T21:41:23Z")
Another article; it briefly mentions the later litigation: ['Dungeons & Dragons' co-creator dies - CNN.com](http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/04/10/obit.david.lance.arneson/index.html?iref=mpstoryview) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-dave-arneson/492502/16 "2009-04-13T06:03:56Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > I have. The group I used to regularly game with would have a mix of food and drink. From sushi to veggies to chips to beer to soda to candy. I’ll definitely call it unusual, but at our last game one player did bring edamame pods. I’d never had them before but I quite like them now.