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Author Topic: Dave Arneson health update (Read 5,735 times)
Finarvyn
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Karma: 52 Dave Arneson health update
« Thread Started on Apr 5, 2009, 12:06pm » I got this message yesterday from Bob (Robert the Bald) Meyer regarding the health of Dave Arneson. As everyone knows, Dave is co-creator of our favorite hobby game and has been a frequent poster here.
Quote: David's cancer has unexpectedly worsened just this week, to the point that he is in the hospital. He is heavily sedated and not doing well. He is not expected to live for more than a couple days, if that long.
This one came in today. Bobís original plan was to hold off on an announcement, but I convinced him that it would be nice to get the information out right away. My hope is that Bob can track down an address so folks here can send cards and flowers to demonstrate to Dave just what he has meant to our community.
Quote: I will see what I can do about getting an address, and will post this on your forum.
Clearly, this is devastating to Daveís family as well as his gaming friends. Updates will be posted here as I get them.
EDIT: Update as of 4/8/09 for anyone who has not found the] other thread.
Apr 7, 2009, 4:43pm, arnesonfamily wrote: As of this writing, Dave is still with us. We have moved him into a facility where we can focus on keeping him comfortable. We have been and will continue to watch the forums and blogs and are passing along everyone's thoughts and prayers. Right now our focus is on getting Dave into the best possible position to maintain his comfort and his dignity. We will update the community as we can. We want to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers and ask that you continue to send Dave your support in whatever form that means to you.
An address has been established to receive messages to Dave.
Dave Arneson
1043 Grand Avenue
Box #257
St. Paul, MN
55105
Please do not call or visit! The family has asked that all contact be in the form of posts on forums such as this one or by sending cards to the address listed above. « Last Edit: Yesterday at 7:26am by Finarvyn » Link to Post - Back to Top Logged Finarvyn
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ptingler
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« Reply #1 on Apr 5, 2009, 12:20pm » My thoughts are with Dave and his family. Link to Post - Back to Top Logged
dubeers
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« Reply #2 on Apr 5, 2009, 1:53pm » This is sad news. My prayers are with Dave and his family during this trying time. Link to Post - Back to Top Logged I'm Everywhere
RandallS
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« Reply #4 on Apr 5, 2009, 2:20pm » This is not good news. Dave and his family will be in my prayers. Link to Post - Back to Top Logged RetroRoleplaying [Blog - Forum - Microlite74] -- Out Of Print & Out Of Style Tabletop Roleplaying Games
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« Reply #5 on Apr 5, 2009, 2:28pm » Thanks, Dave!
May he do better than expected. Link to Post - Back to Top Logged
havard
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« Reply #6 on Apr 5, 2009, 2:46pm » I was hoping...wishing it would never come to this
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Zulgyan
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« Reply #7 on Apr 5, 2009, 2:55pm » My best wishes for Dave and his family. I'll have them in my prayers. Link to Post - Back to Top Logged
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« Reply #8 on Apr 5, 2009, 4:55pm » Horrible news... i hope Mr. Arneson will make it though.. my thoughts go out to him and his family.. been a sad past year or so for the gaming community.. Link to Post - Back to Top Logged It's not that i'm lazy it's that i just don't care..
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« Reply #9 on Apr 5, 2009, 5:42pm » It would be a tremendous tragedy to lose Dave so soon after losing Gary. All by best hopes and thoughts go to him and his family. I hope he pulls through. Link to Post - Back to Top Logged Semper Initiativus Unum - OD&D; blog
oldgeezer
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« Reply #10 on Apr 5, 2009, 5:55pm » I will keep Dave in my prayers.
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malandar
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« Reply #11 on Apr 5, 2009, 6:32pm » Oh this is sad news. I found this site through this news, not the best way to find a site and make my first post but here I am.
I have had many years of fun with D&D; and other games from TSR. and I met Dave and talked a bit with him at Gen-Con in 2007 and enjoyed talking to him quite a bit. I am not very religious, but may all the gods with any power in this world Help Dave recover from this to live on many more years.
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« Reply #12 on Apr 5, 2009, 7:19pm » I made the mistake of releasing the information about David before I checked with his daughter. She does not want anyone trying to visit David or sending him anything. I have just talked to her and explained what I had done, and she said that it is okay for it to be on this forum. She understands how people feel about her father. Greg's post was in response to an e-mail I had sent to him. It is just fine to keep this post up, and I apologize to everyone(especially Greg) for my mistake.
I did visit David with some of his other friends and it went very well. He was able to participate in the conversation easily, and we ended up staying with him for a couple hours before he tired too much. I think this should be the last update I should provide until afterwards.
Once again my profound apologies to everyone. Link to Post - Back to Top Logged Robert the Bald
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James Mishler
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« Reply #13 on Apr 5, 2009, 8:35pm » Well... crap. My apologies for promulgating it further from OD&D; Discussion. I will see what I can do about deleting the other posts I have made, but it is a little late, as many folks have seen and already responded to them.
If I can't delete them (and as all have been responded to, I likely can't), I will pass on the request that there be no attempts to contact him. I know what that can be like, having gone through it with Bob Bledsaw... Link to Post - Back to Top Logged James
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malandar
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« Reply #14 on Apr 5, 2009, 9:22pm »
Apr 5, 2009, 8:35pm, James Mishler wrote: Well... crap. My apologies for promulgating it further from OD&D; Discussion. I will see what I can do about deleting the other posts I have made, but it is a little late, as many folks have seen and already responded to them.
If I can't delete them (and as all have been responded to, I likely can't), I will pass on the request that there be no attempts to contact him. I know what that can be like, having gone through it with Bob Bledsaw...
Why delete the posts ? Personally I think people should know about his condition so that they can wish him well even if it is just to do so in this thread. (not saying that everyone should know where he is though)
I understand that his daughter doesn't want any real contact that is understandable he needs his rest and doesn't need to deal with loads of people visiting or sending who knows what to him.
Robertthebald... Please if you see him again soon let him know that people here are thinking of him and wishing him well. I know I am even though I am new to this forum. Link to Post - Back to Top Logged
Dave Arneson.
Dave Arneson, co-creator of the first roleplaying game, ''Dungeons and Dragons'', died on Tuesday of cancer, at the age of 61.

A close friend of Arneson, Bob Meyer, reported on April 5 that he had taken a turn for the worse and was admitted to a hospital.  Family later confirmed that he was in a facility "where we can focus on keeping him comfortable."  Reported at that time, the doctor indicated that he had days to live.

The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design in 1984 inducted Arneson  into their Hall of Fame.  Pyramid Magazine in 1999 named him as one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, "at least in the realm of adventure gaming".

Arneson started out as a wargamer including naval games. He soon developed some for his personal use due to the major publishers' slow release of games.  With David Wesley and the other members of the Midwest Military Simulation Association, Arneson developed the basis of modern role-playing games with individual miniatures representing one person and having non-military objectives.  

Arneson attended the University of Minnesota as a history student.  He was a founder, along with Gary Gygax, of the Castle & Crusade Society as a medieval miniature chapter of the International Federation of Wargamers.  With Gygax in 1972, he authored ''Don't Give Up the Ship!'', a naval wargame.

Arneson's ''Blackmoor'' was the first role-playing game, a genre in which players describe their characters in thorough detail and can attempt almost any action the character plausibly could.  Ernest Gary Gygax, then a close friend of Arneson, worked with him during 1972–73 to develop the extensive set of rules (in this case three volumes) that such a game requires.  This became the first edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons''.  With his experience with David Wesley, Arneson tried it with fantasy miniatures free style calling his game, ''Blackmoor''.  He then latched on Gygax's ''Chainmail'' miniature game and Fantasy supplement for resolution of battles.  He showed Gygax what he was doing.  Gygax got involved and started preparing a set of rules to supplement ''Chainmail''.  They shopped the game, ''Dungeons & Dragons'', around to various gaming companies but got turned down.  Gygax started a business partnership, Tactical Studies Rules, to publish the game in 1974.  The game launched a whole new category in gaming. 

Although not involved with rulebooks for later editions of ''D&D'', Arneson did create adventure modules for later editions.