RIP: Dave Arneson 1947-2009

Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, has passed away. He was preceded in death last year by Gary Gygax, his fellow co-creator of the greatest game EVER!

I first discovered D&D in the mid-80's when a friend's older brother taught us how to play a half-assed kiddie version of the game. We didn't have any dice. He just read adventures to us and let us choose what we wanted to do.

I learned a lesson that day. Never step on a stick in D&D. You never know what nefarious purposes your DM may have for what seems to be a simple piece of wood. DM's are evil!

Despite the general evilness of dungeonmasters, I would go on to play D&D for a very long time. A dork has never had so much fun.

So, my gratitude to Arneson and Gygax. Here's hoping that they're adventuring still and that their DM is a little less evil than most.