After Gary Gygax death about one year ago, the second man behind D&D, Dave Arneson, lost his fight against cancer. Arneson created the first gaming world "Blackmoor" before D&D even existed and worked with Gary Gygax to create what then would be "Dungeons and Dragons". 

Even if Arneson's name never got near as famous as Gygax's, he was one of the men which gave us the key to role playing. If you liked some paper and pen RPG, whether you played some LARP or spent your time with games like Ultima or World of Warcraft, you owe part of your fun to Arneson. 

Good night, sweet prince. :(
RPGs just aren't what they used to be. This goes doubly for Computer RPGs, which I thought would only get better after Baldur's Gate.

I Played in Blackmoor before D&D was published and it changed my life!  I had a chance to act, and let my imagination fly free!  It was great!  There was NOTHING like it before, and I got hooked.  He had scrolls in a basket (rolled papers tied with string) , and would hand them out when one was found! LOLOL...no rolling of dice on that. :laugh: It was a hoot, and I thank him for such a good memory from my childhood.  He was a good man, and funny, and generous with his wit and words.

I never met Gary Gygax, but Dave I will mourne. I hope he died in his sleep.

Arneson was one of the heads of the Game Design track at my college (Full Sail) when I went there in 2000. Great guy, I must say. Always had fun stories to tell.

I hope he went painlessly. Reports from the news article I'd read said that he did.

Thanks for all that you taught me, Dave.