Dave Arneson dead at 61

Game designer and co-creator of the original Dungeons & Dragons game, Dave Arneson, has passed away on April 7 after losing a battle with cancer and a brief hospitalization. He was 61.

Arneson co-created the most popular RPG in history with Gary Gygax in the early 1974, during which time he also created the very first setting for the game, Blackmoor. He remained active in the game design field until 2002 when a stroke forced him into retirement.


The news of Arneson's death makes me sad, as he's yet another of my idols to pass away in recent years. He is one of the few figures in the hobby games biz who influenced my career path by inspiring me to write in the field.