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<blockquote data-quote="Snarf Zagyg" data-source="post: 9119849" data-attributes="member: 7023840">Why not both?Seriously, though, I do think that the recent scholarship and Arneson complicates our view of him, but it shouldn't get rid of his essential genius.I think the following things can both be true:1. I would never, ever, ever want to depend on Dave Arneson as a business partner or collaborator, and from all accounts, I'd rather have a root canal than try and work with him to get actual written and organized product. Wait, scratch that. I'd rather try to get PAGES from George R. R. R. R. R. R. (the R. is for R U SERIOUS?) Martin for his next GOT book than work with Arneson. 2. I would kill to play in a game run by Arneson.The dichotomy is because (at least during the relevant time period during the 70s*) Arneson was an incredibly skilled and talented and creative gamer, the person singularly responsible for transforming the Braunstein games into proto-D&amp;D, but his great talents (including his creative and improvisational talents) were difficult to translate onto the page and systematize. I'm sure we've all met some variation of this individual before- the person who can excel at something, but has difficulty explaining or replicating what they did consistently. That prefers to move on to something new than to document what is already old hat to them. *Again, I know that he later taught course at a university, so maybe this changed? I can only speak to the period that I read that was documented.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Snarf Zagyg, post: 9119849, member: 7023840"] [I]Why not both?[/I] Seriously, though, I do think that the recent scholarship and Arneson complicates our view of him, but it shouldn't get rid of his essential genius. I think the following things can both be true: 1. I would never, ever, ever want to depend on Dave Arneson as a business partner or collaborator, and from all accounts, I'd rather have a root canal than try and work with him to get actual written and organized product. Wait, scratch that. I'd rather try to get PAGES from George R. R. R. R. R. R. (the R. is for R U SERIOUS?) Martin for his next GOT book than work with Arneson. 2. I would kill to play in a game run by Arneson. The dichotomy is because (at least during the relevant time period during the 70s*) Arneson was an incredibly skilled and talented and creative gamer, the person singularly responsible for transforming the Braunstein games into proto-D&D, but his great talents (including his creative and improvisational talents) were difficult to translate onto the page and systematize. I'm sure we've all met some variation of this individual before- the person who can excel at something, but has difficulty explaining or replicating what they did consistently. That prefers to move on to something new than to document what is already old hat to them. *Again, I know that he later taught course at a university, so maybe this changed? I can only speak to the period that I read that was documented. [/QUOTE]

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