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Message: <blockquote data-quote="KevTheDabbler" data-source="post: 8742180" data-attributes="member: 7037455">I would interpret the situation a little differently.Arneson had been successfully running Blackmoor for two years; a large, multi-player, character-focussed fantasy campaign comprised of rulers, generals and ‘heroes’ – with some overlap across the characters and players. As all aspects of the campaign had a major Kriegsspiel element (i.e. the players’ involvement with the game was presented to them through the information that their characters were aware of and the enhancement of player agency in the game by the prioritisation of referee’s/game-master’s rulings over formally set out rules) the game emerged through the on-going interaction of players and their characters (from kings to spear carriers) mixed with the guidance and imagination of the referee/games-master.Arneson was unable to access the writing skills and vocabulary necessary to translate the game in to something that could be easily communicated to those outside of his immediate circle.Gygax also lacked the necessary abilities. However, forever keen to turn a dollar on his hobby whenever the opportunity presented itself, he saw a way of presenting a bastardised version of aspects of Blackmoor through a rough mix of Chainmail and Megarry’s boardgame Dungeon! Though Arneson was disappointed with the result, Gygax, by tying him in with co-authorship and royalties, ensured that D&D was able to establish itself over several years with little meaningful competition.</blockquote>

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