The history of Blackmoor please...again

[Alzrius]

Sometime ago, roughly a year IIRC, someone from Kenzer Co. was working on the HackMaster version of the old Blackmoor supplements. The topic came up here, and they were gracious enough to post the design and development history of the original Blackmoor, including but not limited to how it was apparently in Mystara, but not in Greyhawk, like most people think.

If that person, whomever it was, could post that big long explanation again, I'd be ever so grateful. Thanks!

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=69868 ?

 

[johnsemlak]

There was a long post by James Mishler on the KenzerCo boards that gets into the history of the old settings, in one of hte Mystaricos threads in the Hackmaster forum. I'll have a look...

 

[johnsemlak]

here it is

http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/show...iew=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=4&vc=1#post165672

 

[rogueattorney]

To sum up from the previous link and adding a few of my own comments:

1972 - D. Arneson begins his Blackmoor campaign using altered rules for 1:1 Chainmail and its Fantasy Supplement. Arneson and G. Gygax collaborate and G. Gygax begins his Greyhawk campaign shortly thereafter.
1974 - D&D first receives wide release.
1975 - Greyhawk and Blackmoor Supplements published, with very little campaign material, although Blackmoor Supplement has first published version of the Temple of the Frog, a famous scenario set in Blackmoor.
1976 - Judges Guild begins publishing products for its City State/Wilderlands campaign
1977 - Judges Guild publishes the First Fantasy Campaign by D. Arneson, which ties Blackmoor into the Wilderlands campaign.
1980 - Greyhawk Folio published, which contains a reference to Blackmoor in the northwest and the City of the Gods. This is not D.A.'s Blackmoor, but rather a tribute to it.
1981 - The Known World is introduced in the Cook edited Expert box set and X1 Isle of Dread.
1986 - DA1 Adventures in Blackmoor is published, which ties Blackmoor into the distant past of the Known World. DA2 Temple of the Frog, DA3 City of the Gods, and DA4 Duchy of Ten follow.
1990 - Hollow World box set details much history and takes some elements from Blackmoor - specifically the technology obsessed Blackmoor Elves. Many other Known World/Mystara/Hollow World products feature ancient Blackmoorian artifacts and elements of its history. In some ways the cataclysm that destroyed Blackmoor is the defining moment in the world's history.
200? - Publication of a 3e Blackmoor.

The only items that can probably be considered "canon" Blackmoor, is the Temple of the Frog scenario from the Blackmoor Supplement, the First Fantasy Campaign, and the non-Known World elements of DA1, DA2, and DA3. All others are works by persons other than Dave Arneson and will probably not be taken into account at all for the 3e Blackmoor.

R.A.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Sorry to jump in on this thread but RogueAttorney... could you check out my Legality Question thread if you are indeed a lawyer?

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=83094

 

[Alzrius]

here it is

http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/show...iew=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=4&vc=1#post165672

Woot! This is it! Thank you SO much!

 

[johnsemlak]

Woot! This is it! Thank you SO much!

That is indeed an awesome post. Should be archived somewhere.

 

[Alzrius]

That is indeed an awesome post. Should be archived somewhere.

For me, it is now. That's why I asked for it in the first place.

The only thing he didn't touch on that I wanted to have covered was Blackmoor's incarnation in the Mystara setting. Luckily, rogueattorney's timeline seems to solve that. It also seems to indicate (which matches with what I remember hearing elsewhere) that the Mystara setting's Blackmoor is indeed supposed to be Arneson's original.

 

[johnsemlak]

For me, it is now. That's why I asked for it in the first place.

The only thing he didn't touch on that I wanted to have covered was Blackmoor's incarnation in the Mystara setting. Luckily, rogueattorney's timeline seems to solve that. It also seems to indicate (which matches with what I remember hearing elsewhere) that the Mystara setting's Blackmoor is indeed supposed to be Arneson's original.

Well, the Mystara setting's version was certainly largely based off of Arneson's work in DA1-4.