Discerning Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor Combat System - Part 4

Introduction

After decomposing David Arneson and Richard Snider’s Adventures in Fantasy (AIF), it’s easier to understand what parts of combat Arneson wanted to see modeled in a fantasy role playing game. Figuring out which of these mechanics may have been present from the start is a bit of a challenge, but the two 1973 drafts (Beyond This Point Be Dragons and Arneson v. Gygax) provide neat bookends. Arneson’s First Fantasy Campaign (FFC) also fills in many gaps in our knowledge.

Discerning Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor Combat System - Part 3

Decomposing AIF

We begin today by looking at Adventures in Fantasy (AIF) by David Arneson and Richard Snider (one of the fellows in the Twin Cities gaming crowd). Snider is well known for adding complexity (see reviews of Powers & Perils by Avalon Hill) though I do find Star Empires to be readable and hope to get in some play next year. Arneson had complained that OD&D differed from the material he sent to Gygax. By looking at the combat system in AIF (published in 1979), I am hoping we will garner some insight into the elements of combat that Arneson found most essential to early Blackmoor’s combat system.