Arnecon 2

Arnecon 2 is being held this weekend, honoring the creative genius of Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, and his game group, The Blackmoor Bunch.

Arnecon 2, October 4-6, 2024

I arrived in Minneapolis yesterday afternoon, and immediately bumped into special guest Rob Kuntz, who made the trek all the way from Corsica.  It was nice to finally meet Rob in person, and amazing to reflcct upon his contributions to the hobby.

Blackmoor:

DA5 City of Blackmoor (never published)

The weekend got off to a great start last night with Paul Stormberg hosting a party of 15 players as our characters explored Blackmoor Castle and its dungeon.  (My character succumbed to the fatal bite of a lamia in the confusion of the final encounter).

The adventure was based on Dave Arneson's manuscript for DA5 "City of Blackmoor".  In speaking with Paul afterwards, it would appear that it was a copy of this manuscript that was discovered by DA series collaborator Dave Ritchie's half-brother.

The Slave Raiders:

Terrance's Free Company.  Illustration by Walter Moore

This morning, I'll be running "The Slave Raiders", the first part of a Blackmoor game scenario by Dave Arneson, written for D&D.  Originally published in "Different Worlds" #42 (May/June 1986) as "Garbage Pits of Despair: Part 1".

Pregens include Terrance of Walworth (F10),* Long Bill Jordan (F8), Joey the Hobbit (T9), Andy the Jack (F7), and Father Laum (C9).

*in speaking with Rob Kuntz, he believes this is a shout-out to his brother Terry Kuntz

Dave Arneson's Medieval Battle:

This afternoon, I'll be playing "what some consider to be the earliest incarnation of Blackmoor: Dave Arneson's Medieval Battle Notes for a war gamed RPG. Set in the Blackmoors" using an early edition of Chainmail from the Domesday book.

Greyhawk:

Another game hosted by Paul, run from a manuscript using an unpublished level of Greyhawk Castle.  I've never had a chance to play in one of these games run by Paul at Garycon, so this was a great opportunity.

Update (October 6, 2024): Our group had a phenomenal time with this one.  Paul is a fantastic DM and a great guy to boot.  Our PCs were successful in our objective, and learned some deep Gygaxian lore in the process.

The Dragon Hills:

Illustration by Walter Moore

On Sunday morning, I'll be running "The Dragon Hills", the second part of "Garbage Pits of Despair" by Dave Arneson, originally published in "Different Worlds" #43 (Jul/Aug 1986).

Into the Wild Blue Yonder:

I'll be wrapping up the weekend by participating in Rob Kuntz's new AD&D 1e adventure "Into the Wild Blue Yonder", set in Blackmoor, involving a quest into the Realm of the Dead to stop a war in the land of the living.