November 10, 1998

Friends,

Well, here is a broad look at what Dave Arneson has been up to lately. It is not comprehensive or very detailed but hey.

Strangest development this fall was being asked to be on the Board for The World Of GreyHawk by EGG himself. Now that is strange.

Well, this week should see the completion of the Biplanes and Battleships game. My local editor is coming over tonight to look over the last batch of scribbling. The latest scramble occurred when I discovered one of the key Japanese ships in a scenarios was NOT in the counter mix. Oops!

Since there was no suitable replacement the scenarios needed to be redone from the bottom up. And of course it was one of the more intricate ones. (sigh)

Most of you already know that WOTC will not be doing any BLACKMOOR material. Although I have faith that they may do some if there is a shakeup at TSR. So we will see.

BUT Blackmoor lives on!

Part-time project 989-B that 'would probably only take a day or two' plunges on to the halfway point. It is nothing less that scanning in the original FIRST FANTASY CAMPAIGN and putting it on my web page. There will be no charge for the reproduction. Since the publisher is out of business, and Since they did not pay me most of my royalties, it should be 'safe'.

I also hope to place the original TEMPLE OF THE FROG ms. on the page. This is a bit more complex Since the works are out of print, and the rights were to return to me it does involve TSR. (Sigh) Well I have put the word out and we will see what they say.

Kevin McColl has done a terrific job with the Blackmoor page. I just need to keep getting him material.

No new developments from Florida. I should be going down late in March or early April to start putting the course content together. Then begin teaching in June.

My convention travels this summer will be limited as a result. Right now ORIGINS is definitely out and perhaps GENCON as well. After the last two years at GENCON a year off would be OK. I would still like to attend HISTORICON but that to may not happen. By the summer of 2000 I should be back on track again. But that assumes that the Y2K doesn't wreck everything.

4D rumbles along. Nothing much new there. More talk about finishing the UNITED STATES STRATEGIC BOMBING SURVEY. With my departure for Florida they will need to find someone else to finish it. I have a couple of ideas but nothing concrete.

My documentary DRAGONS IN THE BASEMENT is about half done. John Kentner, who is doing the filming and most of the 'real' work, says it is about half done. I am still funding the project as money comes in. None of the hoped for 'big' backers ever got back to us. I have a couple more folks to harass but the film WILL GET DONE. I ain't quitting now. Folks just need to know how it all got started.

I still have two articles to do for THE DRAGON which keep getting shifted on to the back burner. "Next week for sure!"

The Annual Blackmoor games have begun. The first one went OK but the turn out was poor. But I press on! They series will be done in January with a report. Since I have actually got the notes in the computer it might actually happen by then! Scary!!

Otherwise life goes on. My Dad, Daughter, and Grand Daughter are all well. I have managed to stay healthy as well. So there it is.

Respectfully,

Dave Arneson

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