Dave Arneson

David L. Arneson (born October 1, 1947 in Minnesota, United States) is an American game designer. In the early 1970s, he co-created the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D;) role-playing game with Gary Gygax. He is a University of Minnesota alumnus, and began working on role-playing game (RPGs) at Coffman Union. He has kept a relatively low profile and has been called an "unsung legend" in the early development of role-playing games. In 1984 Arneson was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design's Hall of Fame.In 1999 Pyramid magazine named Dave Arneson as one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons "at least in the realm of adventure gaming." Arneson's role-playing game design work grew from his interest in wargame. His parents bought him the Gettysburg game by Avalon Hill in the early 1960s and he soon taught his friends how to play. He and his gaming group began to design their own games. He was especially fond of naval wargames. Exposure to role-playing as a tool...