Dave Arneson's True Genius by Robert J. Kuntz!

Howdy All,

I just got done reading a fantastic book: Dave Arneson's True Genius by Robert J. Kuntz!

I was fortunate enough to get an advanced reading copy of the book (actually a whole lot of them because I volunteered to help with stateside fulfillment) and I must say I am beside myself with excitement!

Rob has discussed his intensive research with me over the last several years and I was thrilled by the conclusions he drew but reading it all laid out for the first time is simply stunning. In fact I read it cover to cover before bed and exclaimed, "Wow! Wow!" My wife seeing I had just read the last page and flipped closed the book she said, "Pretty good, huh!" I nodded and she smiled and turned out the light to go to sleep. I quickly sat up out of bed and she asked, "What I was doing!?" I said, putting on my slippers, "I am going to read it again!"

As I read through it again, she asked if I was ever coming to bed and I said, "I have to finish reading it!" And I did...

The roleplaying game has been around now for over 45 years and many attempts have been made to define it. Rob has done what hasn't been done before. He has analyzed and identified the true genius of Dave Arneson's creation from the perspective of a game designer. Rob explores and demonstrates how Dave broke with two millennia of game design.

The book is three linked essays titled: From Vision to Vicissitude: The Rise and Reversal of Arneson's RPG Concept, Dimensionality in Design: An Examination of Dave Arneson's System of Systems Thinking, and Debunking the Chainmail/Braunstein "Derivation" Claims.

In these three essays Rob lays out just what Arneson created before ever showing the game to Gary Gygax and explains just why is is such a phenomenal leap, not only in game design, but in systems thinking. He also presents the event horizon of Arneson's genius leap and the lost opportunity and loss of historical significance of what had happened. Rob includes several vignettes that showcase what both Dave and Gary knew and how Gary changed his thinking on the phenomenon in order to monetize the idea. It is an incredible look into the minds of both Dave and Gary.

The last essay is Rob's dissection of Arneson's design-leap and demonstrably proves how both Chainmail and Braunstein are related to Dave's creation but in no way have any relationship to Dave's genius systems thinking that becomes the first fantasy roleplaying game.

In addition to these distinct essays the book has a section of sample text from Rob's forthcoming book A New Ethos in Game Design: The Paradigm Shift Created by Dungeons & Dragons, 1972-1977. Given the chapter samples, I can not wait to get that book too!

This book goes way beyond just a roleplaying audience and is a fantastic read for any type of gamer (board, computer, video, wargamer, etc.), game designers of all walks should be required to read this!, social scientists, historians, teachers, and just about anyone who has ever had experiences with roleplaying in everyday life -- gaming, training, education, acting, you name it!

I think Rob said they were going to start offering it on Thursday (but it looks like it might already be available!) through his Three Lines Studio store at:

Three Lines Studio Store

I can't wait until some more people have read it so I can partake in the discussions with the thoughts brimming on my mind!

Futures Bright,

Paul

Magazine Clearance Auction from Private Collection!

This new auction will feature an incredible collection of over 800 of the most sought after roleplaying, board wargaming, collectable card game, modelling, and miniature wargame magazines. Many of these magazines come from TSR's warehouse and gaming library.

The Collector's Trove has been authorized to auction these items from a private collection. These items were acquired by their owner in his 30+ years of amateur and professional involvement in war games, strategy games, collectable dice and card games, board games, and role-playing games. The owner is a local from the upper Midwest with years of involvement in local and national conventions such as Gen Con, Gary Con, and Origins. His countless hours as owner, partner, volunteer, organizer, event designer, and participant has established him as an industry insider.

Close involvement with Gen Con, Gary Con, Origins, and a number of other conventions over the years has given him access to game distributors, companies, designers, artists, employees, and executives alike. Over time he has been given numerous gifts and "payments" in the form of game products. Thus his collection has an amazing amount of store and company stock for companies such as TSR and WotC.

First Item Starts Sunday March 5th, at 10:00 a.m. CST/MEX

Last Item Ends Sunday March 12th, at 11:30 p.m. CST/MEX

Here is the link to place your bids:

The Collector's Trove eBay Auctions

Massive Christmas Auction Ending Tonight!

The Collector's Trove annual Christmas auction is ending tonight!

This year's auction is the most amazing one yet! There will be over 12 collections represented with items from the likes of Jim and Laura Roslof, Dave Sutherland III, Darlene, Rob Kuntz, Allen Hammack, Zeb Cook, Kevin Hendryx, Dennis Sustare, Mike Mornard, Steve Marsh, David Megarry, and Jeff Leason! Also featured will be a private collection with a small assortment of shrinkwrapped and hard to find items from the original TSR warehouses!

The auction will present over 300 (!) items including author's and artist's comp copies, play copies, manuscripts, prototypes, autographed copies, printer's proofs, correspondence, TSR memorabilia, photographs, unreleased miniature proofs, and much more. Highlights of the auction will include TSR business cards, a set of incredibly rare Al'Qadim promotional prints, and original art by Darlene, Jeff Easley, Elrohir, Bill Willingham, Dave Sutherland III, and Dave Trampier! Among the very special items are Polyhedron and Dragon Magazine cover art and interiors, Tracy Hickman's original hand drawn Dragonlance maps that launched the setting, an incredibly rare employee-owned TSR Lizard Man Logo Grenadier miniature from 1977, and original David C. Sutherland and Dave Trampier 1978 artwork from module D3 Vault of the Drow!

Starts Sunday, December 11th at 7:30 p.m. CST/MEX

Ends Sunday, December 18th at 7:30 p.m. CST/MEX

Here is the link to place your bids:

The Collector's Trove eBay Auctions

The Collector's Trove Presents: Our Massive Christmas Auction!

The Collector's Trove is proud to bring you our annual Christmas auction! This year's auction is the most amazing one yet! There will be over 12 collections represented with items from the likes of Jim and Laura Roslof, Dave Sutherland III, Darlene, Rob Kuntz, Allen Hammack, Zeb Cook, Kevin Hendryx, Dennis Sustare, Mike Mornard, Steve Marsh, David Megarry, and Jeff Leason! Also featured will be a private collection with a small assortment of shrinkwrapped and hard to find items from the original TSR warehouses!

The auction will present over 300 (!) items including author's and artist's comp copies, play copies, manuscripts, prototypes, autographed copies, printer's proofs, correspondence, TSR memorabilia, photographs, unreleased miniature proofs, and much more. Highlights of the auction will include TSR business cards, a set of incredibly rare Al'Qadim promotional prints, and original art by Darlene, Jeff Easley, Elrohir, Bill Willingham, Dave Sutherland III, and Dave Trampier! Among the very special items are Polyhedron and Dragon Magazine cover art and interiors, Tracy Hickman's original hand drawn Dragonlance maps that launched the setting, an incredibly rare employee-owned TSR Lizard Man Logo Grenadier miniature from 1977, and original David C. Sutherland and Dave Trampier 1978 artwork from module D3 Vault of the Drow!

Starts Sunday, December 11th at 7:30 p.m. CST/MEX

Ends Sunday, December 18th at 7:30 p.m. CST/MEX

Here is the link to place your bids:

The Collector's Trove eBay Auctions

Allen Hammack Auctions Ending Tonight!

The Collector's Trove is proud to bring you the next set of auctions from the Allen Hammack collection! These items were acquired during the last 45 years of Allen's amateur and professional involvement with wargames, roleplaying games, strategy games, and board games. Allen worked for seven years as an employee of TSR, the company that founded the roleplaying game industry.

The auction will present over 40 items including tournament modules for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, TSR employee memorabilia, editorial and development manuscripts, and author comp copies. Highlights of the auction will include a pair of rare TSR buttons, a rare issue of TSR's employee newsletter, Random Events, TSR business cards, and Gen Con memorabilia! Among the very special items are a development manuscript for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons I9 Day of Al'Akbar, original tournament module and character sheets from Origins 1980, Dwellers of the Forbidden City, Allen's original Inverness home-campaign, several home-campaign dungeons, including, Gormenghast, one of the greatest mega-dungeons you will ever see, and Allen's own unpublished Ghost Tower of Inverness mega-dungeon from 1976! 

Auction Ends Sunday, December 4th, 2016 at 9:30 p.m. CST/MEX

Here is the link to place your bids:

The Collector's Trove eBay Auctions