“...After all, the keynote is, that ‘Anything is Possible’, just that some [things] are more likely than others.”
- David Arneson
Welcome to ArneCon 2 gaming convention!
®
Officially sanctioned by the Estate of Dave Arneson
Set in an intimate locale, Arnecon is a gathering honoring the creative genius of Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, and his game group, The Blackmoor Bunch. It is a panoply of game experiences - featuring miniatures war-games, board games, and role playing games.
Come game with the people who were there when Role Playing was invented. This is shaping up to be the biggest meeting of the original "Blackmoor Bunch" in many years!
A celebration of the friendships formed through gaming - where everyone is welcome and "anything is possible".
Come, try a new game, make new friends, and explore the unlimited possibilities of gaming. Most of all - have fun!
October 4-6, 2024
Minneapolis, Minnesota
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Minneapolis - Park Place
1500 Park Pl Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55416, USA
Special Guests
Robert Kuntz
Rob Kuntz is the last designer standing from the Golden Age of D&D’s inception. Co-author of the Greyhawk supplement (1975) & Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes (1976), and Dragon Magazine columnist. Friends with both Gygax and Arneson, he participated in the Blackmoor demo game wherein Arneson revealed to Gygax and the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association (LGTSA) that he had created a new category of games: the RPG paper and pencil adventure game.
Rob will be refereeing sessions of “Into the Wild Blue Yonder”, an adventure written by him specially for ArneCon 2, using AD&D 1E rules. Also, join him for an autograph session on Saturday afternoon - so bring your old D&D books! This is his first appearance in the US in about 10 years!
Alexander Macris
Alexander Macris is a tabletop role-playing game designer, writer, and blogger. He has been lead designer on four complete game systems (Adventurer Conqueror King, Adventurer Conqueror King II, Ascendant, and Modern Spearhead) and has written dozens of tabletop sourcebooks, accessories, and modules. He has written a primer for GMs, Arbiter of Worlds, much of which has also been presented on the Arbiter of Worlds substack and Arbiter of Worlds YT channel. Prior to going full-time as an RPG designer, he was the co-founder of The Escapist, which he ran from 2005 to 2017
Ronin Wong
Ronin started playing RPGs in 1980 when he found the Holmes Basic D&D set. Initially playing solo due to the lack of other gamers, he later became a DM for a group of AD&D players, despite having never seen a group play before. His unique DMing style, which involved fully portraying NPCs with voices and mannerisms, was initially surprising to the players but they ended up enjoying it. In the 90s, Ronin co-wrote the adventure "Paradise Lost" for Shadowrun 2nd edition with Nigel Findley and contributed to the Denver Boxed Set for Shadowrun. Instead of pursuing RPG writing full-time, Ronin pursued a career in music, film, and television, working as an actor, musician, composer, writer, and director. His acting career includes appearances in "Kung Fu," "Man in the High Castle," "Outer Limits," and "DC’s Legends of Tomorrow." He is best known for his role in season 4 of "The Sinner," now available on Netflix.
Malia Arneson
Dave Arneson's daughter will be in attendance. Bring your Dave Arneson books and get them signed with an official faux Arneson autograph (there's a story behind this)!
David Wesely
A half-elf in Blackmoor. Known for Strategos - An adaptation of Totten’s Strategos; The American game of war, The Braunstien RPG, Valley Forge, and Co-author of Source of the Nile.
David Megarry
The first thief character ever in a RPG. Known for creating Dungeon! Fantasy Board Game.
Ross Maker
The worlds first Dwarf character in Blackmoor. Co-author of Source of the Nile.
Paul Stormberg
Owner, The Collector's Trove, and Creator of the Legends of Wargaming & Legends of Roleplaying.
Victoria Perren-Cserep
Victoria grew up at the feet of some of the greatest wargamers of our times. The daughter of Jeff Perren, Gary Gygax's co-creator of the Chainmail wargame.
RPG's:
Into the Wild Blue Yonder
Robert Kuntz will be refereeing his adventure written specially for ArneCon 2, using AD&D 1E rules. Sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (exact times TBA).
Ascendant
Alexander Macris will referee a session of his "superpowered role-playing game of infinite possibilities."
ACKS (Adventurer Conqueror King System™)
"Will you survive the perils of war and dark magic to claim a throne? Or will you meet your fate in a forgotten ruin beyond the ken of men?" - Refereed by game author Alexander Macris.
Paradise Lost
Ronin Wong will referee this adventure he wrote with Nigel Findley for Shadowrun 2E and published by FASA.
Rahaisa
A super-rare Daystar original version of this D&D adventure from 1980 - meant to be a one-shot, also refereed by Ronin Wong.
Braunstein, the first non-military RPG
David Wesely will referee a very large 22 player game. Set in a small Prussian town at the time of the French revolution, this character driven RPG is the very game which portends the invention of fantasy role-playing games.
Banania, a Braunstein Variant
Set in a fictitious south American country of the same name, where political upheaval has created a power vacuum and numerous factions vie for power. See if you can become the next ruler of the republic. Also refereed by David Wesely.
Board Games:
Dungeon! Fantasy Board Game
The game which helped formulate the dungeon adventure concept as seen in Dungeons & Dragons. David Megarry will give a presentation of his seminal game design that has sold millions of copies worldwide.
War Games:
Strategos N
Based on the game by the same name from 1880, yet converted for use with napoleonic miniatures, this is the war game which inspires the creation of further developments in the RPG genre. Ross Maker is preparing a large scenario with which to demonstrate the house war game of the Blackmoor Bunch.
Chainmail
We would be remiss if we did not include this medieval miniatures war game at the convention. A rule set by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren that played an important role in the development of Dungeons & Dragons.
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Special Event:
Meet and Greet with all the special guests: Robert Kuntz, Ronin Wong, Alexander Macris, Malia Arneson, and members of the Blackmoor Bunch Saturday at 5pm! Bring your books and get them signed! Malia will sign your Dave Arneson books with an "official faux Arneson autograph" (there's a story behind this- ask her)!
Full Gaming Events Schedule is here
Please take a look at some of the events at last years ArneCon
Check back soon for more special gaming events from the original Blackmoor Bunch at Arnecon 2
Photos courtesy of Ryan Swan, Kevin Lamb, & Jeffrey Kouzmanoff
 The calm before the games. |  D.H. Boggs (Tonisborg Co-Author) referees a session of Tonisborg. |  Greg Svenson (The Great Svenny/1st Paladin) positions soldiers up against Stephen Rocheford (The High Priest of the Temple of the Frog) in a game of Strategos-N (Napoleonic Miniatures) |
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 Strategos-N miniatures detail (Russian soldiers are from Dave Arneson's own collection) |  Griffith Morgan (Tonisborg Co-Author and Director of Secrets of Blackmoor) referees a session of Tonisborg |  |
 David Wesely (creator of the first RPG) refereeing a session of Braunstein (the first RPG) |  Paul Stormberg DM's a session from Dave Arneson's unpublished DA5 Module. |  David Megarry shows his original 1972 prototype Dungeon! game board |
 David Megarry teaches Dungeon! |  Some of the special guests couldn't resists playing an impromptu game of Dungeon! with David Megarry on that specially built 3D version of the game board. |  Detail of the 3D version of the Dungeon! board game. |
 A book-signing session with Tonisborg authors and Malia Arneson (Dave's daughter). |  |  Paul Stormberg officiates a session of Chainmail |
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 A game of Empire (Star Trek influenced computer game from 1973) in the PLATO Computing Room |  The battle on the big screen. |  The end result of the game. |
Get your room now - there's limited availability of discount room rates for Arnecon attendees here.
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