The MN Gathering 2025 is the annual meetup of Minnesota Gamers, including several of the original Blackmoor Bunch.This year the event took place last night.
Looks like people were having fun! :)
Did you attend the event last night? I would love to hear from you!
Photo: Castle Blackmoor
-Havard
The gaterhing is organized by Kevin McColl and the Castle Blackmoor group.
This year's TMg is scheduled for August 21st.
Once more details are revealed, I will report it here.
-Havard
Vic Dorso seems to have clarified that the convention is not just about Dave Arneson, but that "Davecon isn't just about one Dave, its about all the Daves that made RPG gaming great !"
The 2025 convention will include the following:
Original Blackmoor Players:
David Megarry , David Wesely, Mike Carr, Bill Hoyt, Ross Maker
Arneson Alumni:
Ken Fletcher, Kevin McColl,
Other Guests of Honor:
Justin Alexander and Mark Rein-Hagen, Bob World Builder, Baron De Rupp, Grace the World Destroyer, Heidi Gygax, Eric Garland, Greg Gillespie, Andy Thomas, David Yaeger, David "DJ" Johnson.
Furthermore, DaveCon, via their Facebook page, has offered a discount code for tickets:
20% Discount code is good till September 15th only is DiceBreaker.
You can buy the tickets at this site.
Read more about DaveCon at the official website.
If you feel like DaveCon is too far into the future, there is always ArneCon happening next month.
Are you going to DaveCon? What are your thoughts about this news? Let me know!
More about DaveCon 2025 at The Comeback Inn Forum
Disclaimers: This blog is not associated with DaveCon or any other commercial endeavour. This is a non-commercial fan site promoting and discussing anything we feel our readers might be interested in learning more about.
-Havard
-Havard
August 29th. Perkins in Roseville MN at 6 pm. Next event. This year we reflect a bit on the 1969 GenCon pre event where Hoyt, Arneson, & Gygax met to discuss doing a Fictional Napoleonic like Arneson was doing But set in a medieval time. A suggestion posed By Gary. Arneson already wanting to do his version of a Braunstein pulled a lot from this as well. This is why those in MN say it started with Role-Playing, not Wargaming… the seed was already planted. But a lot more had to happen. The game started in 1970 Spring being as accurate to the tech and time as was logical. And Dwayne Jenkins would push for the Fantasy additions for those playing in MN when Hoyt took a job and had to move in the fall (August). Williams fort name changed to Blackmoor. Still more coming.
In the past the MN Gathering has been organized in October for Dave Arneson Game Day, but this year the convention has been moved to August. The reason given for this is that it will honor the meeting of Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson and Bill Hoyt in 1969.
It is always great to see the Blackmoor Bunch getting together with other gamers and fans honoring the legacy they helped create with Arneson.
This blog celebrates all such events and all activities commemorating he early roots leading to the creation of Dungeons & Dragons. I wish the attendees of The MN Gathering a great time!
-Havard
Welcome to the first ever Arnecon!Brought to you by The Fellowship of the Thing, Ltd - creators of the film, Secrets of Blackmoor and the book, The Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg.“...After all, the keynote is, that ‘Anything is Possible’, just that some [things] are more likely than others.”- David ArnesonOfficially sanctioned by the Estate of Dave Arneson Set in an intimate locale, Arnecon is a gathering honoring the creative genius of Dave Arneson 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. 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!Special Guests:
- Malia Arneson - Dave Arneson’s daughter.
- David Wesely - A half-elf in Blackmoor. Known for Strategos - A adaptation of Totten’s Strategos;
- The American game of war, The Braunstien RPG, Valley Forge, and Co-author of Source of the Nile.
- Paul Stormberg - Creator of the Legends of Wargaming, and Owner, The Collector's Trove.
- Ross Maker - The worlds first Dwarf character in Blackmoor. Co-author of Source of the Nile.
- Stephen Rocheford - The High Priest of the Temple of the Frogs, Owner of Lavender Magazine, Minnesota’s premier LGBTQ+ news source.
- Gail Gaylord - The first woman to play fantasy RPGs. Known for having typed development drafts of Dungeons & Dragons for Dave Arneson.
- Martin Noetzel - The Wandering Elf in Blackmoor and a keen fan of online RPGs.
Event Submissions Open August 31! More to come...Special room hotel rates for Arnecon will be available on a limited basis.DatesFri, Oct 20 2023, 5:00pm - 12:00amSat, Oct 21 2023, 8:00am - 12:00amSun, Oct 22 2023, 8:00am - 6:00pmTime zone: America/Chicago (UTC -05:00)Location Minneapolis, MinnesotaContact Us (303) 872-7666Venue DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Minneapolis - Park Place 1500 Park Pl Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55416, USA
Technically the same people behind setting this up have had two other conventions that had to be cobble together because of peoples health. After the first one we had COVID-19 kick in, and the second one which we still did Chris was in the hospital. Morgan might be listing it as the first one but it’s not. Even though we didn’t have that working title for the first two. In case anyone’s confused
ArneCon 2023 has been announced for September 29-October 2nd this year. While few details of the convention has yet been revealed, a pre-convention social event will take place on Saturday October 1st:
The original team here in MN who fostered and created what became D&D are gathering for a meal and quiet memory of Dave Arneson & 50 years of D&D! TSR was incorporated on his birthday 50 years ago. Showing how much Gygax support Arneson’s creation and help him publish. There is no planned gaming, just a social event. I will have my time table of the process of how the game came to be with highlights of events in MN that sparked Dave Arneson's body of work. He did not work alone, others helped create inspiration for rules, classes, combat, and other aspects. We are planning to gather at Perkins Roseville, MN, where Dave Arneson loved to visit. (Dutch bill, everyone pays their own.)
Last year's ArneCon was by all reports a fairly small and intimate event. The convention sees itself as a continuation of the tradition started by Dave Arneson and his original players of meeting for an annual game:
Annual convention since 2017 returning again. Holding Minnesota as home and origin of dungeons and dragons, celebrating the birth month of Dave Arneson as well as the birth of TSR. A long history of gaming fostered the creative works of many in the group that played with Dave Arneson. Sharing both the history and friendship that has been the hallmark of Minnesota nice. And extending our hand to not only Wisconsin which helped get it published but also the rest of the community.
Some have called for ArneCon to join forces with DaveCon, the other convention organized during the Spring season, also dedicated to the D&D Co-Creator. More details on ArneCon can be found here .
-Havard
As October approaches, new developments are seen in the ongoing saga of various Dave Arneson gaming conventions!
I previously mentioned how the team behind the excellent documentary Secrets of Blackmoor were teasing a convention for October. Now, however it looks like documentary creators Chris Graves and Griffith Mon Morgan III will not be involved in the convention. Instead, local Minnesota Blackmoor enthusiasts are taking matters into their own hands. The event will be organized by Kevin McColl, a friend of Dave Arneson and owner of the Castle Blackmoor Website and the group called United Geeks of Gaming.
The gaming event that now has been given the official name of ArneCon 0.2 was announced at the Castle Blackmoor Facebook Page.
Mark October 15th. ArneCon 0.2 Returning since 2017 We are planning a gaming convention in October, to tie in with the Birthday of Dave Arneson celebrating Minnesota's history of the origin of Role-Playing Games. And cheer all who were involved in the early years! Emphasis on old school style gaming, its history, and how it's history evolved. More to come location: Geek Partnership Society https://www.meetup.com/geekgaming/events/288131139
According to Kevin McColl, this will be a continuation of similar events run by the group before a hiatus during Covid.
Several of the original Blackmoor Players are announced to attend:
ArneCon 3 is a big success say organizers! The convention honoring the legacy of Dave Arneson took place this weekend in St. Paul Minnesota...