Arneson Estate Responds to Ink Bat's Age of the Wolf

Over the past few months we have reported on this blog about Age of the Wolf after Ink Bat announced that they were bringing this project back for a GenCon release. 

Here is the official  response from the Arneson Estate:

 For Immediate Release (07/28/2024): 

Is The Age of the Wolf an actual work by Dave Arneson or even a Blackmoor setting? 

 

 The Arneson Estate believes it to be a fake. ​

The Estate of David Arneson comprises his much-cherished family, Malia, Luke, and Dave's grandchildren. Dave's family is very perplexed regarding the publication of Studio Ink Bat's "Age Of The Wolf" book. This manuscript is purported to be Dave Arneson's last major work which Studio Ink Bat plans to distribute during events at GenCon 2024. ​

 

One would think someone wanting to publish an original work by Dave Arneson, or even a work derived from Dave's ideas, would be excited to collaborate with the family of Dave Arneson for the published work to have authenticity.

 

This is far from what has transpired thus far. Studio Ink Bat's attitude and actions leave the Arneson family utterly baffled. Studio Ink Bat (aka Denise Robinson & C.A. Suleiman) show no respect to the family's legal right to control intellectual properties created by Dave Arneson and properties derived from his works. Additionally, Studio Ink Bat has wholly disregarded the family's feelings in matters which are very much a family decision. This leads the Arneson family to believe that Studio Ink Bat's publication, "The Age of the Wolf," is a counterfeit — which cannot be attributed in any way to Dave Arneson. Furthermore, the Estate emphasizes this publication violates their trademark and naming rights.

 

​ I want to emphasize here that we have not received any documentation proving the work is anything but a counterfeit. We are still very open to seeing anything that could disprove our current assessment, which could be forthcoming from Studio Ink Bat. ​

 

Studio Ink Bat's behavior is puzzling to us, as it was Studio Ink Bat who initially approached the Arneson Estate asking for the Estate's blessing on the "Age of the Wolf" book. At first, they claimed David Arneson had contributed to the manuscript before his untimely death in 2009. Since email exchanges with the Arneson Estate, they are now walking that back and saying he was leading a team producing this adventure. They also said they were publishing it to honor Arneson, the co-creator of D&D, and planned on giving 100 copies away for free at GenCon 2024 (the 50th anniversary of D&D). Sounds nice enough, and it could have been simple. We exchanged pleasantries back and forth and requested they provide the Estate with three things to move the process forward:

 

​ 1. We asked Studio Ink Bat multiple times to show us any documentation they have (e.g., notes, correspondence, or a contract) that shows Dave Arneson worked on this project or granted any rights to his intellectual property (his name or the Blackmoor name).

 

2. We asked Studio Ink Bat multiple times to send us the manuscript so the Arneson family could review it to determine if it is something the Blackmoor trademark could be attached to (e.g., would the family license the Blackmoor name to Studio Ink Bat based solely on the quality of the content). We received only a tiny sample which contained elements easily copied from previously published material.

 

3. We asked Studio Ink Bat to temporarily remove any public notices about the project until points 1 and 2 have been addressed. This would protect them from potential liability and was a first step for Studio Ink Bat to demonstrate an appreciation for Dave Arneson and his creations. Immediate action would also have shown respect to his family members.

 

These are things that any reasonable person would ask for to protect the legacy of a late and much-beloved father - none of the above requests were ever fully met. ​ Since Studio Ink Bat told us this event was a one-time small, free distribution, we thought any license fee could be as meager as a dollar. The Arneson Estate is in the business of licensing the Blackmoor trademark, and the distribution of an actual, unseen, unpublished Dave Arneson work could only be a good thing.

 

Not long after, it became obvious to us they did not understand how IP law works, when Studio Ink Bat replied "Well, since we're giving the book away for free we don't need your permission" to paraphrase. However, this is wrong on two points - they do not appear to be giving the book away for free, and IP rights infringement involves publication, and not money (see below).

 

Despite the situation clearly being a misunderstanding we continued to reach out, while at the same time making it known we were very open to coming to an agreement with Studio Ink Bat. ​

 

Yet, they have refused to show us any proof that Dave Arneson worked on it (instead, they told us they had no documentation and we should "look it up"). They have refused to show us the entire manuscript. And let’s not forget the phone conversation where they called the Estate “stupid”. We need time to examine the manuscript to determine if it contains anything of Arneson's work or style. Time is also needed to distribute copies to numerous scholars for expert assessments of the work and its validity.

 

Instead, they offered to send us money, possibly give us the rights to the book after GenCon, and other things — anything but fulfilling our simple requests. The issue is that without knowing the content or seeing any evidence that Arneson worked on it, we can't simply give them a license to make claims as to the attribution and or validity of this work. Hence, their offers of money and publishing rights are not pertinent. We informed them of this, and our requests to see the manuscript continued to be ignored. ​

 

Furthermore, from the small sample Studio Ink Bat sent, from other content on their website, and their apparent limited knowledge of IP law gathered from our correspondence, we believe the book could contain violations of other publishers' and authors' IP rights, which would make the book difficult or impossible to distribute — again, unless we can review the full content we can't make any determination as to who can make claims to this content. Additionally, the family doesn't want to attach Dave Arneson's name to a product without providing proper credit to any other creators of the content, as has often been done to work Dave produced. We'd still be more than happy to examine the manuscript. We are in a quandary, as once the book is distributed, it will likely be too late to resolve this issue in a friendly way. ​

 

Studio Ink Bat's seeming desire to force our hand in this manner leads to more confusion, as we would rather offer a handshake and be friends than do otherwise.

 

​ Even as a derived work bearing a Blackmoor trademark, which the Estate is in the business of licensing, we would still need to see the manuscript they have refused to provide. How can we issue a license to use the trademark without seeing it? We need to know what kind of content this book presents. Does the content meet the Arneson family's standards for a fun adventure book meant for general distribution, or is this book aimed at an adult audience? Would you license your father's legacy to something you knew little about, or worse, something which could lead to negative public opinion? We would've liked to get the whole picture, but they have yet to provide it.

 

And — we discovered they are not giving the "Age of the Wolf" away for free, but instead "shadow selling" their book at GenCon 2024. The admission fee for their 14 paid events at GenCon is $48 per person and comes with a "free Age of the Wolf book." Do you think an unknown company's first publication could sell out all 14 events at GenCon for $48 a head if they weren't using Dave Arneson's name and the Blackmoor trademark to promote it? We don't believe so. They are using the Arneson and Blackmoor names to sell a publication we can only believe is a fake.

 

Even if they were giving the copies away at a free admission event or simply handing them out gratis to people on the street, it still infringes on the Arneson family's rights. Infringement does not have to involve money changing hands — the law is about publication and distribution. One would think that in this situation, ethics demand transparency and cooperation at the very least.

 

The Estate of David Arneson's goal is to promote and protect the legacy of the co-creator of the game that has changed so many lives for the better — and help that legacy continue into the future for all gamers, David's children, and his grandchildren. Studio Ink Bat claims they are honoring Dave's legacy but are instead doing the same thing to Dave Arneson in death as many did to him in life by exploiting properties that are not theirs (Blackmoor and Arneson's name).

 

For those going to Gencon, who have paid up front to play in an actual Dave Arneson adventure, our advice is simple: Buyer Beware! It is up to you as individuals to decide if attending a NOT BLACKMOOR event has value to you.

 

Again, the Estate and the Arneson family are excited to discover a new Arneson Blackmoor setting - assuming it is real. Thus, we are more than happy to review the manuscript, but Studio Ink Bat has chosen to be unethical in our estimation.

 

Chris Graves Authorized Representative and Bridge Troll for the Estate of David Arneson, LLC © 2024 Estate of David Arneson, LLC.

Stay tuned for future updates.

-Havard 

The Design Team Behind Blackmoor Age of the Wolf

We are now learning more about the people behind the upcoming Dave Arneson's Blackmoor Age of the Wolf.  As I reported back in March, this 15 years in the making project is finally being released at GenCon 2024 and will become available in a free digital format. An exclusive interview with the lead designer was posted on this blog last month, but we now have more information:

(Illustration taken from lead designer C.A.Suleiman's website)

The credits presented for the book will be the following:

Dave Arneson's Blackmoor: Age of the Wolf

Publisher: Studio Ink Bat

Developer and Project Lead: C.A. Suleiman 

Writers: Jamie Chambers, George Holland, Rhiannon Louve, Ari Marmell, Harley Stroh, and C.A. Suleiman 

Art Director: Denise Robinson

That is a pretty talent specked list of people. I am not familiar with all of them, but Jamie Chambers is perhaps best known as former vice president of Sovereign Press and Margaret Weis Press, having done considerable game design on Dragonlance, The Serenity RPG and much more. 

Ari Marmell is a well known fantasy author and game designer and he has worked on multiple projects with C.A. Suleiman. Most notably the two worked on Blackmoor in the time before Zeigtgeist Games (ZGG) lost the license to publish Blackmoor from WotC, right before Age of the Wolf was to be published 15 years ago. 

Harley Stroh is another name that should be familiar to Blackmoor fans, making several contribitions to the d20 Blackmoor line including the ZGG version of City of the Gods. He later went on to become a widely published by companies like Wizards of the Coast and Goodman Games. 

Rhiannon Louve has multiple credits for design and translation work for White Wolf, including the Scarred Lands Setting. 

George Holland is a game desgner who has done game design work for  RPGs such as Overlight, Mothership and Cy_Borg. 

C.A Suleiman, the project lead, is  another well known name in the industry, having done considerable game design work for Wizards of the Coast, White Wolf and many other publishers. He is credited for six d20 Blackmoor books, including the upcoming Age of the Wolf sourcebook. See full credits here.

With this team, I have great hopes for the Age of the Wolf sourcebook finally seeing the light of day after all this time. It is such a shame when completed manuscripts end up never being shared with the fans, like Jeff Grubb's Mystara sourcebook for AD&D 2nd Edition. I am very happy that Age of the Wolf will become available to fans this August. 

Dave Arneson's Blackmoor: Age of the Wolf will be published under a lisence from Wizards of the Coast. 

Note: I have written this article, not based on a press release, but on my own research, so I apologise that the information is incomplete. No disrespected intended towards anyone mentioned. I will expand on the article as I learn more about each designer!

Discuss this article on The Comeback Inn

-Havard

Exclusive Interview with Blackmoor Age of the Wolf Designer C.A. Suleiman

 

Interview with C.A. Suleiman 

June 17, 2024 

By Havard

Readers may know or recall C.A. Suleiman as the developer Dave Arneson trusted to shepherd new material for Blackmoor, the first fantasy campaign, into the 3rd and 4th editions of D&D. He’s also the developer of the last tabletop project with which Dave Arneson was directly involved prior to his passing in 2009, a setting update for Blackmoor called Age of the Wolf. 

What was it like working with Dave Arneson?

 In some ways, it was the opportunity of a lifetime for a lifelong gamer like me. Dave’s creative mind is what drew me not just to roleplaying, but to really exploring the limits of my imagination. Getting to sort of channel a guy like that through your own work, which is what being his developer was like, is like taking a guided tour through the halls of another creator’s imagination. Beyond being a legendary figure, Dave was like a kindred spirit to me. I’ve been fortunate enough to work on a number of high-profile projects for some well known companies, but there is no substitute for having the father of the roleplaying game put his trust and endorsement in you when it came to developing material for him. Dave could have empowered any one of a number of worthy designers, and he chose to put his faith in me. Words fall for short for describing how that made me feel back then, and how it still makes me feel today. 

What is Age of the Wolf like and what can we expect from the new release? 

Well, maybe the most important aspect of the book is going to be its cost to fans: I’m pleased to be able to announce here, for the first time, that Age of the Wolf is going to be absolutely free to pick up, starting the first day of its release. Here in the U.S., the price tag is going to be $0.00. 

Wow. What prompted you to push for a no-cost price for the new book? 

A number of considerations, chief among them the desire to create an inclusive offering for people to celebrate on the 50th anniversary of the biggest RPG. Sadly, there aren’t a lot of releases or events dedicated to Dave and his legacy on the industry slate this year, and that means that whatever projects are in the offing, should really be given their due. Waiting 15 years to get the book seemed enough of a barrier. No sense complicating matters any further. 

How does Age of the Wolf differ from previous Blackmoor offerings? 

The biggest difference is that Age of the Wolf isn’t strictly a game book. It’s a world guide for a new a vision of Blackmoor and a creative tribute to the man who started it all. The book has no game mechanics for any specific edition or iteration of any game, but rather focuses on setting, mood, and hopefully doing justice to the legacy and memory of Dave Arneson. In that regard, it’s fair to say that Age of the Wolf is a book that’s intended to be enjoyed by all. 

    Apart from how it’s being rolled out, the biggest difference between Age of the Wolf and previous Blackmoor material is the timeline. The entire concept for the book is a big “What if?” — in this case, what if the Kingdom of Blackmoor fell and the land was put through centuries of turmoils and upheavals both magical and mundane? As a result, the political situation, most of the active characters, and even the underlying themes are all written to suit this specific vision. The classic Blackmoor setting is about a land united by a singular king and his attempts to bring ordered civilization to a dangerous part of the world. In Age of the Wolf, that king and his works are long gone, and the land he fought to unite is now being fought over by those who remain. 

Would it be difficult for those running classic Blackmoor campaigns to bring their characters into an Age of the Wolf campaign? 

Since the book advances the Blackmoor timeline 270 years, it’s fair to say that only characters who were young elves or dwarves in the classic setting (or otherwise trapped out of time, or the like; always a possibility in a Blackmoor story) would still be around come the new setting. 

Will Age of the Wolf cover the same geographic area as did previous Blackmoor offerings? 

While the timeline may be different in the new book, the geography is still more or less the same as it was in the classic setting. A lot has changed, but it has changed the face of the same North we know and love, not moved the setting to a different geographic region in the same world. This book is set for a 2024 Gen Con release. 

What will be available for Gen Con attendees? Will some of this material become available for fans who are not able to attend? 

As mentioned, the digital edition will be free to download starting the first day of Gen Con, and that offer will be good for everyone, whether they attend Gen Con or not, for as long as Ink Bat publishes the book. Those who attend Ink Bat’s ticketed events will also receive a limited edition print copy, as well as a free high-quality metal miniature courtesy of Paizo Publishing, but Ink  Bat has no plans to distribute a print edition of the book through general distribution thereafter. This project is primarily about seeing the last tabletop book Dave was involved with finally released to the fans, and in the process, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his greatest work. Many Blackmoor fans have been waiting 15 years for this book to be published and are excited that it is finally coming to fruition. 

Besides the shift to new rules, have other changes been made to the original product? 

Originally, I intended Age of the Wolf to be compatible with 4e, since that was the new hotness at the time and since Dave’s approach had been to release Blackmoor support right on the heels of the release of new rules, as we’d done with 3e and 3.5e. After 50 years, though, there are a lot of fans enjoying Blackmoor through a number of different rulesets, so I decided a more system-neutral book, a world and tonal guide, was the most accessible approach for the whole community. Dave’s genius wasn’t rooted in any one rules design, and his genius is for everyone. 

You have worked in the RPG industry for decades. What are some products that you are especially proud of outside of Blackmoor? 

I’m grateful for both the opportunities I’ve been given in my career and for the way most of those projects turned out. I’m especially proud to have created Hamunaptra, the first expressly ancient Egyptian setting for the great game, but the other books I’ve written for D&D stand out, as well, including Heroes of Horror and Cityscape, both of which continue to have their fan followings long after the edition of the game for which they were written wrapped. I’m also proud of the work I’ve done for the World of Darkness, especially Mummy: The Curse, which I created, and Vampire: The Requiem, which I wrote with my friend Ari Marmell, and which remains the biggest-selling RPG White Wolf ever published. 

Is Ink Bat working with WotC or the Arneson estate for this product, or is it a completely independent launch? 

Ink Bat approached Wizards of the Coast about its plans for the book, and WotC proved just as excited to see Age of the Wolf finally released to the community as the fans seem to be, so they gave their blessing for publication to proceed. And of course, the project predates the Arneson estate, so neither the estate nor WotC were involved in the creation of the content of the book. 

Can we expect more Age of the Wolf content in the future? What other projects are in the works from Ink Bat?

 To my knowledge, there are no current plans to produce support specifically for Age of the Wolf beyond this one book, though of course we all hope the book will live on at the tables and in the stories of Dave’s fans. Ink Bat is just getting started, though. Look for a teaser for their next big project at Gen Con in August.

More discussion of this topic at The Comeback Inn

-Havard

Blackmoor - Age of the Wolf goes to GenCon 2024!

 

Dave Arneson's Blackmoor - Age of the Wolf is to be presented at GenCon 2024 with gaming events and panel presentations. Age of the Wolf was the last Blackmoor project Dave Arneson was involved with before his passing and fans have been asking for it ever since. It was a surprise to most when I reported with much excitement back in March that the publisher Ink Bat announced that they were to bring back the project that was completed in 2008 but never released. 

As summer approches, Ink Bat has made a new announcement:

Last of the Zah 

Come and play in the first-ever adventure set in the new edition of Blackmoor, Age of the Wolf, and do it in style in one of the luxury boxes at Lucas Oil Stadium! In this scenario, you play a member of a bold company tasked with escorting an important young woman into the very heart of darkness. Should you fail, she fails, and if she fails, all hope for life in the North may be lost! 

 Every ticketed player in this event receives a limited edition print copy of Age of the Wolf absolutely free! 

In addition, everyone who plays a session receives a free miniature, courtesy of Paizo Publishing. Length: 3.5 hours 

Where: Event Suite at Lucas Oil Stadium 

When: Every 4 hours until midnight, starting at 8am 

 

 Blackmoor: Age of the Wolf Panel 

 The last tabletop project of D&D co-creator Dave Arneson is finally released! Join Ink Bat’s team of creatives for a discussion of the new book, Age of the Wolf, the 50th anniversary of the great game, and all things Dave.
Length: 1 hour 

 Where: JW Marriott — Room 203 

 When: Thursday at 8pm

See you at GenCon

See original announcement.

Are you excited about this news? Are you going to GenCon? 

Read more at the Comeback Inn!

-Havard

Blackmoor at GenCon 2019

Its always nice to see the original fantasy RPG setting see some presence at the world's largest RPG convention! Origial Blackmoor Player and D&D designer Mike Carr was there running his Fight In the Skies game. The biggest Blackmoor related story to have come out of Gen Con 2019 is related to a certain documentary:

As reported by Secrets of Blackmoor, a screening of the Documentary by the same name was shown at Gen Con 2019, in Indianapolis this weekend. As the producers of the film were unable to attend, the event was organized by Gen Con Film Festival Organizer Chuck Budreau. It was recently announced to backers of the Kickstarter that the version distributed at vimeo would not be the final version of the documentary, but that these backers would recieve a revised version. It is unclear which version was screened at GenCon.

Did you attend GenCon 2019? Did you go to the screening of Secrets of Blackmoor? What were the highlights of your GenCon 2019 experience?


More discussion of this article here.


-Havard

D&D at GenCon 2013

Unlike previous years, I havent heard much exciting news from this year's GenCon. At least not for D&D. Since I wasn't able to go there myself, I started a thread at The Piazza, which provided me with some details and links at least. All the new Pathfinder material, Shadowrun 5th Edition, Monte Cook's Numenera and 13th Age are all things I want to check out eventually, but what about D&D?

Obviously the main reason why D&D got such small exposure on GenCon this year is because they are holding off D&DNext for next year. My friend Adrian (aka True Atlantean) pointed me to this GenCon video of a presentation with Mike Mearls where he is talking about D&DNext, The Sundering, iOS Waterdeep, Kree-O D&D and more.

My favorite bit from the video was where he talks about Chronicles of Mystara. "This is actually a personal favorite of mine" says Mearls. "The Chronicles of Mystara from Capcom. These are two games, Tower of Doom and Shadow over Mystara. This is a classic 90s 2d beat-em-up. [...] I am personally very excited about that."

I also came across this GenCon2013 Interview with Will Wheaton, where he again mentions getting into gaming with the Mentzer Red Box. I wrote about Wheaton's adventures in Mystara back in May. The Red Box is 30 years this year, so it was nice of Wheaton to mention it, even if WotC seem to have missed the opportunity of making an event out of this on GenCon.

Was there anything coming out of GenCon that made you guys excited?



-Havard

WotC to Bring Back Old Setting!

As was reported on The Piazza today by Big Mac, WotC has just announced that they will be bringing back an old D&D setting, presumably for D&D Next. Which setting that will be is to be revealed on GenCon this Thursday!

Is it going to be Blackmoor? Unlikely. Although as Twin Agate Dragons mentioned in the same Piazza thread, Blackmoor would be ideal in many ways. Greyhawk is the obvious choice, but in a recent poll held by WotC Greyhawk ended up fairly far down on the list. As one commenter suggested, perhaps it is "too soon" for another go at Gygax' campaign setting after Greyhawk's return as a default 3E setting.

More details on all of this at the D&D Nexus.


Image Source.

-Havard

Have You Played with Dave Arneson?

I got to meet Dave Arneson back in 2003, but I never got a chance to play with him. Poster Heymikey over at the Comeback Inn is collecting reports from actual play sessions with the man himself. Besides the Original Blackmoor Players, Dave has played with hundreds if not thousands of gamers over the years.

Dave Arneson at HURRICON 2007, Orlando, FL.

Not every gaming report is full of praise. Back in 2008, the Semper Initiative Blog reposted an old magazine article written back in 1976 by a less pleased player, Bill Paley. Still, Paley's report contained alot of interesting information that I have just gone through.

Did you ever get to play in Dave's games?

-Havard


Image Source

Dave Arneson's Fortune Cards

One of the news to have come out of GenCon this weekend is the planned concept of Fortune Cards for D&D 4E. In the upcoming Gamma World game, mutations will be made available in the form of cards, with randomized booster packs, remniscent of the booster packs from Magic the Gathering being sold to those interested in more mutations. According to Critical hits, on twitter the D&D4E Fortune Cards will follow the same model, though without the mutations:

"Fortune Cards: Cards in booster packs that include random benefits for characters. Adds extra "fun and power" for characters. Not an extra level of powerups, an extra level of chance and randomness."

The Piazza poster, Dulsi, made me aware of this idea of booster packs now being introduced into D&D. I have to say that I am very sceptical about this. I Cyber-Dave's post over at wizards.com sums up my feelings on this concept quite well. Fortune Cards are less problematic than card elements in Gamma World (and possibly also in the upcoming Ravenloft game), since the former can be ignored.

When I heard that WotC were planning to publish Fortune Cards, what first lept to my mind was the concept of Chance Cards, something that Dave Arneson started to use in his D&D Blackmoor Campaign in 1974. This was a rather different concept however. The Blackmoor Chance Cards were randomized story elements that were to be drawn once a year and which are detailed in the First Fantasy Campaign. As Arneson relates, The Great Peasant Revolt and the Raid from the Duchy of Ten were prominent examples of how the Chance Cards affected the campaign. Perhaps something like this would be worth looking into for WotC as well?



Image Source

-Havard

Ravenloft returns!

I just saw this news over at the Piazza. Ravenloft will be the next D&D setting to be revived by Wizards of the Coast in 2011. According to poster Dragonhelm, the following was announced at GenCon:

"Ravenloft RPG announced! Characters can play all sorts of stuff that goes bump in the night - ghosts, vampires, etc"

If the focus is on playing undead characters, the 4E version of Ravenloft is going to be a bit different from the 2e version where the main point was not to become killed by the Undead. Of course, as I remember alot of people did use Undead PCs in their RL campaigns back then too.






-Havard