GameSpy: Looking back, are you occasionally amazed at something that you had such a big part in contributing to?
Arneson: I remember 30 years ago we were playing this game, which wasn't even called a role-playing game back then, and we thought we were crazy when we published it. We didn't advertise the first couple runs of D&D. We didn't have any money for it. It was all being sold word of mouth. It was pretty much all a hands-on experience for everybody, and we thought it was great at the time. If we'd told our friends, even our old military miniatures buddies, that it would be this big, they be like, "You're crazy!" But hey, it's still here. I think they (Wizards) sold a million copies (of D&D) last year. I mean, good grief, most game companies don't sell a million copies of anything in a year.
Dave Arneson does his "Einstein" pose.
GameSpy: So, and please don't take this as being morbid, what would you want on your tombstone? How do you want the world to remember you?
Arneson: The world in general? That I was a good grandpa -- that's a good one … I don't know, "Father of role-playing games?" I got a sign that says that somewhere.
