Breaking News!

Breaking News From Archeology Today!

NYC, in the year 2376...

Today archeologists from the Smithownisan Institute of Japan unearthed what is thought to be the last vestiges of a long defunct U.S. political party once called the Democrats.

Dr. Kumwatmae expounded upon the find:  "It's an exciting artifact that we are studying around the clock.  We believe these Democrats, in their dying days, resorted to baby worship by sacrificing millions of them upon the altar of a mysterious pseudo-religion that we can only now identify as something having to do with 'Planning'.  We strongly believe that this symbol may very well be a link to that religion, although my colleague at the dig, Dr. Cumwatmyte, still insists that the representative image is more likely an expression of some hidden angst that was on the rise among their kind and that lead to their untimely demise about 250 years ago."

A Project I'm Writing and Laying Out at the Same Time

The material dates from 1974 and, oh boy, has it been updated! Cool adventure in the future folks!

More to come!

A New Interview of RJK by the French Magazine La Gazette du Donjon (French & English)

What?

http://www.threelinestudio.com/interviews/

ENGLISH version at our site

http://retroclone.fr/index.php/2016/12/16/interview-robert-j-kuntz/

FRENCH version (with pictures) at Retroclone

ENJOY!!

Dave Arneson's True Genius Cover FINISHED!

This is a highly reduced resolution JPEG of the cover for Dave Arneson's True Genius that my wife, Nathalie (with some specific help from myself on the graphics end, i.e., the concept lettering for the blackboard), finished today.  Nathalie is very excellent at layout (and many other things, she always surprises)!

Nat has proceeded to laying out the text.  Meanwhile I am plugging away on 2 maps for 2 separate adventures as well as laying out TLS's first PDF product!

We are getting excited here!  I hope you are too!

Enjoy!

Rob & Nat

BoardGameGeek Composite Rating for El Raja Key Archive: So Far So Good!

Initial reactions from buyers at BGG of El Raja Key Archive is at a composite 9.5 out of 10.

LINK:  https://www.boardgamegeek.com/rpgitem/212609/el-raja-key-archive

Not blowing our horn too much here, but we expected very high ratings for this product.

Almost 3 years steady production time went into finishing the project and it also launched a new adventure book line with it.  Its nearly 1,100 hi-res scanned files date back to 1971 and are a roadmap to pre-D&D, early D&D, ancient Greyhawk material, World of Kalibruhn, early TSR and so much more, spanning 48 years of my design history through the original artifacts that were auctioned 2005-2015 but, with foresight, were preserved for the gamers, collectors and historians through hundreds of hours of scanning work over that time.

There has never been an item of this sort produced and made available for the public in the history of RPGs.

TLB Games is currently running a Holiday Sale for ERKA (see link at the right side bar).  Get yours before Santa heads back to the North Pole!

My Interview at the Multiverse Blog

"Chillin' after the interview"

Timothy Connolly and I had a week-long give-and-take resulting in an interview that should be of special interest to TSR/D&D historians and serious designers.

LINK:  http://multiverse.world/blog/2016/11/30/qa-robert-j-kuntz/

TLB Games Holiday Specials

Holiday Sale Special!!!

Check out our specials for El Raja Key Archive 

and Sunken City Adventure!

https://www.tlbgames.com/

The Days Have Come Down in the West: November 8 in America

Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?

Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?

Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?

Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?

They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;

The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow.

Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning,

Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?

--JRR Tolkien

There is only one choice in this election and it is not the Wicked Witch of the West...

Robert J. Kuntz's Memoirs Underway

James Sprattley, producer of The Great Kingdom documentary, and Rob Kuntz

Three Line Studio has started the process of organizing Rob Kuntz's memoirs, a project he started many years ago.  His wife, Nathalie Hachet-Kuntz, will be the lead editor and interface person for her husband while updating and compiling his hand written notes and commentaries and additional material that Rob generates for an overall pool of life stories spanning his days in Lake Geneva, his fortuitous meeting with Gary Gygax and the Gygax family in 1968, and his many and varied personal and professional observations from his career path as a free-lance designer and author.  This major work will include details on his friendships with Gary & Mary Gygax, Donald Kaye (co-founder of TSR), Dave Arneson, and his time as an employee and stockholder of TSR Hobbies, as GENCON's chairman, and his observations and insights from other unique perspectives.

As the project's "overseer" Nathalie will be updating its progress here and at the Three Line Studio website when milestones are achieved.  We expect to have a general release date in about two months, around the time Mr. Kuntz's finished book, "Dave Arneson's True Genius," is made available to the public.

EL Raja Key Archive Recent FAQ!

Here are some FAQs we are gathering right out of the gate:

(A growing FAQ will be posted to the web site, but here are answers to some initial questions)

NOTE:  Q/A #18 answers keeping the Archive and Browser on the same drive for optimal operating purposes.

Q1: Is the USB able to be added to the DVD purchase for an incremental cost, or is it a full $160 additional?
A1: Yes, it can be added, simply add a Standard Edition to your order selecting the USB Flash Drive variant above the purple "Add to Cart" button. The price will be $89.99.

Your order would look something like this:

El Raja Key Archive Collector's Edition $159.99
DVD
SKU: 1004

El Raja Key Archive Standard Edition $89.99
USB Flash Drive
SKU: 1002usb

...or

El Raja Key Archive Deluxe Edition $119.99
DVD
SKU: 1003

El Raja Key Archive Standard Edition $89.99
USB Flash Drive
SKU: 1002usb


Q2: Is it possible to see the full listing of included files for each version of the archive, or at least to get a count on the number of files for each?
A2: The Standard Edition is organized into 295 subject pages with 1045 scans. The Basic Edition is organized into 108 subject pages with 420 scans. As an example: the Dark Druids subject page includes two levels: a 1st level with 1 map and 6 pages keys and Level 2 with 1 map and 5 pages of keys.

Thus, one subject page has 13 scans. A comparative list of the subject pages for the Basic and Standard Editions can be found at this link: http://www.tlbgames.com/pages/archive-subject-page-list  It will also be available in the FAQ (coming soon) on the TLBgames.com website.


Q3: What are the differences between the three printed K1 adventures?
A3: The First Print is 40 pages and is over 18,000 words - that is a little larger than G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King which comes in at 16 pages and 17,000 words. The Deluxe and Collector's Prints include an all new encounter area, Tower of Night! The additional encounter area adding about 1,000 words. Additionally, the Collector's Print is both signed and numbered by Rob Kuntz.


Q4: How big are the K1 module booklets, and do they include the maps and keys?
A4: Physically, the booklets have 40 pages and measure 4 3/4 by 7 1/4 inches. The adventure contains the keys and a diagram but the high resolution scans of Rob's original hand-drawn map and legend that go with it ar only in the the Archive. However, you can purchase K1 Sunken City: First Print without any edition of the Archive and then purchase the Map Pack download. As more and more modules come out it will soon be apparent that the Archive represents quite the bargain.


Q5: Are there any sample files available to view/read to help know what they look like (and if they are even readable)?
A5: Find below an image snippet of a map.


[image to appear in FAQ]: also see: http://lakegenevaoriginalrpg.blogspot.fr/2016/08/el-raja-key-archive-sample-image.html



Q6: Are there any samples available to view/read the historical commentary, to see how much value that adds to the Standard edition of the archive? 
A6: The Basic Edition contains 50+ maps and and some keys for about 40 adventures and dungeon levels, plus about 20,000 words of historical commentary. 

The Standard Edition contains all of that... PLUS about 50 more maps (including dozens of regional and area detail maps), dozens of original PCs and NPCs, campaign notes, 100+ magic items, timelines for both Greyhawk and Kalibruhn campaigns, historical documents, memoirs of game play, Rob's resume of work, several beautiful pieces of full-color artwork, plus an additional 20,000 words of historical commentary.

There is no difference in the commentary on the overlapping subject matter between the two editions, i.e., the adventures.


Q7: Are any of the files complete adventures that can be run immediately, or will they require the DM to do additional work beyond reading the files?
A7: Many of the adventures can be run from what is included on the Archive using Old School DM'ing, as Rob often wrote detailed keys but you won't find 4-page stat blocks for the monsters. An example is included below.


[image will appear in FAQ]; also see: http://lakegenevaoriginalrpg.blogspot.fr/2016/08/el-raja-key-archive-sample-image.html



Q8: Do the scans include transcriptions?
A8: No these are Rob's original, 1975, hand-drawn maps and hand-written notes. However, a substantial amount of interesting details are written up in the commentary, and it is this commenetary that is indexed and cross-linked. That is over 7,237 linked entries and 1,541 index entries.


Q9: What are PC/Mac program/system requirements to use the Archive contents?
A9: The Archive is viewable with any reasonably modern Web Browser on any reasonably modern system (including Tablets, Smart Phones, Etc.). Some of the maps are quite large (76 MB, 7461x9185px, 300dpi) and could strain really old systems.


Q12: How is fulfillment and shipping being managed?
A12: Fulfillment and shipping are being handled by The Collector's Trove in the United States. The Collector's Trove has a very high reputation among collectors and provides quality packaging and quick shipping.


Q13: How much is shipping to non-US destinations?
A13: It would depend upon what was being purchased, but as an example: K1 Sunken City alone or the Basic or Standard Edition would cost $15.00 USD each, and the Deluxe and Collector's Editions would cost $25.00 USD each. The difference is based strictly on weight.


Q15: Can the Archive files be printed?
A15: Yes. The files can be printed, although Rob used color-coding on most of his maps, so printing them off in black and white will make them difficult to read.


Q16: Can the Archive files be moved off of the DVD/USB and stored on a computer?
A16: Yes and this will actually speed up the performance of the Archive for most users. Instructions on how to do this are included on a technical sheet enclosed with each copy of the Archive.


Q17: At what resolution are the documents scanned?
A17: The original documents have been scanned at 300 dpi. That means they have the same resolution as the original.


Q18. When I copied the Archive to my hard drive, the thumbnails appear fine, but I am getting 404 Errors from my browser when trying to access the full size images.
A18: The Archive structure uses long paths that when combined with being copied into a deep directory location, e.g. c:\my stuff\gaming\role playing\old school\el raja key archive\, cause the Archive code that manages accessing the full size images from within the thumbnail carousel to operate improperly due to Operating System limitations. If your situation seems to match this, try moving the Archive closer to the root directory.


TO ORDER EL RAJA KEY ARCHIVE GO TO:  https://www.tlbgames.com/

Three Line Studio/Three Little Books line Goes Live @ 11 AM CST!

After some delays to bring the project up to the highest standards possible Three Line Studio will launch its first brand under the partnership of Robert J. Kuntz and Paul J. Stormberg: the Three Little Books line of products.  The books are directly associated with the El Raja Key Archive DVD project and TLB acts as an umbrella line for this major project that, to date, has taken nearly 3 years to complete and spans over 40+ years of actual history and endeavor, going as far back as 1971 for content!

At 11 a.m. CST the store will go live!  We invite you to attend this historical launch that marks a very new and robust direction for Robert J. Kuntz's intellectual property which includes the sale of the El Raja Key DVD in its many versions and the accompanying adventure to start the TLB line of Little Books:  Sunken City!

The Following Link Will Take You to Our Store For Complete Ordering Information!  This is accessible at 11 a.m. CST and not before.

http://www.tlbgames.com/

Additional Information and a downloadable PDF about TLB Games is accessible here:

http://www.threelinestudio.com/shop/el-raja-key-archive

Also note the following screenshots from our site for some up front information. 

The TLS/TLB Team:

Rob and Nathalie Kuntz

Paul J. Stormberg

Kevin Maurice

Three Line Studio News

As many may be aware my wife, Nathalie, and myself have formed Three Line Studio.  The premiere product for this is due out in a week, The El Raja Key Archive and the accompanying release, the SUNKEN CITY adventure.   See former articles about these items in older posts, below.

The SUNKEN CITY is the first adventure release in a new brand for THREE LITTLE BOOKS™.  TLB is a partnership formed by myself with Paul Stormberg as distributor of the titles I design.

We have also been constructing the website for TLS to be ready for the launch.

Both products are finished, edited, and laid out.  I was informed by Paul and Kevin (Kevin Maurice is the programmer for the DVD interface) that they are testing the two versions of the DVD and making minor corrections to the index.  This from Paul the 13th of this month:

"I just finished proofing the DVD index yesterday and we are making corrections today. We made it so it could be used both as an index and a search tool.

"We had a really messy version of the index but thought with just a little more work could make it much more user-friendly and useful. We will be done with that today.

"The last thing we need to do then is to proof the entire DVD and all of its functions. We have some Beta-testers that will do the same with numerous different browsers and using multiple computer platforms. That will take us a full day to accomplish. The following day we will address all faults and restest them. Then we burn of master copies of the Basic and Standard and hand deliver them to the local duplicator.

"So far everything is working brilliantly and looks fantastic and professional but we must be certain we have a robust product before making 500 copies of it!

"Almost done!"

As well, the adventure is at the printer and we are attempting to time its printing in concert with the DVD's duplication services as the latter will take a few more days to produce than the adventure.

So as Paul said, "Soon".

Both myself, Paul, Kevin and my wife, Nathalie, have invested thousands of hours and thousands of dollars in this multi-faceted project, so for those waiting and champing at the bit we are right there with you!

Rob Kuntz
President Three Line Studio

Sunken City Adventure Front Cover

Here's my adventure, Sunken City, first run by me three times at GENCON 8, 1975 as the first tournament in D&D history! This adventure, 41 years later, is being made available with the release of El Raja Key Archive DVD!  With a cover by Jim Roslof (R. I. P.) no less!

The Final Cover: El Raja Key ARCHIVE DVD Case Wrap

This is the final cover for the ERK ARCHIVE Standard edition.

I'll post the cover for the Sunken City--K1--adventure cover that is being released with it after a good night's rest!

Into the City of Brass

I have started writing the adventure, Into the City of Brass, the 2nd part final for the RPGA adventure I designed in 1987 for DRAGON CON 1.  This sequel was mentioned in the original but qualification for the tourney at the time was just getting to the City.  This is what happens after entering it!  This will be another offering in our Three Little Books™ line from Three Line Studio.  The two color maps were finished over a month ago. Now comes the fun part...

An ancient rendering of 'Brass that I did in an older paint program BITD.

El Raja Key Archive, RJK Collected Works, DVD Cover Wrap, Near Final

We are adjusting the colors to get back to the original clean, non neon, of my original art cover post.  But this is the layout, with Three Line Studio logo, TLB (Three Little Books) wizard logo (purchased from the Roslof estate) that is an original Jim Roslof did for TSR's logo hunt BitD but was rejected in the final pick for the TSR wizard logo holding a wand.  Pretty excited about this!  This product will launch a line of products associated with the map images on the DVD and thus will be Three Line Studio's first product under it own specific brand.  The adventure module being released with the DVD is "The Sunken City" which was the first tournament convention module in the history of D&D by yours truly.

Enjoy the eye candy.  I will update this image when Eric Bergeron finishes the retouches today.  Then the whole caboodle goes to be burned on Monday according to Paul Stormberg.  Very soon!!

EDIT:  I have been seeing random posts here or there that express concern about the pricing of the DVD.  We have 4 different levels for all types of purchasers, so there should not be a worry with that.  I would like to add that we have made a *massive* investment of both time and money in this and the return, even at the higher price ranges, will not even equal the thousands of hours invested in this project and the quality that was put into it and the value that can be derived from it.  This is a very unique item due to its spanning 1,100 files, the information contained in it about these, and their end use possibilities.  We could have easily aimed the prices higher according to our returned statistics but did want to make this generally available.  Three Line Studio feels that we have accomplished that goal at balancing the two positions of investment<> return versus high and low markets, and the result is a product that is easily usable for years to come.

The pricing is set at four levels, 2 beneath 100.00 and two above 100.00. This launches a new line of products "Little Books Line" associated with the DVD contents and includes in 3 versions the entire 1,100 files scanned from auctions 2005-present and as supplemented by my own un-auctioned files. 2 years of work and several thousand hours of endeavor on five people's parts have been expended to organize, describe, resize, amend and categorize the contents. These are htlm-hot-linked and we have a built in cascading view as well for easy file access and viewing.

DVD Collected Works: Final Pre-Press Notes

A 1975 adventure that I designed will be available with/for the 4 different versions of the DVD and is now at the printers.  We expect that to be complete in 3-5 days.

The DVD itself has tested successfully under MAC, Windows and Unix systems and will be sent off to the DVD completion business.  We estimate that as being one full week from now to complete.

So, everything's finished and right near release.  We also managed to get Eric Bergeron to color Andy Taylor's original great line work for the cover.  Enjoy the combination of great inking and great color by the two!

More of the Same

There's been a lot of yammering about the Gygax estate partnering with Mr. Desanto to produce legacy products from Gary Gygax's pre- and post-TSR intellectual property.

I have some insight into this, and then there's the obvious:  For those in the RPG community who continue to believe that they will ever be given a true and historical treatment of said works such as I attempted to steer Trigee into for Castle Zagig back in 2004, then keep dreaming.

This is a high profile push deal aimed at movies, perhaps novelizations and definitely a computer game minus any historical trappings whatsoever.  The latter, in my estimation, will be like Gygax vanilla aimed at making money and branding for his legacy sake.  This is what, from what I've been lead to understand, Gail Gygax wants, so more power to her there in that enterprise and I wish her luck.

But gamers--do not get your hopes out of joint, for if the Castle or related RPG works from that time period were to be published it would have happened by now way before this deal.

Then there is the matter that a full 20 levels from that Castle are claimed as my intellectual property alone, and I have had no contact over their use from the Gygax estate, all of which in that regard, I am monitoring very closely.

So buckeroos, dream on, but just a down to earth reminder, this is Gail's show, and rightly so, so don't be looking for the low-end deals through this partnership.


http://variety.com/2016/film/news/gary-gygax-estate-dungeons-and-dragons-tom-desanto-1201824039/

El Raja Key Archive Sample Image

"The Mound" &" Ruins of Seer" Adjoined Super Adventure

This is from the "Ruins of Seer" a massive Greyhawk Adventure I had written BitD (1983-1985) and that was never published due to TSR's inimical stance with Gary and myself and the marginalization of Greyhawk due to that.  I tried to sell it as a Expert level adventure to TSR in 1985 but they showed no interest in it after seeing it and having it described to them when I visited with both Bruce Heard and Harrold Johnson about it.

This is representative of the quality of material that is on the DVD.

El Raja Key Archive Final Update

DVD Label:  Final

There are four principal people involved in this massive project and all of us have been busy at it, made more difficult by me being overseas and having to interface via Skype for sometimes 6 hours straight many days in a row as of recent.  Those people are:  myself, Paul Stormberg of the Collector's Trove, Kevin Maurice and my wife, Nathalie.

Upon receiving the test DVD by FEDEX we have finished:

Going over the 1,100 image files for proper placement within categories and sub-categories, for image quality, and for the ability to print, share and to otherwise test the interface in relation to these. As well Kevin is working on a "cascading view" because some categories open with as many as 60 thumbnail images.  This will allow a handy interface for viewing and accessing.

Tonight we finish up on the 200+ pages of file descriptions while fine tooth combing Paul's and my own descriptions of the auctioned and scanned items which started over 10 years ago, this for errors, omissions and possible better wording/changes.

We have all learned quite a lot doing something that none of us have ever done before, and we have been making adjustments to the project as it proceeds due to this.

The date for release keeps changing due to that, so our next, pretty final one is the 3rd or 4th week in August.

In between, know that we are very busy with the many things connected to this and the launch of Three Line Studio.

A New Ethos in Game Design: The Paradigm Shift Originated by Dungeons & Dragons, 1972-1977

To Be Released 2017

http://www.threelinestudio.com/

As many people and communities throughout the Internet are aware I have been steadily adding chapters to a book that I undertook researching and writing 8 years ago, actually now almost 9 years, in fact.  It is now approaching 200,000 words and with 20 diagrams; and my projection for its release has been amended several times due to moves (first to Wichita, then to France), the releasing of my DVD Collection (a long project started in Illinois, continued in Wichita and finished in France), and to my marriage to my wife Nathalie Hachet-Kuntz.  Though slowed in bringing the book to immediate release due to all of these life-changing and, ultimately, happy life circumstances indeed, I am now on track to finishing it.

This book is a culmination of over 42+ years of being actively exposed to game design and game theory and in combining this with my research to achieve a goal:  To discover the true essence of the RPG concept and, moreover, to describe it in scientific terms to allow for its continued expansion in many ways.  The book intersects many disciplines, such as game design, game theory, play theory, cognitive science and systems thinking, to name a few.  In my estimation I believe that I have achieved my goal; and I am in the process of fleshing out the details of it as gathered through reading and referencing 50+ major texts, over 200 related articles and from my copious notes, a copy of the latter which is being held for me by my close friend and associate, Allan Grohe.  I have also had in-depth discussions and readings by me of  the ms with Allan Grohe and Jon Hershberger (Black Blade Publishing), Paul Stormberg (the Collectors Trove) and of course my wife Nathalie.  I have also extensively sampled its parts for all of the above named and my wife retains a full back-up and is one of the editors assigned to the project.

In essence, this is my grand opus, so to speak.  It is not only a culmination but a beginning, just as Arneson's concept was for game history and for the theories he espoused.

My current book (the manuscript is finished and we are about 2 months out, if not sooner, from releasing it) is entitled Dave Arneson's True Genius; and it is not only a send-up to Dave Arneson but is an in-depth study of what Arneson gifted to us:  his genius.  It is also a shot across the bow for A New Ethos in Game Design, the former being a solid prelude of it that will include samples from this much larger companion work.

With all good news comes a rumor which I am tracking for its origin and that a text similar to mine in kind is now being prepared, this after I recently went public and put myself on the radar at several forums in stating my purpose.  

Though just a rumor at present I cannot but now feel delighted, if it has any basis in fact, that someone might join the scientific fray by way of attempting to ride my coat-tails whereas no such wind was in the air prior to my recent announcements.  Rumors are what they are, and I also claim no right of way to be the only one to pursue such a course as I have partially described herein; and since science is science and historically it seems that the advantage therein not only lies with the true thinker but sometimes with the hasty doer who would forward a cause based upon ego and denial rather than truth and the patience of a scholar who reads first and then decides upon matters worthy or not of the pen.

Whether folks in this hobby care to notice or even to admit this behavior--and as paraded in the past as fact and not as rumor as in this case--it is pretty entrenched in RPG's history.  It derives explicitly from the split between Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax, the resultant obfuscation of facts due to out of court settlements, and the continued marginalization of Arneson's real contributions due to that.  This attitude has desisted in large part to a norm which is now promoted less virulently but more remotely.  "Historians" who do not quote living persons associated with that era have come forward to paper over the past with the "truth".  They have their own interpretations based upon non-primary sources, which are the actual people themselves who are excluded from such "scholarship."

My research is based upon my experiences from not only historical texts, my own 42+ years of involvement starting at the pre-dawn on this industry/hobby, as someone who has witnessed the great majority of primary shifts that caused its rise; and by participating with those primary and secondary people--living history--who were there.  I have taken the high road of real scholarship in stating facts as I know them to be and have left interpretation aside which has no place in science or history as even provisional truth.  Therefore it is of interest in all the many books that have come forth as of recent regarding D&D's and TSR's past that very few primary people from that time period have been asked to participate in their formation, and apparently fewer still are solicited if they do not fit onto a certain narrowly defined output so apparent from these books.  

One might ask the whys about this--and many have.  To my knowledge there have been countless redirections to myself--and endless other redirections to primary people associated with that history--by secondary people who were being asked primary questions.  Of those redirections I can only speak for myself directly:  nothing came from them.  The secondary source's recommendations to enquire of the primary source, myself in this case, were ignored.  In three cases to date my name occurs in the same number of printed works and in many instances. In every case I have not been asked a single question regarding contextual use or to verify such uses as fact.  In one case I was not even aware that the book was just about to be released in two weeks time.  I can only assume that this form of exclusionary approach holds true for other living persons from that time period who are referenced within these works. 

Expediency has no place in scholarship no matter the subject. This sort of careless approach can speak to many outcomes but never to truthful reporting.

There is no doubt that the end-use reader has the final verdict with all such matter, and as often compared to similar works--but that they should be from the very onset given a clear picture based upon equally researched views that are verifiable and attributable and not in the least bit "interpretable" is what defines properly executed research.  Minus this we are left with a hodge-podge of interpretations which become voided as opinions.

You have my guarantee that my own works have not, nor will not, proceed along such a marginal course as I have described above.  The LGTSA (Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association) cut their teeth on intensive research time and again and within overlapping and multiple subject areas.  It was part and parcel of my own existence as its membered president--now 47 years removed but not forgotten.

Dave Arneson's True Genius: First Major Treatise on Dave Arneson

Place Holder Cover

Three Line Studio is nearing release of the first ever major treatise on David L. Arneson, the genius behind the role-playing craze that started in 1971 in Minneapolis with his group of players and spread like a contagion from 1974 onward through the commercial release of Classic Dungeons & Dragons in 1974.

The manuscript for the work is finished and we are finishing designing the cover and sourcing a layout person.

The work is not the usual history tour so much as it is a tour of Arneson's mind, design philosophies and ultimate systems organization, the latter which busted wide open 2,000 years of game history with his unprecedented systems architecture.

The tentative date for its release is set for 2 months from now; final editing of the ms is now being overseen by Nathalie Hachet-Kuntz (TLS) and Allan Grohe (BBP). 

Three Line Studio has one fulfillment agency in the U.S. for distribution purposes and is seeking a second to handle overflow orders for the monograph, which we deem will be brisk.  We are currently sourcing a second agent for fulfilling overflow orders.  If interested contact us at enquiries@threelinestudio.com for details.

Review copies will be available for established book reviewers in and out of the RPG industry.  Use the contact details above if you are interested in reviewing the book and in receiving an advanced copy of it prior to its release.

UPDATE: DVD Project, Book on Dave Arneson, New RPG Adventure

It has been a long and complicated 9 months since I arrived in France and was married to my sweet wife, Nathalie.  Setting up a working office, dealing with all of the official governmental requirements of my residency, attending LUCCA, doing business under changed circumstances which was not always conducive for expediency as it was in the States, writing and designing in the face of it all, and the list goes on...

As much as there have been delays, still much has been accomplished.  As most of the readers here are aware there are MAJOR changes ahead for this writer.  Some are near coming to pass; and I will list a few hereafter.

The RJK DVD Collection is nearly set to go after many delays.   The Collector’s Trove (Paul Stormberg/Kevin Maurice) is finalizing the matter and I have recent word from Paul of a final release date in a month to 6 weeks.  There’s some extra content that’s been added by me and that is a solid, surprise bonus.  I am awaiting a mailing of the DVD to me for review and then after that it goes into production and release.  The size, from what I’ve been told, is 6.8 GB constituting 1100 scanned files.  Here’s a few prelim image samples of it:

Three Line Studio (link).  Nathalie and I have been busy creating our new website. Though it is mostly barebones right now, we a have a product forthcoming listed there, which is a book of linked essays regarding Dave Arneson:  “Dave Arneson’s True Genius.”  This is a preliminary shot across the bow for my major forthcoming works, “A New Ethos in Game Design” (due out 2017) and “New Models for RPGs” (due out 2018).

http://www.threelinestudio.com/

The manuscript for Dave Arneson's True Genius is finished (around 20,000 words) and we intend to release thisbefore the end of the year!  VERY EXCITED about this!  TLS is currently in the stage of having a fitting  book cover design created for it. The one on the website is merely a placeholder cover.

Logo Copyright 2016 Three Line Studio

My RPG Works continue with the Italian republication of Bottle City due out by Mondiversi (Amos Pons) at LUCCA 2016; a new D&D module already written (17,200 words) but of which I cannot speak about as yet other than to say that it derives from something I created for GENCON way in the past... And I have been negotiating with my friends at Black Blade Publishing about some related work and this particular module, all of which takes time.  I am full-time in this industry but many who publish and assist have day jobs, so I must understandably wait upon them for final dates and verdicts, etc.

There’s much more ahead so that’s it for now as it’s back to the creative table for me!

*Note that contact information for me can be gained through our website.