Hi all, I've been working a lot on my D&D chronology and an historical draft, and I decided it was time to get some feedback on the timeframes. I find that by breaking things down into seasons, months and days as much as possible, the cause-and-effect of events becomes much more clear. Also, it's easier to solve the chicken-and-egg types of conflicting accounts with a detailed timeline. But even though I've used over 400 sources so far (print, anecdote, interview and web), a lot of this is still guesswork. None of this is absolutely set in stone.
If anyone has any feedback, questions or corrections, please feel free to add them. This is the "pre-history of D&D"; I have a lot more detail in my manuscript, about 1,000 recorded events prior to this, and thousands of events thereafter, but I find that the years 1964-1972 go together well when considering the origins of FRPGs before moving on to 1973. Here's what I have so far.
CURRENT VERSION: V1.6, updated 8/10/2012
The Pre-History of Dungeons & Dragons (1964-1972)
The Year 1964* April 18: The Twin Cities wargaming group that will later become known as the Midwest Military Simulation Association (MMSA) is founded.
* April through Summer: The first historical and gaming meetings of the MMSA are held.
* May 1: The General magazine, issue #1, is published by Avalon Hill. Gygax cites this as a major event which encouraged nationwide networking and awareness between American wargamers.
* Summer: Gygax discovers H.G. Wells's Little Wars and Fletcher Pratt's Naval War Game, future influences on his design of the pre-Chainmail miniature rules.
* Fall: The MMSA begins recruiting new members at Minnesota universities during enrollment.
* (Date unknown): The first wargames convention on the east coast is held in Philadelphia.
* (Dates unknown): Inspirational fantasy works published in this year: The Lords of Quarmall, appearing in Fantastic, by Fritz Leiber with Harry Otto Fischer; The Wizard of Venus, by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
The Year 1965* (Estimated): Dave Arneson joins the MMSA.
* (Estimated): Dave Wesely researches the use of teetotums as randomizers for wargame event resolution.
* May: Ace Books releases an unauthorized version of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, beginning the Middle Earth craze in America.
* July: Ace Books releases The Two Towers and The Return of the King.
* (Estimated): Arneson begins publishing a wargaming newsletter.
* (Dates unknown): Inspirational fantasy works published in this year: The Maker of Universes, by Philip Jose Farmer; Stardock, appearing in Fantastic, by Fritz Leiber; Stormbringer, by Michael Moorcock; The Spell of the Seven, anthology collected by L. Sprague de Camp.
The Year 1966* January: The United States Continental Army Command (USCAC) is founded.
* February: By this time and likely earlier, Diplomacy variants set in Middle Earth are being run and discussed.
* April 17: A newspaper article and photographs chronicling the wargames of the Twin City Military Miniatures Group (MMSA predecessor) are published.
* May 1: The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is founded.
* July 2: The article "The Hobbit-Forming World of J.R.R. Tolkien" appears in the Saturday Evening Post, introducing many non-collegiate people in America to Tolkien's works.
* Summer?: Scott Duncan joins the USCAC.
* September: Gygax joins the USCAC.
* September: The idea of the "Tolkien fan cult" is explored in Esquire magazine.
* Fall?: The Eyes of the Overworld, by Jack Vance, is published.
* December 31: By this time, nearly a million Tolkien paperbacks (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) are in print within the United States.
* (Date unknown): The Modern War in Miniature, by Michael Korn, is published. The fundamentals of role-playing are featured in this work.
* (Date unknown): In Wargamer's Newsletter, Leo Cronin becomes the first person in print to suggest that a "mythical war game" could be created based upon The Fellowship of the Ring.
* (Estimated): The growing MMSA splits into historical and wargaming groups. Arneson's wargaming group begins meeting for games in his basement.
* (Dates unknown): Inspirational fantasy works published in this year: The Gates of Creation, by Philip Jose Farmer.
The Year 1967* January: Strategy & Tactics begins publication.
* February: Articles in magazines such as America, Ladies' Home Journal, Life and Seventeen indicate that the "Tolkien fad" has by this time moved beyond college campuses and has entered the mainstream.
* April: By this time, the USCAC has 100 members.
* May 1: The USCAC becomes the International Federation of Wargaming (
IFW).
* Spring 1967: The Vale of Lost Women, appearing in Magazine of Horror, by Robert E. Howard.
* June-December 1967: Nine Princes in Amber, serialization appearing in Kallikanzaros, by Roger Zelazny.
* July: Siege of Bodenburg, Part I by Henry Bodenstedt is published in Strategy & Tactics magazine.
* July 15: A wargaming convention is held in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Siege of Bodenburg is demonstrated.
* August: Siege of Bodenburg, Part II is published.
* August: Gygax hosts the gamer gathering later called "Gen Con Zero" on the front porch of his home.
* September: Siege of Bodenburg, Part III is published.
* September?: Perhaps inspired by Malvern and Gen Con Zero, Gygax begins planning a Lake Geneva wargaming convention for the following summer.
* October: Scott Duncan revives the
IFW.
* November: Siege of Bodenburg, Part IV is published.
* December: Siege of Bodenburg, Part V is published. Late, the battle scenario will be alluded to by Gygax as the history of the Moathouse in Dungeon Module
T1.
* December 20: IFW membership is marked at 26 paying individuals.
* (Dates unknown): Other inspirational fantasy works published in this year: The Jewel in the Skull, a Hawkmoon novel by Michael Moorcock; The Carnelian Cube (originally published in 1948), by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt.
 
The Year 1968* January: Gygax attends the Hobby Industry Association of America (HIAA) trade show in Chicago.
* Early: Len Lakofka becomes involved with the
IFW.
* Early: Dave Wesely begins writing his modern derivative of the Strategos wargame.
* Spring?: Mike Carr designs the Fight in the Skies game; arguably the later inspiration for characters surviving adventures through ongoing play.
* July: IFW membership is marked at 48 individuals.
* August?: Len Lakofka travels from Chicago to Lake Geneva to assist Gygax with Gen Con logistics.
* August 23: Setup for Gen Con I.
* August 24: Gen Con I.
* August 25: Unofficial bonus day for Gen Con I. Gygax plays Siege of Bodenburg with Jerry White. The 40mm Elastolin Hauser figures are used. IFW enrollment swells the ranks with new recruits.
* August 25-26: Following the success of Gen Con I, Gygax considers forming a medieval wargaming interest group within the
IFW.
* Fall: Gygax and Kaye build a sand table in Gygax's basement.
* October: IFW membership is marked at 105 individuals.
* Late Fall: Gygax's group plays extensive miniatures sessions on the sand table. Perren participates and Gygax plays under Perren's rules.
* November: Gygax inquires among Diplomacy players about the existence of a variant based on The Hobbit.
* December?: Gygax meets Rob Kuntz and they begin playing together.
* December: Arneson's gaming group begins developing their ambitious Napoleonic campaign rules.
* December: The Goblin Tower, by L. Sprague de Camp, is published.
* End: Scott Duncan publishes his 1066 medieval rules, which will inform Gygax's own game designs.
* (Dates unknown): Inspirational fantasy works published in this year: A Private Cosmos, by Philip Jose Farmer; Sorcerer's Amulet and The Sword of the Dawn, Hawkmoon novels by Michael Moorcock; The Two Best Thieves in Lankhmar, appearing in Fantastic, by Fritz Leiber; The Swords of Lankhmar, Swords in the Mist and Swords Against Wizardry, also by Fritz Leiber.
The Year 1969* January: The article The Medieval Battle Game by John Dotson appears in Strategy & Tactics #15.
* January: Gygax again attends the Hobby Industry Association of America (HIAA) trade show in Chicago.
* Early: At this time, Gygax is advertising his interest to purchase ancient and medieval miniatures.
* Spring: Dave Arneson's postal Twin Cities Napoleonic Simulation Campaign begins. Prominent players at this time and in the future will include Mike Carr, Gary Gygax, Don Kaye, Rob Kuntz, Dave Megarry and Dave Wesely.
* April: Gygax publishes his ancient miniature rules in
IFW Monthly #4. These rules will later be refined as Classic Warfare, released in 1976.
* April: The novel Kothar, Barbarian Swordsman is published.
* May: Gygax publishes Wargaming in the Hyborian Age (ancient miniature rules part II?) in
IFW Monthly #5.
* May 18: Lakofka begins publishing his Diplomacy newsletter, Liaisons Dangereuses, through the
IFW.
* June and July?: Lakofka helps to organize Gen Con II.
* Summer?: Gygax publishes his article detailing red dragons.
* August: Gygax publishes the ancient miniature rules part III.
* August: At this time,
IFW membership is approximately 250.
* August: The Shadow People, by Margaret St. Clair, is published.
* August 23-24: Gen Con II. Gygax meets Arneson.
* September?: Gygax and Arneson begin collaborating on a set of naval wargaming rules, which will later be published as Don't Give Up the Ship.
* September: Gygax publishes the ancient miniature rules part IV.
* Fall: Arneson joins the
IFW.
* Fall?: Gygax purchases Perren's collection of miniatures.
* September: Gygax helps to create the (short-lived)
IFW Ancients Society.
* October: By this time, Gygax is focusing on miniatures wargames over board wargames.
* October: Gygax publishes his rules on medieval knights. (Research item: Informed by Perren's rules, or no?)
* November: Gygax publishes his article about black dragons.
* Late?: Dave Wesely conducts his first Braunstein experiment, the German Napoleonics session.
* (1969, dates unknown): Other inspirational fantasy works published in this year: The Face in the Frost, by John Bellairs; Giant at World's End, by Lin Carter; The Secret of the Runestaff, a Hawkmoon novel by Michael Moorcock; Kothar of the Magic Sword and Kothar and the Demon Queen, both by Gardner Fox.
 
The Year 1970* Early: The group that will later become the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association (LGTSA) is founded.
* Early?: Wesely conducts the second Braunstein session, with a Latin American scenario.
* Early 1970?: Jeff Perren, inspired by Siege of Bodenburg, begins working on his own medieval miniature rules.
* Early 1970?: Inspired by Perren, Dotson and others' works, Gygax begins writing his own medieval miniatures rules.
* Early 1970?: Gygax asks for a copy of Perren's miniature rules, which Perren provides.
* Early 1970?: Gygax expands on Perren's rules, adding 1 man/1 figure and jousting rules.
* March: Rob Kuntz queries about the potential interest in an
IFW Medieval Society.
* March: The Castle & Crusade Society is formed.
* March 15: Domesday #1 is published.
* March 29: Len Lakofka becomes
IFW president.
* April 1: Domesday #2 is published.
* April 15: Domesday #3 is published.
* Mid-April: Arneson joins the Castle & Crusade Society.
* April: By this time, the Castle & Crusade Society has 9 members.
* Spring?: Gygax publishes his green dragon article.
* Spring?: Gygax finishes his 16-page draft, which he entitles the LGTSA Miniature Rules.
* Spring?: Gygax's group playtests the rules on his sand table.
* May 1: Ill Met in Lankhmar, by Fritz Leiber, is published.
* June: Domesday #4 is published.
* June: Nine Princes in Amber, by Roger Zelazny, is published.
* End of June: The Castle & Crusade Society now has 25 members.
* July 1: Domesday #5 is published, featuring the updated Gygax-Perren LGTSA Medieval Miniature rules (also published elsewhere earlier).
* July: Gygax publishes his article on blue dragons.
* Mid?: Wesely conducts the third Braunstein session.
* August: Gygax publishes the LGTSA rules in Spartan International magazine (see also Domesday #5).
* August: The Castle & Crusade Society runs into some difficulties; Gygax loses his machine access to make Domesday copies.
* August: Domesday #6 is published.
* August 22-23: Gen Con III. Gygax and Lowry meet face-to-face.
* September 1: At this time, the Castle & Crusade society has 40 members.
* September: Domesday #7 is published, featuring an early version of weapons vs. armor rules.
* Fall: WGN-9 begins showing its weekly Creature Features television special, featuring classic horror movies. These movies will directly influence Arneson's creation of Blackmoor.
* Fall?: Gygax publishes his purple worm "dragon" article.
* Fall?: The (New England Wargamer's Association?) (NEWA) showcases the first fantasy miniatures game, Middle Earth.
* Fall, before October?: Wesely conducts the fourth Braunstein scenario, the Banana Republic session.
* October: Wesely leaves for active duty military service. Arneson asks to continue the Braunstein scenarios with his own ideas, and Wesely agrees.
* October and November?: Arneson runs his own Braunstein scenarios with the group, likely including the Brownstone Old West game.
* November: Due to losing his job some weeks prior, Gygax focuses on short-term commercially viable game design.
* November?: Arneson decides on a fantasy Braunstein as the next test, inspired by The Lord of the Rings, Dark Shadows and other sources.
* November?: Domesday #8 is published.
* (Date unknown, year 1970 tentative): Perren becomes a member of the LGTSA.
* (Date unknown): Wargamer's Newsletter announces the availability of 20-sided dice.
* (Dates unknown): Inspirational fantasy works published in this year: Behind the Walls of Terra, by Philip Jose Farmer; The Snow Women, appearing in Fantastic, by Fritz Leiber; Swords and Deviltry and Swords Against Death, two collections by Fritz Leiber; Kothar and the Conjurer's Curse and Kothar and the Wizard Slayer, both by Gardner Fox.
 
The Year 1971<<PLEASE NOTE: Due to conflicting accounts of the origin date for the Blackmoor campaign — including unproven attestations to 1970 — this timeline currently regards the beginning of Blackmoor as being no earlier than April 1971. Refutations of this hypothesis, in the form of primary printed sources, are certainly welcome.>>
* January?: Domesday #9 is published.
* Early?: Don Lowry founds Guidon Games.
* Early?: Don Lowry asks Gygax if he is interested in working for Guidon Games.
* Early?: Gygax accepts the offer and becomes Editor-in-Chief at Guidon Games.
* Early?: Gygax begins refining his miniatures rules for future publication by Guidon Games.
* Early: Gygax announces that he is developing a fantasy wargaming supplement based on the works of Tolkien.
* Early: With Perren's permission, Gygax creates a fantasy supplement for the new miniature rules.
* (Date unknown, also cited 1972, but likely early due to his work on Tractics): Gygax finds a catalog offering numbered platonic solids for sale, which he will later consider using to supply dice for Dungeons & Dragons.
* March: Chainmail, 1st printing is published by Guidon Games.
* March or April: Arneson purchases Chainmail and likely uses it as the foundation for his Blackmoor rules. He is also inspired by the Creature Features shows, Dark Shadows, and Tolkien's works.
* April: Arneson announces that he is going to run a mythic and medieval Braunstein.
* April: A Chainmail advertisement runs in one or more wargaming magazines.
* April?: Mike Carr is brought in to refine and edit the Don't Give Up the Ship naval rules being worked on by Arneson and Gygax.
* April 17: Arneson runs the mythic Braunstein. This is apparently a one-shot scenario, due to his impending graduation; the full Blackmoor campaign will begin in earnest later in the year.
* Spring? (estimated from codes on Chainmail booklet 1st print and Tractics booklet 1st print): Tractics, the first wargame which uses a 20-sided die (or 20 poker chips), is released by Guidon Games.
* Spring?: In support of Tractics, Guidon games begins selling 20-sided dice.
* May?: Due to advertising and word of mouth, Chainmail begins to sell well.
* April-May?: Arneson prepares materials for the Blackmoor scenario. Per Dave Arneson's own account in 2004, he creates the outline of Blackmoor over the weekend, and the first six dungeon levels of Castle Blackmoor and the surrounding lands in a month.
* May 21 (? compare April 17): The date of the first documented Blackmoor campaign game.
* May-June: The first Blackmoor games are played. According to Dave Arneson's own 2004 account, after the month of game design, the rules of Blackmoor evolve over the first several weeks of play. Dave Megarry and Arneson introduce the idea of the dungeon crawl into Blackmoor play. (Note that the Blackmoor chronology is still confused and this is a research item.)
* June 1: Hoping to stir more interest, Gygax becomes "King" of the Castle & Crusade Society.
* June: The Don't Give Up the Ship rules, part I are published; first part of the serialization of naval battle rules created by Arneson and Gygax. This successful collaboration will lead to their communication during design of The Fantasy Game, which would later become Dungeons & Dragons.
* June?: Domesday #10 is published.
* June?: Arneson graduates from college and plans his trip to Sweden.
* July: Arneson returns from Europe. This is likely when he focuses on expanding his mythic Braunstein into a full campaign.
* Summer 1970? 1971?: Gygax works on his shoe repair business in his basement, which moves the sand table to Don Kaye's garage.
* Summer: With Chainmail feedback coming in, Gygax begins to discern the wider potential popularity of fantasy wargaming.
* August: Don't Give Up the Ship, part II is published.
* August 21-22: Gen Con IV.
* September?: Don't Give Up the Ship, part III is published.
* Early November: Domesday #11 is published. Minor additions to Chainmail.
* November: Gygax publishes the Battle of Brown Hills fantasy wargaming scenario.
* November: Arneson begins planning the dungeons of Castle Blackmoor.
* November: The Clocks of Iraz, by L. Sprague de Camp, is published.
* December?: The Blackmoor dungeon campaign begins. The Coot Invasion event is played out as well.
* (Dates unknown): Fantasy published this year: Jack of Shadows, first serialized in F&SF and then as a novel released in the same year, by Roger Zelazny.
The Year 1972* January: Gygax publishes his Chainmail Additions in International Wargamer Vol. 5, No. 1.
* January-February: This is the likeliest timeframe for Arneson's development of "personality" (ability scores), experience and leveling rules in the Blackmoor campaign.
* January-April: As play continues, Arneson refines the six dungeon levels of Castle Blackmoor.
* Early?: Gygax purchases numbered platonic solids from a supply company in California. (Refer also to interview item mentioned in 1971, above.)
* Early: Mike Mornard and Don Kaye play Chainmail. Mike learns of Gygax and will later meet him and enter the Greyhawk campaign.
* March 6: Gygax announces his retirement from wargaming in International Wargamer Supplement 3/6/1972.
* March through June: Rob Kuntz works to revive the Castle & Crusade Society.
* Spring: Without Gygax, Len Lakofka struggles to plan Gen Con V and another gaming convention.
* Late Spring: Arneson provides an update on the Blackmoor campaign in the Blackmoor Gazette.
* June?: Arneson provides his Blackmoor article to Rob Kuntz to help with the struggling Castle & Crusade Society.
* June: Domesday #12 is published.
* June 28: Atari, Inc. is founded by Ted Dabney and Nolan Bushnell.
* June?-July: Events in the Blackmoor campaign cause Arneson to declare a victory for the forces of evil. A new continuation campaign is planned.
* July?: Guidon Games publishes Don't Give Up the Ship! as a single rulebook.
* July: Chainmail is reprinted due to high sales.
* July: Lowry announces his intent to move Guidon Games to Maine.
* July-August?: The Loch Gloomen adventures are played out in the Blackmoor campaign.
* August: The Magnavox Odyssey, the world's first commercial home video game console, is released.
* August: The Guns of Avalon, by Roger Zelazny, is published.
* August 19-20: Gen Con V. This is likely where (building upon impressions from newsletters) Gygax learns from Arneson how much the Blackmoor campaign has expanded upon the Chainmail rules.
* August? (at Gen Con V?): Gygax and/or other LGTSA members invite Arneson and Megarry to come to Lake Geneva to demonstrate their innovative games, Blackmoor and Dungeons of Pasha Cada.
* Late August? (cover date July, delayed): Domesday #13 is published, featuring the first half of Arneson's notes on Blackmoor.
* Summer-Fall?: Inspired by play in Blackmoor (and perhaps by Chainmail and the rules on siege tunnels), Megarry works on his Dungeon! (Dungeons of Pasha Cada) game prototype.
* September 1: Outdoor Survival is published by Avalon Hill. Arneson will use this in Blackmoor, as will Gygax for Greyhawk wilderness adventures.
* September 4: Elric of Melnibone, by Michael Moorcock, is published.
* September?: Domesday #14 is prepared but not released.
* Fall: Greg Svenson becomes the third game referee, using Arneson's notes to run adventures in the Blackmoor campaign.
* October: Gygax's article Fantasy Battles is published in Wargamer's Newsletter #127.
* October: Arneson plans the road trip to demonstrate the Blackmoor game to the Lake Geneva gaming group.
* November: Guidon Games moves to Maine. Gygax does not follow. Gygax, per his interviews and recollections, talks to Don Kaye about potentially starting a game company.
* November: Chainmail is again reprinted by Guidon Games, this time featuring the new Belfast, Maine address.
* November: Arneson and Megarry come to demonstrate their games to the Lake Geneva gaming group at Gygax's house. Pasha Cada and Blackmoor are both played.
* November: The day after Arneson and Megarry depart, Gygax and Kuntz discuss the innovations in both of the games.
* November: Gygax begins corresponding with Arneson on game design.
* November: Gygax requests a copy of Arneson's Blackmoor rules.
* November: Gygax receives the Arneson manuscript. Both he and Rob Kuntz attempt to interpret it, but find it to be a sequence of rulings rather than a cohesive document.
* November: Having read Arneson's rules, Gygax begins writing his own manuscript for a new game, The Fantasy Game.
* November: While working on the manuscript, Gygax also refines the Dungeons of Pasha Cada board.
* Late?: Hunt the Wumpus, perhaps the first computer game to feature cave exploration and monster slaying, is programmed and tested by Gregory Yob.
* Late November: Gygax completes the first 50-page manuscript of The Fantasy Game.
* Late November (contested timeframe with conflicting recollections): Cindy (?) Gygax helps to rename The Fantasy Game as Dungeons & Dragons.
* Late November: Inspired by Blackmoor Castle, Gygax creates a rough castle ruin map and perhaps a partial map for dungeon level 1.
* Late November: Gygax conducts the first playtest with his children Ernie and Elise. They explore the ruins of Castle Greyhawk.
* Late November: After the first playtest, Gygax spends much of the night preparing the first overall conception of the deeper Castle Greyhawk dungeons.
* Late November: The day after the first playtest, Gygax prepares dungeon level 1 for more extensive play.
* Late November: That evening, a second playtest occurs, with Ernie, Elise, Rob Kuntz, Terry Kuntz, and Don Kaye.
* Late November: The same night after the second playtest, Gygax restocks dungeon level 1 with new encounters and creates dungeon level 2.
* Late November (confused accounts): While Don Kaye is working the next day, another session is run for the others (assumed: Ernie, Elise, Terry and Rob). Dungeon level 2 might or might not be explored at this time.
* Late November: That same evening, Kaye comes over after work and another session is played, featuring exploration of dungeon level 2.
* Late November-December: A few days after the dungeon level 2 playtest, Gygax creates dungeon level 3. (At this time, Gary is designing levels to keep ahead of the players, and this phased sequence of level design now helps us to pinpoint other events in the timeframe.)
* Late November? Early December? (conflicting accounts): Gygax photocopies the 50-page manuscript to send out to remote playtesters.
* Late November? Early December?: Gygax sends out approximately 20 copies of the manuscript to fellow gamers for testing and feedback.
* Early December?: Arneson receives his manuscript and disagrees with many of the rules, due a difference in game design philosophies.
* Early? December: Gygax begins receiving positive feedback from the other remote playtesters.
* Early? December: Gygax forms the first rough conception of the City of Greyhawk, building on events which occurred at the beginning of the second playtest.
* Early? December: Gygax creates dungeon level 4.
* Early? December: Gygax creates dungeon level 5.
* December?: Rob Kuntz tells Mike Mornard about the new Greyhawk game.
* December: The Fallible Fiend serialization, by L. Sprague de Camp, begins.
* Mid? December: Several weeks after the second playtest, play continues on a daily and nightly basis.
* Mid? December: Gygax creates dungeon level 6.
* December?: Other players begin designing their own dungeons.
* Mid? December: Kuntz creates the first levels of El Raja Key so that Gygax can play as a player.
* Late? December: Gygax rolls his first character, Yrag the fighting man. He explores El Raja Key.
* December?: The first wilderness adventures around Castle Greyhawk are conducted. (This may date to early 1973.)
* Late December: Gygax creates dungeon level 7.
* Late December into January 1973: Gygax creates dungeon level 8.
* 1972?: The Sleeping Sorceress, by Michael Moorcock, is published.
Comments welcome.
