RPG Archaeology¶
Private research project dedicated to tracking the historical, mechanical, and technical evolution of the RPG.
The goal is not to build an exhaustive encyclopedia, but rather to dissect ideas, systems, influences, and design decisions in order to understand how the genre evolved from its roots in wargaming to computer RPGs.
The project philosophy is simple:
Do not assume that a mechanic appeared "just because."
Try to understand what problem it solved, where it came from, and what transformations it underwent afterward.
Current Status¶
Research is still in its foundational phase.
For now, the focus is on:
- RPG antecedents in wargames;
- evolution of the Kriegsspiel;
- transition from military wargaming to recreational gaming;
- development of American wargaming communities;
- Braunstein;
- Blackmoor;
- birth of Dungeons & Dragons;
- early problems of spatial representation and cartography.
Documents¶
Influences¶
Foundational Genealogy of the RPG¶
It covers, among other points:
- Hellwig;
- Reisswitz;
- Rigid Kriegsspiel;
- Free Kriegsspiel;
- H. G. Wells and Little Wars;
- arrival and evolution of wargaming in the United States;
- Avalon Hill and the American hobby;
- clubs, fanzines, and communities of the Midwest;
- Braunstein;
- Castle & Crusade Society;
- Blackmoor;
- Chainmail;
- final convergence in Dungeons & Dragons.
Includes a provisional genealogy and a synthesis of the main foundational layers.
Blackmoor — Spatial Archaeology¶
Research centered on Dave Arneson's campaign and, especially, on how space was represented and played in it before the formalization of Dungeons & Dragons.
Main topics:
- origin and evolution of Blackmoor;
- relationship with Braunstein;
- emergent rules and the role of the referee;
- original and subsequent maps;
- David Megarry and the H. W. Dumbo maps;
- grid as metric reference vs. navigation grid;
- diagonal corridors;
- player cartography;
- vertical structure of the dungeon;
- evolution of the map during the campaign;
- possible connections with the spatial problems that later CRPGs would have to resolve.
Archaeological Method¶
Whenever possible, statements are classified according to their nature:
- DOCUMENTED FACT
- CONTEMPORARY SOURCE
- POSTERIOR TESTIMONY
- HISTORICAL RECONSTRUCTION
- OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR
- INFERENCE
A compatible chronology or a similarity between two ideas does not automatically imply a causal relationship.
The project prefers a well-signaled doubt to a beautiful but invented genealogy.
Working Principle¶
Research repeatedly tries to answer three questions:
- What appeared?
- What problem was it trying to solve?
- What influence did it have afterward?
It is especially interesting to study how certain solutions change when passing from one medium to another.
For example:
Wargame
↓
Referee
↓
Tabletop RPG
↓
Rules interpreted by humans
↓
CRPG
↓
The rules must become executable systems
Provisional Timeline¶
Chess / Strategy Games
↓
Kriegsspiel
↓
Free Kriegsspiel
↓
Recreational Wargaming
↓
Braunstein
↓
Blackmoor / Chainmail
↓
Dungeons & Dragons
↓
Tabletop RPG
↓
Computer RPG
↓
Dungeon Crawlers
The genealogy is still open and may change as new sources appear.
Project Notes¶
RPG Archaeology is currently a private experiment within MetalLab.
Documentation is maintained in Markdown and viewed through MkDocs.
The immediate goal is not to publish or build a large database, but rather to create a small, readable, and well-connected corpus.