David Wesely
Encyclopedia
David Wesely is a wargamer
, board game
designer, and video game developer. Dave Arneson
credited him with coming up with the idea of the role-playing game
.
Wesely earned a B.S. in physics at Hamline University
in 1967 and an M.S. in high energy physics at the University of Kansas
in 1969. During his college years Wesely was a member of the Midwest Military Simulation Association
, a group of wargamers based in Minneapolis-St Paul.
Wesely thus contributed to the development of RPGs
by introducing: (1) a one-to-one identification of player and character
, and (2) open-ended rules allowing the players to perform any action, with the result of the action determined by the referee.
Wesely's Braunstein drew inspiration from Diplomacy
, a game requiring players to negotiate in between turns. The idea of a referee was derived from "Strategos: The American Game of War" (1880) by Charles Totten
. Wesely also read and cited as influential "Conflict and Defense: A General Theory" (1962) by Kenneth E. Boulding
and "The Compleat Strategyst" (1954) by J.D. Williams.
Wesely subsequently invented a new role playing scenario in which players attempt to stage or avert a coup in a small Latin American republic. Dave Arneson
, another member of the MMSA, took over as referee for this scenario, which was also known as a 'Braunstein'. In 1971 Arneson developed a Braunstein set in a fantasy world called Blackmoor
, a precursor of Dungeons & Dragons
.
in 1968. He served on active duty in the Army from 1970 to 1973 and again in 1976-1977. He continued to serve in the reserves until 1990, rising to the rank of major.
TSR, Inc.
published Valley Forge, a set of miniature wargaming rules by Wesely, in 1976. Wesely's board game Source of the Nile (1977,1979) was published by Discovery Games and later by Avalon Hill
.
In the early 1980s Wesely worked as a software developer for Coleco
, porting the arcade game
s Zaxxon
and Spy Hunter
to the ColecoVision
home console.
Wesely has been a regular at Gen Con
and Origins
since 1995, speaking at seminars.
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
, board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
designer, and video game developer. Dave Arneson
Dave Arneson
David Lance "Dave" Arneson was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published role-playing game , Dungeons & Dragons, with Gary Gygax, in the early 1970s...
credited him with coming up with the idea of the role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
.
Wesely earned a B.S. in physics at Hamline University
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
in 1967 and an M.S. in high energy physics at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in 1969. During his college years Wesely was a member of the Midwest Military Simulation Association
Midwest Military Simulation Association
The Midwest Military Simulation Association was a group of wargamers and military figurine collectors active during the late 1960s and 1970s when wargaming was in its heyday and role-playing games were first developed. The group lived in the Minneapolis-St Paul area...
, a group of wargamers based in Minneapolis-St Paul.
The Braunstein Game
In 1967 Wesely served as referee for a Napoleonic wargame set in the fictional German town of Braunstein. As usual, two players acted as commanders of the opposing armies, but because he was interested in multi-player games, Wesely assigned additional, non-military roles. For example, he had players acting as town mayor, banker, and university chancellor. When two players challenged each other to a duel, Wesely found it necessary to improvise rules for the encounter on the spot. Though Wesely thought the results were chaotic and the experiment a failure, the other players enjoyed the role playing aspect and asked him to run another game.Wesely thus contributed to the development of RPGs
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
by introducing: (1) a one-to-one identification of player and character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
, and (2) open-ended rules allowing the players to perform any action, with the result of the action determined by the referee.
Wesely's Braunstein drew inspiration from Diplomacy
Diplomacy (game)
Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released commercially in 1959. Its main distinctions from most board wargames are its negotiation phases and the absence of dice or other game elements that produce random effects...
, a game requiring players to negotiate in between turns. The idea of a referee was derived from "Strategos: The American Game of War" (1880) by Charles Totten
C. A. L. Totten
Charles Adelle Lewis Totten was an American military officer, a professor of military tactics, a prolific writer, and an influential early advocate of British Israelism....
. Wesely also read and cited as influential "Conflict and Defense: A General Theory" (1962) by Kenneth E. Boulding
Kenneth E. Boulding
Kenneth Ewart Boulding was an economist, educator, peace activist, poet, religious mystic, devoted Quaker, systems scientist, and interdisciplinary philosopher. He was cofounder of General Systems Theory and founder of numerous ongoing intellectual projects in economics and social science. He was...
and "The Compleat Strategyst" (1954) by J.D. Williams.
Wesely subsequently invented a new role playing scenario in which players attempt to stage or avert a coup in a small Latin American republic. Dave Arneson
Dave Arneson
David Lance "Dave" Arneson was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published role-playing game , Dungeons & Dragons, with Gary Gygax, in the early 1970s...
, another member of the MMSA, took over as referee for this scenario, which was also known as a 'Braunstein'. In 1971 Arneson developed a Braunstein set in a fantasy world called Blackmoor
Blackmoor
Blackmoor is a fantasy role-playing game campaign setting generally associated with the game Dungeons & Dragons. It originally evolved in the early 1970s as the personal setting of Dave Arneson, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, first as a setting for Arneson's miniature wargames, then as an...
, a precursor of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
.
After college
Wesely joined the US Army ReservesUnited States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
in 1968. He served on active duty in the Army from 1970 to 1973 and again in 1976-1977. He continued to serve in the reserves until 1990, rising to the rank of major.
TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
published Valley Forge, a set of miniature wargaming rules by Wesely, in 1976. Wesely's board game Source of the Nile (1977,1979) was published by Discovery Games and later by Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
.
In the early 1980s Wesely worked as a software developer for Coleco
Coleco
Coleco is an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as "Connecticut Leather Company". It became a highly successful toy company in the 1980s, known for its mass-produced version of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and its video game consoles, the Coleco Telstar and...
, porting the arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
s Zaxxon
Zaxxon
Zaxxon is a 1982 arcade game developed and released by Sega. Some sources claim that Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki also worked on the development of Zaxxon...
and Spy Hunter
Spy Hunter
Spy Hunter is a 1983 arcade game developed and released by Bally Midway. It has also been ported to various home computers and video game systems....
to the ColecoVision
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
home console.
Wesely has been a regular at Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
and Origins
Origins International Game Expo
Origins Game Fair is one of North America's most prominent annual gaming conventions, second in size only to Gen Con. Origins takes place each year in Columbus, Ohio at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, in late June or early July....
since 1995, speaking at seminars.
Miniatures rules
- Strategos N (self-published 1967, 1970)
- Bombers and Battleships (self-published, 1969)
- Valley Forge (TSR, Inc.TSR, Inc.Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
, 1976) - Valley Forge II (self-published, 1976)
Board games
- Source of the Nile (Discovery Games, 1978,Special Limited Commemorative Edition 2003. Avalon HillAvalon HillAvalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
, 1980)
Video games
- RAF:The Battle of Britain (Discovery Games, 1980)
- Winged Samurai (Discovery Games, 1980)
- MiGs and Messershcmitts (Discovery Games, 1980)
- Jagdstaffel (Discovery Games, 1980)
- Computer Acquire (Avalon Hill, 1979)
- ZaxxonZaxxonZaxxon is a 1982 arcade game developed and released by Sega. Some sources claim that Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki also worked on the development of Zaxxon...
(ColecoColecoColeco is an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as "Connecticut Leather Company". It became a highly successful toy company in the 1980s, known for its mass-produced version of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and its video game consoles, the Coleco Telstar and...
, 1982), - Spy HunterSpy HunterSpy Hunter is a 1983 arcade game developed and released by Bally Midway. It has also been ported to various home computers and video game systems....
(Coleco, 1983), - Chennault's Flying Tigers (Discovery Games, 1983)
- SubRocSubroc-3DSubRoc-3D is an arcade game released in 1982 by Sega, and the first such game to provide a three-dimensional image to the player, using a display that delivers individual images to each eye...
(Coleco, 1984)