From Newsgroup: rec.games.frp.dnd

lkh pointed this out on a different channel, but April 17 is the
anniversary of the start of the first fantasy campaign:

rCyThere will be a medieval rCLBraunsteinrCY April 17, 1971 at the home of David Arneson from 1300 hrs to 2400 hrs with refreshments being
available on the usual basisrCa. It will feature mythical creatures and a Poker game under the TrollrCOs bridge between sunup and sundownrCO
rCoPeterson, Jon, rCLPlaying at the WorldrCY

of course how much of that already was similar to Dungeons and Dragons
as it was established later might be up for debate. The game was
advertised as a Braunstein, which was a format that Dave Wesely came up
with in which players took over roles in a town and tried to further
their own agendas (as a prelude to a larger battle, but that one seems
to have fallen to the wayside in the end)
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