Greyhawk information?!

[Shaele]

I'm looking at running a group through the new Return to Temple of Elemental Evil module, but I'm having difficulty finding any information on Greyhawk.

I find it a little frustrating that it's supposed to be the core setting, but there's little in the way of support information (wrt religions, geography, languages, culture).

How is the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer? I've never seen a copy (my store doesn't stock it) - is it worth ordering?

Thanks

 

[hong]

The LGG is essentially the equivalent of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. It's pricey, but if you intend to run a long-term campaign in GH, it's probably worth it. Also, note that since GH is the default setting for D&D, all the material in the various class splatbooks pertains to it as well.

 

[Zenon]

Also, some web sites:

http://www.greyhawk-codex.com/

http://www.canonfire.com/html/index.php

There's a ton of on-line info. Greyhawk isn't as well detailed as FR, so you'll still have detail work to do.

Other info:

ESD's

http://store.wizards.com/productlist.asp?BrandID=58&CategoryID=153

They don't have 3E stat's but some are good for reference.

Hope this helps!

 

[corndog]

I find it a little frustrating that it's supposed to be the core setting, but there's little in the way of support information (wrt religions, geography, languages, culture).

I'm not sure why I even bother anymore...

The LGG is HUGE in the way of support for Greyhawk as the core setting.

There is also the smaller D&D gazetteer, the Living Greyhawk Journal section of Dragon (not to mention the LGJ back issues you can get via the RPGA website.), the Return to the temple of Elemental Evil mega adventure, prestige classes and whatnot in the builderbooks that is SPECIFICALLY tied to Greyhawk, Living Greyhawk Triad websites (which you can find by visiting the Living Greyhawk official website: http://www.wizards.com/greyhawk ).

Then we have the fan sites, mailing lists, discussion forums, etc etc etc

Can't find Greyhawk info? Keep looking, it's just you.

 

[corndog]

Oh, I almost forgot, rumor has it that the LGG may be going out of print soon, so if you're going to get it, do it now, or risk high prices on EBay later.

 

[Sinjin the Rogue]

Greyhawk Boxed Set

You might see if you can find the original Greyhawk boxed set on e-bay. While some of the info may be outdated since the Greyhawk wars, there are some great descriptions of all of the deities of the flaness, geography, weather patterns, seasons and months of the year, resources etc.

And, if you can get a copy of the Greyhawk adventures hardback book, that might help as well.

I am currently running the Temple of Elemental Evil for my campaign, and I will say that having been a 1st edition player and DM many years ago, the added background knowledge I possess has certainly been helpful.

 

[Shaele]

Thanks for the help!

Hong, Sinjin, Zenon - thanks for the great pointers. There isn't a lot of material where I live, so I was really hoping for some enlightened opinions on where to start.

--corndog--
I'm not sure why I even bother anymore...

The LGG is HUGE in the way of support for Greyhawk as the core setting.
------

Corndog? Umm, thanks, I guess... I've perused the website, but a lot of the material seems bent towards _living_ greyhawk (you know, officially adjudicated competition etc). I'm just interested in running a small campaign, and providing my players with some background material on the world. They're new to the game, and I want to give them something well organized and coherent.

--corndog--
There is also the smaller D&D gazetteer, the Living Greyhawk Journal section of Dragon (not to mention the LGJ back issues you can get via the RPGA website.), the Return to the temple of Elemental Evil mega adventure, prestige classes and whatnot in the builderbooks that is SPECIFICALLY tied to Greyhawk,
------
Well, since my local store doesn't stock many books or supplements, I'm limited to what I can find online or order. Ordering _anything_ is expensive for me, since I live in Canada and most retailers only stock the core books (I typically pay ~$30 for a back issue of Dragon, for example). As wonderful as it sounds, I can't afford to order stacks of back issues from the RPGA in hopes that it might be useful.

While the core books have lots of *rules* specific information, I'm specifically interested in the campaign setting (not just prestige classes and spell supplements). Before I ordered the Greyhawk book (for probably $75 by the time I include shipping), I wanted to determine if it was the *right* book.

Yes - of course I know there's messageboards, websites etc etc. I was hoping to hear that there were some published materials that could help, and save me many hours of piecing together bits from various web sites, forums etc.

--corndog--
Can't find Greyhawk info? Keep looking, it's just you.
----
Gee, thanks for the helping of attitude. Are you always this bitter?!?

 

[Erik Mona]

>>>
I've perused the website, but a lot of the material seems bent towards _living_ greyhawk (you know, officially adjudicated competition etc).
>>>

This type of information takes up about two pages, total, of the LGG. I think you might enjoy the book, as it gives you exactly the type of information you're looking for.

Thanks,

Erik Mona
Co-Author, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer

 

[corndog]

Re: Thanks for the help!

I've perused the website, but a lot of the material seems bent towards _living_ greyhawk (you know, officially adjudicated competition etc). I'm just interested in running a small campaign, and providing my players with some background material on the world.

The LGG has 2 pages devoted to RPGA play. Out of 200. The rest is pure campaign information. I don't play LG in tournaments, in fact I'm not even an RPGA member, just a long time GH fan.

While the core books have lots of *rules* specific information, I'm specifically interested in the campaign setting (not just prestige classes and spell supplements). Before I ordered the Greyhawk book (for probably $75 by the time I include shipping), I wanted to determine if it was the *right* book.

That's understandable, but if you read into the material for those prestige classes, they do give little tid bits here and there (what I used to call crunchy gh bits, until the crunchy bits term came to mean something else).

Gee, thanks for the helping of attitude. Are you always this bitter?!?

Ufortunately, in threads like these, yeah. Having been an online greyhawk fan for years and a regular here for about a year, I see the same cries of 'there is no greyhawk material anymore!' over and over and over and over and over and over and over....

It's nothing personal. The idea that there is no place to find GH material is just not true. Hearing the myth being presented again and again is just something I always make a point to rebuke.

 

[Shaele]

--Erik--
This type of information takes up about two pages, total, of the LGG. I think you might enjoy the book, as it gives you exactly the type of information you're looking for
------
Thank you very much - that's _exactly_ what I was hoping to hear. I'll make a point of ordering it right away.

--corndog--
The LGG has 2 pages devoted to RPGA play. Out of 200. The rest is pure campaign information. I don't play LG in tournaments, in fact I'm not even an RPGA member, just a long time GH fan.
------
Again, just what I needed to know. I don't have access to the book, and don't know anyone who's seen it, so I needed advice. It sounds perfect.

--corndog--
That's understandable, but if you read into the material for those prestige classes, they do give little tid bits here and there
------
These tidbits aren't much of a basis for a campaign ("Ok, I know there's a deity called Olidamarra from this prestige class, but what's he all about?")

--corndog--
It's nothing personal. The idea that there is no place to find GH material is just not true. Hearing the myth being presented again and again is just something I always make a point to rebuke.
------
For those of us without easy and immediate access to the material you mention, it _is_ difficult to find. Yes, there's a website. I read for about 20 minutes, and realized that I'd have to seriously filter out the "Living Greyhawk" specific material. For someone like me, who lives without access to a Wizards store (for example), these materials are very, very difficult to find. Most have to be special-ordered, for about twice the cost that you'd normally pay.

The "lack of Greyhawk materials" isn't a myth, it's the reality of the way WOTC has marketed their products. Like it or not (and I judge *not* based on your tone), the Realms has a much greater base of published works.

-> FR Campaign Handbook
-> Lord of Darkness
-> Monsters of Faerun
-> Magic of Faerun

Greyhawk may be the default setting, but it doesn't have much in the way of official, published material. Look on the Wizards website (which I did btw before posting here), and found a few older, pre-3E Greyhawk books... and the Living Greyhawk campaign world. Not exactly well represented.

I mean no disrespect to those that have worked on this setting, but it's pretty obvious that WOTC caters to the Realms - probably because it's where they've made the most money. That's another discussion though.