What Is/Was Your Favorite Gazetteer?

[Scribble]

I didn't have them all, but I went with the Elves being my favorite over the ones I do have... I tend to look at it more often then the others...

I love the series overall. I still use them as the basis for a lot of my campaign ideas. Shadowelves were pretty neat too.

 

[Alan Shutko]

Glantri was my first RPG possession ever. I was playing in a a 1e game, my folks picked me up Glantri for Christmas. I was completely absorbed, eventually buying as much D&D stuff as possible while I was playing nothing but AD&D. The presentation of Glantri as a travelogue, with in-character descriptions, hooked me. In retrospect, I see it was one of the best. Some other GAZ seem dry or uninteresting, but I could fit lifetimes in Glantri. Now that I have an RCD&D game going, I have to find a way to get there....

 

[MarauderX]

I had them all. Minrothad Guilds has all you need for any setting with great, 'realistic' detail.

 

[Treebore]

Glantri, especially the boxed set, but Karameikos is a very, very close second. I liked all of them, though. With my least favorite being the Orcs of Thar.

 

[crash_beedo]

Glantri for me.

I may pull out the Grand Duchy every time we do a Classic game (and am using it now with the game I run for my son and his friends), but Glantri is a Gaz I'll turn to for inspiration for just about any system or campaign. Haha, it was the Harry Potterverse 15 years ahead of JK Rowling!

 

[CleverNickName]

It seems that Glantri is the clear favorite, with Karameikos coming in second. Which might explain why these books are about $60 apiece on eBay.

But no love for Rockhome? Come on, now. I thought it was at least as good as Alfheim...

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Oh my gosh, I am having a hard time picking THE favorite.

I voted Karameikos, but here is my order of favoritism . . .

1st Grand Duchy of Karameikos
2nd Glantri
3rd Dawn of the Emperors
4th Northern Reaches
5th Ylaruam
6th Alfheim
7th Shadow Elves
8th Rockhome
9th Ethengar
10th Minrothad
11th Darokin
12th Thar
13th Five Shires
14th Atruaghin Clans
15th Ierendi

Honorable boxed set mentions:
* I would rate the Champions of Mystara boxed set (w/ the missing 16th GAZ on Sind!) just above Ethengar.
* I would rate the Savage Coast expansion above Northern Reaches.
* I would rate the Hollow World campaign box expansion Ylaruam.

 

[CleverNickName]

* I would rate the Champions of Mystara boxed set (w/ the missing 16th GAZ on Sind!) just above Ethengar.

I didn't know they did a 16th one...and on the Sind, no less! I can't wait to check out. Thanks for the tip.

Now if only they had gotten around to making one for the Sea of Dread and the Thanegoith Archipellago...my favorite corner of The Known World.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I didn't know they did a 16th one...and on the Sind, no less! I can't wait to check out.

Bruce Heard wanted to do a Gazetteer-like book for places like Wendar, Heldann, and Sind. There is a long story behind it but I'll short cut it by saying that when the D&D line was cancelled in favor of migrating Mystara over to AD&D 2e there was a final RC-line product in production on the Princess Arc (Champions of Mystara box set).

In CoM were going to be one book on creating skyships and a second book consolidating the Princess Arc articles from Dragon. So TSR's RC-people, knowing RC-D&D was headed for the dustbin and guessing that the AD&D people taking over Mystara would never develop the world outside the Known World region for years, if ever, decided to include a third book having nothing to do with skyships or the Princess Arc that included Gazetteer-like info on the Great Waste and Serpent Peninsula regions of the world . . . Sind receiving the bulk of coverage. Also covered in the third book, albeit very lightly, were Yavdlom, Ulimwigu, and Graakhalia. Quite a few fans call the third CoM book, The Explorer's Manual, the hidden or missing 16th GAZ.

In case you never knew, the Hollow World line received three Gazetteers of its own. Not given the GAZ tag, HWR1, HWR2, and HWR3 were Gazetteers in all but tag. The production style is identical to the GAZ line. . . Hex map poster, DM section Player's section, etc. The Hollow World line revists historical nations from the Outer World past. HWR1 is on Azca, HWR2 is on Nithia, HWR3 is on the Milenian Empire. FWIW, the third part of the HWA line of adventures has info on the people and cultures of ancient Sind.

 

[Transcendental Dream]

Hands down, the Atruaghin Clans.