KirayaTiDrekan
Adventurer
The World of Greyhawk (Folio)
Originally published May, 1980
Version being read and reviewed: The World of Greyhawk by Gary Gygax
This is one of those products that I didn't think we'd ever see in PDF. But, lo and behold, it popped up today, so, here I am, writing this review. This is the first true setting product for D&D, with all prior products up to this point being core rulebooks, supplements, and adventures. It would be followed by Dragonlance in 1984, though that line presented its setting material within the pages of its adventures, at least early on, and then the Forgotten Realms in 1987, which would become D&D's signature setting, for better or worse.
The foreword by Allen Hammack notes that Greyhawk is the primordial D&D setting. Interestingly, he makes no note of Blackmoor, despite that setting possibly pre-dating Greyhawk. Also of note in the foreword is mention of Quag Keep, a novel by Andre Norton that features the Greyhawk setting. That novel also, I believe, introduced the trope of fantasy gamers being drawn into the world of the game, a trope that would be used again several times in novels like The Sleeping Dragon by Joel Rosenberg. I tried to read Quag Keep but it was...well, not good, and I didn't get past the first chapter.
The book goes right into population size rather than having any sort of intro. And that section also manages to make me twitch as it talks about "males fit to bear arms" and "males in prime condition" and "men-at-arms." If you have stuck with me this long, you know gender representation is a big deal for me. I realize this is a product of its time and Mr. Gygax was from a different era but, as noted in previous reviews, he was also aware enough of gender issues to comment about them, somewhat inappropriately, in some books.
The actual text is meant to be read as if it were written by a character in the world but Gygax's writing style and tone still shine through. His style, however, has the flair of a fantasy scholar, even when he's writing something like the DMG. The planetary arrangements as briefly discussed in the note on astrology would end up being taken literally when Spelljammer came along, giving the Greyhawk world a geo-centric solar system.
The present day of the setting is given as 576 CY (Current Year). The timeline would advance a few times as D&D editions rolled out. I believe the last official date for the setting was 591 in 3rd Edition's Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Someone correct me on that if there's a later source that advances the timeline after that.
There is an assumption in the text that the reader will be consulting the included map while reading to provide context for locations and such. Since I'm reading the PDF, this proves a bit difficult. While four distinct human cultures are noted as having settled in the Flanaess (the actual area of the world detailed in the book), very little is mentioned of who these people were except that the Suloise were mainly evil folk.
Greyhawk's history seems similar to Europe's up to the late Middle Ages or so, at least in broad brush strokes. The so-called Great Kingdom is at the center of most of the history, first conquering a large amount of territory and then splintering into various independent nations. The present state of the world is one in which evil is on the upswing, with a corrupt lineage ruling the Great Kingdom. Iuz, who I remember from a large variety of sources, is also at large, ruling a nation. Greyhawk's history seems to be dominated by humans. Demi-humans are noted only in how they react to their human neighbors. The Battle of Emridy Meadows gets specific mention, having previously been noted in T1: The Village of Hommlet.
After a brief section on languages (I rather like the explanation of the Common tongue's origins), we finally get into the gazetteer, with each nation or territory getting a paragraph or two. Each entry notes the nation's ruler (including class and level and the title they are addressed with), capital city, population, the frequency of demi-humans and humanoids, and the nation's primary resources. Each nation's military forces get special attention in the nations' descriptions. Blackmoor is listed as a small "little known territory" the ruler of which is addressed as "His Luminous Preponderancy." I think maybe some of the animosity between Gygax and Arneson that would become infamous in the early 80s is being expressed here. While most entries have some history and notes on military forces, there is little to nothing said about the culture, religious practices, character of the people, or other "fluffy" details. The only two nations have a woman as head of state - the elven land of Celene and the County of Urnst. The City of Greyhawk gets one of the larger entries, though the reader is directed to the upcoming City of Greyhawk product for more details...which didn't hit store shelves until 1989 under the AD&D 2nd Edition banner. Most of the rulers are in the 12-18 level range - something I always wonder about is how hereditary rulers get to be such high levels. They don't adventure, per se, so where are they getting XP from? There are three different nations named Ulek which has always confused the heck out of me. One of the Uleks is mostly human (County), one is mostly elven (Duchy), and one is mostly dwarven (Principality). There are also two nations named Urnst (County and Duchy).
After this, we have a section on geographical features - mountain ranges, forests, swamps, etc. There aren't many surprises here and the information is mostly dry. There are plenty of adventure hooks to be had in most of these descriptions. This section is oddly organized - alphabetical, but with the more minor features organized into sub-headers. Several locales from published adventures are noted in the entries. The Invoked Devastation is mentioned several times throughout the book, this section in particular, but never gives a clear idea of what it was, other than a massively catastrophic event.
A section on honorifics and knighthoods is next, followed by a glossary of runes and glyphs. The book ends with a small set of credits and an advertisement for Gen Con. In the PDF, twenty pages of maps round out the page count. I don't know if these were poster-maps are folio pages or what in the physical product.
The human-centric philosophy espoused in the AD&D rulebooks is on full display in this book as demi-humans are scattered across the Flanaess with only a couple of actual nations. This is in stark contrast to Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms, both of which have several notable nations of elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings (or kender in the case of Dragonlance).
I enjoy reading setting books more than any other type of RPG product. This iteration of Greyhawk was the prototype, so to speak, and is thus, by comparison, a bit bland and lacking in detail. But, it still has some fun adventure hooks here and there.
Next up: Q1: Queen of the Demonweb Pits
Originally published May, 1980
Version being read and reviewed: The World of Greyhawk by Gary Gygax
This is one of those products that I didn't think we'd ever see in PDF. But, lo and behold, it popped up today, so, here I am, writing this review. This is the first true setting product for D&D, with all prior products up to this point being core rulebooks, supplements, and adventures. It would be followed by Dragonlance in 1984, though that line presented its setting material within the pages of its adventures, at least early on, and then the Forgotten Realms in 1987, which would become D&D's signature setting, for better or worse.
The foreword by Allen Hammack notes that Greyhawk is the primordial D&D setting. Interestingly, he makes no note of Blackmoor, despite that setting possibly pre-dating Greyhawk. Also of note in the foreword is mention of Quag Keep, a novel by Andre Norton that features the Greyhawk setting. That novel also, I believe, introduced the trope of fantasy gamers being drawn into the world of the game, a trope that would be used again several times in novels like The Sleeping Dragon by Joel Rosenberg. I tried to read Quag Keep but it was...well, not good, and I didn't get past the first chapter.
The book goes right into population size rather than having any sort of intro. And that section also manages to make me twitch as it talks about "males fit to bear arms" and "males in prime condition" and "men-at-arms." If you have stuck with me this long, you know gender representation is a big deal for me. I realize this is a product of its time and Mr. Gygax was from a different era but, as noted in previous reviews, he was also aware enough of gender issues to comment about them, somewhat inappropriately, in some books.
The actual text is meant to be read as if it were written by a character in the world but Gygax's writing style and tone still shine through. His style, however, has the flair of a fantasy scholar, even when he's writing something like the DMG. The planetary arrangements as briefly discussed in the note on astrology would end up being taken literally when Spelljammer came along, giving the Greyhawk world a geo-centric solar system.
The present day of the setting is given as 576 CY (Current Year). The timeline would advance a few times as D&D editions rolled out. I believe the last official date for the setting was 591 in 3rd Edition's Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Someone correct me on that if there's a later source that advances the timeline after that.
There is an assumption in the text that the reader will be consulting the included map while reading to provide context for locations and such. Since I'm reading the PDF, this proves a bit difficult. While four distinct human cultures are noted as having settled in the Flanaess (the actual area of the world detailed in the book), very little is mentioned of who these people were except that the Suloise were mainly evil folk.
Greyhawk's history seems similar to Europe's up to the late Middle Ages or so, at least in broad brush strokes. The so-called Great Kingdom is at the center of most of the history, first conquering a large amount of territory and then splintering into various independent nations. The present state of the world is one in which evil is on the upswing, with a corrupt lineage ruling the Great Kingdom. Iuz, who I remember from a large variety of sources, is also at large, ruling a nation. Greyhawk's history seems to be dominated by humans. Demi-humans are noted only in how they react to their human neighbors. The Battle of Emridy Meadows gets specific mention, having previously been noted in T1: The Village of Hommlet.
After a brief section on languages (I rather like the explanation of the Common tongue's origins), we finally get into the gazetteer, with each nation or territory getting a paragraph or two. Each entry notes the nation's ruler (including class and level and the title they are addressed with), capital city, population, the frequency of demi-humans and humanoids, and the nation's primary resources. Each nation's military forces get special attention in the nations' descriptions. Blackmoor is listed as a small "little known territory" the ruler of which is addressed as "His Luminous Preponderancy." I think maybe some of the animosity between Gygax and Arneson that would become infamous in the early 80s is being expressed here. While most entries have some history and notes on military forces, there is little to nothing said about the culture, religious practices, character of the people, or other "fluffy" details. The only two nations have a woman as head of state - the elven land of Celene and the County of Urnst. The City of Greyhawk gets one of the larger entries, though the reader is directed to the upcoming City of Greyhawk product for more details...which didn't hit store shelves until 1989 under the AD&D 2nd Edition banner. Most of the rulers are in the 12-18 level range - something I always wonder about is how hereditary rulers get to be such high levels. They don't adventure, per se, so where are they getting XP from? There are three different nations named Ulek which has always confused the heck out of me. One of the Uleks is mostly human (County), one is mostly elven (Duchy), and one is mostly dwarven (Principality). There are also two nations named Urnst (County and Duchy).
After this, we have a section on geographical features - mountain ranges, forests, swamps, etc. There aren't many surprises here and the information is mostly dry. There are plenty of adventure hooks to be had in most of these descriptions. This section is oddly organized - alphabetical, but with the more minor features organized into sub-headers. Several locales from published adventures are noted in the entries. The Invoked Devastation is mentioned several times throughout the book, this section in particular, but never gives a clear idea of what it was, other than a massively catastrophic event.
A section on honorifics and knighthoods is next, followed by a glossary of runes and glyphs. The book ends with a small set of credits and an advertisement for Gen Con. In the PDF, twenty pages of maps round out the page count. I don't know if these were poster-maps are folio pages or what in the physical product.
The human-centric philosophy espoused in the AD&D rulebooks is on full display in this book as demi-humans are scattered across the Flanaess with only a couple of actual nations. This is in stark contrast to Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms, both of which have several notable nations of elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings (or kender in the case of Dragonlance).
I enjoy reading setting books more than any other type of RPG product. This iteration of Greyhawk was the prototype, so to speak, and is thus, by comparison, a bit bland and lacking in detail. But, it still has some fun adventure hooks here and there.
Next up: Q1: Queen of the Demonweb Pits
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