D&D General Greyhawk setting material

[Parmandur]

It is pretty interesting to think what a true Greyhawk setting book would look like in 5e... Mike Mearls has pretty much said aloud that he would make the book as sandbox-y as possible (he spoke on it extensively as a guest on Dragon Talk). That discussion IMO pretty much makes any chance of a big "Greyhawk Reset" for 5e pretty much off the table.

At the same time, based on what was released in Ghosts of Saltmarsh, the team is willing to make some tweaks to the setting to allow for the new 5e paradigm. Tieflings are now canon to that setting (and I'm using "canon" loosely, I know there's really no such thing for D&D). They even made art for a tiefling NPC from Iuz's Empire, though still stated that people are fearful and horrified of them. The book even mentions Dragonborn, though not as being present in Greyhawk but instead being something that people would react to with "fear and revulsion."

The setting itself also isn't as "out of the box" as Dark Sun or Eberron and isn't going to provide a bunch of new classes and rules. I don't even know if I know a single race/subrace unique to Greyhawk (please correct me if there is one).

I imagine a new setting book would actually be 25% new adventure, 25% tools on making adventures in Greyhawk, 10% new rules for players (mostly stuff like backgrounds), and 40% lore on the various locations/culture. But that's just my thoughts.

Actually, Mearls Dragon Talk interview makes me think that a reset back to the boxed set is more likely, since that is what he discussed with Tito. That, and coyly saying that he had ideas to discuss with Luke Gygax about potential products, which makes a return to a Gygaxian vision much more likely, as seen in Saltmarsh.

As to what a product would contain, looking to the current examples of 5E setting books will help (full analysis pending the release of Eberron): some player options (probably not many, but Ravnica had only a few), a lot of DM prep material focused around the genre tropes for that setting (in this case, Greyhawk is called out as Sword & Sorcery in the DMG, so Sword & Sorcery prep material would be expected) and....Monsters. Tons of Monsters. Anything from Monstrous Compendium 5 in 2E, or the 1E MM, MM2 or FF that haven't been published already and maybe a few reprints as neccesary.

However, if they really want to loop in the GH fans, game an included Adventure module, as they did with Ravnica and Eberron. Get Luke & Ernie Gygax involved, make it a or reals, honest to Pete Castle Greyhawk. Draw the Megadungeon out a bunch, and provide tools for Megadungeon extension and play. Make Castle Greyhawk an AL season for Meta-Megadngeon shennanigans.

Mic drop

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Actually, Mearls Dragon Talk interview makes me think that a reset back to the boxed set is more likely, since that is what he discussed with Tito. That, and coyly saying that he had ideas to discuss with Luke Gygax about potential products, which makes a return to a Gygaxian vision much more likely, as seen in Saltmarsh.

As to what a product would contain, looking to the current examples of 5E setting books will help (full analysis pending the release of Eberron): some player options (probably not many, but Ravnica had only a few), a lot of DM prep material focused around the genre tropes for that setting (in this case, Greyhawk is called out as Sword & Sorcery in the DMG, so Sword & Sorcery prep material would be expected) and....Monsters. Tons of Monsters. Anything from Monstrous Compendium 5 in 2E, or the 1E MM, MM2 or FF that haven't been published already and maybe a few reprints as neccesary.

However, if they really want to loop in the GH fans, game an included Adventure module, as they did with Ravnica and Eberron. Get Luke & Ernie Gygax involved, make it a or reals, honest to Pete Castle Greyhawk. Draw the Megadungeon out a bunch, and provide tools for Megadungeon extension and play. Make Castle Greyhawk an AL season for Meta-Megadngeon shennanigans.

Mic drop

Yeah I think this is probably what they'll do, if they do it. Which I'm starting to think is actually pretty likely, as a setting book seems like a pretty easy way for Wizard's to release a big book that automatically gets some interest. Might even be as early as fall 2020.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah I think this is probably what they'll do, if they do it. Which I'm starting to think is actually pretty likely, as a setting book seems like a pretty easy way for Wizard's to release a big book that automatically gets some interest. Might even be as early as fall 2020.

I think such a product isultimately likely, but I wouldn't bet on it that soon: Dark Sun and Planescape will come first, probably Dragonlance, and possibly Spelljammer.

I predict a 2024 Greyhawk anniversary release.

But, I think Ghosts of Saltmarsh might be something that we see repeated: D series, A Series, N1 probably (the single best selling older edition product on the DMsGuild, randomly, and just around the corner from Saltmarsh), and those sorts of things set in new Greyhawk sandboxes here and there.

 

[Azzy]

I would really like to take a different art direction—make armor, weapons, clothing, and such more grounded in historical examples and quasi-realistic. More of a way to sell the setting and its grittier sword and sorcery vibe as different from the FR and other settings. I'm not saying super-realistic, or what not, just enough that it's distinct and flavorful.

 

[Parmandur]

I would really like to take a different art direction—make armor, weapons, clothing, and such more grounded in historical examples and quasi-realistic. More of a way to sell the setting and its grittier sword and sorcery vibe as different from the FR and other settings. I'm not saying super-realistic, or what not, just enough that it's distinct and flavorful.

I'm pretty sure that Greyhawk is all about buckles and pouches all over the place.

 

[Azzy]

I'm pretty sure that Greyhawk is all about buckles and pouches all over the place.

Damned you, 3e dungeonpunk!

 

[Parmandur]

Damned you, 3e dungeonpunk!

Yeah, it made sense at the time, kind of like leisure suits, I guess?

 

[MockingBird]

I would really like to take a different art direction—make armor, weapons, clothing, and such more grounded in historical examples and quasi-realistic. More of a way to sell the setting and its grittier sword and sorcery vibe as different from the FR and other settings. I'm not saying super-realistic, or what not, just enough that it's distinct and flavorful.

My version of FR has a more grounded feel or at least I try to paint it that way.

My upcoming Greyhawk campaign will definitely be a lot more grounded in reality, or as much as I can make fantasy realistic.

 

[Hussar]

I would really like to take a different art direction—make armor, weapons, clothing, and such more grounded in historical examples and quasi-realistic. More of a way to sell the setting and its grittier sword and sorcery vibe as different from the FR and other settings. I'm not saying super-realistic, or what not, just enough that it's distinct and flavorful.

I get what you're saying, but, then again, if we're talking about original Greyhawk, well, one of the primary artists was Erol Otis, and he wasn't shy about "fantasy" art.

To me, Greyhawk is far more "Weird Tales" than "realistic fantasy". Look at the Drow art for GH. All spikes an buckles, even back in the 80's. And, so many of the stories to come out of Gygax' home game had so many weird elements - traveling to Barroom, trapping characters on space ships, actual space ships landing, dimensional hopping, time travel.

For modern inspirations for Greyhawk, honestly, I'd look more at the New Weird movements out there. Podcasts like Drabblecast and online story sources like Swords and Sorcery Magazine . Weird tales and things like that. A lot less of the "faux medieval" stuff and a lot more of the "WHADAHELLIZZAT?" sort of stories.

 

[Parmandur]

I get what you're saying, but, then again, if we're talking about original Greyhawk, well, one of the primary artists was Erol Otis, and he wasn't shy about "fantasy" art.

To me, Greyhawk is far more "Weird Tales" than "realistic fantasy". Look at the Drow art for GH. All spikes an buckles, even back in the 80's. And, so many of the stories to come out of Gygax' home game had so many weird elements - traveling to Barroom, trapping characters on space ships, actual space ships landing, dimensional hopping, time travel.

For modern inspirations for Greyhawk, honestly, I'd look more at the New Weird movements out there. Podcasts like Drabblecast and online story sources like Swords and Sorcery Magazine . Weird tales and things like that. A lot less of the "faux medieval" stuff and a lot more of the "WHADAHELLIZZAT?" sort of stories.

Why not both? The faux-Medieval stuff makes the weird that much weirder when it goes down.