D&D 5E Greyhawk: Why We Need Mo' Oerth by 2024

[Mort]

See I don't recall this stuff being front and center, my experience with Greyhawk is you had to go out and find this stuff. Now I know, that's the point of D&D, but most other settings make it sound like the cool parts are out there everywhere.

Things like the spaceship or Dungeonland are kind of out of the way. It'd be like trying to say "hey, the Forgotten Realms has a land full of wizards with flying ships! ....though we don't have a sourcebook for it yet. Still working on the Sword Coast! But maybe in 6e!"

Depends on how you want to start:

I had a campaign (a bit ago) start with a recently freed and still confused Iuz in giant form rampaging through the city of Greyhawk as he was making his way away from Castle Greyhawk.

The PCs (1st level) were mostly just trying to save as many people, things (and themselves) as they could. It was a fun introduction to the setting.

 

[James Gasik]

Depends on how you want to start:

I had a campaign (a bit ago) start with a recently freed and still confused Iuz in giant form rampaging through the city of Greyhawk as he was making his way away from Castle Greyhawk.

The PCs (1st level) were mostly just trying to save as many people, things (and themselves) as they could. It was a fun introduction to the setting.

The setting would need more of this at launch. And not make the mistakes of Forgotten Realms, where you only a fraction of the setting!

 

[TwiceBorn2]

WotC just need to make it a competitor to my other favourite setting, Midnight, published for 5E by Edge Studio.

Maybe relaunch Greyhawk as a darker "mature content" line (EDIT: not going to happen, I know)? Give Edge Studio a run for the money, the same way Spelljammer is going to give Starfinder a run for its money. Truth be told, I would be fine with a Greyhawk reboot ditching most of the campaign's gonzo elements, no matter how definitive they might have been.

Would this not qualify as an attention grabbing product cover for younger gamers, especially if you slapped on a "Mature Audiences" sticker like they did on the 3.0 Book of Vile Darkness? "Evil" and controversy sell, as heavy metal bands know all too well. Even Disney is branching out into "adult" territory via Disney+ (however pathetic it may be)... and that's saying something.

EDIT: the title of that old boxed set is even perfect for 2024!

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Would this not qualify as an attention grabbing product cover for younger gamers, especially if you slapped on a "Mature Audiences" sticker like they did on the 3.0 Book of Vile Darkness?

How about .... this?

Everyone would be like, "Wait, since when did they start putting evil Georgia O'Keeffe on the cover of their books?"

 

[Maxperson]

I mean, at this point bring them all back: Greyhawk, Birthright, Council of Dragons, Mystra...

She's come back more times than Tom Brady.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

She's come back more times than Tom Brady.

Don't challenge Brady like that. He'll never leave now!

 

[Vaalingrade]

Again: human supremacist ninja Nazis not enough for you?

More racist and nazis are an anti-selling point for me.

Crashed spaceship in the hills;

So the ship from that one adventure is here. Okay. More. Is the giant gnome robot also here?

Demon posessed king expanding his empire;

I like the vampire king leaving WWI Germany more.

Recently released Demigod, pissed off and expanding his empire/taking his rage out on everybody. So you basically have an incursion of demons, half-demons and other assorted demon offspring pushing toward and conquering everything. And it's not some future possibility like the dreaming dark in Eberron - it's happening right now and it's winning.

See? That's something cool. Go with that instead of 'there's a lot of unexplained stuff and also it was first and that's important somehow'.

As a matter of fact sort of. The rain of colorless fire left the Sea of Dust a desert land where things get weirder and weirder the farther you go in (so those invisible fire spots may well exist). Why would/does anyone go there? It was the homeplace of one of the most advanced/magical people's to have existed the ruins are filled with wonders from the past (and all the dangers thereof). One of my favorites (though I suspect not my players) the Suel Litch - instead of undead, they are spellcasters who have become parasites (kind of like the gould in stargate) and must steal bodies to live, which they eventually break down and must steal another body.

AND THIS!

How in the name of Zeus's butthole not what you lead with?!

An invasion that isn't Worst Monster (zombies) or Boring Monster (Fiends)? This. Talk about this.

Competent and cool magic enemies that aren't just corpses with cool headgear or literally a dragon, which is so much more important than being a nerd with powers is something D&D needs.

If we hear more about this stuff and less about how it's old and traditional and--~snore~--Wha? Huh? Anyway, people will be more interested if the focus was on actual unique setting details instead of how it's in a rivalry with The Other One I Don't Care About.

 

[Vaalingrade]

She's come back more times than Tom Brady.

Wait. Typo. That's the one I want to die forever and thus make their setting 500% better.

I mean the one with goblins with six-shooter magic missile guns and was clearly written piecemeal by a team that may or may not have been actively prevented from communicating with each other.

 

[Mort]

WotC just need to make it a competitor to my other favourite setting, Midnight, published for 5E by Edge Studio.

Maybe relaunch Greyhawk as a darker "mature content" line (EDIT: not going to happen, I know)? Give Edge Studio a run for the money, the same way Spelljammer is going to give Starfinder a run for its money. Truth be told, I would be fine with a Greyhawk reboot ditching most of the campaign's gonzo elements, no matter how definitive they might have been.

View attachment 249826

Would this not qualify as an attention grabbing product cover for younger gamers, especially if you slapped on a "Mature Audiences" sticker like they did on the 3.0 Book of Vile Darkness? "Evil" and controversy sell, as heavy metal bands know all too well. Even Disney is branching out into "adult" territory via Disney+ (however pathetic it may be)... and that's saying something.

EDIT: the title of that old boxed set is even perfect for 2024!

Interesting thoughts. They could certainly focus on just one area/aspect (just like they did with Saltmarsh).

Not sure WoTC would go for the mature content angle - broad nets are what they seem to be casting.

That said, if they do it could be an interesting take and hopefully NOT like the book of vile darkness which, with all of the generated controversy actually landed like a wet noodle. And the content was "mature" in the 14 year old edgelord mature kind of way, not actually adult fun stuff.

 

[James Gasik]

How about .... this?

Everyone would be like, "Wait, since when did they start putting evil Georgia O'Keeffe on the cover of their books?"

I thought you didn't want to talk about WG4?