D&D (2024) WotC Invites You To Explore the World of Greyhawk

This week a new D&D Dungeon Master's Guide preview video was released. This one features the sample setting chapter in the book, which showcases the World of Greyhawk.

One of the earliest campaign settings, and created by D&D co-founder Gary Gygax, Greyhawk dates back to the early 1970s in Gygax's home games, receiving a short official setting book in 1980. Gyeyhawk was selected as the example setting because it is able to hit all the key notes of D&D while being concise and short. The setting has been largely absent from D&D--aside from a few shorter adventures--since 2008. Some key points from the video--

• Greyhawk deliberately leaves a lot for the DM to fill in, with a 30-page chapter.
• Greyhawk created many of the tropes of D&D, and feels very 'straight down the fairway' D&D.
• This is the world where many iconic D&D magic items, NPCs, etc. came from--Mordenkainen, Bigby, Tasha, Otiluke and so on.
• The DMG starts with the City of Greyhawk and its surroundings in some detail, and gets more vague as you get farther away.
• The city is an example of a 'campaign hub'.
• The sample adventures in Chapter 4 of the DMG are set there or nearby.
• The map is an updated version, mainly faithful to the original with some tweaks.
• The map has some added locations key to D&D's history--such as White Plume Mountain, the Tomb of Horrors, Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, Ghost Tower of Inverness.
• There's a map of the city, descriptions of places characters might visit--magic item shop, library, 3 taverns, temples, etc.
• The setting takes 'a few liberties while remaining faithful to the spirit of the setting'--it has been contemporized to make it resonate in all D&D campaigns with a balance of NPCs who showcase the diversity of D&D worlds.
• The backgrounds in the Player's Handbook map to locations in the city.
• Most areas in the setting have a name and brief description.
• They focus on three 'iconic' D&D/Greyhawk conflicts such as the Elemental Evil, a classic faceless adversary; Iuz the evil cambion demigod; and dragons.
• There's a list of gods, rulers, and 'big bads'.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Ged, in the Earthsea books, is unfamiliar with some parts of the world, but not others. What is dramatic is not generally his discovery of the world - it's the relationships he needs to establish or to re-assess.

Discovery of how the world works - in this case the rules of magic - is central to a Wizard of Earthsea.

Conan is often - not always - familiar with the places he is in. Little of the drama in Conan comes from discovering the world, as opposed to discovering people, enemies etc.

Conan is pretty ignorant about his world - but he doesn’t really care. He makes a virtue of ignorance. People who know things are usually villainous in Howard’s works.

But people, enemies, monsters, the foxes in my garden, the gangs of Croydon, the laws of Physics are all part of the world, and I will happily admit I know very little about them.

 

[pemerton]

Discovery of how the world works - in this case the rules of magic - is central to a Wizard of Earthsea.

I would have said it's primarily about self-discovery.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I would have said it's primarily about self-discovery.

In Earthsea, the two are the same - that's the discovery.

But there is also lower level discovery of the world. Ged is from a remote island, the culture of the cosmopolitan wizard school is alien to him. He has to learn it's mores, and who to trust, in order to get by there.

The Lord of the Rings features a lot of discovery of the world. It is called out that Sam has never been more than 20 miles from his home, and it's also called out how much they have changed when they return. None of the Hobbits* suspected Tom Bombadil lived on the boarders of their land, and even after they met him, they still have no idea what he is (nor does Elrond, as it turns out later).

*apart from Farmer Maggot.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

@Snarf Zagyg @RedSquirrel

Well, now we know why no one will read the DMG this time around.

BECAUSE ANYONE WHO DOES WILL HAVE THE NAMELESS ONES APPELLATION FOREVER TATOOED ON THEIR EYEBALLS, LEADING TO A SLOW AND GRUESOME DEATH!

 

[Parmandur]

Well, now we know why no one will read the DMG this time around.

BECAUSE ANYONE WHO DOES WILL HAVE THE NAMELESS ONES APPELLATION FOREVER TATOOED ON THEIR EYEBALLS, LEADING TO A SLOW AND GRUESOME DEATH!

I love that his worshippers are "Nihilistic cultists". He is on the list, but he isn't going to fit into a "Cleric, choose your Domain" box.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I love that his worshippers are "Nihilistic cultists". He is on the list, but he isn't going to fit into a "Cleric, choose your Domain" box.

Honestly, I don't think that clerics of the Nameless one should get spells. Which means that there shouldn't be clerics. There is no ability for the Nameless One to provide or grant them in his eternal slumber, that can only be disturbed by ALL YOUSE PEOPLE SAYING THE NAME! STOP IT!

On the other hand, it would provide interesting options for Warlock pacts. Nihilistic Warlocks seeking forbidden knowledge to free the Nameless One. Not sure I'd want that guy in my party. Either Cocktail or Adventuring.

 

[Voadam]

There is where you are wrong, because it's not their game. Is the game of their gaming group. That's the thing. All should enjoy the game, not just the DM. So, the banning of elements from the game should be a decision taken by consensus, not by the bias of an specific individual.

If that person is so determined to make a setting that only appeals to themself, then that time and energy is better expend learning to write a novel.

I am not sure that distinction works.

Novels are generally written to be read by an audience, not to make a setting that only appeals to the author.

I think for both a DM and an author they usually write something they will enjoy and that they think others will enjoy even if it is not something everyone would enjoy.

The exact relationship of DM to authorial control versus group consensus for authorial control on banning game elements in the game the DM is running is going to vary by group dynamics. A lot of groups go under the assumption the DM has the final call on included game options as they are running the game while the players domain for final call authority is controlling their characters' decisions in that game the DM is running and that seems a reasonable group dynamic for D&D to me. This does not exclude players providing suggestions and requests or group discussions, it just means the final call is in the DM's hands.

Some groups and some games operate differently with more player or group decisions on accepted mechanical or narrative elements in the world the DM is running and that is fine too but I don't think there is a should here that weighs in favor of deciding on the banning or not of game elements by group consensus instead of by the DM.

 

[Voadam]

Honestly, I don't think that clerics of the Nameless one should get spells. Which means that there shouldn't be clerics. There is no ability for the Nameless One to provide or grant them in his eternal slumber, that can only be disturbed by ALL YOUSE PEOPLE SAYING THE NAME! STOP IT!

On the other hand, it would provide interesting options for Warlock pacts. Nihilistic Warlocks seeking forbidden knowledge to free the Nameless One. Not sure I'd want that guy in my party. Either Cocktail or Adventuring.

The line between god and warlock pact eldritch being Great Old One can be blurry, particularly with the Big T being classically a god.

Similar to how Asmodeus as a greater God and archdevil can have both clerics and pacted fiend warlocks.

I agree warlock for cultists fits well for the Chained One though.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

The line between god and warlock pact eldritch being Great Old One can be blurry, particularly with the Big T being classically a god.

Similar to how Asmodeus as a greater God and archdevil can have both clerics and pacted fiend warlocks.

I agree warlock for cultists fits well for the Chained One though.

Agree with all of that. I just tend to think that the NAMELESS ONE is too removed to grant spells to Clerics. Heck, what happens on a successful divine intervention ... an opening in the prison?

But that's a table decision- as I always say, I am not King of the World. Yet.

 

[Zeromaru X]

I'll be honest with you, it's not my preference either, but it's no skin off my nose how another group plays their game.

You are right, and I apologize if I have inconvenienced you. However, I've had a lot of bad experiences with that kind of DMs, that I'm not happy with the game officially encouraging that kind of behavior... Again, because they have been doing since 2014 (this time is just less open about it). I just should stick to my own table again, and remain in the Forgotten Realms or a more open minded setting.