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'.

 

[Scribe]

So, don't use the "let the settings be different" argument. It's a lie.

If FR gives you what you want, but Greyhawk doesnt, is it a lie, or are you just looking to play in Greyhawk, assuming you can alter it to your own personal desires?

If FR already has what you want, and GH would need to be adjusted to fit what you want, sorry but its not a lie at all. Let the settings be different.

They already ruined DL over this.

 

[TwoSix]

For the same reason many people were awaiting for them to add the setting to the DM's Guild. There is a certain sense of legitimization when something is officially recognized.

The need for canonicity or legitimacy to be "bestowed" by the corporate IP owner is a problem a lot of fandoms have.

 

[Yaarel]

In Asia, @Yaarel the matching latitude range for the Wolf/Tiger Hordes corresponding to Asana, Kazakhstan and Ulaanbator, Mongolia, more or less: most of the Flannaes trival range actually lies lies relatively South of thise Earth Central Asian capitals.

Yeah, yeah, I see that. Heh.

Still, 45°-50° is the northerly areas of these Asian regions. The Flanaess correspondences can include a compression of the Asia farther north, similar to the compression of Canada. 2024 Baklunish Nomads includes the "frigid" "pine forests". Even so, the horseback cultures of Wolf and Tiger, seem mainly Mongolian il-khans and tarkhans who are traveling.

So, basically, nothing in the Flanaess is arctic. North, sure, but, the furthest north is Copenhagen.

Canada gets seriously compressed. The farthest north of it is Newfoundland, corresponding the Corusk Peninsula.

... which makes the names of the Kingdoms of Snow, Frost, and Ice a bit humorous. They are in Newfoundland. Sure, the winters are cold, like elsewhere.

The Norse vikings do settle Newfoundland, and explore farther south.

It might be more helpful to think of the Corusk kingdoms as coming from a Snow culture, but who dont currently live in "snow".

The area of "Hyperborea" is less polar and more populated. So those regions need revisiting too

 

[MonsterEnvy]

At the vary least several leaders are stated to be of the newer playable species in the new Greyhawk chapter.

A Dragonborn is the Knight Commander of the forces in the Shield Lands, Drax the Constable Mayor of Rel Astra is an orc now.
The Hunting Lands/Rovers of the Barrens are ruled by a tiefling now. Ekbir has an aasimar sultan, and several other examples.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

At the vary least several leaders are stated to be of the newer playable species in the new Greyhawk chapter.

A Dragonborn is the Knight Commander of the forces in the Shield Lands, Drax the Constable Mayor of Rel Astra is an orc now.
The Hunting Lands/Rovers of the Barrens are ruled by a tiefling now. Ekbir has an aasimar sultan, and several other examples.

Huh.

Not sure how I feel about that.

On the one hand, I don't like it, and I doubt I will incorporate all of the changes. Some of them might make sense, but it will definitely be on a case-by-case basis.

On the other hand, it does provide newer players and DMs with an introduction to Greyhawk that specifically includes the playable PHB races in the setting.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

If FR gives you what you want, but Greyhawk doesnt, is it a lie, or are you just looking to play in Greyhawk, assuming you can alter it to your own personal desires?

If FR already has what you want, and GH would need to be adjusted to fit what you want, sorry but its not a lie at all. Let the settings be different.

They already ruined DL over this.

The corollary to this, of course, is that if the Forgotten Realms doesn't give you what you want, then the Realms will devour what you want and incorporate it into the setting.

 

[Zeromaru X]

One gets (and has received) negative press

Do you have an example of this? Because I haven't seen anyone complaining about how the N*z*s need more representation.

They are in there...?

Are they?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Huh.

Not sure how I feel about that.

On the one hand, I don't like it, and I doubt I will incorporate all of the changes. Some of them might make sense, but it will definitely be on a case-by-case basis.

On the other hand, it does provide newer players and DMs with an introduction to Greyhawk that specifically includes the playable PHB races in the setting.

It’s still like 90% humans. And Aasimar, and Tieflings can directly come from humans.

 

[TwoSix]

The corollary to this, of course, is that if the Forgotten Realms doesn't give you what you want, then the Realms will devour what you want and incorporate it into the setting.

"I am Elminster of Shadowdale. You will be assimilated. Your narrative and mechanical distinctiveness will be added to our own."

 

[Scribe]

The corollary to this, of course, is that if the Forgotten Realms doesn't give you what you want, then the Realms will devour what you want and incorporate it into the setting.

Which seems to check out.