Blackmoor d20

rounser · Feb 25, 2003

It seems people are more interested in discussing the published history of the setting rather than the nature of the setting itself. Ah, the irony.

Quinn · Feb 25, 2003

rounser said:
It seems people are more interested in discussing the published history of the setting rather than the nature of the setting itself. Ah, the irony.

Well, so far, I'm not too sure that I'm going to find much in Blackmoor. Despite the attempted tie-ins to Known World in the past, it seems that original setting that Arneson created is a tad too off-the-wall for me. Plus it seems that quite a bit of what has been published about Greyhawk has actually been an amalgam of Gygax's Greyhawk and Arneson's Blackmoor. I have to wonder, thematically, what does Blackmoor have to offer that's any different?

rounser · Feb 25, 2003

Well, so far, I'm not too sure that I'm going to find much in Blackmoor. Despite the attempted tie-ins to Known World in the past, it seems that original setting that Arneson created is a tad too off-the-wall for me. Plus it seems that quite a bit of what has been published about Greyhawk has actually been an amalgam of Gygax's Greyhawk and Arneson's Blackmoor. I have to wonder, thematically, what does Blackmoor have to offer that's any different?

Bingo.

Never seemed to stop Greyhawk, though, eh?

Well, apart from telling your players that they're playing in something approaching the first fantasy campaign setting, not much. FFC Blackmoor feels like a wacky homebrew, not that there's anything wrong with that. If you like nostalgia, or the idea that you're playing in a vintage setting, I guess that's where Blackmoor's appeal lies. Mind you, the setting got a tune up, facelift and tummy tuck when it was added to Mystara, and most of the cheesy wackiness was shown the door. It may well become better, faster, stronger this time around too.

Again, the oldskool nostalgia factor seems to work for Greyhawk...but then again, Blackmoor wasn't really "around" as much as Greyhawk was, so despite being it's senior, there's less of the "I played this when I was thirteen" factor to tap. It'll have to rely on the vintage D&D* thing instead...but in theory, nothing beats it in that department except maybe the Castles & Crusades Society map...

At the end of the day, it's worth buying just to out-oldschool the Greyhawk enthusiasts.

*: Not that it really was a D&D setting to begin with, relying on Arneson's own rules during play from what I gather, which in turn helped "inspire" D&D...

Mystaros · Feb 27, 2003

rounser said:
FFC Blackmoor feels like a wacky homebrew, not that there's anything wrong with that. If you like nostalgia, or the idea that you're playing in a vintage setting, I guess that's where Blackmoor's appeal lies. Mind you, the setting got a tune up, facelift and tummy tuck when it was added to Mystara, and most of the cheesy wackiness was shown the door. It may well become better, faster, stronger this time around too.

Indeed, the DA series Blackmoor was quite playable. I only wish we had seen more on Thonia and the other nearby regions. With the map being 24 miles per hex at that scale, the portion of Blackmoor that was detailed was equal to only 1/9th of that of Greyhawk, or rather, slightly less, as the GH hexes were 30 miles per inch. So there is a lot more that can be done with Blackmoor. I look forward to seeing what Zeitgeist comes up with.

grodog · Feb 27, 2003

Alzrius said:
The most interesting part was finding out that never once was Blackmoor placed in Greyhawk. First it was in the FFC by Judges Guild, and then later put into the Known World, but never once on Oerth. I wonder how that myth came into being then...? Oh well, no matter now. Way to go!

Well, the land of Blackmoor does exist in Greyhawk, so I'm not quite sure what you mean when you say that it was "never once on Oerth"?

MerricB · Feb 27, 2003

Probably "never once supported in Oerth" may be closer to the mark.

Cheers!

Mystaros · Feb 27, 2003

grodog said:
Well, the land of Blackmoor does exist in Greyhawk, so I'm not quite sure what you mean when you say that it was "never once on Oerth"?

While there is indeed a country named "Blackmoor" in Greyhawk, it is not the same "Blackmoor" that was designed and used by Dave Arneson. Gygax included the "Archbarony of Blackmoor" as a tribute to the campaign of Mr. Arneson.

James

rounser · Feb 27, 2003

From what I gather, Oerth Blackmoor is not Arneson's Blackmoor. They share the same name, but otherwise had little in common until the Oerth Journal, and later the Living Greyhawk Gazzeteer introduced some Arneson Blackmoor stuff (e.g. the Egg of Coot) that began to blur the lines.

Note also the Duchy of Tenh in Greyhawk, and there being a Duchy of Ten in Blackmoor...

EDIT: Ah, beat me to it.

grodog · Feb 27, 2003

I seem to recall RJK or EGG talking about how the PCs could cross between the various campaign worlds without too much difficulty. I thought it was in OJ#6 (on Canonfire! at
http://www.canonfire.com/html/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=52) but it doesn't appear to be in that article....

In any event, while the Blackmoor of GH isn't exactly Arneson's BM, the two are linked (since obviously Mordy and Robliar can travel to the CotG and then sell a gold cross recovered from there in Greyhawk City, per the OJ6 article)....

Mirth · Feb 27, 2003

As a 35 year old who started playing D&D in 1979, this thread makes me want to cry with joy

Beyond the nostalgia, I want, no NEED to play in DA's "wacky homebrew" of Blackmoor. I can remember when AD&D first started, when all of the great modules came out and I still have my copy of the white box with the Blackmoor supplement. Blackmoor is something that always felt incomplete from back then. This will fill a hole that has needed filling for a long time. So bring it on I say! My money is waiting for you.

And thanks to rounser & Mystaros for the informative history.