D&D (2024) Check Out The New Dungeon Master's Guide's Greyhawk Map

Greyhawk is the 'sample setting' provided in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide, and it is illustrated with a massive hex map by the awesome Mike Schley.

 

[pemerton]

Things I can’t remember: did the Knights of the Holy Shielding lose their territory in Greyhawk Wars or was that my home brew?

The Knights of Holy Shielding lost about 80% of their land to the Greyhawk Wars. As of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, they had reclaimed most/all of their lost territory. I believe the Crusade was done in late 2E, but I don't know the specifics.

Before that, they had been invaded/conquered (to some significant extent, at least) by The Horned Society - at least according to the CoGH boxed set. Thus, the Free City was hosting refugees from the Shield Lands.

 

[Starmaster]

It's nice to see the Great Kingdom and Rauxes restored. There's nothing I like better than a decayed (but still frighteningly powerful) empire that's ruled by a mad emperor.

 

[Parmandur]

It's nice to see the Great Kingdom and Rauxes restored. There's nothing I like better than a decayed (but still frighteningly powerful) empire that's ruled by a mad emperor.

Rebooting the geopolitical situation is smart: by getting rid of various countries and playing out the potential co flicts, metaplot advancement reduced the potential Adventures in the Setting by resolving the conflicts as art up by Gygax.

 

[Hussar]

Honestly, there is a side benefit to rebooting the setting. How many people actually followed Greyhawk? For example, we can talk about the Greyhawk Wars until the cows come home, but, really, how many people actually know anything about them? It's pretty fair to say that for a significant chunk of gamers, the new DMG will be their first direct exposure to Greyhawk.

So, stripping back a bunch of events that don't really make a whole lot of sense to someone who hasn't been there since the earliest days makes the setting much more accessible.

 

[Jolly Ruby]

While I can't compare it with Darlene's because her map is my inspiration on "how to draw maps" since I started playing and I would be biased because of it, this new map is my favourite large scale Schley's map yet, I love how he drew all these mountains and cliffs.

 

[Parmandur]

While I can't compare it with Darlene's because her map is my inspiration on "how to draw maps" since I started playing and I would be biased because of it, this new map is my favourite large scale Schley's map yet, I love how he drew all these mountains and cliffs.

A fine piece of cartography. The hills, in particular, do make the geopolitical boundaries super clear.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

The Knights of Holy Shielding lost about 80% of their land to the Greyhawk Wars. As of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, they had reclaimed most/all of their lost territory. I believe the Crusade was done in late 2E, but I don't know the specifics.

The Greyhawk Wars saw the Shield Lands lose 100% to Iuz’s forces. The Iuz the Evil accessory had the Shield Lands as a province of Iuz’s empire.

The Adventure Begins saw the Great Northern Crusade reclaim a foothold at Critwall and the Critwall Bridge, with around a 30-mile radius from there plus Scragholm Island. This is where LG started.

During the LG campaign we slowly reclaimed a large chunk from Iuz’s forces.

(I was on the Shield Lands triad during most of the run but not the final year)

 

[Riley]

During the LG campaign we slowly reclaimed a large chunk from Iuz’s forces.

(I was on the Shield Lands triad during most of the run but not the final year)

Thank you for your service.
The Shield Lands needs more soldiers like you.

Well, needed.
But if past future history is any guide: they may need you again.

 

[Rabbitbait]

Yeah, ocean coasts are kind of dull – particularly if there isn't a lot of contact with something on the other side of the ocean. Golarion and the 13th Age setting has the right idea there – build the setting around a Mediterranean analogue. Or, as you say, the Sea of Fallen Stars in the Forgotten Realms.

That's one of the few flaws I find in Eberron's design – there's no Mediterranean. The closest thing you get is Scion's Sound, but that's more of a Black Sea. It also means that the pirate nation is off to the side instead of smack in the middle of things, which doesn't make any sense.

Going off topic, but I'll just post this. I saw this on reddit a while ago - an alternative map to Khorvaire in Eberron which is much better for seafaring:

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Thank you for your service.
The Shield Lands needs more soldiers like you.

Well, needed.
But if past future history is any guide: they may need you again.

It was truly a time of my life being able to guide some of the stories! I have fond memories of large interactives to free Lord Torkeep’s lands (a pre-made PC from Isle of the Ape), assault and free Admundfort, establish teleportation circles between Ringland and Critwall. Then when WotC told us the campaign would end in three years deciding to go balls to walls and have a full breakout counter-invasion of Iuz occupied lands with another big interactive that ended with a charge up the Ritensa and free Laws’ Forge, and another cut off the Nyr Dyv Coast. All with the re-birth of Stratis’ avatar leading the forces.

What could WotC have told us? They’d shut us down? They already did say that!