Dungeons & Dragons May Not Come Back to Greyhawk After 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide

Wizards of the Coast does not appear to have future plans for the Greyhawk setting past the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide. Speaking at a press event earlier this month, Dungeons & Dragons game architect Chris Perkins explained that the inclusion of Greyhawk campaign setting material in the upcoming rulebook was meant to stand on its own. "Basically, we're saying 'Hey DMs, we're giving you Greyhawk as a foundation on which you can build your own setting stuff,'" Perkins said when asked about future Greyhawk setting material. "Whether we get back to Greyhawk or not in some capacity I cannot say, but that's our intention for now. This is the sandbox, it's Greyhawk. Go off and run Greyhawk or Greyhawk-like campaigns with this if you wish. We may not come to this version of Greyhawk for a while because we DMs to own it and play with it. This is not a campaign setting where I think we need to go in and start defining large sections of the world and adding more weight of content that DMs have to sit through in order to feel like they're running a proper Greyhawk campaign."

The 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide includes a campaign setting gazetteer focused on the Greyhawk setting, one of D&D's earliest campaign settings. The use of Greyhawk is intended to be an example for DMs on how to build a full-fledged campaign setting, with an overview of major conflicts and places to explore within the world. New maps of both Oerth and the city of Greyhawk are also included in the rulebook.

However, while it seems like Wizards isn't committing to future Greyhawk campaign setting material, Perkins admitted that the fans still have a say in the matter. "We're not so immutable with our plans that if the fans rose up and said 'Give us something Greyhawk,' that we would say 'No, never,'" Perkins said. "That won't happen."

Perkins also teased the appearance of more campaign settings in the future. "We absolutely will be exploring new D&D worlds and that door is always open," Perkins said.

 

[Parmandur]

One of the weirdest things is that I see Greyhawk as being incredibly regional in terms of storyline and campaign tone. So, if I run a campaign set in the Great Kingdom I'm likely in a different genre than if I run a campaign set in the Free City of Greyhawk, and then another one set in the County of Ulek.

They have different themes, enemies, and tropes.

Greyhawk is not monolithic.

Well, the DMG does break it down by broad regional, and provide further more specific "Conflicts" for each and suggest generic "Conflicts" from the rest of the chapter, giving each region a distinct flavor.

But the DMG presentation makes it monolithic. One reason I object to the "three themes" approach is because including Iuz, Elemental Evil, and (sigh) Dragons doesn't make sense for a lot of the continent. I run a lot of games in Greyhawk and Veluna. Iuz pops up a lot, Elemental Evil less so, and Dragons not at all. (Funny, that).

The book does not necessarily intend for a group to use the big three fully outlined themes, even if the DM advise is to build your campaign with three ongoing "Conflicts" there are lots of presented options and encouragement to make one's own.

What the big three provide is a "low prep" Campaign: those three have 1-20 outlines, and all three times into the low-prep Level 1-7 Adventures in the previous chapter. In addition, those Adventures are provided with hooks to the Free City of Greyhawk, which has hooks for places of interest and NPC contacts for all PC Backgrounds.

So a dM can start with using the Free City as a hub where the pCs live and meet up, Adventures tied to 3 major overriding Conflicts that can be easily run with minimal prep work, and an outline of where to go from there if the players latch onto one or more of those Conflicts.

 

[Parmandur]

Change for change sake sums up WotCs approach to settings perfectly and it's one of two big reasons why many old school fans are upset about how WotC has handled settings post Eberron (and Eberron in one particular case).

It's why instead of the joy that announcing not one, but 2 big settings guides for FR would have produced in say even in 2020 before Van Richten Guide to Ravenloft killed the core butchered some of the beloved domains, without in character explainations, the announcement has fans worried or uncaring, they fear that WotC will be sloppy with canon again.

"Canon" doesn't exist beyond what is in the three core books.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

"Canon" doesn't exist beyond what is in the three core books.

Settings have canon, it was makes them settings

 

[Stuart Kerrigan]

Settings have canon, it was makes them settings

Agreed - you don't have to follow the settings canon but it makes for a common baseline for supplements. Otherwise you might get a follow up supplement where - I dunno, to use my Game of Thrones analogy - Ned Stark survived Game of Thrones and still Hand of the King.

Interestingly the DMG 2024 isn't even internally consistent with its own. It mentions Furyondy seceded from the Great Kingdom in 356 CY. Then it mentions that 200 years ago the Great Kingdom spanned the Flanaess - meaning 376 CY?

 

[Parmandur]

Settings have canon, it was makes them settings

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Agreed - you don't have to follow the settings canon but it makes for a common baseline for supplements. Otherwise you might get a follow up supplement where - I dunno, to use my Game of Thrones analogy - Ned Stark survived Game of Thrones and still Hand of the King.

Interestingly the DMG 2024 isn't even internally consistent with its own. It mentions Furyondy seceded from the Great Kingdom in 356 CY. Then it mentions that 200 years ago the Great Kingdom spanned the Flanaess - meaning 376 CY?

Canon is also important for novel lines and some times other media.

 

[Scribe]

Yes, it's a bad sign when a revived cmapaign setting is treated with the same enthusiasm as an imminent mugging. "At least they didn't take the Theocracy of the Pale. It's still there, and so's Ogon."

WotC: "We're going to reboot Mystara. It's going to be a faithful adaption, but some liberties."
Me: "I hope they don't change the Savage Coast too much."

There's an old MtG meme regarding competitive decks and hoping that yours doesnt win.

Feels kinda similar.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

There's an old MtG meme regarding competitive decks and hoping that yours doesnt win.

Feels kinda similar.

I play MtG and I don't get it, please explain?

 

[Scribe]

I play MtG and I don't get it, please explain?

It was understood that in the glory days of Modern if your deck won GPs or God help you, the Pro Tour, that your deck would have a key piece banned. You drew the Eye of Wizards, and they ruined your deck.

Now?

Oh you want some new content in your favored setting?

Sure, we will just change a bunch of stuff and ruin it.

 

[Parmandur]

Canon is also important for novel lines and some times other media.

Not particularly, in my experience.