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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 9503208" data-attributes="member: 58172">In the 1980 Darlene map of Greyhawk, the peninsula of Blackmoor has a mark indicating "Ruins".[ATTACH=full]385388[/ATTACH]Since <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/what-3-settings-did-you-pick-in-the-survey.683714/page-12#post-8448572" target="_blank">2021</a>, I pointed out, these Ruins are in a different location − a different hex − than the Town of Blackmoor.These are not the "ruins of the town of Blackmoor", but rather, the "ruins that are in the wider region of the Archbarony of Blackmoor".Thus the town of Blackmoor which locates west from the Ruins, and on the coast of the southwest corner of the peninsula, still exists. Blackmoor was a modest town. Arneson himself the creator of D&D created the Blackmoor local setting. It still exists − on the Darlene map itself − even if unmarked.Here, on an other Greyhawk map, I add more towns and terrain to detail a sense of where the sites in Arnesons campaign are in relation to the Ruins.[ATTACH=full]385389[/ATTACH]Remarkably, the other day, I noticed a confirmation of sorts, that my proposed location for the town of Blackmoor is, indeed, the correct location. The Ruins in the middle of the peninsula are somewhere else in the Archbarony.Below is an inhouse map sketch that Gygax himself had done for TSR, probably in 1979, for the non-yet-published Darlene map. A friend of Gygax, Len Lakofkas, received a copy of the sketch to give feedback.In the Gygax map sketch, here is a closeup of the peninsula of Blackmoor. You can see the town of Blackmoor marked with an "X". Its location is on the coast in the southwest corner of the peninsula.[ATTACH=full]385394[/ATTACH]Gygax knew exactly where the town of Blackmoor is, in relation to his Greyhawk map. When he chose to place the Ruins elsewhere, in the middle of the peninsula, this is intentional.Gygax and Arneson were not on good terms by then. But the map of Greyhawk evolves from the earlier Great Kingdom map during the Castle and Crusades Society, that both of them are part of, and others. He mentions − heh, even if begrudgingly − the name Blackmoor to acknowledge Arneson is also part of the origins of the Greyhawk − and the origins of D&D.Note, Gygax marks the town with an "X" rather than a dot for a town. In the Sea of Dust, there are three "(ruins)", and two are additionally specified with an "X". Probably at the time of this sketch map, Gygax intended to leave Blackmoor in ruins. Notice that the name of "Dantredun", Dant-redun, is a scrabble of "redun-Dant". Gygax intended to place a different location for the government of the remote Archbarony instead Blackmoor.The town of Blackmoor is modest, a fishing village, with people living in the hinterland. But alongside this town is a castle, as part of the defenses against Egg the Coot. This castle is the location of a monstrous dungeon, and this castle itself was derelict at times. It was no stretch to mention that at the time of the sketch map, the castle was in ruins. Yet the village itself, the town of Blackmoor, can carry on modestly but alive and persisting.In any case, when the 1980 Darlene map comes into existence, the "Ruins" are somewhere else, quite a distance from the town of Blackmoor. Blackmoor remains in the Greyhawk map, even if unmarked. Nostalgia players who use the original Blackmoor local setting − and D&D originalists − and the enthusiasts of the ongoing setting across the D&D editions − can continue to enjoy Blackmoor while using the 1980 map of Greyhawk.Look here at a closeup from the 2024 map of Greyhawk. The Ruins are clearly not the town of Blackmoor itself.[ATTACH=full]385397[/ATTACH]The Ruins are on the southEAST, on the other side of the peninsula. Obviously not the town of Blackmoor. (It is also clearly not where the Elven city of Ringo is, which is in the middle of this peninsula.) The town itself is alive and well for DMs who wish to use the Blackmoor setting for the 2024 Greyhawk map.The new name of the region is "Arn", an homage to Arne-son, the inventor of D&D during our 50th year anniversary of the existence of D&D. The 2024 Greyhawk map celebrates Arneson personally.In Norse, "arn-" means "eagle", so it is a great name for place famous for its eagles.I suspect 2024 also emphasizes the name Arn, so there is no lable called "Blackmoor" that could be confused with the "Ruins". The Ruins are a place many miles away for an adventure to save Arn! And get loot.Today in 2024, we have a new map and a fresh new canon. We can do with this canon whatever we want. The DM is the canon. Blackmoor and Greyhawk are resources.Using the 2024 Greyhawk map, you really can enjoy the very origins and the 50 years of D&D.</blockquote>

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