Greyhawk Grognard - May installment of Castle Greyhawk

[Dinkeldog]

Sorry, but I don't think it's a very good tribute to Gary. Knowing how Gary felt about the other various versions of the Castle, I don't think he'd react very kindly to somebody creating yet another version, and releasing it for free, as yet more "competition" to his work he worked as hard as he could while on his deathbed. And I feel that should be said and noted.

Basically, when I speak up about these things, I'm actually going by what I know about the man. I knew him a lot better than you. Basically, I'm getting a little concerned by people providing "tributes to Gary" and either badmouthing his wife or otherwise "speaking for him". In the author's Getting of the Pot post, he takes a lot of shots at Gygax Games. Which I think would have upset Gary himself.

As far as other statements on this goes, we pretty much cover all of that here.

It's just quite disappointing.

This is a nice reasoned post. We don't have to agree, but at least you're giving reason for your disagreement. If you had made this post the first time, people wouldn't be getting upset about what the first post was, and you wouldn't have to make multiple posts in response to justify was pretty threadcrappy initially.

 

[jaerdaph]

I'm sorry again for my part in the bad turn this thread took over the weekend. I'm glad reason and respect were the end result and hope this continues to be.

Anyhow, I finally finished the southest section map of level 2:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/4672557-post7.html

 

[grodog]

New installment is up @ Greyhawk Grognard: Castle of the Mad Archmage February Release Now Available!

 

[Treebore]

Thanks a lot Alan! I was planning on using pieces of other modules, like Castle Whiterock, to finish off "my" Castle Zagyg, but I think your offering is much better, and more appropriate.

 

[Erik Mona]

Despite the author's kind dismissal of "Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk," that adventure was specifically designed to _not_ explore the whole castle, both because the authors felt that was Gary and Rob's job (not ours), and because we didn't have enough space. The idea all along was that people who wanted to expand their explorations of the castle could add new levels from things like Rob Kuntz's modules, Isle of the Ape, Greyhawk Ruins, or even this project.

I do not think all this stuff is mutually exclusive. Good dungeon levels are good dungeon levels, no matter the edition they were written for, the level of professionalism of presentation, or frankly even the author.

I miss Gary and wish he was still around to provide the "true" version of Castle Greyhawk. But even he seemed less interested in doing that than many of his fans, and instead set upon a plan to produce a new dungeon in the spirit of the original.

Because of legal entanglements with the Greyhawk brand and the limited nature of human life, no one who wasn't a part of the original Greyhawk campaign was _ever_ going to get the "real" version of Castle Greyhawk.

I think projects like this are great, as they provide more options and ideas for people to add to their own killer old-school dungeon, whether they call it Castle Greyhawk or not.

 

[grodog]

Thanks a lot Alan! I was planning on using pieces of other modules, like Castle Whiterock, to finish off "my" Castle Zagyg, but I think your offering is much better, and more appropriate.

Treebore, I'm not the Greyhawk Grognard: he's Joseph Bloch. I'm just the messenger

 

[Thulcondar]

Despite the author's kind dismissal of "Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk," that adventure was specifically designed to _not_ explore the whole castle, both because the authors felt that was Gary and Rob's job (not ours), and because we didn't have enough space. The idea all along was that people who wanted to expand their explorations of the castle could add new levels from things like Rob Kuntz's modules, Isle of the Ape, Greyhawk Ruins, or even this project.

I do not think all this stuff is mutually exclusive. Good dungeon levels are good dungeon levels, no matter the edition they were written for, the level of professionalism of presentation, or frankly even the author.

I miss Gary and wish he was still around to provide the "true" version of Castle Greyhawk. But even he seemed less interested in doing that than many of his fans, and instead set upon a plan to produce a new dungeon in the spirit of the original.

Because of legal entanglements with the Greyhawk brand and the limited nature of human life, no one who wasn't a part of the original Greyhawk campaign was _ever_ going to get the "real" version of Castle Greyhawk.

I think projects like this are great, as they provide more options and ideas for people to add to their own killer old-school dungeon, whether they call it Castle Greyhawk or not.

I could not agree with you more, Erik, and please, we're still friends (I hope). Call me Joe.

My "dismissal" was not aimed primarily at your work, which I naturally own and find a terrific module as far as it goes. You were perforce building on what had been published by TSR before. Rather, the circumstances under which both were created were such that it just didn't scratch my Greyhawk itch, for reasons which I stated on the blog when I first conceived this idea. You were, of course, operating under different constraints than I am, and it's certainly no reflection on either your creative effort or your love of Greyhawk. It simply is what it is.

I'm just a guy writing a dungeon, based on what we know about Gary's original, because as you say, we're never going to get the true original.

Joe
Greyhawk Grognard

 

[Treebore]

Treebore, I'm not the Greyhawk Grognard: he's Joseph Bloch. I'm just the messenger

OK, then please relay my message to Joseph.

 

[grodog]

You just did (see post #47 ).

 

[jaerdaph]

I posted a revised version of the map for the southeast section of level 2 to reflect the changes made in the latest version of TCotMA:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/4685151-post12.html