D&D General Greyhawk outside the Flanness

[Werthead]

So 2002 Chainmail for the western continent and Black Moon Chronicles for the eastern. That's really interesting!

Now, if only the latter had a gaming-focused write-up.

They're the same place. I think they misspoke and meant west, although Western Oerik is so massive that it's almost an equal distance (and probably faster sailing east, depending on the trade winds).

As with any discussion of Oerth geography, Anna B. Meyer's website should be your first stop. Her research and analysis of the geography has been outstanding for some decades, and apparently WotC consulted her site in the preparation of the maps in the new DMG. DH Boggs also has some nice maps where he tries to reintegrate the Blackmoor setting (Dave Arneson's home setting) into Greyhawk, using both the original Darlene and Anna's newer maps.

Although the shape/outline of the landmasses beyond Oerth are canon (they're fully codified in the 3E 2001 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, the last major Greyhawk sourcebook published to date), they're too well-established now, the lands/empires in those landmasses are probably still not canon. The rebooted Chainmail spluttered briefly and died, and the French TTRPG I don't think had official permission from WotC to make those lands part of Oerth, so it's just assumed/implied they are but certainly nothing they did has any bearing on WotC. I also don't think WotC are going to be too fussed about contradicting 30-year-old Dragon Magazine articles.

It's also clear that WotC have an aversion to planetary-scale maps/campaign settings. They've ignored all the lands beyond Faerûn in Forgotten Realms since the last Al-Qadim material was published in 1994 and I don't think Taladas or Adlatum are even mentioned in the new Dragonlance stuff. If they do expand on more Greyhawk adventures in 5.5E, I'll be surprised if they venture outside the Flanaess.

 

[Yaarel]

the French TTRPG I don't think had official permission from WotC to make those lands part of Oerth, so it's just assumed/implied they are but certainly nothing they did has any bearing on WotC.

From what I understand, the French comic (1989+) began with permission from TSR to populate Western Oerik. This is what makes the comic quasi-official.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Magazine map (1996) refers to places in the comic, such as Lynn, etcetera.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

If you're going to talk Greyhawk you should at least summon @Snarf Zagyg

Unfortunately that is all I can do to help as I now almost nothing about Greyhawk

Alas, like Beetlejuice, you must say my name three times!


(Seriously, I was out of country and out of pocket for some time. And that time was extended because, apparently, some idiots had the idea of letting BARDS push out security updates to the computers that, inter alia, run the airlines. Yeah, I know what really happened.)

So I think that this has been covered, but I will say this-

I think that there is a general divide regarding Oerth, which is the planet that "Greyhawk" is on. Oerth ... get it?

To start with "Greyhawk" is actually three things-
1. The name of Gygax's home campaign.
2. The city (the Free City of Greyhawk) which is a major place.
3. The colloquial name people use for the Flanaess, which is the area of the map you've seen (either Darlene or the more recent one).

"The World of Greyhawk" was released as a campaign setting because people knew the name of Gygax's campaign world, but it's always really been about the Flanaess.

Now, I think that @Yaarel has done an excellent job of scouring various sources for information about the world of Oerth beyond the Flanaess. And I recommend that research and those threads.

That said, I personally don't view any of the information about the world outside of the Flanaess as true or official or "canon" or any of that. To me, the remainder of Oerth has always been for individual tables to fill in however they want. I subscribe to the view that the map is the map, and the rest of the world is whatever you want or need it to be.

Thar be dragons is not just fun and mysterious, it is a call to adventure!

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I've been researching a lot of maps recently because, while watching longplays of Crusader Kings and Total War, I've finally put a finger on something that's bee bothering me with the FRs: the lack of small, ever-changing kingdoms, duchy, clan hold at wars. It's just mega city-states in the wilds or kingdoms neatly placed one next to the other without ever interacting with their neighbors.

Anyways...

I've noticed that the map of conquest of Nerath could fit pretty well as a western continent with the general themes of Greyhawk.

 

[Demetrios1453]

It's also clear that WotC have an aversion to planetary-scale maps/campaign settings. They've ignored all the lands beyond Faerûn in Forgotten Realms since the last Al-Qadim material was published in 1994 and I don't think Taladas or Adlatum are even mentioned in the new Dragonlance stuff. If they do expand on more Greyhawk adventures in 5.5E, I'll be surprised if they venture outside the Flanaess.

Kara-Tur, Zakhara, and Maztica were all shown and briefly described in the 3e FRCS from 2001.