D&D General Greyhawk: Snarf's Guide to Ready-Made Campaign Themes!

[Parmandur]

That’s … an interpretation … of history. Blew past The Adventure Begins era. Or the beloved City of Greyhawk box.

I am also doubtful of the claims for how the Forgotten Realms were generally received at first.

 

[howandwhy99]

I stand by all of what I wrote as someone who lived it, albeit as a bystander. This isn't to stoke fires but present an objective review of what most histories don't relate. We don't need more speculation. Nor is the above a full history of Greyhawk or the bruhaha between TSR and Gary. It is about a divided community due to many causes.

And the FR stuff is true, at least as speculative rumors at the time of its publication. I believe the Grey Box would become more popular retroactively. The whole setting took off more after the Time of Troubles or '93 box set by my memory.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I am also doubtful of the claims for how the Forgotten Realms were generally received at first.

As someone there at the time, and as an obvious and avowed Greyhawk fan, I can attest that people loved the Grey Box when it first came out.

Obviously, TSR had released setting information before (Dragonlance) and Greenwood was well-known from Dragon Magazine, and the first Grey Box was really well done. Arguably, I'd still say that it is the best FR product.

 

[Parmandur]

I stand by all of what I wrote as someone who lived it, albeit as a bystander. This isn't to stoke fires but present an objective review of what most histories don't relate. We don't need more speculation. Nor is the above a full history of Greyhawk or the bruhaha between TSR and Gary. It is about a divided community due to many causes.

And the FR stuff is true, at least as speculative rumors at the time of its publication. I believe the Grey Box would become more popular retroactively. The whole setting took off more after the Time of Troubles or '93 box set by my memory.

I don't doubt that among your personal circle it jad a mixed reception, I simply doubt that the general reception reflects your personal experience.

As one piece of evidence that your memory might be a bit off, the Salvatore novels started started coming out within 6 months of the box set: and while I am sure that the Cryatal Shard accelerated sales of FR, that isn't a long time.

 

[Parmandur]

As someone there at the time, and as an obvious and avowed Greyhawk fan, I can attest that people loved the Grey Box when it first came out.

Obviously, TSR had released setting information before (Dragonlance) and Greenwood was well-known from Dragon Magazine, and the first Grey Box was really well done. Arguably, I'd still say that it is the best FR product.

That matches with the gestalt accounts I have seen: I only found the Grey Box in the past few years, after only paying any attention to the Forgotten Realms since 5E launched.

I would agree that the Grey Box is arguably one of the best FR products...but the fact that it is arguable is a testament to how very, very good several FR products have been, since I think it is also arguably one of the best RPG Setting products, period.

 

[howandwhy99]

I'm here stating the often unrelated story of a bad time in history for lovers of Greyhawk. For new people to appreciate Greyhawk I think it needs to be shared. The Forgotten Realms is a non sequitur.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm here stating the often unrelated story of a bad time in history for lovers of Greyhawk. For new people to appreciate Greyhawk I think it needs to be shared. The Forgotten Realms is a non sequitur.

I've heard conflicting reports on the other stuff, too.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I've heard conflicting reports on the other stuff, too.

I'm not a fan of anything post boxed set (1983), and for that reason I am glad that WoTC is presenting a stripped-down version of GH for a new generation to make their own (as I did)...

But there are a lot of fans of some of the newer material (Living Greyhawk, etc.) as well as 3PP and fan stuff (Canonfire), and I think that their opinions are valid as well.

 

[jolt]

My recollection from buying the old grey box was that it was very good, but not really needed. At the time, everything was Greyhawk and DL. For the 2E stuff, the Greyhawk diehards generally didn't want all that meta plot stuff, and the people who did had already switched to FR. It wasn't that the quality was bad, though I personally didn't care for Ashes, but it was a major shift to the setting on almost every level that no one has ever asked for. The Greyhawkians wouldn't accept it and FR folk wouldn't go back to it.

 

[Parmandur]

My recollection from buying the old grey box was that it was very good, but not really needed. At the time, everything was Greyhawk and DL. For the 2E stuff, the Greyhawk diehards generally didn't want all that meta plot stuff, and the people who did had already switched to FR. It wasn't that the quality was bad, though I personally didn't care for Ashes, but it was a major shift to the setting on almost every level that no one has ever asked for. The Greyhawkians wouldn't accept it and FR folk wouldn't go back to it.

Wait, are you suggesting that TSR was absolutely clueless about product line management????

Well, knock me over with a feather.