D&D 5E Greyhawk: Why We Need Mo' Oerth by 2024

[vonmolkew]

Gosumba has a personal relationship with Troll Lord. They sponsor his Twitch. Might take about 9-12 months to get it complete but it is definitely in the works

 

[Parmandur]

Gosumba has a personal relationship with Troll Lord. They sponsor his Twitch. Might take about 9-12 months to get it complete but it is definitely in the works

I'll believe the project is real. I'm skeptical of the extent of Greyhawk-iness thst will make the final cut.

 

[The Glen]

Wasn't Mystara's unique geography one of the main design features of the setting?

The issue is Ylaruam, the Arabic allegory due to the huge desert surrounded by a temperate climate. They explained it later that it's that way because the elves stole all the water with a spell. Because of course elves. The other issue is mountains, Mystara has a ridiculous amount of mountains compared to pretty much everywhere. The desert they explain. The thousands of mountains is another matter.

 

[Azzy]

The issue is Ylaruam, the Arabic allegory due to the huge desert surrounded by a temperate climate. They explained it later that it's that way because the elves stole all the water with a spell. Because of course elves. The other issue is mountains, Mystara has a ridiculous amount of mountains compared to pretty much everywhere. The desert they explain. The thousands of mountains is another matter.

Isn't the map also taken from Jurassic period Earth?

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Well then you can wait for the Official annoucements for the project Kickstarter coming from Troll Lord Games; then see for yourself. Please do NOT call me a liar. It has been announced multiple times on my Live Streams and Troll Lord Games' Streams as well.

Yeah, wasn't calling you a liar? Wasn't really doubting you or Troll Lord, just that the D&D Team is known (as @Parmandur pointed out) to backtrack on this stuff.

Looking forward to your kickstarter, good luck.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Isn't the map also taken from Jurassic period Earth?

Almost certainly so. The similarities to a specific Time/Life map of the era is uncanny.

 

[Parmandur]

Isn't the map also taken from Jurassic period Earth?

Yeah, David Cook and Tom Moldvay used Pangea for their College.campaigm before getting hired at TSR.

 

[Jmarso]

Yes, grognards always have the originals and 40 years of fan-developed content. Your lawn holds no interest here. It does not reach new audiences and that is the shame of it.

[/QUOTE]
The whole point is that all of it is available to new audiences already, mostly free of charge. Anna's maps, digital copies of old gazetteers and countless fan-produced material, magazine articles, and as I said, the entirety of the Oerth Journals, all of which are free. So the shame of it would be new audiences paying WOTC for a pale imitation of the Greyhawk greatness that already exists.

Nostalgia is a powerful draw, but it is not enough to breathe new life into Oerth. They should play up that both good and evil are treated as threats to the world by the powers that be. The Circle of Eight is a real Illuminati, beyond any government, challenging the will of the divine and profane. Do the PCs fight the secretive cabal of self-appointed wizards or serve as their agents to maintain balance on Oerth? If you add in the breaking of the Circle and Rary the Traitor fleeing to the Bright Desert, who steps into the vacuum? Iuz, Rao, the Scarlet Brotherhood, Tharizdun? That is 591CY. What is 601CY or 620CY look like? The balance is upset. Chaos is on the march. Oerth needs heroes to bring back balance or fight for good or evil? Throw in some stronghold and world influence rules, gaining power from ruins of the past.

Again, these ideas and much more have already been explored by various campaigns en masse. There are campaigns where the Death Knights have taken over most of the continent, campaigns where other groups of players have either joined or destroyed the Circle of Eight, campaigns set in future centuries with firearms, you name it. If you can imagine it, someone has probably already done it in Greyhawk and there is nothing stopping anyone else from doing it, either.

The setting has far outgrown, outpaced, and outperformed anything the current talent pool at WOTC would be capable of producing.

 

[JohnF]

So the shame of it would be new audiences paying WOTC for a pale imitation of the Greyhawk greatness that already exists.

Despite my own access to lots of old Ravenloft material, I purchased and really enjoyed Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. It was a fresh, quality modern reboot that gave my groups a clean start unburdened by truckloads of past material, official or otherwise. We were able to make Ravenloft our own all over again, and it felt good! I’d gladly welcome the same for Greyhawk.

If that doesn't happen and I still feel the urge to campaign in Greyhawk like I did in the 80s (I'm 53), I’d do what @Parmandur suggested - I'd get the PDF of the World of Greyhawk boxed set and start fresh as if no other material existed, making the world our own all over again...

 

[Parmandur]

Despite my own access to lots of old Ravenloft material, I purchased and really enjoyed Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. It was a fresh, quality modern reboot that gave my groups a clean start unburdened by truckloads of past material, official or otherwise. We were able to make Ravenloft our own all over again, and it felt good! I’d gladly welcome the same for Greyhawk.

If that doesn't happen and I still feel the urge to campaign in Greyhawk like I did in the 80s (I'm 53), I’d do what @Parmandur suggested - I'd get the PDF of the World of Greyhawk boxed set and start fresh as if no other material existed, making the world our own all over again...

I can attest, it is very compatible with 5E. The only thing that may need some work are the Encounter tables, and...those might be fine as is.