D&D 5E I believe the Greyhawk Campaign setting was a missed opportunity for Wizards of the Coast.

[Sailor Moon]

Greyhawk has been an icon associated with D&D for many years now. A lot of the deities and spell names owe Greyhawk. I believe Wizards had the perfect opportunity to use Greyhawk instead of the Forgotten Realms because the setting has the perfect combination of lore in specific areas while most other areas have none. You can put almost anything into Greyhawk and it would fit because of how generic the world is. Forgotten Realms is not good for this because of the vast amounts of continuous lore that is constant. You can't really have ground breaking events happen unless it follows specific lore. If you aren't careful, you could end up with an event that actually makes no sense. Greyhawk is better suited for this and I just can't fathom why they didn't use this setting as the core. Make the setting popular if that's the problem.

I just don't want to see Forgotten Realms be the catch all for everything while there is a world already out there that is better suited.

 

[billd91]

Greyhawk was the default setting for 3e, so it's not like they haven't done this in a half-assed manner before. So I can see them wanting to do something different.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Greyhawk was the default setting for 3e, so it's not like they haven't done this in a half-assed manner before. So I can see them wanting to do something different.

So if you did something half assed two editions ago, why not give it your full attention this time and make is something worth while?

 

[SirAntoine]

The Greyhawk setting may be something they're afraid to use. Greyhawk has a lot of haters, believe it or not. They probably just want to stick with what they think is most popular. After all, they have to compete with the likes of Pathfinder now, and most Greyhawk fans also are fans of the older editions who won't buy 5e anyway.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Well if they continue to mess with the Realms like they are, they are going to lose all the Realms fans again who will just revert to using older products.

 

[SirAntoine]

They have been trying to turn the settings and the famous adventures and dungeons into something like the monsters of the game, which can be placed and used in any setting and which serve as signature parts of the game like the beholder, the drow, and the dragon.

Fans of Forgotten Realms are used to them putting out trash. There is always discussion of the setting, though, which helps keep the fans coming back for more.

The only sensible choice for Wizards of the Coast is to ride off the game's popularity as such. 5th Edition is doing well, and I am happy for them, but I wouldn't expect much past the core rules from them now.

This is a sign also to take your favorite setting in your own direction.

 

[billd91]

The Greyhawk setting may be something they're afraid to use. Greyhawk has a lot of haters, believe it or not. They probably just want to stick with what they think is most popular. After all, they have to compete with the likes of Pathfinder now, and most Greyhawk fans also are fans of the older editions who won't buy 5e anyway.

I don't know about that. 5e's older edition feel is why I bought 5e. I think 5e will do reasonably well with old edition fans.

 

[SirAntoine]

I don't know about that. 5e's older edition feel is why I bought 5e. I think 5e will do reasonably well with old edition fans.

I know people who still never touched 2nd edition who game in Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms, but I do keep hearing this. What is this old-school feel people talk about?

 

[thalmin]

I am somewhat disappointed that Greyhawk is not the default setting as well, but I have mixed emotions about it.
I hope they republish the Greyhawk setting, complete with the deities, for the benefit of those who do not have access to the classic material. And I would would also like to see references in any modules for appropriate alternate placement into the world of Greyhawk. But if Greyhawk was the default, it could soon have new canon that would conflict with how I would take the world development. What makes Greyhawk so nice is there are so many areas that are a blank canvas, so I can make the world my own.

 

[aramis erak]

I don't know about that. 5e's older edition feel is why I bought 5e. I think 5e will do reasonably well with old edition fans.

It's worth noting as well - a lot of fans of older editions actually are non-grognard fans of various retroclones (S&W, OSRIC) and/or pseudoclones (such as C&C or DCC), rather than the actual old school progenitors. Guys who were to young to have played AD&D when it was still in original printings.