Melf's Guide to Greyhawk Cover by Jeff Easley Revealed at Gary Con

Luke Gygax revealed the cover to his upcoming collaboration with Wizards of the Coast at Gary Con over the weekend. During an annual auction at the convention, Gygax revealed a painting by Jeff Easley featuring his famed character Melf. According to GamingTrend, which posted the news on Saturday, the painting will be used as a cover for the upcoming Greyhawk compendium being developed by Gygax and Wizards of the Coast, which was unofficially called Melf's Guide to Greyhawk. The painting was won by actor Vince Vaughn, who paid $5,000. You can check out an image of the cover below, courtesy of GamingTrend. More photos of the artwork can be found on that site.

Gygax and D&D Head of Franchise Dan Ayoub announced their collaboration earlier at Gary Con, with Ayoub emphasizing a desire to "mend the rift" between the Gygax family and Dungeons & Dragons. No specifics have been revealed for what the book will entail, other than that it will be set within Greyhawk. Greyhawk is also featured in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide, although at the time Wizards had no plans to further flesh out the setting beyond that book.

Wizards of the Coast also announced at Gary Gon that Gen Con would serve as an announcement hub for upcoming books starting this year, and that modules would be returning in some format tied to the new Seasons approach to promoting material.

 

[dave2008]

Wizards of the Coast. They're trying to mend rifts of their on making. I still play Dungeons and Dragons, I just don't buy the products anymore.

Didn't the rift making start with TSR?

 

[dave2008]

I will say it: the piece is bad. Regardless of whether the subject makes sense as a Greyhawk book. The detail and composition are just not up to par. The quality is well below Easley's heyday -- which is understandable, as he is in his 70s. But still.

Even in his heyday I found Easley's work to be quite inconsistent. Some of it was awesome and some of it pretty bad, IMO, pretty much from the beginning.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Didn't the rift making start with TSR?

Well, with the family. I think Luke was in the army around that time?

 

[Reynard]

The main thing Luke brings to the table is, if you want something that actually resembles early D&D, rather than some myth, then you can't beat input from someone who was actually there.

I do not think there is any way at all to get "early D&D" out of 5E, even if such a thing were desirable.

I get that some people really want Greyhawk to be a thing. I don't know why, but I get it. If Luke Gygax is a good writer and designer, then his experiences should elevate the product. If not, they may actually ruin it for a general audience.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

If Luke Gygax is a good writer and designer, then his experiences should elevate the product. If not, they may actually ruin it for a general audience.

He has a fair track record, and I don't think he will be working on this project alone. Modern D&D is a team enterpise.

But if he goes in for myth busting, there is a risk he will ruin it for some. But, as with all of those old settings, it's the 90% of D&D players that weren't born in the 1980s that you need to sell it too, not the aging fans. Personally I never liked Greyhawk, but I suspect there may be a market for a slightly grittier take on 5e amongst some players.

 

[WisdomOfWombats]

Wizards of the Coast. They're trying to mend rifts of their on making. I still play Dungeons and Dragons, I just don't buy the products anymore.

I maybe ignorant of some facts, but wasn‘t the rift between the Gygax family and D&D as a brand created by folks a TSR? At least that was my understanding so far. Please correct me if I am overlooking something.

 

[billd91]

I maybe ignorant of some facts, but wasn‘t the rift between the Gygax family and D&D as a brand created by folks a TSR? At least that was my understanding so far. Please correct me if I am overlooking something.

I'm not sure I'd describe it as a rift between the Gygax family and the D&D brand - more like a rift between TSR, the company, and Gary Gygax (and whatever other bad feelings the family might have held for his ouster). TSR had to open up space between the D&D brand and Gygax, the man, as well as between the company and his management. And I'd also say it was necessary for TSR's survival for the following decade.

 

[Reynard]

I'm not sure I'd describe it as a rift between the Gygax family and the D&D brand - more like a rift between TSR, the company, and Gary Gygax (and whatever other bad feelings the family might have held for his ouster). TSR had to open up space between the D&D brand and Gygax, the man, as well as between the company and his management. And I'd also say it was necessary for TSR's survival for the following decade.

If the rift is only between TSR and EGG, there is nothing to "heal" because they are both gone forever. If there is a rift remaining, it must be between the Gygax estate and the owners of D&D and/or Greyhawk (WotC). Right?

 

[Artamo]

If the rift is only between TSR and EGG, there is nothing to "heal" because they are both gone forever. If there is a rift remaining, it must be between the Gygax estate and the owners of D&D and/or Greyhawk (WotC). Right?

I think the real “rift” is between people who took this on as a sort of tribal fight between old school versus any change in the game since Gygax ran the company. The actual individuals involved no longer matter.

 

[Reynard]

I think the real “rift” is between people who took this on as a sort of tribal fight between old school versus any change in the game since Gygax ran the company. The actual individuals involved no longer matter.

I mean, I don't care one way or another. I just think if the press release talks about healing a rift, it must exist in some capacity between Gygax and WotC/Hasbro.

As to Greyhawk: I don't get it. I never have, not even 40 years ago.