D&D General Suggestions for Greyhawk resources?

[Charlaquin]

So, knowing that the 2024 DMG is going to feature Greyhawk as an example setting, I’m starting to play around with the idea of running a 2024 campaign there. I know basically nothing about the setting, so I’m hoping the new DMG will give me enough of a picture of the setting to get me started. But that doesn’t do me any good right now and right now I have the creative energy surrounding the idea, but nowhere to direct it. I don’t want to lose that momentum, so if anyone could point me to any good resources, either for information about the Greyhawk setting itself, or for running a campaign set in it. I’m particularly interested in the idea of a highly site-based (as opposed to event-based) sandbox game featuring a many dungeons from classic modules as adventure sites the PCs might be able to visit.

Thanks for any suggestions y’all can offer!

 

[Voadam]

The 1e boxed set has short descriptions of kingdoms, a good list of the gods, and a breakdown of where a bunch of the 1e early modules are set.

 

[Parmandur]

Hard to say how redundant this will be with what is in the new DMG, but the go-to would be the 1983 World of Greyhawk box set, which is $9.99 on the DMsGuild: it includes all the material from the original 1980 Folio including the classic map, with a lot of expansion material. It is the only Setting product Gygax was involved with, other than Adventure modules, which the box set locates on the map in the booklet (note: there is a lot of...Gygax...stuff in here that I expect the new DMg to fix).

TSR would make other stuff later, but usually their heart wasn't in it, and the DMG seems to be a timeline reset to the box set (as Ghosts of Saltmarsh was) so even most of the latter metaplot tinged stuff would be of mixed usability and very...2E:

World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (1e) - Wizards of the Coast | AD&D 1st Ed. | Greyhawk | AD&D 1st Ed. | Dungeon Masters Guild

World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (1e) - Enter the WORLD OF GREYHAWK... ...A world where bandit kings raid from their remote stronghold; ...A world where noble

www.dmsguild.com

 

[Voadam]

The late 2e WotC greyhawk reboot players guide and adventure begins books have decent high level overviews as well but mention three sites for late 2e Greyhawk dungeon modules that are not as classic.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I had the same idea. I thought of using Saltmarsh as a home base and adding the old dungeon crawling adventures of GoS, TftYP and Inf. Staircase around it as potential delves.

 

[Voadam]

The 3e Gazetteer is a good 32 page overview of the setting but has very spotty info on gods.

The 3e Living Gazetteer is more in depth but fairly dry.

 

[Voadam]

The original 1e folio has mostly the same kingdom info as the 1e boxed set but zero god info and no explicit references to where 1e modules are set.

 

[dave2008]

This seems like a question for @Snarf Zagyg

 

[Voadam]

The 2e From the Ashes boxed set has lots of info and tons of evocative stuff and hints at sites. It is set in the 2e metaplot of the Greyhawk Wars and is more Dark Fantasy with more demons and active evil ascendant.

Later 2e and 3e WotC soft reset the tone by advancing the timeline a little and undoing a lot of the changes.

 

[Voadam]

Classic Greyhawk dungeons include the Temple of Elemental Evil, Castle Greyhawk, Maure Castle, Lost Temple of Tharizdun, Ghost Tower of Inverness, Barrier Peaks, White Plume Mountain, and others.

The late 2e includes the Star Cairns, Doomgrinder, and I forget the third.