D&D General Suggestions for Greyhawk resources?

[Duo Maxwell]

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

The Crypt of Lyzandred the Mad. This was a classic for my group when we were introduced to the setting this late into 2e.

 

[Shiroiken]

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!

The 1983 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set (not to be confused with the 1980 World of Greyhawk Folio) is probably the best source, as others have stated. It should be based in the same timeline as the DMG. It provides information on a lot of aspects of the world, but it leaves much more open for the DM to fill in as desired/needed. I've used this to run every edition except 4th, as it doesn't have too much space spent on AD&D mechanics.

The next best source is the 3E Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. It's excellent because it can fill in a lot of information for you, so that you don't have to come up with the details yourself. However, it is based a couple of decades past the Boxed Set, so you'll have to decide how to handle the timeline difference. Additionally, it's an encylopedia for Greyhawk... and it reads that way. Going through it often feels like doing a research paper.

An unofficial source that I personally don't like is www.canonfire.com, which is a fan site. It's got a ton of information, but since it's all fan material, I find the quality to be questionable. It's very popular though, and might give you some inspiration.

Finally, I would consider looking into the various classic dungeons for Greyhawk. You'll have to convert them into 5E, but it's pretty easy to turn them into a full campaign. There's also Castle Zygag from Troll Lord Game (iirc) which is an homage to the original Castle Greyhawk, which you can use in its place (as I'm planning on doing). I don't have a complete list, but I know that the Temple of Elemental Evil, Slave Lords, Castle Maure, Ghost Castle of Inverness, and White Plume Mountain are all in the general vicinity of the City of Greyhawk.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yo, how is the word "Flanaess" pronounced?

 

[Distracted DM]

Yo, how is the word "Flanaess" pronounced?

Most common (as per Mentzer iirc) is fla-ness.

You might also want to check out this thread which was chatting about favorite/cool stuff from Greyhawk, to whet your appetite.

tldr: Greyhawk has some gonzo stuff in it, including a black-and-white TV cowboy deity with a gun and a desert filled with mutants.

 

[Zardnaar]

The 1983 boxed set and Paizo era Dragon and Dungeon magazines.

Ghosts of Saltmarsh and Tales from the Yawning Portal.

AD&D spotlight on classic races. Easy to include would be Gith and Tieflings being added make sense. These are some obvious spotlight races. Maybe Genasi due to ToEE. More humanocentric.

Tone is more Sword and Sorcery/14th century vs say FR Renaissance vibe.

2014 phb has the pantheon at least the important ones.

 

[TiQuinn]

Another very solid fan site is Maldin’s Greyhawk: Maldin's Greyhawk

 

[Voadam]

Yo, how is the word "Flanaess" pronounced?

No idea on the official pronunciation but I ran an AD&D Greyhawk campaign for over a decade and went with Flan - Aiz rhyming with Mayonaise.

I also pronounced Geoff as Jee Off though. .

The correct one is however you decide, just say it with confidence.

 

[pemerton]

I've used GH a lot since I first got the Folio around 1985. I've got just about every version (Folio, Boxed Set, From the Ashes, The Adventure Begins, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer). I've also used the City of Greyhawk boxed set quite extensively, as well as various adventures and adventure compilations (some came in the CoGH box; and there are various AD&D and 2nd ed AD&D modules).

As systems, I've used AD&D, Rolemaster, Burning Wheel and (most recently, including in my session today) Torchbearer.

In terms of inspirational antecedents, for me GH is a mix of REH's Hyborian Age (a pseudo-Earth with a background of fallen empires and lingering liches) and JRRT's Middle Earth (knightly orders and kingdoms in various degrees of friendly or strained relationships with demi-humans, confronting Orcish and other humanoid threats).

My advice would be to use whatever parts of the background take your fancy, and overlay with whatever else takes your fancy. The setting won't break, and its geography is good for FRPGing.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Yo, how is the word "Flanaess" pronounced?

From my home game the orc barbarian, Myrtle, learned to read from geography texts. He pronounces it Fla-anus.