Tell me about Greyhawk

[Shadeydm]

He was one of the Slave Lords from an old school series of Modules A1-4.

 

[MerricB]

One last thing, where did turrosh mak come from? It seems unusual for orcs to be organized under one leader.

As noted, he was one of the Slave Lords who escaped after adventurers destroyed their operation.

Secondly, I was thinknig of making magic items unsellable,i.e theres no real market for something like a +3 flaming longsword or a quaal's feather token, while having things like wands and potions and scrolls purchasable, forcing them to craft most items that they want to have in addition to what they actually find.

I tend to allow more purchases of items than others do; it really just depends on your preferences. So too the notes on high-level NPCs that are made earlier: they're only true of Greyhawk campaigns in 1e/2e, where PCs of 12th+ were extremely rare! If you have 15th level PCs, I assure you that you'll be creating similar level NPCs to provide allies and enemies!

lastly, I am considering, after reading your comments running something out of either the Shield Lands, Furyondy/Veluna, or Ket. I know shield lands is between a roc kand a hard place, but is there additional informtion on these places that is easily accessible(i.e. not requiring me to find an out of print book)

Yes, there is more information!

I'd start with visiting Canonfire - www.canonfire.com - it's a place where there's a lot of information, although (alas) often about things that really don't have much relevance for D&D games.

If you can, track down a copy of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer - it's out of print, but really worth it as the best compilation of Greyhawk information I know.

Some of the Living Greyhawk sites may give more information, for instance this page on Furyondy:
http://furyondy.com/about/furyondy.html

Cheers!

 

[Shadeydm]

There were a couple of source book one was called "The Marklands" and the other called "Iuz the Evil" (I think those were the names at least) between the two of them it has some pretty good info on that area provided you are running a campaign which includes FtA material.

 

[Tharen the Damned]

Didn't Murlynd use guns? And isn't there a certain crashed spaceship with lasers and robots and stuff somewhere in the Barrier Peaks?

I though Murlynd used his trademark spoons

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I know shield lands is between a roc kand a hard place, but is there additional informtion on these places that is easily accessible(i.e. not requiring me to find an out of print book)

The Shield Lands LG Triad is in the process of redoing their website. It will include more of the sort of general info about the place.

 

[pedr]

There were a couple of source book one was called "The Marklands" and the other called "Iuz the Evil" (I think those were the names at least) between the two of them it has some pretty good info on that area provided you are running a campaign which includes FtA material.

There's also the text of an unpublished sourcebook by Carl Sargent called "Ivid the Undying". It's at various places across the net, one version being here: http://www.io.com/~wmallman/ivid.html (apparently, a pretty pdf version) and you could probably find the plain text version via google if you prefer that.

 

[GVDammerung]

Didn't Murlynd use guns? And isn't there a certain crashed spaceship with lasers and robots and stuff somewhere in the Barrier Peaks?

While I think Nitescreed's essay hits the target to a significant degree, the above point would be one to add. Greyhawk allows for genre mixing - cowboys and spaceships OH! MY! -to a degree virtually unheard of in any other setting. The mix of science fiction elements, not just spelljammer space fantasy, is as far as I know, unique to Greyhawk among official D&D settings. Certainly, even if only in the person of Murlynd, the mix of a "western" element and medieval fantasy is uniqiue. One could then roam farther afield and look at the inclusion of literary fiction, Lewis Caroll, within the Greyhawkian fantasy - Dungeonland and Beyond the Magic Mirror. Greyhawk is not just "medieval fantasy."

Is this a good thing? I think so. I am a particular fan of the science fiction elements in Greyhawk.

I am also a fan of the "western" element, beyond Murlynd, even though such is not "canon." Murlynd opens the door.

Naturally, opinions on Greyhawk's genre bending will vary. But if we are looking to say what sets Greyhawk apart, the use of material from identifiable genre's other than medieval fantasy is indisputably one such.

 

[Doug McCrae]

But if we are looking to say what sets Greyhawk apart, the use of material from identifiable genre's other than medieval fantasy is indisputably one such.

The D&D core rules have the same wahoo kitchen sink blend of craziness. Undead and werewolves from Hammer horror, monks from the Kung Fu TV series, the vorpal sword also from Lewis Carroll.

Greyhawk is the setting which remains truest to the D&D rulebooks, in a sense the most generic, the 'D&Diest' D&D setting. Which makes sense, given D&D and Greyhawk have the same author.

 

[teitan]

I'd suggest avoiding the Greyhawk 98 materials. They have some issues like referencing OOP materials without giving explanations, it is simply "see XXX for information on this" and in some cases XXX is a high priced secondary market item long OOP. If you need deity information you should just give up because all it has is a list of names, alignments, worshippers alignment and area of interest... no details about who they are, what they do etc. Just lists... sucks. For 3e all you need is the D&D Gazetteer and the core books.

 

[Moggthegob]

Speaking of deity's, is there a more comprhensive list than the Living greyhawk gazetteer. There are quite a few deities listed in there with no descriptions, do they not have descriptions? As for Turrosh mak what steps were in between slavers and ruler of Pomarj,just out of shear curiosity?