That Greyhawk Feeling

[kenobi65]

To me, the Greyhawk Feeling is one where Good is often trumped by Expediancy and Gold. It has a gritty and kinda dirty lived-in feel that's kinda of like Discworld if you drained every bit of humor out of it. Most of your higher-up NPC's are neutral or amoral. Evil has a place in the world, and people just accept that and deal with it.

I think I'd concur with this. It often feels to me like the "default alignment" of Greyhawk is True Neutral. Compare to the Realms, where the default alignment feels to me to be somewhere around Neutral Good.

 

[WizarDru]

I think I'd concur with this. It often feels to me like the "default alignment" of Greyhawk is True Neutral. Compare to the Realms, where the default alignment feels to me to be somewhere around Neutral Good.

I'd agree with that. Greyhawk is much more about your classic D&D concepts, and is largely beholden to the classics of the fantasy genre. The biggest villains in the setting are demons, devils and those who consort with them, like Iuz (who is a cambion demi-god). The world is rougher and less comfortable than the Realms generally feels to be; not more or less lawful, but with fewer creature comforts or feeling of safety. Greyhawk has changed somewhat in tone over the years, such that there are different folks who argue over that topic.

An example of how things are different? In the Slavers series, pirates sail up the river and start grabbing people willy-nilly from the Nyr Dyv and even from the region around Greyhawk, the jewel of the Flanaess. Would this happen in the heart of the Dalelands or within spitting distance of Waterdeep? I suspect not, but I'm no expert on the realms.

However, Greyhawk has plenty of high-level characters...they just tend to be self-involved and worried about each other. Few care about the greater good, but there are some out there. Most of the high-level beings in Greyhawk trump each other. For a setting with few high-level leaders, you need to look to Eberron.

 

[moritheil]

SPOILER WARNING

The circle of eight split up in later years, IIRC. Rary (correct me if I'm wrong) turned to conquest; Tenser was slain (but came back as a clone.)

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Not really sure if that's a spoiler, per se...it's pretty much Greyhawk history at this point.
The circle still exists, they just replaced the couple of members they lost...and Rary is a...sort of villian...

 

[kenobi65]

Not really sure if that's a spoiler, per se...it's pretty much Greyhawk history at this point.
The circle still exists, they just replaced the couple of members they lost...and Rary is a...sort of villian...

Yup, all of that's described in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, which has been in print for 4-5 years now.

 

[WizarDru]

SPOILER WARNING

The circle of eight split up in later years, IIRC. Rary (correct me if I'm wrong) turned to conquest; Tenser was slain (but came back as a clone.)

Correct. At the conclusion of the Greyhawk Wars, at the signing of the peace treaty, Rary went traitor, killing several other members. Three new members joined the Circle at the advent of 3e, as detailed in LGG #0. Modankanein is considered an unofficial ninth member, acting as the 'advisor' to the circle, but really it's executive member.