The Great World of Greyhawk

[Coreyartus]

Still Living Greyhawk is a very specific way to participate, and many people don't necessarily want to do it that way. Also, I'm not sure if I can form a RPGA/LG chapter here in Russia .

The unfortunate thing about LG is that the canonical "fleshing out" of the campaign that you want comes with many strings attatched and a rigid structure of what you can/cannot do, as well as how you are allowed to participate. If you want to judge the mods, you can only have access to certain mods in certain countries or play them in specific regions--it encourages uniqueness in each area but means you have to travel to play different flavors of the setting. Fun, Expensive...Possible?

That said, you should look into this whole "access-in-Russia" thing because I'm sure your not the first person to think about that. If LG wants access to the potential thousands of players there (and sticks by it's credo to encourage gaming) it would be in their best interest to investigate options so you can play.

The RPGA version of LG is, of course, canon-without-being-canon. While a lot happens, and regions are indeed affected by the actions of the players (in general), change is creepingly slow. It's kinda like playing in an RPG version of a Star Trek series--things happen, but things don't really change too much. The very oldest PC's in the LG campaign are just now approaching 13th level (I think), so the vast majority of PC's don't have much direct impact on the campaign's setting as much as they're along for the ride, participating in several "episodes", working through the seasons (years) and hoping to make it to syndication (retirement).

My suggestion to you would be to investigate some of the old material available as buyable PDF files at various websites. Use the fan-generated material as the supplemental stuff your looking for. There's a lot of it out there, because there are lots of people who feel exactly like you do. www.canonfire.com is a good place to start.

--Coreyartus

 

[BOZ]

oddly enough, i play in a 3E WoG campaign, where the DM basically took the map from the 1980 set, and made up all the details of small towns often on the spot, or took them from modules that we played in. for one thing, we played Ghost Tower of Inverness in Urnst.

 

[Ancient Gamer]

I'm not asking that WotC provide detailed books for areas like FR did, but give a little more so GM's can develop more personal attentions for their campaigns. Idea's I had was a series of maps detailing first the the land of Oerth into large maps. Someone mentioned Canonfire where someone in there has produced some super awesome maps. If I could get poster size prints of those... such fantastic detail. (Just looking at those maps give not noly a more realistic feel, but details that I can pull up, develop, and create an informative adventure background).

Then adventures unique to geograhical areas or political areas.

More maps of the more popular and legendary Greyhawk Citys, but developed like the old Lanhkmar or Greyhawk City box sets or the Waterdeep City boxed set (FR) that had been filled with the poster sized maps, sewer tunnel skematics, blank building areas that GM's could develop and set with the city's poster sized map with their own pub, apothocary, blacksmith, fortune teller, etc.. buildings, but have some already developed for play. I'E: a small booklet with The Black Dragon Inn or the Great Library of the city of Greyhawk plus other sites PC's visit - detailed, stocked with NPC's, adventure hooks, etc...

I've developed some of this out of need for my games and wished that there was always something more that could be easily acquired/purchased.

Plus the fact that the WORLD of Greyhawk is not limited to the chunk of play of that strip of lands ravaged by the Greyhawk Wars Where did the Aqua Oreidians travel too when they stuck it further East?
What of the secrets held in the lands Blackmore, surely some brave adventurers have already maped more of the exsisting area presented.

I would love to see a d20 Game Company acquire the rights to do this (like the guys who have done Kalamar but with the same style and detailed maps as found at Canonfire), IF WotC couldn't or wouldn't take up this challenge, which we all know would sell very well if given the proper advertisements.

If I didn't have the job I have now (the military) and had some funds to spare I would try to look at trying to legally publish this.

Please listen to this WotC!!!
I know this is a shared vision, my career has given me the oportunity to meet gamers from coast to coast, US, Canada, UK and even the Downunder, and it has been a topic of discussion. Do a survey, appease your HASBRO masters with witty marketing skills and show them the money! that could come from such an exploit. Take the chance. Don't get extravagant. Keep production costs low and the cost to the consumer relative, just enough to make a modest profit and spread the wealth.

I'll buy two of everything, if I can afford it.

Eric Noah, I vote for your expertise and beseech you to talk to the right people for us little guys in this world of corporate partnerships. You have the heart of Greyhawk at hand. I've read soo much of your contributions. You da man! Greyhawk material was there before and it can be again, bigger (poster sized!!) and badder! With a lot more detail, exploit the information out there, both Living Greyhawk and similar Canonfire resources alike! Make it happen! Make it so! Heck! Forward this to the "big wigs" in the respective departments/offices with WotC and HASBRO!

Just a little sucking up there, but in all reason, I believe this is a worthy venture.

Thank you for listening.

Cheers!

 

[Joseph Elric Smith]

Hey all, another thread of debate and/or opinion...

The World of Greyhawk. I almost feel like I grew up there, for my 12th B-day after almost a full six months of being a fledgling gamer, many many moons ago, my dad gave me some B-day cash and I peddled my butt down to the local hobby store and picked up my 1980 copy of World of Greyhawk fantasy world setting by Gary Gygax.

The rest is literally history. Aside from what has been made available for Greyhawk (officially and un-officially, special thanks to Mr Mona) I am curious why WotC doesn't go beyond the Living Greyhawk games. Detailed maps, details and maps of cities, Maybe a bunch of short adventures compiled into a neat book, all done real nice and professional like.

Can anyone say what the future will be for D&D's core fantasy world?

I would definitely like to see more product for this fantasy setting, heck! look at the material for the Kingdom of Kalamar...awesome!


Cheers

As far as I know the RPGA is the only support that Greyhawk will receive. I don;t think they will let anything official happen to the world with out it going through Living Greyhawk
Ken

 

[WayneLigon]

More maps of the more popular and legendary Greyhawk Citys, but developed like the old Lanhkmar or Greyhawk City box sets

Have you checked out the maps at Canonfire ? Some are extremely impressive.

 

[Erik Mona]

I would anticipate greater Greyhawk coverage in Dungeon. I hear the new editor-in-chief is a big fan of the setting.

--Erik

 

[JeffB]

Except that, for those of us who care about Greyhawk, nothing could be further from the truth. We don't want a vague world that DMs can use as a skeleton for their own setting. We want Greyhawk, as it used to be.

Exactly.

 

[Joseph Elric Smith]

Except that, for those of us who care about Greyhawk, nothing could be further from the truth. We don't want a vague world that DMs can use as a skeleton for their own setting. We want Greyhawk, as it used to be.

But greyhawk as it used to be, was a thumbnail and a skeleton, so that the DM could flesh it out. I've been running the world of Greyhawk since the first folio, and except for some crazy times after the ashes, Greyhawk has been the best world, because it left things open for the Dm to flesh out, sure it might give some hints,but it left it open ended for the DM to decide what was going on.. By leaving greyhawk wide open it allows the DM to develop the world for his players, and not have to worry about making some supplement fit his world.
Ken

 

[William Ronald]

Greyhawk, IMHO, did not have much in the way of details. The original releases did not mention the PHB deities (except for St. Cuthbert possibly.)

So, I like to think of the WoG as a template that many DMs have worked with. This is its current role as a default setting. There does seem to be a great deal of unofficial support at sites like Canonfire.

So, I think it is up to any DM -- regardless of whether he uses Greyhawk, FR, other published settings, or a homebrew setting -- to breathe life into a campaign. While there is not much in the way of official Greyhawk publications, the WoG is still very much alive. The fans have never abandoned it, and will argue over different versions of the setting. (Original set versus From the Ashes being a case in point.)

Also, I seem to recall that some of the LG regions have websites. These could be useful sources of information for those in LG and those running Greyhawk in their home campaigns.

 

[Artimoff]

What Melan said. Prior to the 1980 set, Greyhawk was only detailed in vague details within select modules. Afterwards, you had a collective whole that was still quite vague...by design. Greyhawk was meant to be customized and unique to the DM, hence the relative lack of detail. FR bears a much higher level of detail than probably any other setting, also by design.

Would I like to see more Greyhawk materials? Sure I would...or find an easier way to access the RPGA modules than currently exists. "Fright of Tristor" is one of the best Greyhawk modules that I've ever read...but it's hardly easy to get ahold of, for example.

I would have liked the adventure path modules to have taken place in known Greyhawk locations. Isn't that the way early TSR brought us our Greyhawk fix?