D&D (2024) WotC Invites You To Explore the World of Greyhawk

This week a new D&D Dungeon Master's Guide preview video was released. This one features the sample setting chapter in the book, which showcases the World of Greyhawk.

One of the earliest campaign settings, and created by D&D co-founder Gary Gygax, Greyhawk dates back to the early 1970s in Gygax's home games, receiving a short official setting book in 1980. Gyeyhawk was selected as the example setting because it is able to hit all the key notes of D&D while being concise and short. The setting has been largely absent from D&D--aside from a few shorter adventures--since 2008. Some key points from the video--

• Greyhawk deliberately leaves a lot for the DM to fill in, with a 30-page chapter.
• Greyhawk created many of the tropes of D&D, and feels very 'straight down the fairway' D&D.
• This is the world where many iconic D&D magic items, NPCs, etc. came from--Mordenkainen, Bigby, Tasha, Otiluke and so on.
• The DMG starts with the City of Greyhawk and its surroundings in some detail, and gets more vague as you get farther away.
• The city is an example of a 'campaign hub'.
• The sample adventures in Chapter 4 of the DMG are set there or nearby.
• The map is an updated version, mainly faithful to the original with some tweaks.
• The map has some added locations key to D&D's history--such as White Plume Mountain, the Tomb of Horrors, Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, Ghost Tower of Inverness.
• There's a map of the city, descriptions of places characters might visit--magic item shop, library, 3 taverns, temples, etc.
• The setting takes 'a few liberties while remaining faithful to the spirit of the setting'--it has been contemporized to make it resonate in all D&D campaigns with a balance of NPCs who showcase the diversity of D&D worlds.
• The backgrounds in the Player's Handbook map to locations in the city.
• Most areas in the setting have a name and brief description.
• They focus on three 'iconic' D&D/Greyhawk conflicts such as the Elemental Evil, a classic faceless adversary; Iuz the evil cambion demigod; and dragons.
• There's a list of gods, rulers, and 'big bads'.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Game of Thrones' influence has a long reach.

Adding incest to the politics of the Great Kingdom would hardly move the needle for them at all. If that were to happen, people would basically just go "Oh. Yeah, that's not surprising at all actually."

 

[Parmandur]

Adding incest to the politics of the Great Kingdom would hardly move the needle for them at all.

I'd call that less an "addition" and more a "reading between the lines" situation.

 

[MGibster]

I'd call that less an "addition" and more a "reading between the lines" situation.

"What are you doing, step-wizard?"

 

[KoolMoDaddy-O]

That's why I don't go past the the Twin Cataclysms, since it just throws away the 1970s/80s Cold War example of mutually assured destruction. -422 CY is the one true year for Greyhawk campaigns for me.

I look forward to your prequel trilogy about a time-tossed group of heroes attempting to prevent the apocalypse. Make sure to throw in some minotaurs, people love those.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I'm feeling pretty lonely here. My current home campaign started in year 505. I am totally on board with the Greyhawk Wars and After the Ashes. It's provided some significant adventures in the game. e.g.: Greyhawk city has doubled in population thanks to refugees fleeing the wars. The PCs have dealt with 2 former Hierarchs of the Horned Society.

Hey look, I didn't resist going on about my own campaign.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm feeling pretty lonely here. My current home campaign started in year 505. I am totally on board with the Greyhawk Wars and After the Ashes. It's provided some significant adventures in the game. e.g.: Greyhawk city has doubled in population thanks to refugees fleeing the wars. The PCs have dealt with 2 former Hierarchs of the Horned Society.

Hey look, I didn't resist going on about my own campaign.

I think one of the benefits of using the OG base is thst all the following metaplot stuff is up for sale on the DMsGuild: anyone who reads this new DMG can grab From the Ashes and layer that in pretty easily: or use it as a guide for events in the wider world as they campaign.

 

[Yaarel]

The map is not only awful and uninspired, but if it's just a massive "supercontinent" as shown, the effects on the interior would be dire.

But you know, that's reality. I don't think anyone draws fantasy maps with a keen eye toward things like plate tectonics and weather patterns.

But the interior does look dire, with West Oerik a bleak desert instead of a Mediterranean Sea. It seems coincidentally accurate.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I think one of the benefits of using the OG base is thst all the following metaplot stuff is up for sale on the DMsGuild: anyone who reads this new DMG can grab From the Ashes and layer that in pretty easily: or use it as a guide for events in the wider world as they campaign.

Oh yeah. That right there is a benefit for new players of Greyhawk. That depth of other material that they can use, or not.

 

[Radcliff]

I know it's nearly impossible, but if your group doesn't know about Barrier Peaks, it is 100x more awesome.

I still remember the first time I went through it, and I had no idea what was happening, and as I slowly caught on, the sense of wonder enveloped me.

Those are the memories that stay with us.

 

[Radcliff]

I loved Barrier Peaks!