I have a subscription to Dungeon, and I'm DMing the AoW AP, and I am cataloguing the adventures from all the issues of Dungeon I have but I am wondering... what is _the_ current authority on Greyhawk?
Is it the Gazetteer? Will WotC be publishing an accessory book for Greyhawk like they did with Ebberon and FR?
If a DM running adventures from Dungeon wants to know more about the Greyhawk campaign world in which those adventured take place, what source should he/she use?
Thanks.
I have a subscription to Dungeon, and I'm DMing the AoW AP, and I am cataloguing the adventures from all the issues of Dungeon I have but I am wondering... what is _the_ current authority on Greyhawk?
Is it the Gazetteer? Will WotC be publishing an accessory book for Greyhawk like they did with Ebberon and FR?
If a DM running adventures from Dungeon wants to know more about the Greyhawk campaign world in which those adventured take place, what source should he/she use?
Thanks.
The gazetter is a decent jumping off point. for the age of worms, there really isn't all *that* much that you really need to know.
there's some old material that would be helpful - specifically, "Greyhawk: The adventure Begins," a 2nd ed module.
it's out of print.. but you can buy a copy of it in pdf at the paizo store.
Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins
Honestly, for the rest of the things you might want (like maps), check out http://www.canonfire.com
I've found that, given the flexibility of the AP, I havn't really needed any of the reams of background info that I looked up / purchased when I decided to run the aow in grayhawk. that could just be my players, though, in all honesty.
As mentioned above, canonfire.com is were I go most of the time. I also pull from Living Greyhawk sites for various regions like
http://www.bandit-kingdoms.net/
http://hobbes.viceandvillainy.org:4242/Bissel/
http://www.yeomanry.net/
Mostly just for basic storylines and NPCs.
Sure would be nice to get a campaign book or something.
*beats horse with a 2x4*
I ordered Greyhawk the adventure begins off the net. It was perfect. The gazeteer is good to. But really all you need for the campaign is some more info on the free city (and you will find that in "the adventure begins".) Most of the other locations are sufficiently described in AOW.
There is, of course, the City of Greyhawk boxed set which has lots of detail on the Free City: and divers Living Greyhawk Journals (LGJ) which had supplementary detail on the Gem of the Flanaess. The former is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to run a game in the city.
WotC's new Cityscape book, whilst not detailing Greyhawk, has lots of useful ideas for adventuring in the urban environment.
Will WotC be publishing an accessory book for Greyhawk like they did with Ebberon and FR?
Probably not anytime soon, even if it is high on the wish list of many posters here.
The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is a good starting point, add "The Adventure begins", and you have the bases covered. You can add the City of Greyhawk box (mainly for the beautiful maps), and perhaps the From the Ashes box, but the latter is really optional, as most information is reprinted in the Gazeetter. (And the 2nd Ed writeups of the priests don´t help you much for 3e gameplay) The ´98 Greyhawk products include some sourcebooks to specific regions/organisations, like the Scarlet Brotherhood or Slavers, which might be helpful. The Dungeon issue in which the description of Hardby is included might be helpful, as well, as Hardby is close to the City. (You will find the exact issue in the listing on Canonfire)
Stefan
Sure would be nice to get a campaign book or something.
*beats horse with a 2x4*
*joins in the beating of the moribund equine*
Denis Tetreault's (aka Maldin on these boards) website has great maps of Greyhawk, plus some additional info on Maldin and Enderi's (mentioned in the Dragon "Wormfood" that came out in the same month as Champion's Belt). It's www.melkot.com, I think--google Melkot and you'll find it.
I found a great map of the Bandit Kingdoms linked at Canonfire, which I'm going to use (in conjunction with "Iuz the Evil" downloaded here) to create an overland journey phase for Kings of the Rift.
I've also used "the Scarlet Brotherhood" pdf and a couple of articles on the Amedio Jungle from Oerth Journal (e-journal linked on Canonfire) as inspiration for a side treck during the voyage to Kuluth Mar.
All of this is quite optional--but Maldin's maps are very much worth your while.
Thanks for all the links and info, y'all. I have all four poster maps of Oerth from the last year of Dungeon and they are very useful for getting a good overview of everything.
I love to bring a sense of life going on around my players, the idea that the world doesn't revolve around them, and things just keep going on elsewhere no matter what they do.
Knowing the basic info about all the kingdoms and major players as well as a historical time line helps a DM to create that feeling of a real world where information comes to the players about what's happening elsewhere.
Again, thanks.