Regarding the WotC Rumors

Hail Greyhawk enthusiasts! It's been a bit, so I'm sure everyone by now has seen the WotC panel remarks by head honcho Ray Winninger concerning the future of D&D and his hint that they are already working on a few classic setting books coming in the next couple years. Right. Not going to speculate. My mood is pessimistic though. They tease this every year.

The bulk of the panel involved talking about their fan outreach and initiatives to find new authorial and artist talent going forward. DMsGuild is what they are mainly looking at, so if someone is aspiring to be on the D&D team, get your stuff on there now or start hitting them up on social media like Twitter. There was a lot of talk about an anthology product to come out of this effort, which this time does not sound like the usual Greyhawk module plundering and repackaging, but diversely original adventures done by mentored creators they discover. We shall see. I hope so. Again, pessimistic.

So, now is the time if anyone wants to catch Wizard's eye and affect D&D's future. I'm content watching.

Update 10/15/2024: Hello from the future. Not only is the 2024 revised DMG going to have a Greyhawk chapter and an attached map of the Flanaess/GHC; they announced today that Greyhawk is unlocked for third party content creators on DMsGuild. Oh boy...

Comments on New D&D Book: Tasha's CoE

 

Ahoy Greybeards! I'm sure I don't need to belabor the news of Wizard's teased and now announced splat book Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. So I'll make some comments based on what little I know:

• The cover of Tasha and variant cover especially are gorgeous. I don't know the artists, but it's the first time I'm uncertain which I want to buy. I'll probably lean toward the evil Tasha (Iggwilv as we call her) because it subtly shows Graz'zt and his six fingered hand and possibly a hint of Vecna in the corner as well. The contrast of the off-white margins with her distinctive dark green apparel and dark hair  along with Graz'zt's ebony form is eye-catching!
• The use of Tasha as a licensing character for a D&D book is remarkable. We've had the privilege to see Iggwilv on the covers of magazines and as interior art throughout the editions. Never before have we seen Tasha (or Natasha the Dark as she was known when adopted by Baba Yaga) depicted in this early form before she got heavily invested in demonology. There is extra art I assume from this book showing Tasha sitting outside the Hut. Love it.
• The book Tasha holds on the primary cover in Greyhawk lore could potentially be the Tome of Zyx, a book discovered by the Company of Seven back when she hung out with the likes of Zagig Yragerne who with Tasha's aid would entrap the demonlord Fraz-Urb'luu. Tasha would go on to steal this book, run off to the Yatil Mountains, become Iggwilv and add on to this book renaming it the Demonomicon of Iggwilv and go on to trap Graz'zt. I will give the writers of TCoE all my money if they manage to include all of this esoterica in their book.
• Again I'm positive about having an obscure character like "Tasha" headline this even if 99% of gamers will only know her by the Hideous Laughter spell. It's just another feather in the cap of Greyhawk as far as I'm concerned. Ed Greenwood used to write dozens of mage and spell articles for Dragon Magazine. I don't see them naming a book after the Simbul.
• As to the contents, I won't list them here. Go read the press releases and news articles online. It's a slew of new variant rules which I'm positive will be a turning point for fans of 5E D&D. I predict 6E will be informed by this book in the future. Mind you I don't believe a new edition is on the way, I'm just hoping this is a marker along the way. I'm still pleased with the pace of WotC releasing new books and stories.
• I'm very intrigued to see their magic tattoo rules. I only ever seen magic tattoos in play for Eberron (dragonmarks), but I haven't kept up with that setting in 5E, so it'll be cool to see what core D&D offers.
• I'm anxious to read the sidebar comments in Tasha. They have been a treat in previous books, so I'm positive this one will carry on that tradition.
• I'm positive I will buy this. I love anything Iggwilv related. She used to be one of my faves from my old Greyhawk webcomic.

That's all for now. Once I have Tasha CoE in my hands, we will see how it measures up!

State of Greyhawkery 2020

Welcome back Greyhawk readers. This post is not so good, and it's probably an overreaction, so bear with me. In the middle of a fandom renaissance online the last couple years, I have felt our community has never been more active in streaming, mapping, blogging, convention-play and article writing. I expect this creativity to continue, but will it for me? I don't know. I feel like Frodo at the end of Return of the King. I often go through moods like this during my decade long blog and comic run, except this time, an announcement by WotC has me feeling down and conflicted.

I will let you read the article, suffice to say it's a positive direction for D&D and one I agree should be done for the game and any content produced going forward. What I'm not thrilled about is that it means Greyhawk as we know it, in my opinion, might no longer be desirable as a published setting for the next generation of D&D players. After reading this press release, how can I not think the World of Greyhawk (and even Forgotten Realms for that matter) is only considered "legacy D&D content" to Wizards and that if they ever decide to use it again, rather than just strip-mine the best parts, the setting will require a HUGE overhaul in order to appeal to a new, younger, more diverse audience? That is not to say Greyhawk and its old school sensibilities can't be brought in tune with the new one. But is it worth the effort? At this moment, I'd be fine with Wizards focusing on Wildemount or Eberron or Theros,

That brings me back to this blog. I enjoy doing nostalgic posts on our game's history or musing on the intricacies of the setting. After literally thousands of posts, comics and articles I don't feel I have anything left in my tank. I've tried to raise awareness of Greyhawk, to keep it relevant through three different editions. I've educated, I've entertained, I've promoted others work and now I just want to sit back and see where it goes next. To that end I have about 73 more posts to reach the 1000 post milestone. I'd like to get to that point before hanging up Greyhawkery, so there's still several more months left in me. When that rolls around, we shall see what the state of D&D and Greyhawk is like in 2021 and then I'll reassess my plans like I always do.

Update 06/27/2021: 1000 post milestone achieved. I'll see you all on the streams and forums.

Two D&D Announcements

Heya Greyhawk enthusiasts! Quick post today. If you followed Legends & Lore yesterday you'll know a virtual con was announced for the Greyhawk community! Check it out:

I really don't have any details on this even yet, but it's in the works. When I know more I'll be sure to promote it! And for those who worry, will Wizards be concerned a con is being put on with the Greyhawk name? I think it's extremely doubtful. Why? Because of this bit of news from Wizards reported today on ENWorld:

"Early this week, WotC announced on Twitter that today there would be some kind of announcement on their Twitch channel. Those who tuned in were treated to an an announcement that the new storyline will be announced at a live event in June.

The press release announcing the impending announcement also mentions a new setting, as well as the storyline, so it sounds like it won't be set in the Forgotten Realms. Recently, they've released a bunch of settings: Eberron, Ravnica, Wildemount, and the upcoming Theros.

The new storyline specifically will be revealed at 12pm PST (8pm GMT) on Thursday, June 18th."

So a celebrity D&D charity stream will announce the next big story line (always a hyped event) and this one will include a new setting? My my, with all these game worlds being thrown around it suddenly feels like 2nd Edition era again! 

No need to speculate on what this world will be like, though if Chris Perkins is involved it'll have Greyhawk DNA. Cynically, this news puts even more distance between the fan community and the current powers that be in D&D. So yeah, by October Virtual Greyhawk Convention should be good to go!

James Ward on Greyhawk Adventures

Hey Greyhawkers! Over at ENWorld, TSR alumn James Ward has wrote another retrospective column, this time about TSR's Designeritus. Mr. Ward goes into the struggles of creating books back in the post-Gygax days with deadlines and corporate looming over everyone. He also mentions the eyebrow raising fact that one of my pet-favorite Greyhawk books, Greyhawk Adventures was a rush job done in three months where it normally took them six! This actually makes a lot of sense because maybe the art was subpar, or certain sections lacked while others were fantastic. I always felt GHA wasn't just right. Imagine what an extra three months could've done for that hardback! Read along and let me see what you think.

Update 06/27/2021: Since this post, we've had Jim Ward and many many other classic D&D authors on Twitch. The last few years have been so enriching.

Blackmoor and D&D History

Welcome Greyhawkers. If you are in the mood, check out these two items of old school nostalgia currently posted on ENWorld.

One is a new article for James Wards' ENWorld column titled Origins of Monty Haul. If anyone isn't familiar with Monty Haul campaigns, well I'm sure Mr. Ward can educate you! I am definitely not a Monty Haul DM. Not usually. Check it out though, its a fun read into the early days of Greyhawk.

Lastly, this is not World of Greyhawk per se, but Secrets of Blackmoor : The True History of Dungeons & Dragons, is a new documentary about the creative origins of D&D:

"Blackmoor is the name of a fictional world created by David Arneson. It is also the prototype of Dungeons & Dragons, the first published role playing game. Unlike other fantasy worlds, such as J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, Blackmoor is a living world that is being explored to this day. Secrets of Blackmoor investigates the origins of the role playing game, through candid interviews, archival footage, and newly discovered artifacts.

In 1963, David Wesely becomes a founding member of a club that includes history buffs, model makers, and miniature collectors. Hiding within the group, however, are a bunch of college students who are interested in war gaming. Within a year, the gamers meet a high school kid named Dave Arneson who is playing war games with his friends in his parents' basement.

These gamers have no idea that they will change the face of this hobby forever. Their only concern for now, is how to simulate the reality of war, and above all, they just want to have fun. Their voracious hunt for new rules and knowledge leads them to the University of Minnesota Library where they discover an old manuscript, Strategos; the American Game of War. Within the dense pages are a few sentences that inspire them.

The influence of Strategos changes how they play their war games. But are they really following these old rules, or have they stumbled onto something truly unique by misinterpreting what it says? Should a game be constrained by rules, like Monopoly, or should there be no boundaries at all, like a game of make believe?

One thing is very clear--something magical was going on in the Twin Cities."

You will have to pay to watch this, but it is a top notch production. Here is a teaser. As D&D moves forward in the 21st century it's important for these types of documentaries to be made to chronicle our favorite hobby's history for future generations. Enjoy!

A Few Interesting Greyhawk Posts

Howdy Greyhawkers! The big news from Wizards last weekend was about their new adventure, Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus and they've announced a setting hardback for Eberron. (for some reason) I'm not here to discuss Sharn, but I do have a few Greyhawk items to tide us over until I can get the new Ghosts of Saltmarsh book and then with Anna Meyer, on June 5th, start back up Legends & Lore on the Greyhawk Channel.

First up, over at Tribality, author Blake Ryan has another mysterious location to show off in his Greyhawk series, this time it is Xanvak, an underwater lair of Aboleth in Lake Quag near Perrenland. Suddenly that sleepy lake got 1000% more deadly. Blake throws in some interesting loot choices drawn from Greyhawk Adventures if your players care to brave this deep danger.

Second, the new Avernus book mentioned above partially takes place on the first level of hell (making this a stealth Planescape adventure). One of the product points for this event is some big nasty vehicle called the Infernal War Machine. Over at ENWorld there is photos and advance look at the rules. They are touting this as Mad Max inspired, though my next inclination is my Warhammer 40k orks would love to ride that. However, an astute Greyhawk-file will also point at this infernal machine and scream DOOMGRINDER! Or for that matter maybe the Machine of Lum the Mad or Mighty Servant of Leuk-O could come from this family of hellish devices. All this time they were Blood War left overs!

Lastly, I rarely go to Dragon+ cause reasons, but in this month's feature for the Best of the Dungeon Master's Guild by Shawn Merwin also includes some links to PDFs of classic Dragon Magazine articles that can enhance a nautical campaign. Among these excellent entries is a Greyhawk article I DO NOT REMEMBER. This is significant to me, because I thought I had seen it all. Ironically, issue #125 from 1987 features a cover painting of King Arthur at the Battle of Camlan by Roger Raupp.

This same artwork would later be recycled in 1991 for...Greyhawk Wars boxed set cover. Yes I am underwhelmed too, but I had forgot that excellent cover graced Dragon before the forgettable game. Fast forward almost three decades later and now it is here again. Magical Maps of Greyhawk by Lee Ian Wurn has some excellent lore on the Cataclysms to go with his unique magical items. Download this article!

Ghosts of Saltmarsh Thoughts

Howdy Greyhawkers! It's a lazy weekend, so all I have is some quick commentary on some early reviews of Wizards' release of nautical themed rule/adventure hardcover Ghosts of Saltmarsh. There's a good one on ENWorld by Beth Rimmels. And there's an excellent post by NewbieDM with pictures. I'm sure you've read the contents and seen the maps. I'm stoked, you're stoked. Here is my observations:

First off, the word going around from the Wizards staff is that Saltmarsh will be considered a "setting" and Greyhawk won't for purposes of DMsGuild content creation. Think about that for a second. Had they said sure, writers you can do Sword Coast but not the rest of Forgotten Realms then there would be grumbling, Barovia but not the rest of Ravenloft, grumbling. Sharn but not the rest of Eberron, grumbling. Why should Greyhawk fans be any less offended then? That said it's smart, because as I've analyzed before, the adaptation of Greyhawk classics in 5E is coming up to a crossroads. It will soon have to delve into actual Greyhawk story lines before long or be forced to switch to another classic setting like Dragonlance or Planescape. Futhermore, Saltmarsh was never an integral part of the World of Greyhawk yet it attained this classic status despite being canonically invisible. So, good on Saltmarsh as the choice for a setting to develop on its own. I take it as a sign Wizards knows its burning through IP too fast and is pumping the brakes.

Even so, from the photos shown in NewbieDM's post, we see Keoland, the Sea Princes and King Skotti are mentioned. This is fantastic exposure. The SW of the Flanaess is a popular area with a wealth of history and much open sea to explore. I should know, I've spent the last several years developing the Sea Princes and South Seas. Those DMs looking to start a high seas campaign in Greyhawk, check out my map HERE.

I am very intrigued by the factions in this book, Traditionalists, Loyalists (to Keoland) and the kicker, the Scarlet Brotherhood! This is a huge addition. The SB is a secret organization early in Greyhawk lore, who then jump into the spot light and begin conquest during the Greyhawk Wars. What era GoS is representing will definitely tip off fans where the future of published Greyhawk may be heading. The SB were never featured in any of the original modules featured in Ghosts AFAIK, so this faction addition like I said, is a big nod to setting development.

There is mention made in the pictures of at least THREE Greyhawk deities, one of which, Procan is entirely appropriate since he is the god of the seas. This is notable because Procan is not listed in the scant section of Greyhawk gods in the 5E PHB. I can only hope fellow nautical deities Xerbo and Osprem sneak into this module as well.

I've ran Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh before, it's wonderful, but not the other constituent modules (a couple which are Dungeon Magazine classics). I'm sure this book along with the rules section on seafaring will be amazing. I wish it had come out three or four books ago! So yes, I cannot wait to get this book. I also cannot wait for Greyhawk to be turned loose for real on DMsGuild. Until then, enjoy the Saltmarsh "setting".

Updated D&D Story Odds

Hail Greyhawk faithful! Today I'm finally chiming in on the recent Wizards news of their next D&D story line, the two part Forgotten Realms,  Dragon Heist and Dungeon of the Mad Mage. Followed closely by a teaser that in July two new (old) worlds would be announced for future publication. I'm not here to comment on them per se, except to keep tabs my long running list of choice story lines that Wizards has left to revisit. One comment I do need to make however: why call it Dungeon of the Mad Mage? It's Undermountain. We all know it's Undermountain. Are they also genericizing FR content now or is it a trademark thingee?

At any rate here is some of my previous story line round-ups. Below I'll recompile this list plus add stuff from prior to my odds-making and recent 5E adaptations all put into some sort of chronological order.

Closest comparison 1E inspiration: Dragonlance series? / 5E: Hoard of the Dragon Queen/Rise of Tiamat

1E inspiration: Temple of Elemental Evil / 5E: Princes of the Apocalypse (by way of board game)

Closest comparison 1E inspiration: Vault of the Drow/ Queen of Spiders? / 5E: Out of the Abyss

1E inspiration: I6: Ravenloft 5E: Curse of Strahd

1E inspiration: G1-2-3: Against the Giants 5E: Storm King's Thunder and Tales From the Yawning Portal

1E Adaptations: Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan, White Plume Mountain / 5E: Tales From the Yawning Portal

1E inspiration: Tomb of Horrors / 5E: Tomb of Annihilation and Tales From the Yawning Portal

2E inspiration: The Ruins of Undermountain 5E: Dragon Heist/Dungeon of the Mad Mage (COMING SOON)

What's left to use in 2019? Here's my new odds for future reference.

The Rod of Seven Parts/ Odds 3:1

My hands down favorite right now. This epic boxed set has just the right components for a D&D mega event. It has extra-planar monsters, a backdrop of the war between Chaos and Law (implying use of the new MToF if you change this to the Blood War) and it has an iconic multi-part artifact quest which could easily span two books.

Gates of Firestorm Peak/ Odds 5:1

Staying strong on my list, this weird module is by fan favorite Bruce Cordell and involves the Far Realms which has sort of been brought closer (pun) since the publication of MToF. Firestorm Peak would make a good alternative to Barrier Peaks. For bizarre monsters you can't do much better than this one.

A1-4: Scourge of the Slave Lords/ 10:1

I'm moving this one up my list. D&D may soon need to tone it down and have a more "ordinary" villain to confront players. An evil organization like the Slave Lords can threaten a wide area and could easily be adapted to be something like the Zhentarim.

The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga/ Odds 12:1

Even though Paizo recently covered witched in Reign of Winter AP, it is not outside the realm of possibility for Wizards to also take PCs on a planar hopping trip in her endlessly fun hut.

WGA4: Vecna Lives!/ Odds 12:1

This is one of the strongest Greyhawk modules still out there and it hasn't seen a sequel since 2E. Since they've recently used Acererak for ToA I don't see this coming soon, but Vecna does have ties to both Planescape and Ravenloft making him a strong candidate for a story line.

Dead Gods/ Odds 12:1

I think this Planescape adventure (or any other really) might be in prime position for a rehash given recent releases. Out of the Abyss has shown WotC isn't afraid to use big demon-lord type of villains.

Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun/ Odds 15:1

This theme would be Lovecraftian horror, nominally set in a dungeon but could be branched out. Big-T and his cult is definitely an uber-threat to the world, so why not?

S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks/ Odds 15:1 

The crashed spaceship theme was teased years ago by Chris Perkins' when he tweeted a picture of a Froghemoth. This turned out to be for Volo's Guide to Monsters. Would Wizards really jump the shark and mix scifi and fantasy together this soon? I'm not as sure as I once was.

Five Shall Be One/Howl From the North/ Odds 20:1

I adapted this one to 5E for my home game, but gave it a pirate twist instead of barbarians. The chances Wizards takes up this specific 5 part magic sword quest seems slim, but they should do the theme because it would be epic and everyone loves swords.

I1: Dwellers of the Forbidden City or N1: Against the Cult of the Reptile God/ Odds 20:1

Jungle based adventure was off 5E's radar until the Tomb of Annihilation but I still give these type of stories some value. There is certainly plenty of tropical monsters in 5E already developed to cover this kind of story.

And lastly, for fun....

The Doomgrinder/ Odds 1000:1

Don't even ask. 

Frank Mentzer's Empyrea

Hey Greyhawkers. Most you by now have seen the news about an upcoming Kickstarter for Empyrea, Frank Mentzer's home campaign that was nominally supposed to be set to the west across the Solnor Ocean in the World of Greyhawk. Even better this will be a boxed set and the announcement promises much more, check it out:

"Frank Mentzer's Empyrea begins on Monday 02 October—a Kickstarter for a boxed campaign set usable with multiple fantasy RPG systems.

This set is the first big step, created with the help of many friends. Watch for details coming throughout September.
The core set has a lot to cover, and must be brief. The ambitious Empyrea product line will eventually include adventures, novels, details of all cities and major areas, and other supporting products.

Empyrea Online is a future Community project, where many fans can design the details of the Realm. We hope to make parallel-world Empyreas available for most popular RPG systems. We'll need your help describing it… that’s a lot of real estate! The gateway has opened; throw your hat in the ring at http://worldofempyrea.com/.

This is thrilling! Lots more news to come. Thanks very much for your interest.

—Frank Mentzer"

I'm anxious to see how old school and Greyhawk-ish they can make this without the obvious entanglements. For example check out this story snippet from the official Empyrea group on G+

FROM THE EMPYREA JOURNALS OF FRANK MENTZER

—About the Voyage... a word from history—

Krazandol, 230 B.H

Almater Pudin, Lord of the Land Below, sits with Prince Carin.

"No, that Voyage story that you know is wrong. Listen up, kid…”

"I still remember. Grandpa said, 'Those humans are at it again. War's coming, again. It always ends like this. We gotta get out of here.’”

"The Great Solnor Migration is a legendary event in the annals of history. Within a single month, and with little forewarning, a flotilla of hundreds of boats left the eastern shore of the homeland. Olve, Noniz, Hobniz, and even some of our Dwur left by the hundreds, braving the vast sea to find Life, and leave War behind. And the Lords of the Sea came, and helped us along the way, but you're too young to learn about that.”

"They helped, and most of us survived. What we found left us astounded, and awed…”

"This—not the war-torn lands overrun by humans, THIS continent—is our original homeland. All of us came from here.

"But son, it is time to prepare, for the Humans will come. They always do."

Looks good! I'm also optimistic about the community building aspect since that type of fan-focused crowd-sourcing is what really set Greyhawk apart in the 90's early 2000's. Will I throw my hat in the ring? Hard to say. Time will tell.

Update 6/20/2021: Spoiler. Something goes wrong, not talking about it here, but this project doesn't see completion. 

GenCon Stuff I Missed

Heya Greyhawkers! I didn't go to GenCon and after seeing news on ENWorld, I'm really regretting seeing the GenCon50 Museum. I had no idea it was going to have this many old school artifacts on display. I already saw alot of the art on display at Garycon earlier this year, but the museum they erected inside my beloved Lucas Oil Stadium is way more impressive. Check it out (Thanks Morrus).

And then some quick notes on the Ennies awards. It is surprisingly refreshing to see so many new games and companies winning awards in recent years. Last time I attended the awards (which was a few years) Paizo swept everything. And with the popularity of 5E you'd think Wizards could dominate every year too. This year both are conspicuously off the winners podium. Wizards did manage to win Best Publisher which at the surface seems weird if they didn't have anything else to offer. Wizards has lately taken a rather laid back approach to GenCon to focus on other conventions, which apparently benefits the rest of the gaming industry. No complaints I guess. I do feel extremely grognardy reading these winners though; I am so out of the new RPG loop I've not heard of half these winners. I did hear Tales From the Yawning Portal won a Judge's Spotlight nod, so kudos to, ahem, Greyhawk in the very least.

Update 6/20/2021: I still regret not seeing the 50th anniversary set-up. Then again, in hindsight, I've met more people involved in D&D by staying home thanks to Twitch than I ever did going to conventions. Go figure!

Greyhawk Initiative?

Some of you old school gamers who follow D&D news or social media probably have heard about the latest Unearthed Arcana document by head honcho Mike Mearls. The new idea that he's floated about is called "Greyhawk Initative" a variant system of tracking combat for 5E that he introduced at GaryCon 2017 (I was there but missed this bit). Initial reactions online have been muddled and confused. I have no desire to do a rules analysis or gripe about how this bad idea is attached to Greyhawk. Here is a couple places to help you out if you are interested.

ENWorld (including Mearls video)

Tribality (good breakdown of rules)

Wizards New Storyline and More

Welcome back readers. Well, Wizards' much hyped Stream of Annihilation D&D-fest has begun and the anticipated unveiling of their next story line has been made. All the clues and speculation have turned out true this time, Tomb of Annihilation is the name of this event. It will involve undead and dinosaurs, namely the lich Acererak and the setting of Chult in the Forgotten Realms. Here is my thoughts on the announcement and some other commentary on where Wizards goes from there.

First off, I'm sure a lot of people are disappointed in no Darksun or Dragonlance or hey Greyhawk. Well, Greyhawk fans of all things Tomb can add this to their collection no doubt with little effort. I mean, it wasn't all that long ago Greyhawk stole Isle of Dread into the setting (dinos and demons in that case). As to this storyline it's at least a possible departure from the Sword Coast for a while. I see that Pendleton Ward is involved in this story too. As a big fan of the cartoon Adventure Time, I'm a tad disappointed we won't have a D&D crossover with that world, but I do see what Ward's influence will be with ToA; the main bad guy in Adventure Time is "the Lich".

Speaking of liches, I don't know much about the current state or machinations of Acererak, but I'm judging from 5e art, that he is no longer a boring gem-eyed skull on the floor anymore. I also read that there is a variant rule introduced which will make death saves harder. Now that is a good idea! I have not watched the stream yet, but the news flowing in from viewers is positive overall. I'm unsure if this will be something I buy at this time. I'm currently leaning no.

Now onto my past predictions. Over the last couple years I've tried to make odds on what themes and stories Wizards will use/rehash for 5E. After using Ravenloft, Giants, and Demons, they are running low on good ones. So now, in one year with Tales from the Yawning Portal and now Tomb of Annihilation, I have two more themes to scratch off. I had predicted (long shot) a jungle module akin to Cult of the Reptile God, Isle of Dread or Dwellers of the Forbidden City, yet I didn't think it would be visited so soon. Good on Wizards for that decision.

Second, I had speculated Wizards needed to use a lich for a BBEG story. I assumed Vecna, the original archlich, would be that person (of course). However, I underestimated the popularity of Tomb and its ongoing backstory (Annihilation will be the 5th adventure?). With Acererak ascendant in D&D pop culture, I guess a Vecna Lives! redux is not going to happen any time soon. As usual I've been way off in all my top predictions (except giants, no brainer). Expedition to the Barrier Peaks or Gates of Firestorm Peak continues to be my favorites, and I feel Undermountain or another iconic quest like Rod of Seven Parts is inevitable in the next few years.

That's all for now.

Stream of Annihilation Thoughts

Wizard's latest announcement is a cross-media event this summer called the Stream of Annihilation. Part of the event is the unveiling of their newest story line product for the season. Given all the hints (the logo), prior build up (Tales from the Yawning Portal) and an upcoming Driz'zt novel by R.A. Salvatore involving Acererak as the antagonist, how can anybody not assume this Wizards rally is going to be about the Tomb of Horrors?

My rant is that Wizards has become extra lazy if this is true. The Tomb of Horrors has become its own brand over the editions in that any time the fan favorite dungeon or its parts are featured, people will automatically buy it up. Nevermind that it's in the Forgotten Realms too (sorry DMGuild writers), ToH does predate Greyhawk though it's long been associated until now. Now don't get me wrong, I like Acererak and the Tomb, but before Yawning Portal we got Return to the Tomb of Horrors boxed set, a Tomb of Horrors novel, and at least two other Tomb sequels since 4th Edition. Oh yeah and it's in the novel Ready Player One. Basically, Tomb has transcended Greyhawk long ago so I'm more upset with the glut not the property itself.

This is a problem with being an older gamer, I like the nostalgia a lot and I like the exposure for the classics to new audiences, but damn this feels more like a cash grab to me because I already got all this other Tomb stuff. Was I asking for more? No, I'm asking for more Greyhawk, or Darksun or Dragonlance, hell, more Spelljammer. Fingers crossed that Stream of Annihilation wows me.

One last thing: Mike Mearls did an AMA on Reddit yesterday, and this question caught my eye (of course):

What's your favorite campaign setting that hasn't been heavily featured in 5e yet?
Greyhawk! Eberron runs a close second.

Sure Mike, Sure.

Next D&D Storyline Leaked?

Semi-spoilers? Over at ENWorld, there is already talk, in advance of a June 1st announcement from Wizards, about a giant-themed story line rumored to be called Storm King's Thunder. There really is no reason to doubt the rumor as head-honcho Chris Perkins hinted at it long ago and the foundation of this story (set in Forgotten Realms of course) was likely laid out in Tyranny of Dragons.

Here is the unofficial blurb:

"Giants have emerged from their strongholds to threaten civilization as never before. Hill giants are stealing all the grain and livestock they can while stone giants have been scouring settlements that have been around forever. Fire giants are press-ganging the smallfolk into the desert, while frost giant longships have been pillaging along the Sword Coast. Even the elusive cloud giants have been witnessed, their wondrous floating cities appearing above Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate. Where is the storm giant King Hekaton, who is tasked with keeping order among the giants?

The humans, dwarves, elves, and other small folk of the Sword Coast will be crushed underfoot from the onslaught of these giant foes. The only chance at survival is for the small folk to work together to investigate this invasion and harness the power of rune magic, the giants’ weapon against their ancient enemy the dragons. The only way the people of Faerun can restore order is to use the giants’ own power against them."
Forum discussion has been about the inspiration of Against the Giants the Greyhawk series by which all giant adventures are measured. Incidentally Chris Perkins did update AtG back in 4E with a fourth entry to boot, so there's that. What Perkins also hinted at was the hypothetical giant story being tied to Shakespeare. Let the speculation commence on that, I know little of his works so any homage will be a surprise to me.

Last thing until we get more concrete info, Since giants seem to be checked off my list here is a revised list of my next story line odds. Since the time I wrote it Ravenloft was also checked off the list (I had it at a measly 10:1)

The Ruins of Undermountain/ Odds 3:1 (up from 6:1)
A straight up dungeon crawl. It's well known. It is on the Sword Coast. It has plenty of monsters and subplots ready for an update. This is my favorite pick.

Gates of Firestorm Peak/ Odds 6:1 (up from 7:1)
This 2E module is by Wizards' own Bruce Cordell and involves the Far Realms which is very Cthulhuian, a niche that has many many fans. Firestorm Peak has some quirky villains which seems in line with Wizard's antagonists lately. It was also generic enough that it can fit in the Realms with little effort.

S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks/ Odds 8:1 (down from 5:1)
A downed spaceship scenario isn't impossible given a Twitter teaser by Perkins once posted, involving a picture of a Froghemoth and other aberrant monsters. Would Wizards really mashup scifi and fantasy in Faerun though?

The Rod of Seven Parts/ Odds 9:1 (down from 8:1)
The epic adventure boxed set has just the right components for a contemporary D&D mega event. It has demons, elementals and it has a multipart artifact quest. They'd be stupid not to consider the Ro7P.

WGA4: Vecna Lives!/ Odds 12:1 (down from 8:1)
Still my favorite option. Liches are very popular and who hasn't heard of Vecna? Vecna has appeared in Ravenloft before so he has planar appeal. Also, when he is involved there is always a load of artifacts in play. This story would work even in FR since Vecna wants to supplant existing gods? FR deities are easy to push over!

I1: Dwellers of the Forbidden City or N1: Against the Cult of the Reptile God/ Odds 15:1
Scaly evil and jungle ruins is an untapped resource for D&D writers in the last couple editions. Given WotC's tendency to set their adventures in temperate or cold climates though, this type of story is still far off in my opinion.

A1-4: Scourge of the Slave Lords/ 15:1
Human traffickers is an evil organization that can keep adventurers busy across a wide area. This classic series has been revised recently so it may be fresh on Wizard's mind. It can also translate to other settings easily.

Curse of Strahd

Well, this is tangential Greyhawk news, but no less exciting. On the heels of the new OGL and DMGuild news, Wizards has officially announced their next adventure is Curse of Strahd and from the blurbs and chatter, it's entirely set in Barovia in the setting of Ravenloft. Check the link to get all the details as they continue to roll in daily. D&D celebrity Chris Perkins again takes the lead on this with original creators Tracy and Laura Hickman. It doesn't get much better creatively than this.

I am a huge fan of Ravenloft second only to Greyhawk of course. I've already ran a couple one-shot 5E adventures in Ravenloft and was planning to do a longer campaign when this news coincidentally dropped on my head (I've postponed the idea since). Needless to say I'm anxious to get this book and possibly the tie-in Tarokka deck by GF9, and what's more, if it is true to the setting and not just another Forgotten Realms exploit then that's grand news for the future of the D&D multiverse.

Finally! D&D 5E OGL

The internet is aflame with the news. No not David Bowie's death and not the president's state of the union address. What's up is WotC has finally released an Open Gaming License (and SRD) for 5E! Well about time, right? It's progress yes, but for aspiring Greyhawk creators, it's not quite time to celebrate.

According to Wizard's official article, writers can now use the OGL and sell their material through the approved Dungeon Masters Guild website (from what I seen Wizards gets a 50% cut) provided your 5E product uses original IP or is set in the Forgotten Realms. Well that of course crushes the hopes of many Greyhawk fans such as myself who want to share some quality material for the new edition. Of course it's mentioned in their FAQ that other settings' IP may be opened later, but the pessimist in me says this will be hew closer to 6th Edition than the start of the OGL. Then again, with so many people potentially developing FR maybe Wizards' staff will focus on Oerth for once (pipe dream?).

Greyhawk gripes aside, this new OGL set-up is indeed great news for everyone, especially for people who want to develop and sell a homebrew setting. In the very least it will be good to get into the practice of self-publishing in the event Greyhawk or some other loved setting comes open for general use. Who knows, maybe then a clever team of Greyhawk fan-writers can revive the setting like they did almost two decades ago...

Update 06/11/2021: Still waiting...

Update 06/11/2176: Still waiting...

Reactions: Chris Perkins Panel

Man am I kicking myself for not going to Gamehole Con this year! Over at ENWorld, Morrus has posted some quotes from a panel that WotC's Chris Perkins took part in and it has once again got me and a lot of people buzzing on Greyhawk. Here's my thought and reactions to selected parts of this panel, also you can listen to the rest of the panel for yourself HERE.


"Gone are the days, in 3rd and 4th Edition, when we were bound by the model of having to release a book a month or two books a month, or three books a month. We have no commitment or desire to do that going forward.
And part of that is just driven by business realities, part of it is driven by our knowledge of certain facts that we've obtained through surveys, through talking to people at shows, that there is kind of a certain amount of material that people can actually absorb before the stuff that we're releasing no longer has any value and is no longer serving anybody. A lot of 3rd Edition products, I'm sure, and 4th Edition products, I'm sure, that maybe you've bought or your players have bought are sitting on shelves having never been used, or used precious little. We don't sell products so that 5% of our audience can use 5% of it. We're now trying to sell products that 100% of our audience might use, and they'll use all of it."

I appreciate this honesty because we all know splat books get ridiculous and it's even more ridiculous trying to keep up with buying them. This is a big reason I only play Pathfinder core rules. I got off the book a month club early. It would be different to me if that was a Greyhawk source book every month but a dozen bestiaries or an ultimate-ultimate character building guide is too much. I'm glad Wizards is sticking to just story related material, though that does hedge out extra setting support which us diehards clamor for.

"...one of the things we are going to be doing in the future is looking out at some of our other worlds. That doesn't mean we won't come back to the Realms, or have adventures that visit multiple different locations, start in one place and end in another... one of the goals with our stories is to go beyond Forgotten Realms, safe to say.
The other thing that we're driving to with our stories is to, whenever possible, draw upon the past, key elements from the history of the game that have not seen a lot of attention lately."

This is a tricky proposition. What elements haven't got any attention? What old D&D themes have not been done already by WotC (or Paizo) in recent memory? I've got a few ideas HERE. Place your bets!

"The story that follows Rage of Demons is not going to be anywhere near the Underdark, and it will have its own feel, its own flavour, its own atmosphere, its own thing. The story that follows that is going to be very different. It allows us to do things like ... Princes of the Apocalypse and the Elemental Evil story was very dungeon driven; it was a dungeon-based story... in the future we want to maybe do intrigue. What story would we have to tell in D&D that is fundamentally an intrigue story. Would it be like city based? Would it be planar based, where you're basically on some sort of planar hunt for something? And then maybe the story after that is ... [audience member suggests "horror"] ... horror, or something more light-hearted and flaky, or a little off-track, or like Eberron, a little more steampunkish, or Victorian pulpy... making sure every story has a different feel, flavour, making sure we get to visit some of our other worlds.."

This line of thought implies good chances for settings like Ravenloft or Planescape to be explored, which would feel quite different than their Realms stories. For Greyhawk to stand out, avoiding diungeons or underdark will be difficult but not impossible.

"So, yeah, vampire, classic monster, yeah, we'll do a story with vampires... [more classic monster suggestions].. yeah, we'll do a story with giants."

So Ravenloft naturally, and Against the Giants will be touched upon sooner or later. Check. Whether Greyhawk's giants are more compelling a story than those already seeded in the Realms stories we shall see. As for horror, I'd still love to see Vecna used. He is arguably Greyhawk's greatest villain and is also a planar threat to boot.

"A great bulk of those who play D&D run homebrew settings. But of those home-brew campaigns, over half of those homebrewers do pillage from other settings ... 15% or 50% of the world they've created has hawked stuff from other worlds. They're comfortable pillaging our products for ideas. That homebrew number, I can't remember the exact percentage, but I think it's like 55% homebrew. And then it's like 35% Forgotten Realms, and then everything else ... Very few people right now, turns out, running Dark Sun campaigns. A sliver of a sliver. Very few people running Hollow World campaigns. Very few people are running Mystara campaigns. It pretty much goes Homebrew, Forgotten Realms, I think Greyhawk's at 5% ands then everybody else is at 2% or 1%."

Meh. A few years ago I'd rail against this figure, but realistically ever since 4E they've been burying interest in Greyhawk beyond nostalgic reasons. Most Living Greyhawk players probably migrated to Pathfinder's Golarion long ago, then two editions of Nentir Vale and Realms have led to people either doing their own homebrew or going with what's published. So Greyhawk at 5%? I'll take that! With no RPG support, video games, or novels for years? What other brand can still keep that big a slice of the pie?

"But we are looking at bringing in consultants beyond the range, beyond the pale... people that obviously love D&D may not actually have ever worked on a D&D product. Or maybe they have! Who knows? If I could resurrect Gary Gygax I would bring him in as a consultant, certainly. But we have to stick to the living."

This is something I've been harping on for a long time and now that WotC wholeheartedly embraces their "consulting" model it seems Greyhawk does stand a chance if the right people are there at the right time. Sure Gygax is gone, but the best people on the inside right now are Perkins and Mike Mearls themselves! Outside of those two, I know more than a few people still in the industry or without it who would jump on a Greyhawk consulting gig if given the chance.

"So the question is "What is the next Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide?" Who knows? I don't know. ... But let's say we did a Greyhawk adventure, Greyhawk has been out of circulation now for how many years? Although you can still ... there's nothing stopping you from running a Greyhawk campaign because everything out there is still there and its still timely. And it remains, as far as I'm concerned it's an open question whether we would even change the timeline. Greyhawk's current timeline is perfectly cromulent. So is its original timeline. So the question then becomes "Is it a better user experience to put all the information you need to know about Greyhawk in the adventure product because it's really for the DN's information, or is it better, and it's going to be better received, if that information is parcelled, divorced from the adventure as a separate thing that you have to buy? That you have to spend money on now."

Greyhawk or more appropriately the City of Greyhawk region would fit the SCAG template perfectly. Taking all Greyhawk's existing guides, timelines and story elements you can draw a line through them all that will make a single coherent sourcebook full of useful material for DMs and players alike.

"What makes Greyhawk, Greyhawk? Is it Gary? What else about Greyhawk makes Greyhawk, Greyhawk? Is it low magic? Because you have Mordenkainen - he is not low magic. So it's that magic is more exclusive in Greyhawk? Unless you goto the Valley of the Magi, where it's not. It's got barbarians, a whole lot ... look at the Greyhawk map, there's a whole lot of barbarian territory up there. We don't know a whole lot about them except that they're tigers and... we've got Scarlet Brotherhood which are aryan monastic wanna control the world type organisation, somebody at work, I can't remember it was Mike Mearls or somebody else, described Greyhawk as almost Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser-esque, Fritz Leiber, Lankhmar-esque. That would certainly make sense based on things I heard about what Greyhawk was like when Gary was running it, sort of maybe he felt that way."

"If we were to do a Greyhawk story, one of the things I'd be sorely tempted to do is focus on Iuz. I'm not going to give you a full campaign setting. I'm going to tell you a story about Iuz and all of the **** that he's doing right now and all of the repercussions that are happening because of that... Iuz is going to be the glue that holds this story together."

Totally agree. It's a lot of things to different people. There is no way you can pigeon-hole it. Thus, given the limited time WotC devotes to promoting a story or setting I will never expect an adventure set in the Sea Princes or Ull for instance, but do I expect Greyhawk City or Iuz? Hell yes it's almost unavoidable.

Update 06/15/2021: Six years later, still no Greyhawk (unless one counts Ghosts of Saltmarsh). WotC is presently teasing two new "classic" setting books. I'm still not holding my breathe.  

Graz'zt and Zuggtmoy Minis

Just saw this on ENWorld the other day. Yup, the first mini ever of Zuggtmoy and new minis of demon lords Graz'zt and Orcus from Gale Force 9. What else can I say about this?

Update: ENWorld has just reported there is a Demogorgon mini and damn it's fantastic looking!

About Wizards Forums Closing

It's a light week for me, so I'll talk a bit about WotC closing their community forums in October. From a personal POV those forums have been dead to me for many years now. The once decent Greyhawk forum (a sad subforum of "Other Worlds") saw cross-traffic between it and places like Canonfire and ENWorld then was suddenly and effectively abandoned at the outset of 4E, I'm not sure people moved on to other forums because there was no good 4E Greyhawk material to discuss since Wizards DID publish Greyhawk material in eDungeon/Dragon, and also put out reprints of classic books. Maybe these efforts were discussed in other locations on the Wizards forums, but as a dedicated forum to Greyhawk, the community was long gone from there by the time 5E rolled around.

I definitely agree with their sentiment that technology has changed things. Forums still have their place, since they are best for finding news and information in long form. For quick topics however, discussion and Q&A type things, blogs and social media are easier to follow on a daily basis rather than a forum thread which runs in the dozens of pages. So in short, no sadness here about Wizards dumping their forums. Much like their current adventures, the task of community building is better handled by other sources.

p.s. you can contact me on Twitter @GreyhawkMike