An Overview of Greyhawk

Back to Keyboard/PC after commenting on the OSR-Video ;) When I started playing D&D, there were games in the Realms, on Dragonlance and the Known World around. My first encounter with D&D was the Realms, in Cormyr, I don't know the module anymore... I had played Fighting Fantasy before and was a big fan of Conan, Elric and some german Scifi and Fantasy authors (I went to school with the daughter of one of Germanys most popular authors of that time...) I also enjoyed Sir Walter Scott, Greek and Roman mythology, german folk tales etc. D&D was my third game to be honest, the first one was The Dark Eye (Das Schwarze Auge), the second was Runequest.

Funfact: The makers of The Dark Eye were the same people who did the german translation of BECMI and the 1e books (and Tunnels & Trolls, in German:Schwerter und Dämonen). Almost the same happened with 5e some decades later... The publisher of the Dark Eye also did D&D and Pathfinder in Germany (and Shadowrun, Earthdawn, Battletech, Harnmaster, Flashing Blades etc)

After playing AD&D for a short while I wanted to DM myself because neither Toril, Krynn or the Known World met my expectations of how a fantasy world should be. I wanted fantastic realism, so the Known World was one choice, but those guys playing BECMI were of the exclusive sort and didn't allow their players other games. So not my cup of tea.

I went to our local fantasy store and skimmed through the shelves, with the different boxed sets and I decided it would be Greyhawk. They didn't have the 1e World of Greyhawk box, but I bought City of Greyhawk and Fate of Istus (it was that time of transition between 1e and 2e... 1988/89) Not the best start, but I could prepare the adventure and I got some informations on the Flaness, though mostly from the adventures from Fate of Istus. I was a german junior high kid, my english was not thaaaat good, but it became better while reading TSR stuff and The Lord of the Rings...

Fate of Istus is my campaign I still return to and I was really happy they used Greyhawk as a default setting in 3e. But I always preferred 1e, 2e and Whitebox + Greyhawk, this was my style of playing, and mostly in the Bandit Kingdoms, Nyrond, Irongate etc., so the eastern part of the continent was my home... What I like about WoG is the medieval like but low- to mid-level of magic setting. We call this "Fantelalter" in German, one could say "Fantieval" in English.

Of course I also DMed the Giants (but we never got the the Decent, Vault and Queen modules), Temple of Elemental Evil (QUAK! *gulp*) and did much adventuring around the Nyr Dyv. In the 90s, when it was my turn to run an adventure, my group said, "Oh yes, today it is getting Old School, we are back to Greyhawk" So playing the Old School (OSR) way was a thing in the mid 90s already, and I never stopped playing that way.

Today even my 17 year old daughter enjoys this style of game, while she is a 5e DM on her own (she got all my 5e stuff a few years ago...) Our campaign in the Bandit Kingdoms, near Rift Craig, the Canyon and Stoink is still running more or less regularly. When I return to D&D, I alway run Greyhawk campaigns. I tried Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance and even Dark Sun. But Greyhawk is home.

Thank you for your videos, they made an old grognard happy :) Great Work!

I appreciate this video. 'Been reading about older D&D lore to find inspiration for a more classic Sword and Sorcery style campaign I feel has been underrepresented in my play group, didint think I'd care much for the setting but your ceaseless enthusiasm is very inviting, and a little infectious.

I've been meaning to look into the lore of Greyhawk for a while since AD&D 1e was built around it and I really need to learn more about the official settings past Forgotten Realms, so thanks for the video. :)

Excellent overview, thank you!

Great video. About to DM a campaign in the setting and I need all the info I can get my hands on 🤟

and with the work of anna meyer it has the best map of any setting. even with two versions befitting the timelines

Also love the curtains 👍

Sorry I'm late to the comments. I started back in 1999, Greyhawk is my father's campaign. Many great memories were made. We're still depopulating his campaign setting. Also the G series modules are amazing 👏

As a side note: Using the number of theoretical universes in multiverse theory it would take a level 24 cleric spell to effect everything that exists.

10^10^10^7 universes

It seems kinda generic honestly, but im still interested to see if there is more, ill keep watching.

I am interested in your pronunciations. Are you sure you are correctly saying these things? It differs quite a bit from how I've been saying these things for 40 years. For instance, I've been saying "Fur-yondy", but you called it "Fury-Ondy".

Thinking about running a Rolemaster 2nd Edition campaign in Greyhawk. It has a great feel.

That was interesting, thx for making this video.

I know this is an older video but it’s the second time I’ve listened to it
Some things I have noticed about Greyhawk is its lack of a dominant hegemony, lots of wilderness and low populations, which are all good for expanding adventures
However I was wondering what are your opinions on Carl Sargents work
What confuses me is whether the 580’s was an inevitable likelihood or merely internal TSR hyperbole

Your cat had something to say about Lum the Mad.

Very interesting, I'm going to read up about this world! <3

OK after 2min, this is good information. But does not explain at all what exactly Greyhawk campaign setting is. Like where it came from. At one point mentions this is the location where the original campaign by Gygax took place. Yet what original campaign setting. There is no context to it. Just dumps a bunch of information out about geography. With no introduction of what it actually is.

If you were to present Greyhawk to people for the first time which edition would you use. Say you had 1e-5e and grew up with 2e and was a Realms player/dm for years. I love the sword and sorcery feel of Greyhawk. Never really got a chance to play in it much. I’ve been looking to possibly run some in Ad&d 1e or 2e in the fall.

Is there a playlist somewhere that has a more detailed overview of Greyhawk? I'm gearing up for a multiverse adventure and one of my PCs is going to be from Greyhawk, which is the ONE DND SETTING I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT (Minus like Mordenkainen, Iggwilv, Vecna you know the really iconic stuff). I need help getting up to speed

Thanks for doing this (I believe you were fulfilling my request)! Good job on the overview. Now, perhaps, a video on starting a campaign with the Gold Box starting in 576. How should we go about it!

Amazing snapshot! Much appreciated!

Also, to support the "kitchen sink theory": did you ever notice that pretty much every historical form of government or state organisation is present in GH? Look over the map, merely reading the names will give you everything from Empire via Caliphate right to Concatenated (?) Cantons.
You want a political blueprint, it's somewhere on the map! 😊

FR feels more like something you read about.
GH just gives you enough to want more, but makes you find it out for yourself, by creating (as a GM) or (as a player) adventuring in it.
I firmly believe that Gary Gygax, after all he wrote about making the game your own, intended it exactly that way. 🙂

I miss LG sooooooo much. The Living Campaign was phenominal! At least I was able to collect a HUGE number of the LG modules to preserve and maybe even revisit one day!

I love the idea of Greyhawk and I didn't know much of this

Greyhawk is the original and the best setting! I love it to this day, 40+ years later.

Just stumbled across your content and Im sold. Greyhawk and Dragonlance have always been my best memories of D&D. I thought Greyhawk had been lost to time, Thank you for keeping it alive.

I have no use for any material after CY 576. I don't like "metaplot"... just give me the setting and I will run with it, and take it in the direction it should go based on things that happened in my campaign.

Greyhawk was the first setting I played in, but the GM didn't have the talent to make the world a living, breathing place. As a consequence, I always considered Greyhawk to be boring. Moved on to other settings.

Great overview! Loved the explanation of all the politics and geography. A milestone in rpg creativity and gaming. Made for the perfect rpg sandbox. But I do have to be honest on one point...I always thought the map was a bit of mess. But outside that small issue, it's a brilliant game world. Absolutely iconic settings and adventures.

Great overview. One of my critiques of the milieu is that it was just too big, I felt, for the PCs to have an appreciable effect. That said, you can't argue with the original...

Outstanding Summary! Great Job as always , You really represent the setting so well. Thank You so much!!!

As a Greyhawk newbie, I love 576CY and wish there were more products detailing more parts of the world at this time.

Greyhawk Wars and everything later doesn't do it for me, but that's where the detail of the world really get laid down.

I feel the same about Mystara's timeline changes but at least the Gazeteers give so much info and modular detail. I want a 96 page book on The Great Kingdom... And one on Furyondy. Are there any good 576CY resources other than gold box and a lot of DM elbow grease?

I would kill for Gazeteers for Greyhawk in 576CY. Living greyhawk Gazeteer doesn't do it for me.

I'm slowly realising that maybe I have to take the plunge into Hârn 😅

would be nice to have some maps and visuals while you talk about all this geography... something you can point out while you explain....

i have been playing in GH since yellow box. I prefer it for all the reasons given by all those who posted. I have spent years in FR, and played many settings.
we are now playing 5e, toee, and we are IN greyhawk.

Awesome!

I think anyone who DM’d in the 80s and is still DMing probably has greyhawk as the foundation of their home brew worlds. I know mine started as greyhawk - though it’s unrecognizable now 😊

i have been playing dnd for over 40 years and experimented with other worlds, Greyhawk is I believe the best of all, encompassing all of the characteristics that makes this world mystical, nostalgic and infinitely exciting. Understanding the histories throughout the timelines as a DM will bring years of great fun for all players as I still enjoy.

Hi Grognard. Looks like drivethrurpg has a sale. Any grey hawk books you recommend?

I always found Greyhawk great for the OSR type games that were a little "grittier" and lower level action where FR was more the true "high fantasy" world. I still love Greyhawk and am trying to re=acquire my original source books for it. Saga of Old City is still one of my favorite reads to revisit every couple years.

+1 for Greyhawk Curtains... well done overview.

I've been running a campaign set in and around Geoff in 575 CY. I like the setting of mountains and forests and the overall wilderness atmosphere. I like how the World of Greyhawk isn't overly detailed because that allows individual DMs to fill a region in as they wish. It's close to the G series and S3 and the mysterious Valley of the Mage, and not too far from the Sea of Dust... There is just enough Greyhawk Lore to be inspiring yet not feel constraining.

YAY.... Greyhawk is awesome

started in 1984 - never left - still playing 39+yrs later in AD&D -- thanks

Excellent video, as per usual. Greyhawk was my first campaign world, and is still the default setting, along with my own world, when we play. Your knowledge of the setting is impressive, as is your enthusiastic delivery when you're sharing your knowledge with us. Thanks for all you do to keep the Greyhawk universe alive!

Really great overview! I spent most of my gaming in Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance. Always wanted to play in Greyhawk but knew very little of the world.

I've only recently started playing in Greyhawk! I've been enjoying it quite a bit.

I heard your cat trying to give his two cents. I don't think you should be cutting him / her off when there's a valid point of view to be shared.

Lover what you do. Wish I lived near you so we could game together. Keep it up.

And feed your cat!

I certainly preferred 'From the Ashes'. 👍