What were we talking about again?
The City of Greyhawk Boxed set often provides its readers with tantalizing bits of information that are thrown out without any additional connections beyond what it assumes are the most obvious to its readers. Here the book focus on three schools: the University of Magic Arts, Grey College, and the School of Clerkship. These schools… Continue reading LRCGB: Greyhawk and Higher Learning
One of the things that I've seen several times recently is the idea that before a player's character dies in a game that there should be some meaningful reason behind their deaths. We, the DMs, shouldn't allow the dice to arbitrarily kill a character because of a few bad die rolls. I'm baffled by the… Continue reading Death is Meaningless, and that’s okay
A young Dave Arneson looking to steal your girlfriend I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Dave Arneson. When I first got into role-playing games back in 2004 he was the first mysteries I encountered (and not the last). I saw his name popping up here and there but there wasn't really… Continue reading Dave Arneson on Rules in Role-Playing Games
The defense of the City of Greyhawk is a bit of a question mark. So the first defense is the New City Wall[1]. This has been tested by a few bandits and "bands of ruffians"[2] but has never encountered any serious efforts to overcome it. This is coupled by the Old City Wall which serves… Continue reading LRCGB: In Defense of Greyhawk They Stand, Sort of
Yesterday I was directed to this video from Gary Con XI. The video featured a fascinating discussion from three of Gary Gygax's creative partners: Stephen Chenault, Jeffrey Talanian, and Chris Clark. There is a lot of good stuff in the video but the following interaction got my attention: https://youtu.be/rj0l95HMis0?t=236 The part I want to pick… Continue reading World Building with Gary Gygax in his Later Years
Often it seems as though we, the role-playing enthusiast community, tend to think of Science and Magic as two wholly separate things at desperate ends of “what is: and “what could be.” We limit what can happen in our fantasy games by stating that Magic cannot exist where Science thrives; and in so doing, we… Continue reading Are Magic and Technology Compatible?
One of the things that I think many of us struggle with is whether to use "guilds" or "unions" in our games. So as we're dealing with the financial juggernaut that is the City of Greyhawk we need to take a minute to talk about the difference between the two and to explain when one… Continue reading Money and Power, Part 2: Guilds and Unions
The text states: The exact amount of financial dealings going on in Greyhawk is impossible to calculate, for it passes through many hands, leaving its mark in countless ways. Suffice to say that no place on the Flanaess sees as much value pass through its gates during the course of a year . . ."Niles,… Continue reading Let’s Read the City of Greyhawk Boxed Set: When You Talk About Money, You’re Talking About Power
Last night I took a little bit of time and updated the series page so that it would be easier to read the blog and explore the topics I've been discussing. If there's a series that I have done, but for some reason have missed added to the series page please let me know and… Continue reading Series Page Updated
From the AD&D 2e Dungeon Master's Guide: Since this isn't a combat game, the rules are not ultra-detailed, defining the exact effect of every blow, the subtle differences between obscure weapons, the location of every piece of armor on the body, or the horrifying results of an actual sword fight. Too many rules slow down… Continue reading Dungeons and Dragons isn’t a Combat Game
I'm still here, and still writing but work has been super draining. I've been pulling 11 hour days for the last month. Good paychecks, but damned if they don't drain you getting them
Just a quick note. Due to some personal issues I won't be posting again until the 1st. Sorry for the delay
I was thinking a bit more about factories in the City of Greyhawk last night and it occurred to me that some people might not understand the significance of having factories in the city as they've never worked in a factory, and might not know anyone who has, so they may not understand the sort… Continue reading It’s All About the Trade, Part 2: Factories
Greyhawk began it existence like many towns located along a river, as a trading town. For the City of Greyhawk their proximity to the great lake, the Nyr Dyv, made them a prime location for goods traveling from what would become the independent nations of Furyondy, Urnst, and Nyrond back to the heart of the… Continue reading Let’s Read the City of Greyhawk Boxed Set: It’s All About the Trade
‘Eschatus’ Bruce Pennington (1976) I've been staring at this piece all morning. Absolutely mesmerizing. This is the sort of feeling I want in my D&D games. I want the world to feel big, and epic. I want people to be excited to face evil and to see how they can save the world. I want… Continue reading ‘Eschatus’ by Bruce Pennington (1976)
