One of the things that I have always loved about the world of Greyhawk is it’s gods. The earlier versions of them tend to have a clear purpose in the world, defined just enough to give you an idea of where their goals lie, while still being nebulous enough that you can invent their personalities to serve your own ends. Boccob was one of the first gods that I did that with in my games.
In my games I patterned him after the old moonshiners I knew growing up and their complete disdain for those who said they couldn’t do what they knew they could. He was irascible and tended to chew tobacco; his hat shoved down so you couldn’t get a clear look at his face. He was a scoundrel and tended to reward players who did what they had to do to keep expanding magical knowledge.
I loved him.
My friends, though, were reading books about the Forgotten Realms and they were constantly extolling the virtues of Mystra, the Mother of All Magic. She had champions, and she had died – but not really, and now there were all these wild magic spots.
I never connected with all that.
,
Dragons Never Forget 