What were we talking about again?
Over the last few days I've been a little fascinated by the Sheldomar Valley. The area between the Lortmil Mountains and the Crystalmist Mountains is home to a series of small wars that coincided with the greater Greyhawk War that took up the majority of the continent's attention. I made this version of the map… Continue reading Sheldomar Valley Political Map
One of the aspects of the world of Greyhawk that I have always found so fascinating is the idea that you're existing in a world on the edge of war. It's something that over the last few years I've spent a lot of time working on. I want the world to feel like it's more… Continue reading Keep Your Secrets
I mentioned last week that everyone should read Chapter 2: DM's Guide to the City Campaign because it provides a ton of advice for game masters of all stripes and today I wanted to focus on the six elements of a story that Douglas Niles identified. These elements are: VillainForeshadowingMysteryChallengeTimingReward Let's talk a little bit… Continue reading LRGCB: The Elements of a Story
Shut up. I realized that I just posted yesterday that the City of Greyhawk stuff will all be on Mondays, but I just finished Chapter 2 of the first booklet: Gem of the Flanaess and everyone should read this chapter. DM's Guide to the City Campaign is a love letter to game masters everywhere as… Continue reading Everyone Should Read Chapter 2 of Gem of the Flanaess
I got a DM on twitter the other day that asked why I had stopped writing down my thoughts on the City of Greyhawk and I thought I would take a moment to explain. I had been working with an old copy I bought in a Used Book store a couple of years ago. It… Continue reading Why Did the City of Greyhawk Slow Down?
One of the defining moments in the Greyhawk lore occurs when Rary goes from being a trusted member of the Circle into a traitor. Rary was an interesting choice for this turn as prior to the event his character was described as: . . . quiet, dignified, and a skilled mediator and peacemaker . .… Continue reading Greyhawk: If We Can Keep Rary from Blowing it Up
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
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
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
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
The text states: The city is not subject to the extremes of the weather across the Flanaess. This fact is important to the poorer denizens of the Slum Quarter, who often must sleep without a roof over their heads . . ."Niles, 3 This seems to imply that the City of Greyhawk is home to… Continue reading Let’s Read The City of Greyhawk, Part 2: Climate
The most interesting thing about the first few pages of the City of Greyhawk comes from its demographics: The city contains all sorts of people, and a few other sorts of individuals. About 80% of the city's population are native Greyhawkers, with another 14% humans from about the Nyr Dyv, Rhennee, barbarians from the north… Continue reading Let’s Read: City of Greyhawk, Part 1: Demographics
This month I've been finding myself thinking more and more about the Greyhawk Wars, to the point where it has practically taken over the second series of Greyhawk Posters, and I've decided that any time I get this fixated on an idea that the only way to deal with it is to actually do it.… Continue reading Let’s Read The City of Greyhawk Boxed Set: Introduction
Dragons Never Forget 