A Beginning...

Does the world need another Greyhawk blog? You bet it does. For those of you who campaign in the setting, you know that Greyhawk doesn't get the love it deserves as the setting that started it all off.
Some would argue that Dave Arneson's Blackmoor was the first setting of OD&D, and they'd be right; but most of the first adventure modules  were set in Greyhawk. One could even argue that Basic D&D was originally set in Greyhawk too before The Known World was created by Tom Moldvay. The monochrome edition of "In search of the Unknown" specifically states that suggested locations for the module were Ratik, Tenh, or the Pale. And "Keep on the Borderlands" could be connected to Quasqueton by the collapsed tunnel within, so it too could be placed in Greyhawk. Moreover, Greyhawk was referenced again and again in the AD&D Players' Handbook and DM's Guide. The Forgotten Realms may be the most popular setting; it certainly has the most novels set in it; it certainly has more sourcebooks dedicated to it; and it most likely has been the most supported setting over the decades. But it's Greyhawk that holds the grognards' hearts.

That said, what do I hope to do here? I was inspired by the continuing love for the setting by others of the Gaming community. Much more was added to it during 3rd edition when Living Greyhawk fanned out over the globe and OSR licensing permitting fan content. And even more has been added since. I'm giving a shout out to Anna B. Mayer (that's a sample of Anna's wonderful map, a labour of 20+ years), Mike Bridges, Joe Bloch, and too many more to name here. Gary Gygax opened up a can of worms when he invited us to make it ours. Many have. And I hope to do the same. I'm going to try to flesh out a small corner of the Flanaess and see where that takes me.

Where to begin...? Ratik. It's isolated. It's surrounded by Barbarians to the North, the Rakers to the West, the Bone March to the South, and an altogether trackless sea to the East. Pirates scour those seas, sea monsters dwell in their depths, too. Giants dwell on high. Ratik has few allies, yet it perseveres. What's not to like? So, Ratik it is!

There's little written about it. Some may argue the point, but there is little canon. Living Greyhawk didn't contribute that much to it either, from what I've read.

I expect the going to be slow. I've been away from the setting for a while. There's much reading to be done from decades past. There's much pen and papper mapping to be done. Cultures and communities to think on and scatter about. But mostly, there's this techy stuff to master.

Then what? If all goes well, there's the Thellonrian Peninsula, the lands of the Fruztii, Schnai, and Cruskii, to tackle, and the Holds of Stonefist (Stonehold) too. That ought to keep me busy for a while. Then maybe I'll head East, or South. But that's for another day.

I hope you'll be patient. I hope you'll be supportive. I hope that you'll embrace my little project.

Thanks for now. Long live Greyhawk!

One must always give credit where credit is due. This History is made possible primarily by the Imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard, Lenard Lakofka among them, and the new old guards, Carl Sargant, James Ward, Roger E. Moore. And Erik Mona, Gary Holian, Sean Reynolds, Frederick Weining. The list is interminable. Thanks to Steven Wilson for his GREYCHRONDEX and to Keith Horsfield for his “Chronological History of Eastern Oerik.”

Special thanks to Jason Zavoda for his compiled index, “Greyhawkania,” an invaluable research tool.

Great contributions were made by David Cook, Tom Moldvay and Stephen R. Marsh, who penned the Basic and Expert Sets of Dungeons & Dragons.

Sources:

2011A Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979

9023 In Search of the Unknown, 1979

9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980

9034 Keep on the Borderlands, 1980

9043 Isle of Dread, 1981

Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, 1981

Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set, 1981

The map of Anna B. Meyer