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Adept Greytalker
Joined: Aug 10, 2003
Posts: 340
From: Harker Heights, TX
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Fri Apr 22, 2005 9:57 am
My Favorite Articles
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I'd like to begin a new thread here. Seeing as though the thread on favorite modules was a big hit on the 'Welcome to Greyhawk' forum, I'd like to start a favorite CF article thread.
Now I will start out with a few caveats: this list is by no means complete or exhaustive. There is just so much great stuff on CF right now that it would be near impossible to boil down my favorites to just a few. The following five articles are all, in my opinion, not only five star ratings but are in the catagory of "print them out and start basing an adventure on them right this minute" good. I also triesd to mostly focus on the relatively older articles, as a way of bringing them back to light (kinda like the Abyss' Archives - which I thought was a good idea).
Well here they are in no particular order:
Shadows over Keoland is a great example of planting the seeds of a whole campaign into one easy to read article. Kudos to Jesse Dean.
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=111&mode=&order=0&thold=0
Chatdemon wonderfully described the Westkeep barony of Keoland, showing that a great description makes a great article and does not have to be a major location of Oerth-shattering importance to be interesting. Plus there is a cool map!
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=271&mode=&order=0&thold=0
If you want well researched and documented historical explanations of past Greyhawk lore, look no further then the articles by kirt. I will just link to part one of his Knights of the Hart article:
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=234&mode=&order=0&thold=0
One fairly recent favorite was the Six Great Night Hags article by wykthor. Not only does this describe an often neglected major villain, but it also presents a structure and philosophy of the various aspects of Incabulos that makes this far more then just a description of six monster flunkies.
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=540&mode=&order=0&thold=0
Finally, if you want to have a chill run down your spine, just read Tara's Tale of Kaldak von Shargallan. It inspired me to do a couple articles myself on Icespire, making it a truely memorable and frightening location with shades of "Cthulu-Hawk" thrown in for good measure.
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=35&mode=&order=0&thold=0
So kudos to all the authors and their work. So I have a request to all you reading this thread - do yourselves a favor and reread these articles. And if you can, post a comment or list your own favs on this thread. CF has now gotten so big that a thread like this is needed to have some of the older articles readily available.
Happy Gaming
Osmund-Davizid
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Journeyman Greytalker
Joined: Sep 21, 2003
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Fri Apr 22, 2005 1:24 pm
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Nice idea O-D, and thanks for the compliment about the hags 
I choose two great articles:
Xaene the Accursed, from Bdpenney, also the author of the loveable Screaming Column. I found the reading of this archmage deeply interesting: http://www.canonfire.com/cf//modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=403
Libram Infernal - Malbolge, from O-D. He managed to transform a seemingly "dull" layer to a heck of an adventure site
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=539&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
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Victor Caminha
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Adept Greytalker
Joined: Jun 29, 2001
Posts: 487
From: Cooke City, MT, USA
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Fri Apr 22, 2005 1:30 pm
Re: My Favorite Articles
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Thanks for the compliments. I have always liked how that article came, and now and then I get the itch to expand it a bit. Perhaps in the near future.
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CF Admin
Joined: Jan 09, 2004
Posts: 404
From: Stansbury Park, Utah
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Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:08 am
Moved from Readers Workshop
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Hey, guys. I moved this thread to the World of Greyhawk General Discussion board to accommodate the "Author Jitters / Participate in Postfest" threads. I hope this helps facilitate further discussion.
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Don (Greyson)
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Joined: Feb 26, 2004
Posts: 2592
From: Ullinois
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Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:54 pm
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I am a fan of Demon Lords and other outer planar baddies. Rasgon's 'Baphomet' article always comes to mind first for me.
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=93
I also like grodog's Excerpts from the Demonomican series. He was certainly ahead of the times with these articles.
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=Your_Account&op=userinfo&username=grodog
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Master Greytalker
Joined: Jul 13, 2002
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From: Orlane, Gran March
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 5:38 am
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While I like many many articles posted here, it is a thread that should be an article that is my favorite.
Started by Rhineglade (anyone know where he slipped off too?) it is the detailing of nearly a dozen layers of the abyss.
Here it is: http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=219&highlight=abyss
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Grandmaster Greytalker
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Master Greytalker
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From: Sky Island, So Cal
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:43 am
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This thread also served as an inspiration for my article on the Abyssal plane of Tempest.
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=452
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My campaigns are multilayered tapestries upon which I texture themes and subject matter which, quite frankly, would simply be too strong for your hobbyist gamer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mp7Ikko8SI
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Adept Greytalker
Joined: Aug 10, 2003
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From: Harker Heights, TX
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Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:23 pm
Keep up the postings!
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Now this is what I was talking about!
I found a couple of really good articles I missed the first time by reading what other people liked. So I encourage anyone who wants to throw in their two cents to link to their favorite articles.
The benefits of this are 1) good articles from long ago are put back into the spotlight; 2) with all the talk lately about people not posting due to not knowing how/what to write, there is a pool of good examples to use and 3) it is good to combat the perception of people nitpicking with people giving praise when it is due.
Again, let us keep up giving praise when it is due and keep our web site here going strong!
O-D
(yeah this sounds like a sermon a priest of Rao would give - I've been told that before...)
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Grandmaster Greytalker
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Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:29 am
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Not a new idea, but I will toss it back in, how about a "best of" on the articles. Perhpas a supplemental OJ?
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GreySage
Joined: Aug 03, 2001
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From: Michigan
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Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:42 pm
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Some of my favorites include:
The Harashim, an article that introduces a new but eminently logical culture to the Flanaess - and perhaps the heirs of the ancient kingdom of Ahlissa?
The Bucknard Manuscript, which offered an interesting view of planar convergences.
The Ancient Races of Oerth - an endless sea of prehistoric inspiration.
The Hand and Eye of Vecna, to exemplify Sam's Keoland articles.
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Adept Greytalker
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From: Harker Heights, TX
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Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:32 pm
Bump up this thread!
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The suggestion of having a "Best of Canonfire" in a supplemental OJ has merit. The articles could be expanded, with art added. We could do a Canonfire write in poll for voting which articles get put in.
The advantages of this are: the articles are already written (other then inviting the authors to do some fine tuning - making the OJ article a version 2.0 for all intents and purposes) so the OJ could come out relatively fast.
Next, this website is now gotten quite large. Something like this is almost required in order to preserve some of the older articles. And, of course, the cool art and format of the OJ gives an article extra prestige.
Which gives me another idea - how about for Postfests the prize for winning being some sort of kudo article in the Oerth Journal? The top Postfest article could get automatically published in the next OJ as an additional article - with art and the opportunity to add more meat to the article or fine tune it. Plus the author could be given the opportunity to give a little message on the OJ regarding what went into making the article and background information.
What about this idea?
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Adept Greytalker
Joined: Apr 26, 2002
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From: Canada
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Sat Jul 29, 2006 3:10 pm
Re: Bump up this thread!
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| Osmund-Davizid wrote: |
The suggestion of having a "Best of Canonfire" in a supplemental OJ has merit. The articles could be expanded, with art added. We could do a Canonfire write in poll for voting which articles get put in.
The advantages of this are: the articles are already written (other then inviting the authors to do some fine tuning - making the OJ article a version 2.0 for all intents and purposes) so the OJ could come out relatively fast.
Next, this website is now gotten quite large. Something like this is almost required in order to preserve some of the older articles. And, of course, the cool art and format of the OJ gives an article extra prestige.
Which gives me another idea - how about for Postfests the prize for winning being some sort of kudo article in the Oerth Journal? The top Postfest article could get automatically published in the next OJ as an additional article - with art and the opportunity to add more meat to the article or fine tune it. Plus the author could be given the opportunity to give a little message on the OJ regarding what went into making the article and background information.
What about this idea? |
All excellent ideas. I'd be fully in favor of them. How about this for a Postfest:
The big trend these days in villainy seems to be organizations with hiddene agendas and conspiracies, as opposed to lone tyrants or evil wizards. Many of the old standbys-thieves' guilds, pirate and bandit gangs, evil wizards wtih a grudge, ogre kings, etc.-are derided as hackneyed and cliche by elitists. The object of the Postfest would be to take one of these "overdone" concepts and make it 'come to life' either with a well-detailed backstory and history that ties into the overall setting, an intimate psychological profile of the villain, or a very original spin on the standard concept.
An example of the first is FR's Fire Knives, taking a standard assassin's guild and giving it a well-developed backstory that meshes well with the histories of Cormyr and Westgate, as well as adding in a few touches that give them color and make them stand out. The second or third examples can be shown in my own Ivid V, a man driven to the world's end by circumstances beyond his control, who alternately reflects on his tragic fate, strives to avoid it and rebuild the Great Kingdom, and desires to take as many people to hell with him as he can, going down in a blaze of glory.
Thoughts?
_________________
<div align="left">Going to war without Keoland is like going to war without a pipe organ. They both make a lot of noise and they're both a lot of dead weight, so what's the point in taking them along? </div>
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