Canonfire! Forums-viewtopic-The "Official" 2011 Greyhawkery Blog Thread

Fri Jun 03, 2011 9:52 pm

I doubt anyone will nail the retro thing because all are essentially house ruled versions of classic systems. Theoretically you could have an infinite number of retroclone games, but then who would be playing them?

Sat Jun 04, 2011 7:54 am

Sat Jun 04, 2011 10:52 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/06/sea-princes-campaign-6-who-nabbed-who.html

It was short session, but action packed.

Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:08 am

Priorities, man. Shocked

Stop running exciting sessions and finish that map you just teased us with. Mad

The nerve of some people. Wink

Sun Jun 05, 2011 10:12 am

Nice write-up, Mort. Sounds like an exciting evening. Smile

And, Ragr is right. I'd like to see that map soon too! Smile

SirXaris

Sun Jun 05, 2011 8:29 pm

Patience fellas! Next post I promise!

Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:00 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/06/postfest-xv-all-dried-out.html

Okay maybe not the next post....;)

AWESOME ARTICLES ARGON!

Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:42 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-greyhawk-map-south-seas.html

dun dun DUN DUN! DONE!

Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:51 am

Great stuff, mort.

I shall be referencing that sometime soon IMC.

Happy

Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:02 am

Absolutely amazing, Mort. I am GREEN! Evil Grin

I really MUST learn how to do that, so much I wish to do with Darkgate. Cool

I know, I know . . . patience! Mad

I'm working on it. Wink

Great stuff, really.
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Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:17 pm

That is an awesome map, Mortellan! Happy

Thanks for putting in so much work for all out benefit.

SirXaris

Wed Jun 08, 2011 8:33 pm

Well since I cut back on doing comics I've had time for other projects. I am as always a servant of the GH community. I'd be happy to give some tips on map making, though I'm sure others have better resources for that.

Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:37 pm Hey!

Saw that today when I was reading blogs. The antique tone to it is really cool. Nice job man!
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Fri Jun 10, 2011 9:21 pm

Thanks illustr8or! That antique look was what I mainly wanted out of the map and it wasn't easy to achieve, but I worked it out eventually. Now it should be a snap if I ever do another. Hm, any ideas?

Fri Jun 10, 2011 10:57 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/06/sea-princes-campaign-7-changing-weather.html

The Bird of Prey caught in some varied weather.

Mon Jun 13, 2011 2:27 am

http://melkot.com/wogcomic/title/wogstrip308a.htm

It's a momentous month?

Tue Jun 14, 2011 3:03 am

Great comic Mort! Cool

The state of Dragon- truly sad. Can't say as I am surprised though.
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Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:39 pm

Awesome map, mort! I love it!

I just have one question....

What the heck is the Horsehead Nebula doing in southernmost Hepmonaland, and the Great Carina Nebula is swallowing the Spindrifts?

Denis, aka "Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com

Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:54 pm

Good observation Maldin! But isn't the logic obvious? Map...Navigation...Travel...Fharlanghn...Celestian...Stars...Nebula! Or something along that line...

Thu Jun 16, 2011 11:27 am

http://melkot.com/wogcomic/title/wogstrip309a.htm

Wizards Two?

Thu Jun 16, 2011 11:36 am

Very nice, mort! Smile

I really appreciate the background information you provide in the endnotes, too.

SirXaris

Fri Jun 17, 2011 5:16 pm

As I recall:

1. The reason that Raistlin wasn't available was that he was dead. He died at the end of the Legends trilogy. So they got Raistlin's apprentice Dalamar instead, as the most powerful and famous wizard on Krynn absent his former mentor, and not counting Fizban since Elminster and Mordenkainen found out that Fizban was actually a god. I remember them alluding to both of those facts in the first "Magic in the Evening" story, when they were mulling who else to bring to their little gatherings. "Can't get Raistlin because he's dead, can't get Fizban because he's Paladine in disguise and probably a little above this sort of thing... Dalamar, then, I guess."

2. Dalamar disappeared from the story due to the Summer of Chaos on Krynn, which made travel between Krynn and other worlds impossible (and converted the campaign from AD&D to the SAGA system). It was later revealed that Takhisis had actually stolen the world of Krynn and placed it in another solar system. Dalamar finally reappeared in the last "Wizard's Three" installment, since the events of the War of Souls trilogy had reestablished Krynn's links to the multiverse (and converted the campaign from SAGA to 3rd edition D&D).

Fri Jun 17, 2011 9:01 pm

Rasgon: That sadly makes alot of sense to me now. Silly Krynn.

Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:41 am

Sat Jun 18, 2011 8:54 pm

Death never stopped a good wizard!

Sun Jun 19, 2011 6:57 am

Death is but a doorway into another dimension. Wink

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Sun Jun 19, 2011 7:02 am

Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:27 am

In this other dimension, would they still have 3D movies? Wink

Mon Jun 20, 2011 6:07 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/06/sea-princes-8-goin-ashore.html

More high seas adventure.

Mon Jun 20, 2011 11:45 am

Mort, it sounds like a fun sea-faring adventure! Smile

Is it The Savage Tide that you are running or one of your own making?

SirXaris

Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:20 pm

Xaris: I played in ST a couple years back and knew from reading the magazines that someday I'd want to take advantage of the peripheral undeveloped parts. I don't intend to use the Isle of Dread for example, but Sasserine is a welcome addition. My campaign is set in 576 so what I've done is retrofitted events/people from ST to use in this campaign. Stuff like the Crimson Fleet and so on...

Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:37 am

Sounds like another entertaining session, mort.

Keep it up.

Thu Jun 23, 2011 6:51 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/06/gh-comic-310-pact-of-greyhawk.html

Prepare to be educated!

Thu Jun 23, 2011 7:43 pm

"Openly Gamer" Laughing

SirXaris

Fri Jun 24, 2011 9:38 pm

Looking forward to following your blog page.Tera Gold
Buy Runescape Gold
Tera Gold Cheap

Fri Jun 24, 2011 9:39 pm

"Medium Rary" Exclamation

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Plar of Poofy Pants

Sat Jun 25, 2011 7:41 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-item-d12-hour-power.html

Drink up!

Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:02 am

6. As you said, the Circle of Eight (save Mordy) had died only a year before the Greyhawk Wars. It's thought that if they hadn't been preoccupied with growing themselves back from clone-meat and putting their lives back together, they could have done much to prevent the Flanaess from sliding into chaos. Rary might well have advised Beygraf Zoltan not to ally himself with Iuz if he'd been available to do so.

10. Extended family of the Circle of Eight: Lady Xenia Sallavarian, fiance of King Lynwerd of Nyrond, is a cousin of Jallarzi Sallavarian of the Circle of Eight (and also of Duke Karll of Urnst). Mordenkainen is distantly related to Heward and Zagyg. There's a wild theory from Paul Looby and Creighton claiming that Robilar might be Mordenkainen's bastard son. Drawmij is possibly related to Duke Luschan of Gradsul. Bucknard had a sister named Maralee.

Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:52 pm

Ah Rasgon my good friend!

(On Ket and Rary) Quite interesting about the clone lag, until you consider that according to the timeline, http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=World_of_Greyhawk_Timeline#582Ket joined the conflict in Goodmonth 584 and the war ended in Harvester 584. A mere month! So it wasn't that the Circle had no time to act, they had three, almost four years to get themselves together. Rary couldn't react because Beygraf Zoltan was just opportunistically land-grabing Bissel while everyone was busy. I highly doubt Iuz was taken seriously as an ally.

(On the relatives) Ah drat! I tip my cap to your examples there. I knew about some of those in retrospect. I guess they are just as esoteric as Arkalan as well. Good work!

Tue Jun 28, 2011 10:22 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/06/sea-princes-9-testy-moments.html

Beetle attack!

Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:07 am

Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:28 pm

Sun Jul 03, 2011 1:35 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/happy-richfest-601-cy.html

Richfest is here!

Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:41 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/gh-comic-311-celestian-lost.html

Yup! It's that time again!

Thu Jul 07, 2011 11:08 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/fiction-knot-part-2.html

Oh yes Ragr, I went there!

Well done, dude!

Fri Jul 08, 2011 12:24 am

Many thanks, mort.

The Caruso pic had me in stitches.

Clearly Braydon Flynt will have to end each sentence with a meaningful glance at his shoes.

Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:04 pm

Happy to help, Ragr!

And now, here is a new post from my Sea Princes campaign...

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/sea-princes-10-rescue-mission.html

Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:22 am

That last evening of adventure sounded truly piratey, there mate! Evil Grin

SirXaris

Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:07 pm

Sounds great, mort, I like the complexities of the plot.

When you mentioned cannon I wondered how that would work but it does seem more pirate-like and suited to the game than a wand of fireballs. Good move.

Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:38 am

Cannon have a lower rate of fire than fireball wands too ;)

New update! Tamoachan 4e?

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/hidden-shrine-of-tamoachan-4e.html

Wed Jul 13, 2011 10:05 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/dragonmirth-reborn.html Some comics and not by me!

Thu Jul 14, 2011 7:09 am

I never really cared much for the comic strips in Dragon Magazine, but the Dragonmirth shorts were awesome! Happy

SirXaris

Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:09 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/fiction-that-infamous-key-part-6.html

Another good showing from Mystic's fiction series. Well done!

Mon Jul 18, 2011 2:21 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/sea-princes-11-banquets-and-booty.html

ARR!

Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:36 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/gygax-statue.html

Very cool.

Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:01 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/fiction-origins-of-silver-wolf.html
More GH fiction. I'm loving it!

Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:07 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/sea-princes-12-hard-night-in-port.html

All ashore that's going ashore!

Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:13 am

Sounds like a lively sesssion, that last.

Administering experience the way you describe helps the DM maintain the party at appropriate levels for the main adventure no matter how many side treks they choose to take or not to take, but I've found that it can reduce the excitement for the players as well.

As a DM, I see my players get excited when they see their characters advancing toward their next level. This is especially true when they know their choices directly effect how quickly they advance. I am forced to alter the CR of future encounters sometimes as the party advances more quickly than I anticipated or more slowly, but that's not a difficult thing to do and it is my job as the DM. Wink

SirXaris

Tue Jul 26, 2011 6:57 pm

Interesting points Xaris. However I think my long running group and I have changed to the point that we are burnt out on all the XP, CR, EL, etc business. I definitely know from running a couple 20 level APs that they are through with preplanned builds. If not for the heavy book investment we'd surely be playing something other than 3.5 I'm sure so with this game we all agreed on sticking to the Core books for the most part and so far no one looks past the level at hand. For the first time(in D&D) I see my friends not at all concerned with their stats or XP and they focus on story goals. Part of it I think has to do with playing M&M which was a d20 game but put story before wealth and XP accumulation....and I think our fun but short stint playing 4e made us reassess what was best about 3.5e.

Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:51 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/greyhawk-poetry-corner.html

Some fun verse.

Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:15 pm

Those were funny, mortellan. However, you put a 'd' at the end of 'an' in the first line of the third poem (Thingizzard). Wink

SirXaris

Thu Jul 28, 2011 11:36 pm

Thanks for the spot-edit, Xaris! Here's my current list of Greyhawk ideas.

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/greyhawk-project-list.html

Fri Jul 29, 2011 8:27 am

I'd love to have the time to complete most of those projects myself, mortellan. They are all worthy goals. Writing a Greyhawk novel is beyond my desire at this point, I'm beginning to think it would be easier than writing a full module... :/

My (selfish) suggestion is to focus on articles that other people (like me Happy

) can make use of: pirate flags, Kester Gazatteer, and Mysteries of the WoG, for example.

SirXaris

Sun Jul 31, 2011 9:16 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/07/greyhawk-battle-menu.html Some further thoughts on writing projects.

Mon Aug 01, 2011 9:03 am

My votes go for the Battle of a Fortnight's Length (lots of knights and spellcasters) and the Battle of Jetsome Island (ship on ship combat).

Happy

SirXaris

Wed Aug 03, 2011 9:02 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/mordenkainens-book-is-back.html

AGH!

Thu Aug 04, 2011 1:28 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/sea-princes-13-sea-ghost.html

More piratical adventure!

Sat Aug 06, 2011 2:28 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/gencon-d-product-seminar.html

More gencon news...

Sat Aug 06, 2011 3:00 pm

Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:43 am

You present some very valid points, Sir Xaris. Much in line with my own thinking.

The "evil" side of the game needs to be "played down." It's just "fuel for the fire."

But this is a topic for another forum. Wink

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Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:01 am

I've ran pretty evil campaigns before and generally use the BoVD to enhance darker storylines, like my Sea Princes campaign. I will admit its for mature experienced gamers only though. I think after playing D&D for nearly 30 years you end up trying everything. Would I subject content from that book to younger gamers? Hell no. I wouldn't even subject older gamers I'm not familiar with to that content. I'm not surprised Wizards is selling a watered down BoVD this time around, but if so, why not name it something else entirely?

Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:09 am

Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:27 pm

Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:29 pm

Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:38 pm

Maybe, but there's also safety in obscurity. Back when there was an actual backlash against D&D it was this thing that was suddenly everywhere, and it was scary because there had never been anything like it before. Now it's old and comforting in its familiarity. It's just like the hundreds of fantasy-themed video games only more nerdy because it requires players to do the math by hand and imagine things in their own heads. It's much less gory and graphic and "adult" than most video games.

D&D isn't as popular as it once was, but in a way it's now ubiquitous in the form of games, movies, comics, and novels.

I'm sure Sir Xaris knows some parents who are legitimately concerned about this thing that they still don't know much about, but I don't think they'll ever know enough about it to be extra-concerned based on one book. With titles like Demonomicon and Tyrants of the Nine Hells on the shelves, why would something called Book of Vile Darkness gain any extra attention? The book isn't called Pretend to be Evil!, so it's something you'd have to read through carefully to discover the one or two chapters that actually talk about evil PCs. And nobody but D&D players are ever going to do that. If they did, they'd see it was just an overly complex game of pretend, and still wouldn't care.

As for popularity, a lot of things I like aren't popular. If it's something you personally enjoy, who cares how many other people enjoy it?

Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:58 pm

Tue Aug 09, 2011 9:58 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/gh-comic-312-mayaheine-cubed.html

GODS IN SPAAAAAACE...errr....DESERRRRRT!

Thu Aug 11, 2011 9:51 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-bye-dragon-and-dungeon.html

The possible demise of Dragon & Dungeon magazines?

Wed Aug 17, 2011 12:55 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/sea-princes-crew-profiles-1.html

Bonus! Art by mortellan!

Wed Aug 17, 2011 4:55 pm

The portal frames and backdrop are a very nice touch.
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Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:33 pm

Nice, mortellan! Wish I could get my son to get busy on the pictures I've ask him to draw. Maybe if I offered to pay him...

SirXaris

Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:49 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/lost-gods-of-greyhawk-revisited.html

Some god talk from 1995!

Sat Aug 20, 2011 3:16 am

Apocatil isn't in the Greyhawk wiki because SKR identified him as an aspect of Tezcatlipoca in The Scarlet Brotherhood. So I took that as canon and just noted the alias in Tezcatlipoca's entry.

I used to use Landron as Wenta's now-dead husband, but I've since dropped the idea. I think the Quag Keep deities work fine as aspects of existing Greyhawk gods: Landron as Pholtus, Om as Cyndor, and the Horned Lady as Ehlonna (think unicorn horn). I think there was also a Horse Mother that I associate with Ehlonna.

I've always thought Erik Mona's treatment of the Olman gods was annoying because he didn't take into account how those deities were presented in Deities & Demigods or Legends & Lore, or anything really. He just gave them arbitrary alignments based on how he wanted to slot them in Zagig's prison. The Mad Archmage must have really been aggravated by Olmans and agricultural deities. Maybe he hated corn. Erik needs to be cut some slack, of course, because all this was 16 years ago. The versions that appeared in the Living Greyhawk deities document also showed his hand, but were better. I still think a lot of it was "wrong," though; for example, Tlazolteotl should be chaotic evil, Chitza-Atlan should probably not be a god at all, and ummm... I'm writing this on my cell phone, so forgive if I mispell some Olman names. Coatlicue should have been in there. Anyway, whatever!

Sun Aug 21, 2011 1:53 am

Thanks for the reply, ras' ol buddy! I knew you'd have some insight. Yeah Erik did seem to shoehorn in those deities for his "Nine". My attention was mainly piqued by Om and Landron. Good fantasy names all around.

Tue Aug 23, 2011 4:28 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/fiction-that-infamous-key-part-7.html

Mystic Scholar's story rolls on with more Greyhawk packed in it than a year's worth of WotC articles. Huzzah!

Wed Aug 24, 2011 6:52 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-article-kas-vecna.html

Vecna stuff!

Fri Aug 26, 2011 10:08 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/sea-princes-15-to-be-continued.html

Campaign pause button.

Tue Aug 30, 2011 5:47 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/greyhawk-poetry-corner-2.html

A new sonnet from Greyhawk.

Wed Aug 31, 2011 10:57 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/baba-yaga-mini.html

Paizo has a new Baba Yaga mini from Reaper.

Thu Sep 01, 2011 5:06 am

Thu Sep 01, 2011 7:25 am

I believe the first source to identify Iggwilv as possibly being Baba Yaga's daughter was Dragon #336 (page 77: "Some obscure northern lore even hints she is the issue of Baba Yaga herself.") This was quite a while before Erik Mona identified her with Natasha the Dark. That article also identified Iggwilv as Zagig's apprentice, though not as a member of the Company of Seven.

Apparently Iggwilv, as Louhi, plays a big role in Gary Gygax's Dangerous Journeys novels.

Plus, Baba Yaga's prominent role in Golarion makes me believe that Iggwilv spent a century as queen of the nation of Irresen on that world (as all of Baba Yaga's daughters apparently do). Perhaps that's the world in which she was known as "Ychbilch."

The fact that there's a portal to an ancient Greek world in the caverns of Tsojcanth made Roger E. Moore speculate (in his "Gates in the World of Greyhawk" essay) that this is where Iggwilv went to recuperate after her first battle with Graz'zt. Presumably she has a Greek alias there.

Thu Sep 01, 2011 8:38 pm

Ah Rasgon, good back up material there. Thanks! Happy

So many alternate worlds!

Fri Sep 02, 2011 12:56 pm

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-im-reading.html

Odd. Just odd.

Fri Sep 02, 2011 1:10 pm

SirXaris, Baba Yaga hails from both Russian and Slavic folklore tales, if it matters any.

Fri Sep 02, 2011 3:56 pm

Yeah, I've seen a lot of old sci fi paperbacks with color ads in the middle. I can't say for certain if it was just one publisher, but I think it was pretty accepted at one time. On a related note, the lack of ads interrupting stories is why I greatly prefer trades to individual comics, though classier indie publishers don't do that.

Fri Sep 02, 2011 9:41 pm

You know Rasgon, you're right. I have forgotten how annoying today's comics Classic comic ads though cheesy and exploitative were sometimes just as fun to read as the comic itself! But today.

As to the color ads in pulp books. I shouldn't be surprised they are in there, I guess I'm more shocked it took me this long to find one that did.

Mon Sep 05, 2011 6:40 am

http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/09/ull-magic-old-skool-edition.html

A million kudo points to Braggi!

Mon Sep 05, 2011 9:10 am

Wed Sep 07, 2011 12:29 am

No timeframe Xaris, sorry.

Wed Sep 07, 2011 5:51 am