Ring of Five Questions: Round 6

Welcome back Greyhawk readers! If you've been following, this is the sixth round of my ongoing Return of the Ring of Five Questions column! If you're seeing this column for the first time this is a community participation feature of Greyhawkery. Search back and read the previous installments then email me at mortellan@gmail.com with your own five responses. Remember, you can be as short or wordy as you like in these responses. Also, I will keep taking entries until the end of 2020 so hang in there, I will get to your answers eventually! 

Let's get in the Ring and get started! This round I got two avid long time fans of the Greyhawk setting and community, Gaetano LeFavi and Brett Griffiths. How will they fare? Let's have a look...

Q1. What is your favorite realm or region in the World of Greyhawk setting? 

Gaetano: SUNNDI – For me, it is a micro-Flanaess without heavy traveling. It is the underdog region with powerful enemies to the north and south, and the east and west can be dicey as well. It is all there, mountains, highland hills, forests, grasslands and the biggest swamp in the Flanaess. Natural barriers which provide some protection – I go by the gold box and scowl at the later tales of Sunndi suddenly being easily overtaken and everyone there was chased into the Vast Swamp. Really? C'mon! The later writers needed a fall guy and they chose Sunndi. I began developing the region in '79 and went in a few different directions from what later came out in FtA etc. I don't hate Sargent, but... well, I don't hate the guy.

Brett: Ratik, though never played anything set there. 

Brett is one of many people I know in the community who express their love of Ratik. For some reason, like Brett, I've never ran a campaign there. Is the appeal because of the Gygax novels? I really don't know. Sunndi on the other hand, wait no, I have never ran a campaign there either!!! Gaetano's reasoning is sound and I'm intrigued that he has developed it since '79. That land really does have everything you need, but is so misused! 

Q2. If you could actually be one Greyhawk deity which one would it be? 

Gaetano: More of a Quasi-Deity, but it would be Murlynd. Always loved gunslingers in their various incarnations.

Brett: Dalt or Kelanen love the idea of hero deities, definitely a chance for high-level characters to interact or medium-level characters to become agents of change for the respective deity.

It seems quasi/hero/demigods is a popular choice for those who've been in the Ring. Must be because they are relatable unlike the true gods. Murlynd is hard not to choose because of his ready access to modern stuff, and Brett likewise favors these low-tier deities because they are still grounded in the prime and can interact rather than be a nebulous being. Fair choices! Dalt would be fun, there would be no place you couldn't enter. 

Q3. You have one wish. Which Greyhawk module or accessory would you do over or fix?

Gaetano: I have granted myself this wish already. It is also related to my development of Sunndi above. The module is S1 Tomb of Horrors. It was the first module I ever DM'd (at the request of my players actually). The module speaks for itself, but I took notice of a few interesting elements of it. The tomb exterior was 200 by 300 yards (600x900 feet) – the map is roughly 300 by 400 feet. There is a lot of empty room to be accounted for. The module speaks of Acererak living there before making his tomb and that now his old gloomy halls were magically locked away. To me it seemed this was an intention from Gygax for players to do something with the place. To me, it screamed MEGA-DUNGEON! Sure, the tomb was 'horrific' but these are his lesser halls, where he lived and worked and studied etc. There was even a one-line blurb in the WG glossography of Acererak having ruled the area going southward towards the Tilvanot Peninsula. A forgotten empire? Count me in! I even found a way to make those black pillars atop the tomb useful – they became my 'Skullhenge', the key to gaining entry into the deeper levels. I even developed a deeper story for the now demi-lich (what good is a villain without a darker backstory?). 

The Vast Swamp evolved into a place of lost cities and Acererak's forgotten kingdom. There is even an area of Prehistoria in there. It was the outlet for every pulp adventure I could ever want to delve into. Lovecraft, Howard, Burroughs, Rider, ...strange inhuman races and cultures hidden from the eyes of humankind. The place grew and grew for me over the decades. With later publications, TSR/WotC never ever delved beneath the Tomb of Horrors. They built things around it, but never have they ever gone further INTO the place. This meant I never really had to change my background and history for it. In fact, they even added another piece of mystery – if Acererak's skull at the end of S1 is a human skull, how could he be part-cambion in Return to the Tomb? I have an answer, but it's secret rests inside of Acererak's unhallowed halls.

Brett: Fate of Istus should be a mega campaign/story arc just felt like unconnected encounters and was pretty transparent in "championing" each class. Would have been better to ditch this aspect and tie the module together better.

Daaaang, well I asked for it. Gaetano builds on his love of the Sunndi/Vast Swamp region. I would've never thought of expanding on the tomb or swamp like he describes. Forty plus years of development though! Brett makes a good point on FoI. That module was so contrived. It was like a sourcebook on cities that was then retrofitted into a quest. I never tried to run this because it read so meh to me.

Q4: You're putting together an all-star Greyhawk NPC group. Who is your number one pick? 

Gaetano: Ohh, tough one. I have made so many of my own but if I had to choose one it would be Robilar. 

Brett: The Cat lord

Rpbilar is a solid choice. Gaetano likes his tomb exploring, so why not go with one of the best? Meanwhile. Brett is certainly an old schooler, am I right about liking the Gygax novels? Cat Lord aka Rexfelis was not on my BINGO card, nice one sir.

Q5. If you could possess one artifact or relic from Greyhawk lore, which would it be? 

Gaetano: Another tough one, so many choices both baneful and beneficial. Maybe a Deck of Many Things for a killer game of solitaire. :D 

Brett: Machine of Lum the Mad

Brett goes into the vault and comes up with a classic artifact that no one else has chosen so far. The Machine (which I've never used in a game) is one of those cool items you toy around with and then regret it later. Should I rename it the Machine of Brett the Mad? Speaking of regrets, Gaetano makes an even WORSE choice, the Deck of Many Things! I have used this item way too often. I even own a physical deck. Players just can't NOT pick a card. I've ended campaigns by introducing the deck. Now the deck has ended this round of the Ring too! Good job, Gaetano :P

Good stuff guys. I'll have two more people to show off their Greyhawk prowess in the Ring next time. Stay tuned, send your answers and keep playing Greyhawk!