World of Greyhawk Campaign: Anne Brown 1993

Welcome back Greyhawk mavens! I've been going through my RPG collection recently and trying to decide which stuff I should sell/trade off and which to keep. Needless to say, I'm very attached to my 1E and BECMI D&D stuff. Then my 2E and 3E era stuff is hit or miss. If it's Greyhawk related I keep it naturally. One item I almost put in the sell section was the hardback 1993 TSR Master Catalog. I did a post on this rare find back in 2013 and I just realized while I posted a picture of the World of Greyhawk foreword by Anne Brown, I didn't really talk about the article itself. It's so good, let's just read the entire thing. One more thing, if someone EVER asks you to describe the Greyhawk setting and why you should play it, point them to this article by Anne Brown! Enjoy!

The WORLD OF GREYHAWK campaign 

by Anne Brown 

    "Through clearing smoke and settling dust, refugees and tired soldiers make their way across a scarred landscape. The wars are finally over, and nations struggle to establish borders, alliances, and protective forces. Scarlet Brotherhood spies infiltrate every corner of the land. An undead king's grip tightens on unsuspecting nations. The Circle of Eight, the most famous clique of wizards across the continent, has scattered to the four winds, two of its members dead and one of them turned traitor. 

    What remain are danger, intrigue, and adventure-opportunities and treasures for those intrepid enough to seek them. Spies must be ferreted out, vital supply lines must be kept open, and victims of war crimes and injustice must be rescued. Perpetrators must be made to answer for their evil deeds."

Good intro! This sums up the state of the Flanaess post-Greyhawk Wars and leading into From the Ashes era. Evil is ascendant and the wars while over, are still simmering. Back then we are still a way off from the Return of the Eight, and the reversals of war leading into the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Let's continue...

    "The WORLD OF GREYHAWK campaign setting, the oldest world devised or the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, is a land of chivalry, valiant knights, heinous villains, and wrongs waiting to be righted. It has stood the test of time as a gaming ground, boasting such adventures as Temple of Elemental Evil, Tomb of Horrors, and Vecna Lives! It provided a starting point for thousands of AD&D game players, young and old.

    The GREYHAWK setting is also home to some of the most famous names in the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game-Mordenkainen, Bigby, Tenser, Rary, Vecna, Iuz, Zagyg, and more. These heroes and villains have no doubt both saved and threatened the necks of all player characters over the years. Their influence is unmistakable and their absence would be painful."

Greyhawk does benefit from being the innovator. Really the only thing you need to know is classic adventures and famous D&D personages is what separates Greyhawk from all the others. The examples Anne lists are perfect, even Vecna Lives! which is not highly regarded for its quality is now very relevant in 5E. Like she says, the absence of these names associated with their famous spells and magic items is a grave mistake. Greyhawk's influence reverberates through all D&D history. Moving on...

    "The famed City of Greyhawk, described in its own boxed set, is a gaming jewel in its own right. Filled with interesting characters from Mayor Nerof Gasgal (a former member of the thieves' guild) right down to gamblers and street urchins, this bustling metropolis is filled with adventure and intrigue. It boasts a marketplace, gambling house, opera house, museum, wizards' academy, and library. It is a city inhabited by thieves, merchants, wizards of all levels, sewer zombies, and plenty of friendly, ordinary folk.

    Like any civilized continent, Greyhawk is not without its problems. Raiding barbarians, evil necromancers, and the occasional dragon have all beleaguered innocents and adventurers alike. It would be a boring land without interesting villains."

Anne leads into the City of Greyhawk which is literally the center of this great setting. Since the boxed set she mentioned, the city has had timeline updates and additions through the editions. Whatever source you use for the Gem of the Flanaess, the description here holds true. There is more...

"The Winds of War

    In recent years, political frictions built into the campaign world came to a boil. Deceit, treachery, double-dealing, and expansionism desired by greedy leaders all took their toll. Shaky alliances fell and armies mounted by forces of evil besieged coveted lands. Horrible tales of war machines, destructive wizardry, and massive humanoid armies on the march are now told in every inn, tavern, and outpost.

    For two long years, the nations of the Flanaess schemed, murdered, and warred against each other until nearly all sides lay bloodied and beaten: war had exhausted the land and the people. Furyondy, and Iuz ground to a stalemate; Nyrond's vast coffers drained dry and its overtaxed peasants grew rebellious; the Great Kingdom shattered into a swarm of petty landholdings vying for power; Keoland ought invasion on all sides; countless men, dwarves, elves, and orcs marched off to war, never to return; farms stood empty; fields lay fallow... the Flanaess could war no longer.

    The leaders of the fatigued nations finally agreed to a truce-no small undertaking. Each nation sent ambassadors to the Free City of Greyhawk. Six months of strained negotiations commenced, and in the end, came the Day of the Great Signing. Finally, the nations of the Flanaess rested in an uneasy peace. The documents were signed. But across the countryside, the world was far from peaceful."

So again, Anne lets us know war is a major backdrop of the setting. This is another huge selling point for the setting. Only Birthright really goes more into medieval fantasy warfare than Greyhawk does. From its war gaming roots, Gary Gygax's Greyhawk was meant to have this kind of continent-wide conflict. She goes on to name-drop some of the most important kingdoms on the map and finishes with the event that leads to the unfortunate Rary the Traitor. What comes next from Anne Brown?

"After the War

    The GREYHAWK campaign setting now offers more gaming opportunities than ever before. In December 1991. the original boxed set was amended by the Greyhawk Wars boxed set, describing the status of the war and providing a complete wargame, allowing fans of the setting to play out the events of the war.

    In October 1992, the game line was again amended by a boxed set, entitled From the Ashes. This set provides a complete update describing the aftermath of the war, and includes new maps, encounters, and gaming hooks. Countless rumors and whispered tales are included as fuel for the imagination of the DUNGEON MASTER.

    From the Ashes also includes new non-player characters to provide player characters with tour guides and enemies. These folks run the range from law enforcing rangers and patrols to mischievous wizards and fiendish undead creatures. Of course, plenty of friendly natives, grumpy dwarves, and sly elves fill in the gaps.

    The most powerful creatures in the world of GREYHAWK, the gods themselves, are also detailed in this boxed set. Major deities are outlined to provide both players and the DM with just enough to understand their workings but still keep them guessing."

  Anne brings it back to the stuff being sold in the catalog. I would not recommend Greyhawk Wars for a campaign simulation, but it makes for a fun boardgame. Like or not, From the Ashes does indeed build on previous published Greyhawk. The 90's was of course the golden age of prolific author Carl Sargent and sourcebooks like Iuz the Evil, Marklands and the unpublished Ivid the Undying; all would go on to add an abundance of new lore undreamt of during the Gygax era. Let's finish this off...

  

    "The lands of Greyhawk will be recovering from the wars for decades. Certain areas are wild as ever, while some regions, once safe, have fallen under evil influence. Skirting the Scarlet Brotherhood spies, avoiding the eye of Iuz, and eluding Ivid and his undead will make for years of memorable gaming!"

Well said Anne Brown! Built off this momentum in 1993, Greyhawk would go on to have even more 2E updates and adventures, then it was made the core world of 3.5E D&D. This was the peak of the Greyhawk setting; featured by Paizo Publishing in dozens of adventures for Dungeon magazine and was the setting for the unmatched Living Greyhawk campaign where players from all over the world created hundreds more modules for several years. Though the star has faded since then, Greyhawk lore continues to influence modern D&D for all the reasons Anne listed above. If you are just now learning about the World of Greyhawk, the 90's is actually a great place to start because it has all the wondrous simplicity of 80's Greyhawk with a respectable amount of gritty new adventure seeds and you won't get overwhelmed by all the published lore that comes out in the 2000's. Thanks again, Anne for writing this article.  

Greyhawk Stuff on the Net

Hail Greyhawk gluttons! I've been taking a mental break from my 2E Greyhawk Wars series, so this post we will promote some of the other cool bloggers and authors in the community.

Let's start with the blog Greyhawk Musings and David Leonard as he continues to examine the collective cited sources of Greyhawk history. His latest installment continues the deeply rich background of the Great Kingdom from 300 CY through the Turmoil Between Crowns. This is the era of Zagig, Death Knights and a lot of political intrigue in the east. I've said before, my dream "period piece" of the Flanaess would be a sourcebook on 300-400 CY World of Greyhawk (the other being the Suel-Baklunish Wars). Check out this article HERE.

Next up is the tireless creativity of Joe Bloch over at Greyhawk Grognard. Joe and me have been on the same wavelength it seems, talking about the Pomarj on stream and writing pieces on warfare involving the Iron League. Where we differ is Joe is a fan of miniature gaming rules (he is exploring the Triumph! ruleset), whereas I tend to be lazy and use counter/card abstracts for my campaigns (Warmachine, Greyhawk Wars, Birthright). Joe is very adept at adapting Greyhawk armies to mass combat rules. Check out his article on the Army of Idee. He does his homework when crafting these armies, immersing them in the lore of Greyhawk. Joe is a true wargaming legacy of Gary Gygax.

Over at the blog, From Kuroth's Quill, my friend Allan Grohe is musing on his current Greyhawk campaign and its planar-gate connections. Grodog, who I associate with old school Castle Greyhawk normally, gives a good run down and some graphics on what other worlds and planes he is tying together. It's all quite fascinating world building stuff. We all like to reach beyond the game-world we use. I know I used to do a lot of Planescape and Norse mythical adventures, but Greyhawk was always the core setting. I will be keeping an eye on his campaign moving forward.

Finally, Thomas Kelly over at Greyhawk Stories continues his epic tale of the Hateful Wars with Chapter Fourteen: A Voice in the Dark. If you think a mimic is in this part, you are only partially right. Follow Kristryd and company as the action gets very deadly in the dark tunnels beneath the Lortmil Mountains. Enjoy the latest chapter or if you are just now finding out about the Hateful Wars, go back and read from the beginning. Enjoy!

2E Greyhawk Wars Campaign: Pomarj-Celene War

Well met, Greyhawkers! If you've just stumbled on this post, you're wondering what madness is this? Well, I've been doing a series of posts that is recounting the many wars I ran during my 2E Greyhawk campaign back in the 90's. If you want to catch up, check out this post and work your way back here.

Great North War 605 CY to 609 CY
Great Kingdom War of Succession 610 CY to 611 CY
Pomarj-Celene War 610 CY to 613 CY
3-Month aka "Scarlet" War 613 CY
Schnai Civil War 615 CY

Aerdy Civil Wars 615-616 CY
The Greyhawk Wars aka "The Bandit War" 617 CY to 618 CY
Battle of Bellport Harbor 623 CY
Iuz-Furyondy War 627 CY to 629 CY (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

The narrative below is keyed to two maps I've designed so you follow along with the war's events. As always be sure to check my comments at the end. Enjoy!

Pomarj-Celene War (610-613 CY)

Spring 610 CY

Unbeknownst to most of the Flanaess which had been warring for the last five years, a half-orc warlord-pirate named Turrosh Mak, had been quietly uniting the various Pomarj tribes (orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, etc.) through a combination of harnessing their hatred and a show of personal power and cunning not seen in the region since the rise of the Temple of the Elemental Evil. Turrosh proclaimed himself despot over the entire peninsula and with his nascent empire incited to a fever pitch, he began to mass his forces and move through the dense Suss Forest to the eastern banks of the Jewel River in sight of their greatest enemy, the elven Kingdom of Celene.

At the Celenian royal court in Enstad, Queen Yolande was soon informed by her border scouts of the growing Pomarj threat. Yolande was first met by a friend and wizardly colleague who also had received advance notice, the Archmage Mortellan of Highfolk. Assembling the nobility of Celene. the two mages discussed how to best deal with the military build-up on their border. It was decided without dissent, that Queen Yolande would personally visit each of the three Ulek states and entreat them for a new alliance; a coalition of elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings not called since the Hateful Wars one hundred years ago. What was history to the Pomarj was still fresh in the memories of the long-lived elves. It was cruel fate then, that the Pomarj which was created by refugees of this war, would now return seeking ancestral revenge. Mortellan for his part, convinced the Queen to appoint him as marshal and chief strategist of Celene’s army, for he was a scholar and adventurer of considerable magical might. Greater than Yolande herself.

Summer 610 CY

A): There would be no formal declaration of war, or diplomatic exchange between the despot and queen. The first skirmishes broke out inside Celene as restless orcs and goblins crossed the river to attack. Turrosh however was buying time, for he had also rallied human bandit and mercenary aid from the southern Wild Coast. These vile men were eager for the wealth of the ancient elven kingdom. However, the mercenaries were not yet resolved to contend with the might of Celene on their home turf, so they were easily repulsed back to the coast. 

Meanwhile, Queen Yolande traveled first to Tringlee where she gained an alliance with the Duchy of Ulek through talks with the vaunted Duke of High Elves, Grenowin.

Fall 610 CY

Queen Yolande proceeded next to Jurnre and immediately found the support of Lewenn, the Count of Ulek. Her subsequent and last diplomatic trip to the city of Gryrax to meet dwarven Prince Olinstaad was not successful however. The fiery prince had been the main bulwark against the Pomarj without any help from Celene for many decades, so incredulously, Prince Olinstaad sent her Fey Majesty home without his pledge.

B): The Pomarj was pushed back across the Jewel River by the fully mobilized Celenian army led by Mortellan. This counter sufficiently routed the humanoid horde and it dissolved back into the Suss. Despot Mak ignored this major loss though, as he conquered and added mercenary help from the lawless cities of Highport and Blue.

Winter 610 CY

C): To the south, Mak’s best soldiery were in fact the hobgoblin and orc tribes who had experience fighting Ulek. This massive coordinated army converged for a surprise attack on the keep of Thunderstrike, easily overwhelming it for the first time. Following the Fall of Thunderstrike, the despot force-marched this army across the principality to eventually take over the capital of Gryrax. Prince Olinstaad was subdued in single combat with Turrosh Mak and held in his own dungeon.

D): Mortellan commanded a devastating victory at Elredd, seizing enemy warships and in the process securing control of the southern Wild Coast.

E): With Celene on the offense, the Duke and Count of Ulek had finally consolidated their army and turned it southeast to face the tough resistance of Pomarj forces occupying Gryrax. Turrosh knew since his Celene campaign had failed, he could not hold Gryrax forever, so while his armies held out, the despot looted the city of all its resources, weapons, and ships. Then with the help of pirates from Blue, Mak escaped with his army back to the Pomarj coast.

F): News reached Celene that the Pomarj horde had reformed in the Suss and was being directed to cross the Jewel River to surprise Ulek as it was trying to retake Gryrax. At Yolande’s order, Celene’s best mailed cavalry entered the proud principality, cutting off and effectively destroyed the horde.

Spring 611 CY

The power of Mortellan was never more evident during the war, as when a young gold dragon named Tamarand, came forward to offer aid to the wizard in Elredd. Tamarand entered the conflict because it was discovered a green dragon named Brushtail had been assisting Turrosh Mak by flying him across leagues faster than any horse and lending its presence to intimidate the factions into joining his crusade.

G): Prince Olinstaad was freed and Gryrax finally liberated from Pomarj control by the united strength of all three Ulek states. Finally allied with Queen Yolande, the contrite prince took his rightful place at the fore of the Ulekian army with Duke Grenowin. Since Turrosh’s main force had already absconded from the capital by sea, this left the Ulek alliance to turn east and reverse all the gains the Pomarj had made all the way to the ruins of Thunderstrike and beyond the Jewel River.

H): Mortellan gathered his forces again and using ships provided by the Wild Coast assailed Highport and Blue. Highport held out against this attack, but with the assistance of Mortellan riding Tamarand, the port of Blue surrendered. Mortellan seized and added many warships that had been stolen from Gryrax.

I): Enraged, the despot counterattacked. Turrosh Mak’s elite humanoid forces were based at Ostrand Keep when Blue fell. Riding on Brushtail, Mak and his army recovered Blue, driving Mortellan and his Celenian force back to their ships. Tamarand covered the retreating ships, and after an aerial battle, Brushtail was brought down with the help of Mortellan and elven archers.

Summer 611 CY

J): Mak’s newest alliance brought easily duped giant-kin down from the Drachensgrab Hills to harass Celene forces moving east.

K): Celene’s generals routed the giant diversion and continued pressured attacks deeper into the Pomarj highlands to get into a position to assist Marshall Mortellan who wished to meet with them and the Ulek leaders to devise a strategy for winning the war.

L): While Highport continued to hold out during a naval blockade, Celene’s sea captains seized an opportunity that Blue had let down their guard, despite orders from Mortellan to join the blockade. Feinting retreat, Celene’s forces disembarked north of Blue in a surprise overland assault. This plan was successful in taking over Blue once more, but again Turrosh Mak eluded capture with his elite soldiers, eventually making it to Highport to regroup.

Fall 611 CY

M): Rested and rearmed, Turrosh Mak’s infantry returned to yet again defeat the Celenian force occupying Blue. This time Mak executed all elves captured that day.

N): After a war-council with Mortellan and the regents of Ulek, the alliance prepared a multi-pronged counterattack at Highport, Ostrand Keep and the embattled Blue, this time with naval assistance from new warships out of Gryrax. Olinstaad led the attack on Ostrand Keep. Grenowin commanded the assault on Blue and Mortellan with Tamarand in the vanguard, engaged Highport. All three battles were disastrous for the Celene-Ulek alliance. Turrosh had been underestimated. The crafty warlord had gained martial and magical assistance from the hidden Slave Lords and a secret cult of the Earth Dragon. Unable to weather excessive casualties so far from home, the alliance retreated to safe lines of defense. Mortellan teleported safely to Elredd after Tamarand became severely injured by spells. The gold dragon left the Pomarj, ending its part in the war.

Winter 611 CY

Queen Yolande was growing skeptical that the Pomarj could be pacified and wished to return Celene to their guarded borders. Despite this, she relented as Mortellan implored her to levy more troops to reinforce his army. The Ulek states also regrouped during a harsh winter where even Mak’s forces could not go on the offensive. Turrosh would not sit idle however, as he traveled secretly to seek more allies to his cause.

Spring 612 CY

O): A newly reformed Ulekian army sliced through the Pomarj, this time overtaking Ostrand Keep, Stoneheim and even managed to root out the Earth Dragon cult from the mountains.

P): Mortellan commanded his reinforced army in another two-pronged offensive against Highport and Blue. Near-ruined, Blue still held out from the assault, but this time Highport surrendered, in large part to the fiery bombardment of the very determined Mortellan.

Summer 612 CY

Q): When Turrosh Mak began to lose confidence that the Pomarj tribes would hold together, one place he traveled to was the Hold of the Sea Princes. In desperation, he made a loose alliance with the seafaring nation, promising wealth and control of ports beyond reason. That summer the Sea Princes sent a fleet to the port of Blue, delivering needed supplies and a naval check against the Celene-Ulek alliance.

Fall 612 CY

R): Yet another secret alliance of Turrosh Mak emerged, this time from the Gnarley Forest, as humanoids from Blackthorn attempted to disrupt Celene’s supply line. This ploy was discovered by Gnarley Rangers and with the assistance of several Wild Coast militias, Queen Yolande herself led a contingent of elves that intercepted, encircled and annihilated the horde before it could give succor to the Pomarj.

S): With Highport a smoking ruin, Mortellan marched his army toward Blue, this time uniting with the Ulek army. This overpowering show of force led the small port, which had suffered through so many battles, to surrender without a fight. Turrosh Mak yet again slipped away, this time on a Sea Princes vessel.

T): The nobles of the Sea Princes wishing to recoup something for their investment, launched raids at Blue and Highport, but with nothing left to fight over, both were doomed to failure. Threatening to return someday, the Sea Princes turned their fleets for home. The Pomarj was lost.

Winter 612 CY

United no more, remnants of the humanoid tribes scattered back into the highlands, the forests or the scrubby plains of the Pomarj in hopes that the hated elves and dwarves would not hunt them down.

Spring 613 CY

In a surprising development, Turrosh Mak was delivered in chains to Mortellan by the Sea Princes for a chest of gold and gems. Turrosh’s fate is lost to history, though rumors on the Wild Coast suggest the mage executed the despot by fireball.

After the Pomarj was secure, Queen Yolande summoned Mortellan and the rulers of the Ulek States to court in Enstad. There, she granted the daring archmage dominion over the Pomarj and tasked him with rebuilding the land to its former glory. Yolande’s only condition was that as a fief of Celene, Mortellan had to prove to be a just and good ruler, or else the land rights would be forfeit to the Ulek States. Upon hearing the news, Greyhawk City immediately opened itself back to trade with their southern neighbors in what they anticipated would be a prosperous new age for the Pomarj.

Commentary:

First note, this war goes on at the same time and lasts longer than the previous post, the Great Kingdom Warof Succession. 

Second, what I gather from my notes, is while the Pomarj-Celene War was likely also ran using Greyhawk Wars (groan) rules, I recorded even less details this time. Yup, I phoned it in. Not even footnotes this time! This is why the narrative you just read is totally new, but still based on the outcomes of each event. My guess is I probably played this war on the side with my friend Brian, the player of archmage Mortellan, the only principle PC in this story. It also bears pointing out, Mortellan is my NPC creation in 1E, but Brian took over playing him in 2E.

Third point, I probably made a big mistake by giving Brian control over Pomarj. As Yolande's conditions set at the end of the war imply, Brian played Mortellan as a loose cannon and so even the Queen didn’t trust him fully. Brian didn’t like his elven wizard being upstaged and he wanted to prove he was as good at strategy as our friend Jayson whose fighter Valkaun was busy tearing up the Great Kingdom during same game timeframe. I think in my mind, giving Mort a domain was to balance out that Valkaun's adopted son was an heir to the freaking Malachite Throne. You can see how a player might get jealous. Brian and Jayson's in-game rivalry would continue.

The rest is that Celene itself didn't really get affected much, so yes, they should've just stayed put at the river like the status quo. Having the Principality of Ulek be taken over so easily seemed a stretch to me, but it did up the stakes. I still do not own Patriots of Ulek, but if I had I wonder if my narrative would've changed? The addition of the Sea Princes late in the game was definitely a product of how the Greyhawk Wars board game is played. Making random alliances and surprise event cards throw these curves. For example, it's also the only reason why two dragons were introduced into the mix. I'm surprised I managed to name them during the campaign. The two dragons never again factor in my game lore after this war. Speaking of not used again, Turrosh Mak was a great antagonist in this war. I learned of him from Carl Sargent's Wars narrative, but beyond that I had no clue about his origins and real identity. Since 2E, I've seen other people write about Mak, play in games with Turrosh and so forth. Again, would I do things differently now?

Lastly, poor Blue. Poor, poor Blue. It's nothing special, but because of the game system used it got fought over at least eight times by my count. Hopefully things go better under Mortellan's rule...

Until next war!

Update 06/27/2021: Added links to the entire War series for ease of reading.

2E Greyhawk Wars Campaign: The Great North War

Welcome back Greyhawk historians. As promised, this is the continuation of my personal 2E campaign material from the 1990's, a turbulent phase where I had the Flanaess constantly at war. For context read my Prelude and if you want, skip ahead a few decades of game time and read my original three-part Furyondy-Iuz War. At any rate, let's kick this off with the Great North War. Be sure to also check out the footnotes and commentary at the end of the article. Enjoy!

605 CY

Heavy assaults by the Horned Society had incited a war with the Shield Lands and Furyondy and after a year of bloodshed, the combined Knights of Hart and Holy Shielding had drove the aggressors back to their fortresses. Meanwhile, the elves of the Vesve began to strike out into the Lands of Iuz. The Old One had recently returned from a long absence¹ and rallied his evil forces to push the invading elves back to their forest borders.

To the east, barbarian alliances began to crumble after the discovery of the false Vatun, who was in fact Iuz in disguise. The alliance was miraculously held together due to a noble effort of diplomacy by the divinely chosen Night Shadows. The Hold of Stonefist though, ended up siding with Iuz after secret talks. Nyrond and Almor begin to call men to arms at the rumors of war. The Great Kingdom and the Sea Barons were already poised to attack their neighbors, however the North Province, Bone March and Medegia remained silent.

606 CY

The Great North War as it became known, broke out as Thillonrian raiders landed at the mouth of the Trask River and defeated the North Provincial army². Simultaneously, the northerners attacked Sea Barons waters in force. These naval clashes ended in no victor, yet the barony was quick to regroup.

In the south, Herzog Chelor answered the call to the arms by “mad” Overking Ivid V where the North Province refused to obey. At the same time, the County of Urnst and the Theocracy of the Pale allied to Nyrond’s side fearing the growing Aerdian threat. The Duchy of Tenh then allied with the Pale³ to fend off assaulting Fists led by Sevvord Redbeard.

To the west, the margrave of Bissel, Walgar supported Furyondy/Veluna with it’s Border Companies. Iuz made no moves, sitting in silence and gathering his forces to do battle again. Near the end of the year, the forces of Ahlissa swept into Almor, seizing the small prelacy at Chathold. Almor was not finished though, its remaining army was soon to be aided.

607 CY

Early in the spring, a now healthy King Belvor of Furyondy left his armies in the command of Prince Alaric and Grand Marshall Ulrich. Belvor travelled with other ambassadors to meet in the south, where Keoland, Gran March and Celene pledged material support to the king in the event Furyondy might fall.

In the Hold of Stonefist, Sevvord Redbeard was hit from two fronts. First his Fists were defeated at the Battle of Frozen River by Cruskii warriors⁴, while the Duchy of Tenh launched a surprise attack into Hold. Sevvord focused his strength here and held off the advance of the Tenha army.

In Almor, Chathold was quickly retaken by the alliance of King Archbold of Nyrond. The king wasn’t satisfied with just liberation, as he divided his forces into a second wave that swept into the South Province, doing much retributive damage to the Herzog’s armies.

608 CY

A coalition army of Furyondy, Veluna and the Shield Lands managed to break through enemy lines, striking for Iuz’s capital, Dorakaa where it was seized⁵. Despite this loss, the Old One was not finished as it was revealed he had amassed his main body of forces to the north in the Howling Hills for a counterattack. 

To the east, the Barbarian alliance led by Valkaun Dain continued to pillage and attack the Overking’s dominion, all the way to the capital, Rauxes⁶. Overking Ivid fled with much hatred to the See of Medegia. There, its holy censor was supreme and was not totally welcoming to the impetuous monarch. The Overking eventually escaped along with his escort to the isles of the Sea Barons. It then seemed, if Herzog Chelor would fall, that Censor Spidasa would be left in charge of the Great Kingdom. 

Nearby, Onnwal was the only Iron League member to come to Nyrond’s aid. Its naval fleet ensured that the Ahlissans wouldn’t be able to sail across the Azure Sea to seek help. Unusually enough, Keoland had negotiated with their old foe the Sea Princes into remaining neutral instead of entertaining an alliance with Herzog Chelor in the east. Eventually, Ahlissa folded once King Archbold set his boots upon the courtroom floor at Zelradton⁷.

609 CY

The Great North War was drawing to a close as Furyondy’s noble alliance spread further into Iuz’s domain, routing the remaining humanoid armies under the god of evil’s red banner. Iuz was never found. He went into hiding, waiting for another chance to rule the Flanaess. Almost a month later, the fortress of Molag was sieged and conquered, thus ending the remnant of the Horned Society’s threat to the region, sending the Hierarchs into hiding as well. The alliance’s victory was complete. 

To the east, King Archbold and his allies began to occupy all the Aerdian states and counties. The war was effectively over as Censor Spidasa withdrew into Medegia, the Sea Barons sued for peace and the North Province still wouldn’t come to the aid of their Aerdian cousins. The Great Kingdom was no more. Post-war, there was a call for peace conferences, one in Chendl and one in Rel Mord. This would prove to be grim as the peace talks only initiated a new set of events.

Footnotes on the Great North War

1. Iuz posing as Vatun, spent too much time in the northeast deceiving the barbarian kings.
2. Valkaun Dain, renowned hero and representative of the Night Shadows, led the invasion.
3. Even though the two have had differences, neither liked the Stonefists.
4. The Fist’s fall might have been partially due to a huge white dragon that sided with the Cruskii forces. Why it did so is not clear to anyone.
5. In the dungeons of Dorakaa, many missing knights were rescued by Marshall Ulrich and Prince Alaric.
6. Rauxes was not occupied by the barbarians, but a lot of it left with them.
7. Herzog Chelor surrendered when news of the sack of Rauxes arrived in the South Province.

Commentary: Regrettably, I strongly recall this war was informed and conducted using the Greyhawk Wars board game. The Great (Northern) War is a suggested event in the rulebook of this boxed set. The fact that I hinged actual campaign events on the outcome of this silly board game is incredibly foolish in hindsight. At least I managed to write a narrative to make it all sound plausible.

My best guess is that I as DM played the Great Kingdom and Iuz, while my friend Jayson was Nyrond and the Barbarian alliance. Jayson was heavily involved with his character Valkaun, and his creation, the barbarian power group called the Night Shadows would go on to be pivotal in our 2E campaign (more on them in a future blog post). Our friend Brian was likewise the player of Furyondy's alliance since his character Angus Ulrich had rose in the ranks of the Knights of Hart and was their Marshall.

That the forces of evil lost this war is a testament at how easy it is for Good to win this board game in my opinion. Mind you, I am no slouch at war board games. If I might brag a moment, I have never been beaten at Axis & Allies (come at me challengers!) so having control over two evil Flanaess armies at once and losing both just isn't in character for me.

How the Horned Society started things off, I'm not sure. Driving the Hierarchs underground definitely sets up one of my favorite villains, Andrade Mirrius to become a major antagonists for my players.

One thing I did like about the Great North War was unlike published events of the Greyhawk Wars, the "Thillonrian North" did take part this time. Carl Sargent had originally set this up in the modules Five Shall Be One and Howl From the North where the five Blades of Corusk are used to summon Vatun and unite the north. But the following Wars boxed set failed to include them in any meaningful way except to say they were duped by Iuz. In our 2E campaign, the barbarians remained united and as you will see in the next several installments of this series they are important players in world events. Until then, thanks for reading!

Great North War 605 CY to 609 CY
Great Kingdom War of Succession 610 CY to 611 CY
Pomarj-Celene War 610 CY to 613 CY
3-Month aka "Scarlet" War 613 CY
Schnai Civil War 615 CY

Aerdy Civil Wars 615-616 CY
The Greyhawk Wars aka "The Bandit War" 617 CY to 618 CY
Battle of Bellport Harbor 623 CY
Iuz-Furyondy War 627 CY to 629 CY (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

Update 06/27/2021: Added links to the entire War series for ease of reading.

2E Greyhawk Wars Campaign:Prelude to the Series

Hail to thee, Greyhawk mavens! I hope you enjoyed my recent three-part epic Iuz-Furyondy War report. For those who missed out, I've been going through old 2E Greyhawk campaign notes of mine, and boy did I do A LOT OF WARS, but really isn't that what Gygax wanted? Back in AD&D's heyday, Gary supplied troop numbers in the setting books and he kept adding battles with Flanaess troop info in the pages of Dragon Magazine. War was inevitable and Carl Sargent is who brought it to us via a host of 2E supplements like the questionably useful Greyhawk Wars board game, Iuz the Evil, The Marklands, and the unprinted Ivid the Undying. To wage the many wars for my World of Greyhawk campaigns, I tried a mess of mass combat systems that all came out in the 80's and 90's, such as Companion Set's: Warmachine (my favorite), Battlesystem (I still use their counters), Birthright (loved those troop cards), and yes, even the Greyhawk Wars board game I'm afraid. This "silver age" of D&D gaming was probably our longest running campaign in terms of one continuous storyline. Ah, to be young again!

The upcoming series of wars I plan to present was recently rediscovered AFTER I posted my Iuz-Furyondy War on Greyhawkery. Chronologically however, that war is one of the last in our 2E campaign, so I'm going to pull a Star Wars prequel on you guys and go back to the start now. Disclaimer, I probably only remembered the huge Iuz-Furyondy War because I had done detailed maps and kept meticulous track of casualties. These remaining wars, timelines and assorted notes were written mainly in a narrative fashion, so battle data will not be as forthcoming. The upshot is there will be more detail in what was going on with my player's heroes during these worldwide events.

Here is a preview of the war chronology so you can see what I'll be writing about. You'll notice that my timeline was well ahead of published timeline of Greyhawk products (576-591 CY). I usually adapted new material to our ongoing campaign as it came out:

Great North War 605 CY to 609 CY
Great Kingdom War of Succession 610 CY to 611 CY
Pomarj-Celene War 610 CY to 613 CY
3-Month aka "Scarlet" War 613 CY
Schnai Civil War and Aerdy Civil War 616 CY
The Greyhawk Wars aka "The Bandit War" 617 CY to 618 CY
Battle of Bellport Harbor 623 CY
Iuz-Furyondy War 627 CY to 629 CY (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

Having dredged up material for eight more wars (wow) I have additional 2E campaign material I may write up that coincides with these events:

Final 2E Campaign Map of the Flanaess 638 CY
The High Ring (magocratic power group)
Revealed Land of Black Ice Colonization and Map
The Night Shadows (barbarian power group)

I hope this ends up a good trove of game material and ideas for your own Greyhawk campaign. Stay tuned!

Update 06/27/2021: Added links to associated articles that followed this prelude, for ease of navigation. Or you can find them all in the page tab for Best of Greyhawkery.

Furyondy-Iuz War Map, Part 1

Well met lords and ladies of Greyhawk! Today I have an unusual treat for your eyes and senses. This topic is so epic in fact, it will take me THREE POSTS to get through all the information! Yes, I'm going to bore you by talking about my home campaign. But not just any campaign (I've had several unlike Jay Scott), but my "silver age" 2E campaign set during the heyday of writer Carl Sargent, especially Marklands/Iuz the Evil/Ivid he Undying. This was circa 1993 back when I was in the middle of my college days, full of energy to play D&D and do class work at the same time. Of course while I was in lectures I was really working on notes for my next Greyhawk session, or in the case of these maps, I was amusing myself by drawing maps and recording the historical accounts of actual battles me and my friends conducted. Greyhawk Wars the board game came out in 1991, so pitting the entire Flanaess in conflict was a hot topic for us, especially since we'd been waging wars prior to this using only the scant troop strengths Gygax gave us in the 80's boxed set (and mostly using war machine rules in the D&D Companion Set). Less so with Wars, and moreso with Sargent's books, the greater detailed maps and troops strengths opened up things for a highly detailed campaign between the forces of Good against the Old One, Iuz. You'll see below, that the timeline for the map starts in 627 CY, that's because my campaign had been rolling a long time before Sargent's stuff came out, so I was making use of information meant "canonically" for 40 years prior. No worry, happens to us all!

Another thing, the map below was regrettably drawn on notebook paper. Like I said, I wasn't paying attention in class. If I knew that I'd be referencing these to a wider audience decades later, I'd have used something clearer and maybe in color. At any rate, I've scanned and tried to sharpen it as best as I can. The campaign map is based (and traced) from the maps found in Marklands/Iuz the Evil and it shows the thick starting border line in 627 CY, and then shifting fronts, troop strengths, special events and leaders as they are at the end of summer 628 CY. I have always loved military history and this is the closest I've ever come to accurately recording a Flanaess war or battle besides my account of the Battle of Emridy Meadows. If time was no object I'd do more of these, though this one will forever be unmatched because we actually played this campaign out. If you can make sense of the map, read along with my edited notes for the campaign (sorry I don't use Greyhawk months, it was easier thinking in Earth months as we played it out). Finally, I need to point out that battle losses are registered by Iuz forces first followed by Good allied forces.

Now, please enjoy the Iuz-Furyondy Campaign Part 1 of 3!

Map 1: Click to Enlarge

Map 1 (September 627- June 628)

Prelude 627 CY: Elven wizard, Mortellan becomes mayor of Greyhawk, marines retake Safeton, thieves guild is run out of the city.
September (wk 1): Ambassador of Iuz withdraws from treaty citing illegal activities between Furyondy, Veluna, Greyhawk Domain and Celene.
September (wk 2): The Gold Dragons (mercenary army) hired by Mortellan to defend Greyhawk.
September (wk 3): Mortellan visits Dyvers, is not welcomed well.
September (wk 4): Panshazek and Xenvelen re-open raids into Vesve with greater magic assistance. Furyondy declares state of war with Iuz. Troops move on the Fronts.
Brewfest: (no events)
October (wk 1): Swarming Ground-Razing Line Offensive (no gains). Losses 600 undead, 200 orc vs. 400 inf.
October (wk 2): Salamandra Offensive (no gains) Losses 200 undead, 200 orc vs. 200 pike.
October (wk 3): Moatshield Offensive (no gains) Losses 400 orc vs. 200 inf.
October (wk 4): First wood elves affected by chain madness. Vesve skirmishes. Losses 200 losel, 200 orc vs. few elves.
November (wk 1): Skeleton horde moves across Razing Line (Iuz gain) Losses: 200 undead, 200 orc vs. 200 inf, 200 archer, 200 lt cav.
November (wk 2): Spinecastle-Redoubt Assault (Iuz gain) Losses 1000 orc, 200 undead vs. 1000 inf, 200 pike, 200 hv inf.
November (wk 3): Work begins on old Critwall Bridge. Both sides regroup.
November (wk 4): Supplies robbed. Fendrelan Offensive (no gains) 200 undead, 400 orc vs. 200 inf.
December (wk 1): No movement. (heavy snow)
December (wk 2): No movement. (heavy snow)
December (wk 3): Salamandra Counter-Offensive led by Trithereon priests. (allied gain) Losses 400 orc vs. several clerics.

628 CY
Needfest: No movement. (cold)
January (wk 1): A chimera attacks Brancast. (no gains) Losses: 1 chimera vs. 1 resident wizard.
January (wk 2): No movement. (heavy snow)
January (wk 3): No movement. (cold)
January (wk 4): No movement. (cold)
February (wk 1): Knights of Hart (Highfolk) with Sharnalem, hunt orcs. (allied gain) Losses: 200 losel, 200 orc vs. few.
February (wk 2): No movement. (cold)
February (wk 3): Greatwall-Moatshield Offensive (no gains) Losses 1200 orc, 6 cleric, 12 fiends vs. 400 inf, 200 pike, 200 m cav, 10 spellcasters.
March (wk 1): Greyhawk sends troops to disband Pelgaryn bandits. Iuz reinforces front lines. Furyondy calls up militia in Kalinstren (1000) and Crystalreach (1200).
March (wk 2): Greyhawk defeats Pascorel and Cantona. Major raid on Castle Ehlenestra (no gains) Losses 200 undd, 200 orc, 10 cleric vs. 200 archer.
March (wk 3): Molag Offensive. Heavy fiendish presence. (no gains) Losses: 200 orc, 200 undead, 10 spellcasters, several demons vs. 200 pike, 200 hv inf, 200 inf, lt cav, 2 clerics.
March (wk 4): No movement.
Growfest: No movement.
April (wk 1): Flare Line Offensive. (no gains) Losses: 2000 orc, 20 giant, 10 spellcasters vs. 800 inf, 400 lt cav, 200 archer, 3 spellcaster.
April (wk 2): Flare Line Offensive continues (no gains) Losses: 2200 orc, 200 human, 20 giant, 20 spellcaster vs. 600 inf, 200 pike, 400 lt cav, 200 hv inf, 5 spellcaster.
April (wk 3): Sharnalem's scouts hunt in the Vesve. Losses 400 orc, 2 spellcaster vs. no casualty.
April (wk 4): Assault of Redoubt. (no gains) Losses 20 giant, 20 fiend, 200 orc, 200 undead, 20 spellcaster vs. 400 inf, 200 pike, 200 hv inf.
May (wk 1): Iuz conscripts Vesve goblins. Drives them west into wood elf territory.
May (wk 2 to wk 4): Border Skirmishes. (no gains) Losses 20 giant, 1000 orc vs. 200 pike, 400 lt cav, 400 archer.
June (wk 1): No movement.
June (wk 2): No movement. Furyondy hires heroes to successfully rescue Earl Holmer from Dorakaa. (module, City of Skulls)
June (wk 3): Moatshield Sieged. (Iuz gain) Losses 400 human vs. 400 inf, 200 lt cav.
June (wk 4): Greatwall Sieged. (Iuz gain) Losses 20 fiend, 200 human, 400 orc vs. 400 inf, 200 lt cav.

Comments: Mortellan is an elven archmage once played myself in 1E then by my late friend Brian Kuebrich. Because Mort was so instrumental in my games, many of my Greyhawk friends will know I've used Mortellan as a screen name for years.
I don't remember why Dyvers hates Mort, but I'm sure it's something Brian did, he played Mortellan as a very haughty and power-hungry wizard (he didn't like the Circle of Eight either). Bonus anecdote, Brian and my friend Jayson's character Valkaun Dain once rebuilt the three towers in Greyhawk Ruins and over an argument, Mortellan bought Valkaun's share.
The module City of Skulls was played out in one evening at my friend Eric's house. I vaguely recall cutting ALOT of corners to finish this adventure, but I recycled much of the info in later adventures where the players tried to mess with Iuz.
Next post will cover the war from June 628 to Brewfest 628. Things ramp up in this shorter time frame. See you then!

A Few Interesting Greyhawk Posts

Howdy Greyhawkers! The big news from Wizards last weekend was about their new adventure, Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus and they've announced a setting hardback for Eberron. (for some reason) I'm not here to discuss Sharn, but I do have a few Greyhawk items to tide us over until I can get the new Ghosts of Saltmarsh book and then with Anna Meyer, on June 5th, start back up Legends & Lore on the Greyhawk Channel.

First up, over at Tribality, author Blake Ryan has another mysterious location to show off in his Greyhawk series, this time it is Xanvak, an underwater lair of Aboleth in Lake Quag near Perrenland. Suddenly that sleepy lake got 1000% more deadly. Blake throws in some interesting loot choices drawn from Greyhawk Adventures if your players care to brave this deep danger.

Second, the new Avernus book mentioned above partially takes place on the first level of hell (making this a stealth Planescape adventure). One of the product points for this event is some big nasty vehicle called the Infernal War Machine. Over at ENWorld there is photos and advance look at the rules. They are touting this as Mad Max inspired, though my next inclination is my Warhammer 40k orks would love to ride that. However, an astute Greyhawk-file will also point at this infernal machine and scream DOOMGRINDER! Or for that matter maybe the Machine of Lum the Mad or Mighty Servant of Leuk-O could come from this family of hellish devices. All this time they were Blood War left overs!

Lastly, I rarely go to Dragon+ cause reasons, but in this month's feature for the Best of the Dungeon Master's Guild by Shawn Merwin also includes some links to PDFs of classic Dragon Magazine articles that can enhance a nautical campaign. Among these excellent entries is a Greyhawk article I DO NOT REMEMBER. This is significant to me, because I thought I had seen it all. Ironically, issue #125 from 1987 features a cover painting of King Arthur at the Battle of Camlan by Roger Raupp.

This same artwork would later be recycled in 1991 for...Greyhawk Wars boxed set cover. Yes I am underwhelmed too, but I had forgot that excellent cover graced Dragon before the forgettable game. Fast forward almost three decades later and now it is here again. Magical Maps of Greyhawk by Lee Ian Wurn has some excellent lore on the Cataclysms to go with his unique magical items. Download this article!

5E: More Greyhawk Wars Magic Items

Last time I featured three unique magic items named in the 2nd edition era board game Greyhawk Wars, but were never found in any other supplement before or after. Today we look at the last three of this set as I try to convert them to 5E rules using the spirit of the board game descriptions. Enjoy!

Gloves of the Paladin
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a cleric, druid or paladin)

These supple leather gloves were first created by the temple of Heironeous to aid the Knights of Holy Shielding in their crusade against the evils of the Bandit Kingdoms, Iuz and the Horned Society. While wearing these gloves, you have the divine ability to lay on hands as a paladin of the same level. If attuned to a paladin, the gloves double the pool of healing points available to the wearer.

Dura's Deadly Poison
Wondrous item, rare

Dura, also known as the Siren of Stiletto Street, was once an assassin from the City of Greyhawk, before she was forced into exile for using her talents on a close friend of the lord mayor. Found in a small make up container, there is enough of this very fine powder for one use.
When you use an action to cast the dust from the container it fills a 15 foot cone. Each creature in that area takes 4d6 poison damage and must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. At the start of each turn a poisoned creature takes 4d6 poison damage and at the end of the turn, repeats the saving throw. On a successful save, the poison damage they take in the subsequent turn decreases by 1d6. The poison ends when the damage decreases to 0.

Drawmij's Dagger
Weapon (dagger), rare (requires attunement)

The Archmage Drawmij has created many exotic items and this dagger is among his earliest signature weapons. You can use a bonus action to toss this magic dagger into the air and speak the command word. When you do so, the dagger begins to hover, flies up to 60 feet, and instantly attacks up to four creatures of your choice along that path. Each creature may only be struck once. The dagger uses your attack roll and ability score modifier to damage rolls.
After the hovering dagger attacks for the fourth time, it teleports back to its sheath. If you are more than 60 feet from the dagger it flies back to your original spot and falls to the ground. The dagger can't be used this way again until the next dawn.

Greyhawk Order of Battle Lists

 Hail Greyhawkers. Today I'm perusing old Dragon mags again, this time delving into Dragon #37 an old issue indeed from May 1980. What makes this issue significant is that this is the release year for the World of Greyhawk setting (Folio). Up to and including this point, Gygax and company had worked up the D&D fanbase with news and tidbits about the RPG setting and that month's From the Sorcerer's Scroll column by Gygax summed up the current state of things, having had some false starts along the way.

Among the many projects promised in this article (some finished in future editions, others forgotten entirely) was the idea for a miniature mass combat rule set to go with a line of minis. Now the minis were indeed made, or perhaps the first run of them. Gygax had grand plans for these products to play out the wars of the World of Greyhawk using the specific troop strengths and types outlined in the Folio (and the revised 1983 Guide), in addition to his battle and troop updates found in later Dragon articles featuring new events of the Flanaess. Gygax in Dragon #37:

"Steve Carpenter of Miniature Figurines Ltd. is currently designing a set of miniatures rules for warfare on the World of Greyhawk. These rules will set forth the orders of battle of the states of the Flanaess and add to the information pertaining to the “World.” At the same time, miniature figurines of the various troops are being assembled, so that details of what various units look like will also be known—say the Overking’s Guards or the Knights of the Hart. In addition to having adventures, campaign participants will soon be able to fight major battles which will affect the course of things. The figure line could eventually number in the hundreds of sets, with possibly a thousand different figures. The initial release will be in the 50-set range, according to Steve. Of course, I’ll be contributing to the miniatures rules, and I’m helping to select figure types. The rules and figures will be significant contributions towards developing the “World,” but more is needed."

What came of the rules is beyond the search of this post, though I imagine Battlesystem and Chainmail 2.0 were later attempts to revive this project albeit without using the rich tapestry of Eastern Oerik as their setting of conflict. Only the failed Greyhawk Wars "board game" even tried to capitalize on all the build-up started by Gygax. A shame. What's further interesting about this article is the bonus content by Gygax detailing some notable NPC's armies. So not only was this "Order of Battle" as Gygax called it, to be about nations and knights, but also wizards and warriors:

"Finally, as a bonus for reading through all of this, you will find same Order of Battle information for certain renowned figures in the World of Greyhawk. They will possibly appear in the general army lists, but then again they might not make it. Either way, you will have the information first."

My guess is they would have been included. In fact, the heraldry on the cover of the Greyhawk Folio includes the green dragon standard of Robilar and the scimitar of Tenser for no other reason, but in the context of a war-game that never came out, these shields make more sense. The lists feature the forces of Bigby, Mordenkainen, Robilar, Tenser and enigmatic Unnamed Erac's Cousin. Each of the entries tease some interesting back-stories as well that dubiously bring the canon history of these characters into doubt.

Bigby for instance has a hidden fortress that is presumably between the Shield Lands and the Bandit Kingdoms. His force of 800+ soldiers sometimes includes either  elves or dwarves. Nowhere else in Greyhawk publication does Bigby sport this kind of might. He is either a shy, quiet mage posing as a merchant in the east or is hanging out in the Wild Coast/Greyhawk City as a Circle of Eight wizard.

Also intriguing is Mordenkainen's sizable cavalry force of 4000 riding into the west (to aid an evil associate no less) and not coming back. So where are they? Did they go to the Obsidian Citadel in the Yatils? No further mention is made in Greyhawk publication to him having these troops. Mordy in later Greyhawk books has plenty of allies and guards but no need for ground cavalry.

Worst yet is Robilar, whose forces make him look entirely capable of the treachery he is involved in during From the Ashes and Rary the Traitor. Robilar is well known for having Otto and Quij the orc as henchmen, but here he also has a 600 strong, lawful evil army, half of which are orcs. Robilar's keep west of Greyhawk is sacked for his misdeeds and the army hides out in the Pomarj region. So that means they are either bandits or perhaps allies of Turrosh Mak/Slave Lords?

One other thought about wizard and warrior armies, the AD&D rules conveniently provided that every "name-level" PC gained a stronghold and attracted followers. This class design was surely meant to emulate and perpetuate the war-game facet of Greyhawk. The practice fell off fast in following editions of D&D of course. Okay, I won't even get into the rest of lists, find the issue and check it out. It's quite a good read, and maybe if you do want to do a war-based Greyhawk campaign, these troop lists will provide you with some inspiration for other special NPC units.

1981 TSR Hobbies Catalogue

Welcome Greyhawk mavens and fans of D&D. As I showed off last week, I recently purchased an old Expert Boxed set and within this box (no dice unfortunately) was a mint copy of the 1981 TSR Hobbies game catalog. Oh my is there a lot of stuff in here. Strap in for a nostalgia ride!

I love the index to this document, such big text and the fantasy font. Very 80's. One the right is the two games that got me started, the Basic and Expert Sets. I now possess both of these great boxes with amazing Erol Otus art on the covers. My favorite part of the product blurb is how they describe dice:
"DRAGON DICE(tm) random number generators."
"DRAGON DICE(tm) Randomizers"

I vaguely recall TSR bringing back Dragon Dice in the 90's but as a game of some sorts. I never knew they tried to trademark the polyhedron set. And I certainly have never told a player to roll a 20-sided randomizer to attack. Too funny.

The next spread shows us the basics needed to run our Basic & Expert games plus the advent of the new Advanced D&D line (which I had soon jumped to). I like the blurb for Palace of the Silver Princess. If I knew then what I know now, a copy of the orange cover version of this module would've been worth money today due to its racy interior art.

The D&D Player Character Record Sheets were among my earliest buys. I still have many of those green sheet characters. Advanced D&D of course is what really got me going. My friend Charles got me the DMG for my 10th birthday and my other friends have been paying for it ever since. I also recall spending many a night pouring over the Deites & Demigods Cyclopedia. I was always a fan of mythology in school (weirdo) so to see stats and images associated with pantheons I'd never heard of was fascinating (oh yeah, and I hear it had nudes).

I never had the 1981 Dungeon Masters Screen though I did acquire it a few years ago. The Rogues Gallery is also a must if you want to learn more about the obscure luminary characters of Gygax's Greyhawk history. I never had the DM Log and Record stuff, regular notebooks always seemed to do the trick. I use steno notebooks to this day.

On the right is a whole assortment of early Greyhawk history in AD&D Modules. All of these old adventures (which all got their start in convention play) form the meat of the published World of Greyhawk setting as we know it. Check it out, even back in 1980-81 the Tomb of Horrors was a best seller.

This spread shows some classic games. One I've not heard of is Warlocks & Wizards. Talk about simple you are either a warrior or a warlock no other choice, and your quest is to escort a princess through the wilderness. Easy enough! Top Secret was always a guilty pleasure of mine. I love James Bond movies and though I didn't have this edition specifically I'd love to look through it today. Boot Hill and Gamma World are also games I'm sure my friends would jump at today. These original editions I'm sure are much more fun than their descendants.

I never had a chance to buy Boxed Games like Snits Revenge and Awful Green Things though I did get to sample some Tom Wham games like Elefant Hunt from the pages of Dragon Magazine. It's also incredible to see that the white booklet set of D&D was already a collectors edition in 1981! These are booklets I try to collect at conventions when I see them. So far I own Blackmoor and Eldritch Wizardry. 

At last, here we see the ad for the World of Greyhawk fantasy world setting. This is the 1980"folio" version which contains the same poster maps we all know and love by Darlene but the booklet on the kingdoms was still rather brief back then and didn't include deities at the time. In another two years, we'll have the full boxed set with maps and two guide books. 

I owned the Dungeon Geomorphs. Neat stuff. Didn't really do it for me. The Hex Books on the other hand...I used the hell out of those and to this day I still love drawing maps on them (thanks Black Blade Publishing). Lastly, check out the advert for Dragon Magazine. D&D got me hooked, but this magazine (until it went out of print for good) was really what kept me in the hobby for life. Getting a new magazine in the mail every month was a joy. Seeing the cover was always a surprise in of itself. The content was bonus: comics, games, fiction, letters. When I see how openly popular RPGs are today, it makes 10 year old me feel validated for staying with the hobby.

Finally we see the spread for GenCon Game Fair and TSR Shirts. It's crazy to think the convention (now in Indianapolis) had it's 50th anniversary this year. Back in 1981 I would've never dreamed I'd go to one of these much less ten or so! As to the t-shirts, I want them all! No wonder I never saw them before, you can only get them through the catalog (only $6 per shirt!). Hm, I wonder what would happen if I sent a check and T-shirt order to TSR in Wisconsin...

Thanks for reading!