Ring of Five Questions: Round 9

Welcome again Greyhawk fanatics! If you've been following, this is the *checks notes* ninth 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 your answers posted in a timely manner!

Today is the curve ball I promised last round. When I first proposed the Five Questions there was an initial rush of answers online where I had instructed they be emailed to me, hoping for more thoughtful answers that way. One person who caught this and responded to me after I already posted his answers was David "Keolander" Farris. So, in the spirit of D&D with its revisions and editions, I present David Farris 2.0! For fun we will compare his first answers with his new ones. Enjoy!

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

David 1.0: Keoland

David 2.0: Hmmm, gotta go with the entirety of The Sheldomar Valley (or if you want a specific nation: Keoland)

David is in agreement here, which is good and consistent since he is "Keolander" after all! However, I like that 2.0 expands out to the entire Sheldomar Valley and why not? Keoland had its imperialistic phase, so you can't really enjoy Keoland unless you swipe up all the states adjacent to it.

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

David 1.0: Murlynd (it didn't say no Hero/Quasi deities)

David 2.0: Probably gonna go with Daern the Hero-Deity. She seemed like she likes her creature comforts while camping, what with the Instant Fortress.

David was one of the first to say he would be a quasi/hero-deity. Alot of people who have entered the Ring have followed suit, since these gods are more relatable. 1.0 started with Murlynd, but 2.0 decided on Daern. That's quite a switch, from paladin tech-magic cowboy to defensive, construction-minded engineer. Murlynd is obviously more popular, I applaud Daern for originality. Yes, I guess a fortress that instantly pops up on command is much cooler than anything Murlynd can do. 

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

David 1.0: Q1: Queen of the Demonweb Pits.

David 2.0: Ooooh, toss up between T1-4: Temple of Elemental Evil and Q1: Queen of the Demonweb Pits....and all for the same reason: the dropped plot threads of The Elder Elemental God! It's too bad Gary Gygax couldn't have gotten his original version of Q1 done (or at least merged it with David C. Sutherland's Demonweb portion).

- Lots of things in those modules that, in retrospect, just don't work (and I'm talking beyond the goofy 'fun-house dungeon crawl' Spidership that was completely out of place).

- The Sauron's Eye (Liddless Eye), based on bad art, should have been immediately corrected with the subsequent publishing to reflect The Elder Elemental God's symbol (and why is Lareth the Beautiful wearing one? He serves Lolth!)

- Yochlol only make sense if they're servants of The Elder Elemental God (being they're all tentacle-y Cthulhu Mythos-type "things"). Presumably there should have been an encounter with one at the bottom (the unpublished 5th lvl) of The Temple of Elemental Evil to help the tie-in.

- I would make Driders into Lolth's most fanatical servants: sub-demons. Or at least the "good merge" ones where they're half-spider/half-Drow and still look mostly human on their upper-torso. Something akin to The Witcher Tv series Kikkimora would be a "bad merge" Drider: one that failed Lolth's tests and is now more of a mindless, ravenous spider-like abomination. 

- The final encounter(?) with the EEG I think was supposed to take place in The Sunless Sea at his Temple. The D-series probably could have gone another whole trilogy, in fact, with adventures in Erelhei-Cinlu and The Sunless Sea.

The Davids are kinda back in agreement this time, focusing heavily on Q1. I can't say I love or hate that one, never ran it, but I can bet I would edit on the fly if I did. David 2.0 of course goes into elaborate detail on what he feels. Well, I asked for it, and he delivered! :P

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

David 1.0: Quij the Orc Hero.

David 2.0: I'm assuming we're gonna need a heavy dungeon-delving team of at least 9 and all the PCs are of at least comparable levels (or can survive with others around them higher level, some have had levels adjusted to reflect this)....

- Frush O'Suggil (from G1-3 Against the Giants), Fighter 14th lvl

- Beek Gwenders of Croodle (from G1-3 Against the Giants), Ranger 9th level

- Redmod Dumple (from G1-3 Against the Giants), Fighter 9th lvl

- Reynardia Yargrove (from WG6 Isle of the Ape), Druid 14th lvl (Probably the Team Leader when you consider her Charisma and levels)

- Roaky Swerked (from G1-3 Against the Giants), Cleric 12th lvl

- Tasha of the Hideous Laughter (who is NOT Natasha the Dark or Iggwilv), Mage 12th lvl (going by her spellbook in Dragon #83)

- Glede Wurp the Eyebiter (from G1-3 Against the Giants), Mage 12th lvl

- Phanstern (from A1-4 Scourge of the Slave Lord....cause I love Illusionists), Illusionist 9th lvl (gave him some levels)

- Keek Breedbate of Nithe (from D1-2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth), Fighter/Thief 5/10th lvl

If we need 15 for ultra-heavy dungeoneering (like going into a crashed spaceship) add:

- Olaf Peacock (from I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City) Bard 9th lvl (Dragon Magazine #56 variant, gave him some levels)

- Philotomy Jurament (from D1-2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth) Paladin 10th lvl

- Li Hon (from C2 Ghost Tower of Inverness) Monk 7th lvl (Dragon Magazine #53 variant)

- Alberich Delverson (from I7 Baltron's Beacon....I said I loved Illusionists) Fighter/Illusionist 5/7th

- Flerd Trantle (from G1-3 Against the Giants), 9th lvl Cleric

- Faffle Dwe'o-mercraeft (from G1-3 Against the Giants), 9th lvl Mage (just the name alone makes it)

Again, I said in my opening pitch, you can be as wordy as you want. For Q4, I only expected one pick, but a few Ring respondents took that as a whole group. Now at first, David 1.0 blurted out Quij, but 2.0 gave it more thought and in my mind he said, "Quij is not a hero, he's just an over-stuffed orc henchman!" So now looks like we got the ENTIRE classic AD&D pregen all-star lineup! When I asked David what his number-one pick out the bunch would be he said Reynardia Yargrove who he also makes the team leader. Wise choice selecting a druid, and what an amazing team!

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

David 1.0: The Invulnerable Coat of Arnd.

David 2.0: The Foreteeth of Gar! Just kidding. I think I'd take Johydee's Mask

The Davids differ again. The Invulnerable Coat has been a popular pick, since hey who wouldn't want to be bullet proof? Why 2.0 switched to Johydees Mask I wonder? Maybe he figures the coat doesn't protect your face, but the mask does, or perhaps the notoriety of getting a special second chance at the Ring of 5 has forced him into anonymity? Hard to say. Before we end this round of the Ring, let me throw out a new challenge to David 2.0...you got me intrigued, what are the Foreteeth of Gar? Give me a story or powers set, like is it biting damage? Whistling? Charming smile?

That was a blast. Mind you, I will not take anymore revised answers! Mr. Farris was blessed by Norebo (or was it Ralishaz) so he is the exception. Keep them coming friends. Until next time!

Ring of Five Questions: Round 8

Hail Lords and Ladies of Greyhawk! If you've been following, yes indeed, this is already the eighth 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 your answers posted in a timely manner!

Let's go to the Ring for a triple-threat match! Please meet stalwart Greyhawk fans, Matt Mason, Erik Larson and the inestimable Michael "Zudrak" Gross. Now onto the questioning...enjoy!

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

Matt: I've started DMing Against the Slave Lords (starting with A0), so I've developed a strong fondness for the Pomarj.  Props to Furyondy for the coolest region name ever.

Erik: Verbobonc, particularly the little village an indeterminate number of miles away, where we kicked off our adventuring career. We were poorly mounted, badly equipped and had no large sums of cash...

Michael: My favorite region comprises the Gnarley Forest, the Welkwood, and Suss Forest; west to the Kron Hills (including the village of Hommlet, Verbobonc, and parts of Veluna) and Lortmil Mountains; south to the three Ulek states, the Pomarj, and the (Keep on the) Borderlands between them; north to The Wild Coast, Dyvers, and the Free City of Greyhawk; and east to the Cairn Hills and Abbor-Alz.

I'm jealous of Matt for running the entire Slave Lord series. I neve ran them, and parted out 2E Slavers then trounced the Pomarj in a series of wars. So, yeah I like the Pomarj too, I just misused it. Michael casts a wide net to include the dangerous Pomarj but also encapsulates the region for the Temple of Elemental Evil and the entire Greyhawk Domain of adventures. Can't disagree with that! Erik makes the first question somewhat unanimous by choosing Verbobonc which I know started many careers off in the World of Greyhawk. Let's move on, but first, I wanted to disagree on Furyondy being the coolest name, but damned if I can't think of a more original regional name on the map.

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

Matt: Boccob, so when someone says, "you think you know everything", I can say, "yes, yes I do".

Erik: I haven't really considered them all that much, to be honest, but since you ask, I'll go with Zilchus.

Michael: Heironeous. Lightning, a big axe, and fighting for Law and Good? Sign me up. :)

We got more variety on this one. Erik has no time for gods, but if he were one he better be rich and influential! Works for me. Matt goes for the top shelf as a deity. Being Boccob would be bad ass actually. Yes he knows everything, has every magic item and spell imaginable, and to all you lesser gods, too bad, he is the Uncaring. Michael however is heroic at heart going with Heironeous. He has alot of evil to vanquish and order to restore so who wouldn't like to have permanent iron-skin? By the way, I hated when 3E D&D changed Heironeous to using a sword, it was lame and generic. I guess players griped when their paladin couldn't find a Holy Avenger Axe?

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

Matt: WGS1 & 2.  All that hard work just to be told you started a continent-wide war.

Erik: The City of Greyhawk. I recently pulled that off the shelf after having read through the first few Gord the Rogue novels and thought: "It's not like this at all."

Michael: Tough question, because there are a few. Since I can only pick one, I choose The Temple of Elemental Evil.

Just when I think I'm done ranting about Five Shall Be One & Howl From the North, Matt brings them up again! I agree that these could be redone, except I think you were disappointed in the Greyhawk Wars that followed? I wanted that, but was mad the barbarians who started it off got left out of the main events! Erik meanwhile goes for the jugular and casts shade on a favorite of mine, the City boxed set. Really pal? Well, I must admit I didn't read the novels till way after I had the boxed set. Not sure how I avoided Gygax's novels for so long. I know the maps are a dividing line in fandom, but the content is something I've never seriously tried to compare. Moving on, Michael stays on track as this Heironean wishes to tweak the classic TOEE. I think as megadungeons go a DM can adjust it on the fly (especially a certain undead NPC). The outdoor stuff I would not change. And Return to the TOEE? Well, Monte Cook is great and all, but, pass.

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

Matt: See Q1 above. Gotta go with Turrosh Mak.

Erik: Lord Robilar, come on down.

Michael: Serten, since clerics are my favorite.

Let's keep the spotlight on Michael as this lawful good champion of the central Flanaess adds Serten to his NPC gang. That is on brand for him. Good cleric. One who fought at the Battle of Emridy Meadows as well! Erik, goes for another Gygax campaign classic in Robilar. Is there an NPC more divisive in fandom than him? I'll guess he likes the pre-Wars Robilar who was amoral adventurous not downright homicidal. I'd take him over most fighters in Greyhawk too. Matt finishes off number four with a call-back to question one, he loves him some Pomarj and no one unites those humanoids quite like Turrosh. Hm, I wonder who would win in a duel between Mak and Robilar?

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

Matt: Rod of Seven Parts.  Why settle for one when you can have seven!

Erik: The Mighty Servant of Leuk-O. I mean: what's not to like about a magi-tech mecha?

Michael: Johydee's Mask. As much as I like clerics, I enjoy sneaking and using powers of illusion to get past challenges.

Matt wisely takes the Rod of 7. As the Ring of Five Questions goes, this is like wishing for more wishes right? Matt shows he would make a good Boccob with that loop hole. Michael goes in a rare direction. So far no one has picked the Crook of Rao. I mean is there a more goody good item than that? I was sure, Michael the good aligned Heironeous and his pal Serten would go for that, but no he possesses Johydee's Mask? Sneaking and illusion he says. I guess that's okay since he said to get past challenges not create them (which is what my friends would do with it). Erik finishes off this epic Ring of Five round with the Mightiest relic of all, the Mighty Servant of Leuk-O. I agree, magi-tech mecha? This artifact is the most likely in all Greyhawk to actually be made IRL. My only gripe, is the MSoL large enough? Most illustrations I've seen make it large, but not mecha-large. I want something that can go toe to toe with the Doomgrinder - okay enough of that!

Thank you Matt, Erik and Michael. Good entries! Next round be ready for a curve ball. Stay tuned and see you again soon.

Ring of Five Questions: Round 7

Welcome again Greyhawkers! If you've been following, this is the seventh 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 step into the Ring and meet two new faces for this round, both avid fans of Greyhawk and long time readers of the blog. Good luck to Matthew Minnie and Gary Francisco! And.....GO!

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

Gary: Lordship of the Isles/Sunndi region.

Matt: Keoland.                                                                       

Gary opens things with a region that I've never considered. Sunndi does have some coast on the Aerdy Sea giving it contact with the Lordship. The Isles is an area I'd love to develop someday like I've done for the Sea Princes, but Sunndi is one area I've never considered using (unlike Gaetano who also uses Sunndi in a previous ring). I'd have to imagine Gary has some Iron League stories to tell...

Now Matthew goes with a popular choice in contrast. I think starting in Living Greyhawk (2000) when we got a deluge of new information, that area became more enticing to play in. That's my indication at any rate. You can't go wrong with Keoland for game ideas.

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

Gary: Tritherion, the Wanderer

Matt: Kelanen.

Matt picks another fan favorite, Kelanen. I think he's high on my list if I were a deity too. Not too godly, but bad ass enough to defeat anyone in your way. Two sentient swords is better than one as well. Gary would be Trithereon (the Summoner, no big deal), a slightly higher class of god, but just as martially dangerous as Kelanen, and with animals to boot! Trithereon is also special because he uses a spear. Spears are sort of out of style in D&D, but in his line of work, maybe you do need reach.

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

Gary: The "L" series > The Secret of Bone Hill, Assassin's Knot, & Deep Dwarven Delve > so much potential, so much confusion and disjointed plot lines.

Matt: Five Shall Be One.

Gary's choice of the L-Series is fitting since we are recently mourning the passing of its author, Lenard Lakofka. Now Mr. Francisco must be an old schooler who played these mods, so he would know what's  needed to fix the plot lines. So much of Greyhawk seems disjointed at times so I can't fault L-Series. I personally feel bad in hindsight that I've never ran these modules. I know Bone Hill is on my bucket list though. Speaking of redos, Matt picks my favorite and one I've harped on many times. FSBO (and Howl From the North) could've been epic barbarian themed modules if they were a trilogy and then had some impact on the Greyhawk Wars that followed. Something happened and the whole thing was a wreck. I redid FSbO for the South Seas (Sea Princes, Amedio, Scarlet Brotherhood area), and it works just as good in that Suel milieu as it did in the cold north. Maybe give that a try Matthew?

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

Gary: Curley Greenleaf > he was my favorite in the Gord series.

Matt: Mordenkainen.

Matthew goes with Mordy, which is a popular choice, but hey, if you're going to take on the worst in Greyhawk you need the guy who knows everything (or thinks he does). Plus, if Mordy turns evil this way you can keep an eye on him....Gary shows more of his old school roots by picking an NPC from Gygax's novels. Curley is an inspired choice, and I can imagine, his second round pick will probably be Gord. ;)

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

Gary: An Orb of Dragonkind.

Matt: Swiftdoom. (I know that it's one of Kelanen's sword's, but it had to be around looong before he was).

Gary brings out a new artifact to the Ring. An Orb of Dragonkind, any one will suffice, is a brilliant idea. Who wouldn't want to control a dragon? The applications after that are limitless. See Game of Thrones. Matthew Minnie finishes off this round of the Ring of Five Q's with a puzzling thought, how old is Swiftdoom and does the sword predate Kelanen? Since Matt is ACTUALLY going to be Kelanen, of course he would possess Swiftdoom (and Sureguard is a given). I don't think I could separate the pair of swords or choose a favorite. As to the age of these swords, I am sure Kelanen could make swords, but enchant them? Perhaps, but make them sentient? Doubtful. And, since he is just a hero-deity that I don't think is pre-migration, then maybe those two swords are indeed older than him. Maybe they are ancient Flannae or elven creations? Who knows? Thanks for that conundrum Matt!

And that concludes another rousing round of the Ring! What will happen next installment? Wait and see! 

In Remembrance of Lenard Lakofka

One of the great things about being in the Greyhawk or even D&D community for so long is you occasionally get to meet your idols. The great artists and authors of our shared hobby have left a wonderful legacy in this game, and yet it is never easy when one of them passes away. Today is one of these tragic days. Word has it the legendary Leomund himself, Len Lakofka died this day. There is scant details right now, but recently he was a regular on Twitch streams with Anna Meyer, Jay Scott and myself, and we know his health wasn't the greatest. He would come on early, charm us all with his blunt wit and anecdotes of TSR days past, discuss the Lendore Isles (with his Darlene map in the background), occasionally host a contest and then as quickly as he appeared, he would be off until next time. I am deeply saddened that he will not be with the community any longer. We will always have his Dragon articles, especially my favorites the Suloise gods series which I am forever honored to have heard his stories on how they were developed. We will also have the L-series modules (Secret of Bone Hill, Assassins Knot), his work with the fansite Dragonsfoot and more. 

My condolences go out to his family. Thank you Len for your work, your time and your friendship with the Greyhawk community. 

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!

Greyhawk Rebooted 576

Well met, Greyfolk! Today I'm boosting the signal for a new content creator in the Greyhawk community! The ambitious Greyhawk Rebooted 576 group (RVN Creative Studios) can be found on Facebook, spearheaded by Scott Agnew and his evocative maps, including his take on the continent of Oerik. Here is a blurb for what Greyhawk Rebooted is all about:

"Welcome to Greyhawk Rebooted, a revision and reimagining of Gary Gygax's classic campaign setting for the fifth edition of the world's greatest roleplaying game.

Two core books will be released under WotC's Fan Content policy and these will be followed by a series of adventure modules, monster ecologies, adventure locations, random encounters, NPC write ups, etc.

The core books will expand the original setting to cover all of Oerik and not simply the Flanaess. Also, Greyhawk Rebooted is set in the year 576CY which means we've reset the timeline from the published canon back to where it all began with the 1980 Folio. (i.e. no Greyhawk Wars, no Living Greyhawk, etc.)"

To drive this project, there is a Patreon for Greyhawk Rebooted 576. Go check that link for more information on RVN Creative Studios and its planned releases.

I am pleased to see even more content coming out in the fan community in any shape or form. Mr Agnew and this group seemingly came out nowhere to me. I am keen to see what they come up with in the near future. In the meantime, go join the Facebook group and check out the new maps and samples from the rebooted Greyhawk. Enjoy!

Ring of Five Questions: Round 5

Greeting Greyhawk faithful. If you've been following, this is the fifth round of my ongoing Return of the Ring of Five Questions column! If you're coming into this column for the first time this is a community participation feature of Greyhawkery. Go back and read the previous installments then email me at mortellan@gmail.com with your 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! 

Now, let's jump into the Ring, this round I am putting two of my very best Greyhawk friends up for your entertainment; Carlos Lising of Casl Entertainment is among many community contributions, a producer of amazing adventure modules and a Greyhawk streamer on Twitch. Then there is Jayson King who has been my best friend and brother since well, forever and he is my longest running player having been involved in every one of my Greyhawk campaigns. Jayson has contributed to Canonfire before, we were both on the podcast Gamerstable and he is best known on Greyhawkery as the player of the famous barbarian hero Valkaun Dain. All three of us have hung out, ate, drank and gamed together, and despite Carlos being a Blackhawks fan, Jayson and me still like him! But enough pleasantries, let's see how these two really match up! Enjoy.

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

Carlos: Fireland, outside of the Flanaess. Perrenland, within it.

Jayson: Rhizia, the whole Thillonrian Peninsula. I’ve sailed it’s fjords and climbed its mountains so many times in my imagination that I know it well. My DM, my good friend Mike Bridges aka Mortellan, let me put my stamp on it in our campaign. It was my own corner of the map.

Good ol Carlos and Fireland, his vision of that place far exceeds anything I've done with Ull. Someday you'll see what I mean! Now Perrenland I can get behind, knowing him like I do, he really likes the modules set in/around the Yatils. Speaking of Suel barbarian culture, Jayson and I have indeed used the peninsula, mainly through his PCs Vorlag and Valkaun, waging wars often, and he had creative license for that corner of the map. For example, check out Jayson's power group the Night Shadows.

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

Carlos: It's hard to relate to the gods from a mortal perspective. So I would probably pick a Demigod or Hero-God. Maybe Rudd?  I like her portfolio. Otherwise...Tharizdun. As bleak as it is, all things eventually bow to entropy.

Jayson: Kelanen, the Prince of Swords. Only a “Hero-God” but he’s so cool. Hangs with Zagig, Heward, Murlynd, Keoghtom, to capture Iuz? Sign me up!

Tharizdun How poetic. I'll pretend I didn't see that lol. I do find it fun that Carlos wants to be Rudd and Jayson picked Kelanen. I suddenly want to run a one-shot team-up with those two playing the hero-deities. It would have to be an epic level scenario of course. But who would be the villain, hmmm.

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

Carlos: Heh. Essentially, I AM doing them over!  ;) Gimme a crack at Q1. That's such a bad ending to a legendary series.

Jayson: I hated the intended ending of the Five Shall be One, but good ol Mike made it better. I’d love to play the Greyhawk Ruins (WGR1) again. We had a blast with it back in the day.

Ah yes WGR1, we played that cover to cover (minus a spelljammer). Jayson is definitely right that FSBO had a terrible payoff (nevermind the Greyhawk Wars). When I rebooted it for the Sea Princes I think that gave the Blades of Corusk a new purpose. If you're curious, find the links in my Best of Greyhawkery at the top. Carlos of course would know something about taking old material and making it his own. His take on Markessa is the stuff of legend. You can find her module series and more on his Casl Entertainment link at the top of the post. I never ran Q1 for Jayson so he probably doesn't relate to Carlos' disappointment. However, maybe a re-write by Carlos into a stand-alone module could make it palatable. 

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

Carlos: It's attractive to say Mordenkainen, but that's a sucker pick.  Far too unreliable.  Instead, give me Gwydiesin of the Cranes.  A 30th level Bard with a staggering array of magical items, aligned with the cause of good?  I can live with that.

Jayson: Knight Stalker - Mike’s nPC creation that was a badass. He used uzi’s and MAC-10’s, had a tri-bladed sword and, for a little while anyway, Excalibur. He was not a good guy, as the name implies, but he got the job done. He’d destroy Robilar, Quij and all of these other poseurs you other guys keep mentioning. I said what I said.

Carlos does appreciate the Sargent era and I'm sure he will be the only person to pick Gwydiesin a member of the obscure Johydee's Children. I wonder if Carlos' extended team would be the other Children? At any rate that's definitely an inspired choice for a #1 pick. 30th level Bard, not bad, but looks like Jayson's calling out my old PC/NPC Stalker, a fighter 35/ thief 5, you can read about this monty haul character from our youth here. Yeah our campaigns tended to get high level from 1E era all the way through 3rd edition. I'm guessing Jayson picked my guy because Valkaun would want KS on his side instead of against him! And yes, the tri-blade sword Jayson mentioned IS that sword.

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

Carlos: First: Let me go on record as saying I want NONE of them. Artifacts are far too dangerous and their side effects too onerous for my tastes. That said, if I had to choose...give me the Helm and Wand of Lynerden the Spinner (from Ivid the Undying). They came from a mage of goodly demeanor..so I'm hoping they won't wreck me TOO badly (plus, that Limited/Full Wish ability is awfully nice...).

Jayson: The Invulnerable Coat of Arnd. It would go well with Blackrazor, which a character of mine, Zholtan Bedlam, currently possesses. Can’t wait to get back to that campaign.  

True facts, Jayson's character has been unstoppable with Blackrazor. Now he wants an Invulnerable Coat too? Bahahaha. Zholtan Bedlam eh? I think I found a villain for my Rudd-Kelanen game! A lot of people however do seem to want Arnd's Coat IRL. Count me in. Finishing off this enjoyable round of the Ring, Carlos goes to Ivid once again for an obscure set of artifacts I'm sure few have used (including me). He would be aghast if Jayson was an unkillable machine with a soul-sucking sword, so I hope he could put his Good artifacts to use and wish the Invulnerable Coat and Blackrazor away! ;)  

Well folks, I'm exhausted and embarrassed. Carlos has seen how over the top I run my games, and Jayson now has some new ideas. Greaaaat. Stop in again folks, as two more people will enter the Ring!