Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins
Encyclopedia
Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins is a 1998 sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
for the Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game. The 128 page book was written by Roger E. Moore
and published by Wizards of the Coast
under its then recently acquired TSR
imprint.
, including updates on the world's history, notable calendar events, and descriptions of the cultural and geographical divisions of the area. The book provides much specific information on the City of Greyhawk
, the largest and most populous city of Oerth, including details on everything form its ruling countil to its criminal codes, and descriptions of notable locations and characters within the city.
.
The book was the first in a series of publications designed to re-launch the Greyhawk campaign setting, followed by other sourcebooks and adventure modules
set in Greyhawk such as Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
and Return to the Tomb of Horrors
.
#50. Comparing it to the first release for the relaunch, Return of the Eight
, MacDuff found this book contained more solid material about the setting. He found that the book offered little new information about Greyhawk City, and much of the material reiterates information from the old City of Greyhawk
boxed set: "Anyone who owns CoG will likely feel cheated by the rehashed material, and while the timeline updates are welcome, they don't justify the overall cost of the product." MacDuff felt that older players would be likely to purchase the book just to keep up with the changes, but that new players would fare better as they would avoid the frustration of hunting down out of print material because the new book is both concise and complete. He noted that the thoroughness with which Roger E. Moore
covers Oerth makes for a fast start to a Greyhawk campaign, making The Adventure Begins indispensable. MacDuff concluded the review by saying, "As an outline of the world and a way to quickly start things, it gets the information aspiring GMs need. If Return of the Eight caters solely to old players, this one more than makes up for the difference."
Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins won the 1998 Origins Award
for Best Roleplaying Supplement.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
roleplaying game. The 128 page book was written by Roger E. Moore
Roger E. Moore
Roger E. Moore is a designer of role-playing games. He is best known for his long-running tenure as editor of Dragon magazine, and was the founding editor of Dungeon magazine.-Early life:...
and published by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
under its then recently acquired TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
imprint.
Contents
The Adventure Begins contains a general overview of the world of OerthOerth
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Oerth, pronounced as "Orth" or "oyth", is the name of the fictional planet on which one of the earliest campaign settings, the World of Greyhawk, is located...
, including updates on the world's history, notable calendar events, and descriptions of the cultural and geographical divisions of the area. The book provides much specific information on the City of Greyhawk
Free City of Greyhawk
The Free City of Greyhawk, also known as Greyhawk City and the "Gem of the Flanaess," is a fictional city-state in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
, the largest and most populous city of Oerth, including details on everything form its ruling countil to its criminal codes, and descriptions of notable locations and characters within the city.
Publication history
The Adventure Begins was intended as a "bridge" between previous Greyhawk products, and the relaunch of the new product line. The book updates material from the earlier From the AshesFrom the Ashes (Dungeons & Dragons)
From the Ashes is a supplement for Dungeons & Dragonss World of Greyhawk campaign setting. It was published in 1992 by TSR as a boxed set of materials...
.
The book was the first in a series of publications designed to re-launch the Greyhawk campaign setting, followed by other sourcebooks and adventure modules
Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, an adventure or module is a pre-packaged book or box set that helps the Dungeon Master manage the plot or story of a game...
set in Greyhawk such as Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil is an adventure module for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting.-Publication history:...
and Return to the Tomb of Horrors
Return to the Tomb of Horrors
Return to the Tomb of Horrors is a boxed set adventure module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game released in 1998 by TSR, Inc.. It is set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and is a sequel to Gary Gygax's 1978 module Tomb of Horrors...
.
Reception
James MacDuff reviewed The Adventure Begins in 1998, in ShadisShadis
Shadis was an independent gaming magazine that published articles on role-playing games. Started by Jolly Blackburn, it began as an independent gaming fanzine in 1990, and was later transformed into a quality small-press magazine in 1993. Each issue contained a variety of articles covering many...
#50. Comparing it to the first release for the relaunch, Return of the Eight
Return of the Eight
Return of the Eight is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The module was published by Wizards of the Coast in 1998 under its recently acquired "TSR" imprint for the second edition Advanced Dungeons &...
, MacDuff found this book contained more solid material about the setting. He found that the book offered little new information about Greyhawk City, and much of the material reiterates information from the old City of Greyhawk
The City of Greyhawk
The City of Greyhawk is an boxed set accessory published in 1989 for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:...
boxed set: "Anyone who owns CoG will likely feel cheated by the rehashed material, and while the timeline updates are welcome, they don't justify the overall cost of the product." MacDuff felt that older players would be likely to purchase the book just to keep up with the changes, but that new players would fare better as they would avoid the frustration of hunting down out of print material because the new book is both concise and complete. He noted that the thoroughness with which Roger E. Moore
Roger E. Moore
Roger E. Moore is a designer of role-playing games. He is best known for his long-running tenure as editor of Dragon magazine, and was the founding editor of Dungeon magazine.-Early life:...
covers Oerth makes for a fast start to a Greyhawk campaign, making The Adventure Begins indispensable. MacDuff concluded the review by saying, "As an outline of the world and a way to quickly start things, it gets the information aspiring GMs need. If Return of the Eight caters solely to old players, this one more than makes up for the difference."
Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins won the 1998 Origins Award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Roleplaying Supplement.
See also
- World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game SettingWorld of Greyhawk Fantasy Game SettingThe World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting and the World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting are two closely related publications from TSR, Inc. that detail the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
- From the Ashes (Dungeons & Dragons)From the Ashes (Dungeons & Dragons)From the Ashes is a supplement for Dungeons & Dragonss World of Greyhawk campaign setting. It was published in 1992 by TSR as a boxed set of materials...
- Living Greyhawk GazetteerLiving Greyhawk GazetteerThe Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is a sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Despite the title, the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is not exclusive to the Living Greyhawk Campaign...
Additional reading
- "Ruins of the Mistmarsh", The Oerth Journal #11
- Review, DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#252 (1998)
External links
- The Adventure Begins at the Pen & Paper RPG database
- http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_818.html