D&D Retro Corner: Greyhawk Adventures
Step into the world that spun out much of the lore of D&D–from deities and demigods to spell names and famous Wizards, the world of Greyhawk is a piece of D&D’s past that shaped its present.
Travel back through the misty corridors of time with us to the year 1988, when Michael Dukakis and Mario 3 were newsworthy items. It was in that year that the D&D Supplement Greyhawk Adventures came out, bringing its iconic High/Barbaric Fantasy Style to D&D. It’s an aesthetic all its own–and of all the D&D settings out there, it’s probably the most D&D of them all. Which is why we’re taking a look at the retro goodness that is Greyhawk Adventures.
Greyhawk Adventures came out at a time when D&D was transitioning from AD&D 1st Edition to AD&D 2nd Edition, and exists in this weird liminal state. You can find NPCs in its contents that have classes not included in the original 2nd Edition rules (but that were in towards the end of 1st Edition). And as it came about at the end of the edition, it tries to showcase the world of Oerth to players new and old.
It might be spread a little thin, all things considered, because it offers a very broad view of the world, collating spells from its famous magic users, writeups of the many NPCs that roam the world, from Mordenkainen to Melf. But it’s a great entry point for folks looking to dive a little deeper into the world of Greyhawk. Whether investigating new magic items or places for their characters to explore, Players and DMs alike will find something worth looking into from this piece of D&D’s history.
That said, Greyhawk is a world with a lot of lore in the first place. This book doesn’t take you deep–it gives you a wide overview, but you have to remember, this was a world that had been around since before D&D was really D&D. This is the world that shaped everything for years to come.
We hope you enjoy this look into D&D’s past–until next time, Happy Adventuring!
