MShipley88 wrote:

killjoy32 wrote:didnt stormber sell off some greyhawk stuff in that mega-load not so long back? greyhawk stuff from back in 73-74 or something?

maybe grodog can shine some light here cos he watches greyhawk stuff like something i aint never seen

Sure, that was all the stuff that Paul sold on behalf of Rob Kuntz (look for another auction upcoming, as well, btw).  It was all materials from the original GH campaign, so---depending on your criteria for official inclusion in your list (published vs. private contents)---that stuff may or may not count.

MShipley88 wrote:Isn't Grodog, like, sort of expected to be obsessive about Greyhawk?

I think that's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all week, Mark.  Thanks!  :D

MShipley88 wrote:Do they pay you anything, Grodog, or is it a labor of lust?  :?

LOL.  Well, I have gotten paid for the two articles I wrote in Dragon with Erik Mona (about GH artifacts), so I suppose it's a little of both, though more on the latter than the former

Star Frontiers uses a different set of rules.  Its been a while since I've played but I seem to recall that Star Frontiers uses d100 exclusively.

A couple of years back James Mishler posted some interesting facts about the early settings of D&D at the KenzerCo boards:

The realm of Blackmoor of Gary Gygaxs Greyhawk campaign setting is unrelated to Dave Arnesons Blackmoor campaign setting. Gygax named the Archbarony of Blackmoor in honor of the campaign run by Arneson, and even included a reference to a City of the Gods, but they are not the same setting whatsoever.

The tale goes a little like this...

Gygax started running Greyhawk about the same time Arneson started running Blackmoor using their own house systems and rules. This was around, IIRC, 1972 or thereabouts. Meanwhile, long before, M.A.R. Barker had designed Tekumel (the land of the Empire of the Petal Throne) as an exercise in linguistics and ethnology, much as J.R.R. Tolkien did with Middle Earth. Eventually, due to common friends and wargaming organizations, Gygax and Arneson got together and eventually, the prototypical Dungeons & Dragons game was distilled from their efforts. [Each has their claims to how much was done by whom. Personally, system wise, I would chalk most of it up to Gygax, as Arnesons other work, notably in the First Fantasy Campaign setting, showed a far different system than what D&D ended up being. Anyhoo, that argument is not central to the campaign setting discussion.]

Arneson had been running Blackmoor in the Twin Cities area, and Gygax had been running Greyhawk in Lake Geneva. When D&D first came out, of course, there were no world settings. Only the most basic mention of the settings made it into the books, a mention in the intro by Gygax in the first booklet, Men & Magic. This was first released in January 1974.

The first expansion, titled Greyhawk, was released in 1975, was not a campaign setting. Written by Greyhawk DM Gygax and co-DM Rob Kuntz, it introduced new classes (Thief and Paladin), new monsters, new spells, new rules, new treasures... the whole gamut of materials as an expansion, but it was not a campaign setting. However, was one hint... a picture of the now-infamous Great Stone Face Enigma of Greyhawk. But no detail whatsoever on Greyhawk.

The second D&D expansion, Blackmoor, also released in 1975, was written by Dave Arneson, and was also not a campaign setting. Like Greyhawk, before it, the booklet included new rules, classes, monsters, and so forth. [Note: a lot of the basics included in this booklet were later found, in revised form, in Arnesons own RPG, Adventures in Fantasy.] Unlike Greyhawk, however, the booklet included a full-scale adventure, the infamous The Temple of the Frog. [This same adventure was later revised and expanded in 1986 and released as module DA2: The Temple of the Frog.] While there were some basics related to Blackmoor introduced in this adventure, it did not include anywhere near enough information to run a campaign.

Meanwhile, Gygax and/or Arneson somehow became acquainted with Barker. [Barker also living in the Twin Cities probably encountered Arneson first, though this is simple conjecture on my part.] One way or another, arrangements were made with TSR to release the Empire of the Petal Throne (EPT), a role-playing game and campaign setting all rolled into one! This had never been done before, ever. The EPT set, also released in 1975, included a complete game system (well, for the time) and the setting. The system was a variation on Dungeons & Dragons. So really, after a fashion, it can be said that Tekumel was the first fantasy game setting ever published. [Runequest, with Glorantha, would not be published for three more years, in 1978.]

However, the first official Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Setting was not from TSR at all; it was released by Judges Guild. Bob Bledsaw and Bill Owen, two gamers from Decatur, Illinois, had developed their own campaign, based loosely on Middle Earth, and saw a market for published campaign materials. They were right, and in 1976, entered into a licensing deal with TSR. They published the City State of the Invincible Overlord, the Wilderlands of High Fantasy, and many others, and, for a time (until the revocation of the license in the early 80s,) were the premier campaign, adventure, and supplement publishers, even topping TSR in that regard. So, officially, the title for First D&D Published Campaign goes to the CSIO.

Meanwhile, back at TSR, the third D&D booklet, Eldritch Wizardry, was released in 1976. By Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, it contained new classes, new rules, new monsters, and a whole new sub-system called psionics. No campaign material per se; however, it did list a new category of magic items; Artifacts and Relics! And there, indeed, was a wealth of hidden treasures to be found concerning the World of Greyhawk. Names that are now legendary around Greyhawk tables first saw publication there, including Vecna (an anagram for Vance, as in Jack Vance, the author), St. Cuthbert (named after the English saint), Leuk-O (named after Gygaxs son, Luke, an early player in the Greyhawk campaign), and Kas (as in C.A.S.; Clark Ashton Smith.) Later that year, they published Gods, Demigods, and Heroes, which, though it included gods and details for Howards Hyborea and Moorcocks Melnibone, it did not include the gods of Greyhawk or Blackmoor.

Then, in 1977, Judges Guild scored a coup; they worked out a deal with Arneson to publish the Blackmoor campaign setting! Titled The First Fantasy Campaign, this 64-page booklet contained tons of information on Blackmoor. Unfortunately, it was thrown together willy-nilly, with a bunch of Arnesons rules interspersed throughout (which show a marked departure from Dungeons & Dragons.) It also included maps of the dungeons beneath Blackmoor Castle, as well as a large map of Blackmoor and the lands thereabouts.

But still, no official campaign setting from TSR; not for a long, long time (well, as far as many fans were concerned.) It wasn't until 1980 that TSR first released a campaign setting, The World of Greyhawk Gazetteer. This folio, which included two large, full-color maps by Darlene Pekul, blew away everything that had been available to date, production-values wise. Detail wise, it left much to the imagination, however, that has been regarded as one of its strengths. Unlike the City State and Wilderlands booklets from Judges Guild, which focused on micro-details (such as who is this villages barber, and what level fighter is he,) the WoG Gaz focused on a broad, continent spanning setting, with whole kingdoms wrapped up in a few lines of base description and a couple of paragraphs. The whole was only 32 pages long, but within it you could find a whole world of adventure. But, unlike the books from Judges Guild, you would have to do a lot of your own work filling in the blanks.

The Greyhawk folio mentioned the Archbarony of Blackmoor, a debatable land to the far north, between howling nomads and wild icy wastes. The capital city, Blackmoor, and its castle were said to have been sacked and ruined some years ago. The whole, really, was a minor tribute to the setting first designed and developed by Arneson, but it was not the setting itself. But Gygax could do this, you see, because the original Greyhawk setting was merely 1/9th the setting as presented in the folio. Look carefully at the Greyhawk maps. Center your sight on the City of Greyhawk. Then divide the map into nine equal parts, the central part centered on the city. Note where various regions break, mountains and swamps, hills, forests, and seas. Realize now that originally, the setting was drawn on no less than nine hex maps, each approximately 33 hexes tall, in a landscape format. Most action focusing on the region around Greyhawk, then expanding out to the north, south, east, and west (each calling for a new map altogether,) I am sure there was plenty of room to add Blackmoor, as a whim or otherwise.

An oddity, however, that should be noted: the novel Quag Keep, by Andre Norton, the first Dungeons & Dragons novel of any kind, published in 1978, included at one point a description of a map (in the play of the novel itself; there was no actual map to see.) It described the Great Kingdom of Blackmoor being a large realm to the north of Greyhawk. It also contained a lot of other inconsistencies. It has never been considered Canon Greyhawk by anyone. However, perhaps it gives a hint at what Gygaxs original setting really was like, as he has admitted before that the setting, as published, was not really his Greyhawk, but a similar construction. After all, what DM in his right mid would publish the full details of his ongoing campaign, which any of his players could read!

The Known World setting, from which the Mystara setting is derived, is almost as old publishing wise, but not nearly as old creative wise. The setting was first published in 1980, in the module X1: Isle of Dread, and in the Expert Dungeons & Dragons book. The Continental Map included in the module was created whole cloth for the adventure; it did not exist prior to the need to create it for the module. You could say, then, that it was the first game setting created for a game, whereas most other settings to that time had come first, or developed with the game. It was created by Dave Cook and Tom Moldvay. It grew from a small mention in the tow books to a full line of gazetteers, boxed sets, and adventures. Though B1 and B2 pre-dated it, they were eventually ret-conned into the Known World setting. It was not even known as Mystara for most of its existence; the name was created as part of a Name the Setting contest (I cannot find the reference in the Dragon where it was announced, but it is there.)

Note that, strictly speaking, the Known World of Mystara was the first official TSR setting designed and published specifically for Dungeons & Dragons. Judges Guilds City State setting and First Fantasy Campaign Blackmoor setting were first, but neither was from TSR. And while Greyhawk was published first, in its first published form, it was designed for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, not Dungeons & Dragons per se.

So there are the basics of how the first fantasy campaign settings came to be published. Though they all were generated and distilled around the same time, and in a very tight geographical area (Minnesota-Wisconsin-Illinois) they are not, per se, related to each other, or tied to each other. Officially, that is.


--------------------
James Mishler
Freelance Writer and Troubleshooter

Kingdoms of Kalamar is not made by TSR/WotC. It is made by Kenzer and Co. It was liscnesed to be able to have the D&D logo on it. So it doesn't belong on the list. I also believe the Warcraft RPG is made by Sword and Sorcery, not WotC.

Shingen wrote:Kingdoms of Kalamar is not made by TSR/WotC. It is made by Kenzer and Co. It was liscnesed to be able to have the D&D logo on it. So it doesn't belong on the list. I also believe the Warcraft RPG is made by Sword and Sorcery, not WotC.

Good thinking.  Maybe an "Unofficial" category?

Once again, I get a wee bit carried away... part one of a two parter... yeah, I know, I gotta finish the Mystara thing, too...



Official Dungeons & Dragons/Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Settings



To qualify as a "Campaign Setting," in this list requires publication across one or more products, containing as a series of potential adventures (the potential "Campaign") and source material (the "Setting") that define a relatively contiguous or continuous area greater than the sum of its parts (that which brings it together into something more, the "Campaign Setting") in which players can adventure, and that Dungeon Master's can adapt and add or subtract from, and it still be recognizable. Also, it must be recognized as a Campaign Setting by a fairly significant population of gamers, though certainly not a majority, and to have "Official" status, it must be licensed from TSR or Wizards of the Coast and either "Approved for use with" "Dungeons & Dragons" or "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" or must carry the licensed "Dungeons & Dragons" logo (that is, in and of itself, indicative of approval).



Note: The first Blackmoor product, "The First Fantasy Campaign," does not qualify as Official, as TSR did not let Judges Guild publish it as an Official D&D or AD&D product.



Versions of Dungeons & Dragons/Advanced Dungeons & Dragons



OD&D (1973 to 1979): Woodgrain and white-box editions.



HD&D (1977 to 1979): The Holmes Basic Edition.



BECMD&D (1980/81 to 1993): Cook/Moldvay Edition, Mentzer Edition, Cyclopedia Edition Dungeons & Dragons from the Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortal series, the later two phases of which were refinements and expansions of and not true revisions or new editions of the rules by Cook and Moldvay.



1E AD&D (1978 to 1985): Monster Manual, Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master Guide, Deities & Demigods/Legends & Lore, Fiend Folio, Monster Manual II.



1E AD&D Variant (Various): This refers to the variant rules used in the Conan series and early Lankhmar series.



1.5E AD&D (1985 to 1989): Unearthed Arcana, Oriental Adventures, Dungeoneer Survival Guide, Wilderness Survival Guide, Manual of the Planes, Dragonlance Adventures, Greyhawk Adventures.



2E AD&D (1989 to 1995): Player's Handbook 2E, Dungeon Master's Guide 2E, Monstrous Manual, Monstrous Compendiums, Legends and Lore 2E, Tome of Magic, Book of Artifacts, Forgotten Realms Adventures, Player's Handbook Rules Supplements, Dungeon Master's Guide Rules Supplements, Historical Reference Campaign Sourcebooks.



2E AD&D Variant (Various): This refers to the special rules used for and Lankhmar series.



2.5E AD&D (1995 to August 2000): Player's Option Skills & Power, Player's Option Combat & Tactics, Player's Option Spells & Magic, Dungeon Master Option High-Level Campaigns. Most modules using 2.5 AD&D materials were generic, non-Campaign Setting adventures, though a number of the campaign settings developed their own campaign-specific variant rules, some of them quite extensive. Also during this period the "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition" label also began disappearing from books, with the name being simply "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" once again.



2.5F AD&D (1995 to August 2000): Various Forgotten Realms sourcebooks developed the Forgotten Realms setting -specific rules in a manner parallel to but different from standard 2E and 2.5E AD&D. Wizards & Rogues and Warriors & Priests were core to this shift, but other sourcebooks in the Forgotten Realms line contributed, as did the heavy development of the setting in the RPGA at the time.



3E D&D (August 2000 to July 2003): Player's Handbook 3E, Dungeon Master's Guide 3E, Monster Manual 3E, various and sundry sourcebooks.



3E AD&D (2001 to present): HackMaster Player's Handbook, HackMaster Game Master's Guide, HackMaster Hacklopedias, HackMaster Player's Guides, Gawds & Demi-Gawds.



3.5E D&D (July 2003 to present): Player's Handbook 3.5E, Dungeon Master's Guide 3.5E, Monster Manual 3.5E, various and sundry sourcebooks.





"The Wilderlands of High Fantasy"

Official Dungeons & Dragons [OD&D, HD&D]

NOTE: First Official Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Setting ever published.

Publisher: Judges Guild

Originally Designed By: Bob Bledsaw and Bill Owen

First Developed: ca. 1974

First Official Publication: ca. 1978

Last Publication: ca. 1983

Resurrection: A d20 System edition was recently published by Necromancer Games

Description: Freeform late Ancient/early Dark Age Swords & Sorcery science-fantasy campaign setting after the style of Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, and Michael Moorcock.

  Wilderlands of High Fantasy

     City State of the Invincible Overlord

     Modron

     Tarantis

     Wilderness Books Series

  Fantastic Wilderlands Beyonde

  Wilderlands of the Magic Realm

  City State of the World Emperor

  Wilderlands of the Fantastic Reaches

  Several adventures, including Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor, Prey of Darkness, Glory Hole Dwarven Mine, and others.

  Several sourcebooks, including Unknown Gods, Wondrous Weapons, Wondrous Relics, Fantastic Personalities, City State Warfare, and others.

  Adventures and source material in Judges Guild Journal, The Dungeoneer, The Dungeoneer Journal, and Pegasus.





"Portals"

Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons [1E AD&D]

Publisher: Judges Guild

Originally Designed By: Rudy Kraft

First Developed: Unknown

First Official Publication: 1980

Last Publication: 1981

Resurrection: None as yet

Description: Stargate before there was a Stargate series, only for science-fantasy not science-fiction. I know I ran it as a Campaign Setting, and that others did. Iffy on "Campaign Setting" status, though certainly Official AD&D, but it is close enough to count.

  Portals of Torsh

  Portals of Irontooth

  Portals of Twilight





"The World of Greyhawk" a.k.a. "Oerth"

Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons [1E AD&D, 2E AD&D, 3E D&D]

NOTE: First Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Setting published by TSR.

Sub-Settings: Oriental Adventures (1985 to 1988)

Publisher: TSR, Wizards of the Coast

Originally Designed By: Gary Gygax

First Developed: ca. 1973

First Official Publication: 1980

Current Publication: Ongoing but sporadic, usually through the RPGA

Description: Culture-light late Middle Ages/early Renaissance European/Middle Eastern analogue heavily influenced by the writings of Jack Vance, Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Michael Moorcock, and other early fantasy authors.

  Numerous modules, including the G/D/Q series, the A series, L series, S series, early WG series, etc. (1978 to 1986) [1E AD&D]

  The World of Greyhawk Gazetteer Folio and later World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting boxed set (1980, 1983) [1E AD&D]

  Oriental Adventures — originally, Kara-Tur was designed to be on Oerth; that changed when the Forgotten Realms were developed as an Official Campaign setting. Includes modules OA1 to OA4. (1985 to 1987) [1.5E AD&D]

  Greyhawk Adventures (1988) [1.5E/2E AD&D]

  The City of Greyhawk (1989) [1.5E/2E AD&D]

  Greyhawk Monstrous Compendium (1990) [2E AD&D]

  Greyhawk Wars (1991) [2E AD&D]

  From the Ashes (1992) [2E AD&D]

  Modules and sourcebooks including later WG, WGA, WGM, WGQ, WGR, WGS, etc. (1989 to 1993) [2E AD&D]

  The Adventure Begins, Player's Guide, The Scarlet Brotherhood, Return to the Keep on the Borderlands, etc. (1998 to 2000) [2E AD&D]

  Greyhawk Gazetteer and The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000) [3E D&D]

     Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (2001) [3E D&D]

  Adventures and source material in The Strategic Review, The Dragon, Dragon Magazine, Dungeon Magazine, and Polyhedron.





"Mystara" a.k.a. "The Known World of Dungeons & Dragons"

Official Dungeons & Dragons, and later Advanced Dungeons & Dragons [BECMD&D, 2E AD&D]

NOTE: The first Official Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Setting published by TSR.

Sub-Settings: Blackmoor (1986), Hollow World (1990), Red Steel (1994), and Savage Coast (1996).

Publisher: TSR

Originally Designed By: David Cook and Tom Moldvay

First Developed: 1980

First Official Publication: 1980/1981

Last Publication: 1995, though there have been a few Dragon and Dungeon articles since then.

Resurrection: Possible resurrection as a campaign setting for HackMaster (i.e., 3E AD&D).

Description: Culture-heavy historical Earth-analogue influenced more by history than by fantasy, though with strong fantasy influences in some places.

  Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Adventure Game Expert Rulebook (1980/81) [BECMD&D]

  Dungeons & Dragons Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortal Rules Sets (1983 through 1986) [BECMD&D]

  B series modules, from B3 on, B1 and B2 ret-conned in. [BECMD&D]

  X series modules, X1 being definitive, with many others defining broader regions of the continent. [BECMD&D]

  CM series modules, CM being definitive. [BECMD&D]

  M series (Master series) modules, only in the broad. [BECMD&D]

  IM series modules, only in the broad. [BECMD&D]

  O, BSolo, XSolo, XS, DDA, other minor module series.

  DA series modules, with Dave Arneson's Blackmoor being considered Mystara's distant past. (1986 to 1987) [BECMD&D]

  GAZ Gazetteer series, extremely definitive of the setting. (1987 through 1991) [BECMD&D]

  Creature Crucible PC sourcebook series (1989 to 1992)

  Hollow World series, including boxed set, HWR sourcebooks and HWA/HWQ adventures (1990 to 1992) [BECMD&D]

  Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia and Wrath of the Immortals. (1991 and 1992) [BECMD&D]

  Poor Wizard's Almanac series. (1992 and 1993) [BECMD&D]

  Champions of Mystara: Heroes of the Princess Ark (1993) [BECMD&D, "Challenger" series]

  Mystara Campaign series, including Kingdom of Adventure, Kingdom of Magic, several modules, and the Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix. (1994 and 1995) [2E AD&D]

  Adventures and source material in Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine.





"Conan" a.k.a. "The Hyborian Age"

Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons [1E AD&D variant]

Publisher: TSR

Originally Designed By: David Cook, Ken Rolston, and Anne Gray McReady

First Developed: In the writings of Robert E. Howard, long ago and far away (1930's Texas), and in those of Roy Thomas, not quite so long ago, but also rather far away (1970's New York).

First Official Publication: 1984

Last Publication: 1986

Resurrection: Mongoose Publishing has a licensed, ongoing Conan d20 System Campaign Setting, unrelated to the work done in the TSR products.

Description: Very brief treatment of the Hyborian setting in three modules, there's barely enough to try to run this as a Campaign Setting if you use the original novels and materials from the comic books for inspiration. Also, at the same time (1985), TSR published the Conan Role-Playing Game, a non D&D/AD&D system, that had a series of three additional modules, all of which could have been adapted for use with AD&D. I include it here as a Official Campaign setting because I know that, at the time, I sure as hell tried to make it work withy what I had... and I know I was not alone in this regard. So the adventures were there, there was some source material, and people sure as hell tried...

  Conan Unchained (1984)

  Conan Against Darkness (1984)

  Conan Role-Playing Game (1985) [non-D&D/AD&D]

     Modules: Conan the Buccaneer, Conan the Mercenary, and Conan Triumphant

  Red Sonja Unconquered (1986) [Note: I've never seen Red Sonja Unconquered, so I am presuming it is set in Hyboria]





"Dragonlance" a.k.a. "The World of Krynn"

Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons [1E AD&D, 2E AD&D, and 3E D&D]

Publisher: TSR, Wizards of the Coast, Sovereign Press

Originally Designed By: Tracy Hickman

First Developed: ca. 1982 to 1984, presumably

First Official Publication: 1984

Last Publication: Ongoing, through a license with Sovereign Press

Resurrection: The Sovereign Press effort is essentially a resurrection, as the Dragonlance setting had been separated from the D&D/AD&D lines by the creation of the SAGA game for the Dragonlance Fifth Age of the Campaign setting. Sovereign Press returned the Campaign Setting to 3E D&D.

Description: An original high-fantasy setting, based loosely on the schema designed for the dragon races in early Dungeons & Dragons, and much evolved over the years.

  DL campaign series of adventure modules are the most definitive of the Campaign Setting. DL5 was a mini-Campaign Setting sourcebook. (1984 to 1988) [1E AD&D] Compiled into Dragonlance Classics in 1990 and Dragonlance Volumes in 2000.

  Dragonlance Adventures campaign sourcebook (1987) [1.5E AD&D]

  The World of Krynn Trail Map (1989)

  Time of the Dragon expands the world to another continent (1989) [1.5E/2E AD&D]

  Dragonlance Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1989) [2E AD&D]

  DLA, DLE, DLQ, DLR, DLS, DLT modules and sourcebooks further define the setting (1989 to 1993) [2E AD&D]

  Tales of the Lance, a Campaign Setting source box, brings the setting definitively to 2E AD&D (1992) [2E AD&D]

  Dwarven Kingdoms of Krynn (1993) [2E AD&D]

  Player's Guide to the Dragonlance Setting (1993) [2E AD&D]

  The History, Art, Atlas, and Leave from the Last Inn books add flavor to the setting (most 1987, History 1995) [non-system sources]

  Dragonlance becomes a SAGA setting in 1996, until 2003, when the Dragonlance Campaign Setting [3E D&D] is published by Wizards of the Coast, and further development of the setting in 3E D&D takes place through Sovereign Press.

 



"Lankhmar"

Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons [1E AD&D variant and 2E AD&D Variants]

Publisher: TSR

Originally Designed By: Bruce Nesmith, Douglas Niles, and Ken Rolston

First Developed: Fritz Leiber, long ago and far away

First Official Publication: 1985

Last Publication: 1996

Resurrection: None known

Description: One of the definitive literary settings of fantasy, Lankhmar as an AD&D Campaign Setting is primarily concerned with thieves and their doings, especially in the great city of Lankhmar itself, with the rest of the world merely dressing, for the most part. It is essentially a fantasy urban Campaign Setting, like the earlier City State of the Invincible Overlord (which itself was heavily influenced by Leiber's work).

  Lankhmar: City of Adventure (1985) [1E AD&D Variant]

  CA, LNA, LNQ, LNR module/sourcebooks series (1985 to 1992) [1E AD&D Variant]

  Lankhmar: City of Adventure (1993) [2E AD&D Variant]

  Rogues, Cutthroats, and Avengers in Lankhmar modules (1995)

  Lankhmar: The New Adventures of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser (1996) [2E AD&D Variant]







"The Forgotten Realms"

Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons [1E AD&D, 2E AD&D, and 3E D&D]

Sub-Settings: Kara-Tur (1988), The Horde (1990), Maztica (1991), and Al-Qadim (1992).

Publisher: TSR, Wizards of the Coast

Originally Designed By: Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb

First Developed: Long ago and far away, in Canada, by librarian Ed Greenwood as a setting for his fantasy fiction. He then used it as his home-grown campaign setting for D&D and then AD&D, and was "discovered" by Jeff Grubb in the pages of Dragon Magazine, when Jeff was looking for a new Campaign Setting for TSR to publish.

First Official Publication: 1987

Last Publication: Ongoing

Description: High-magic with variable levels of fantasy, ranging from low-fantasy to high-fantasy regions, with some regions based loosely to strongly on historical Earth regions and cultures, and others based on pure fantasy.

  Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (1987) [1.5E AD&D]

  FR series, from FR1 Waterdeep and the North to FR6 Dreams of the Red Wizards (1987 to 1988) [1.5E AD&D]

  City System (1988) [1.5 E AD&D]

  Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (for use with Oriental Adventures) with OA5, OA6, OA7, and FROA1, and the Kara-Tur Monstrous Compendium (1988 to 1990) [1.5 E and 2E AD&D]

  FRE series of modules provided an in-Campaign Setting reason for the transition from 1.5 E AD&D to 2E AD&D (1989) [2EAD&D]

  FR series from FR7 Hall of Heroes to FR16 The Shining South (1989 to 1993) [2E AD&D]

  Cities of Mystery (1989) (2E AD&D)

  The Horde, the "Central Asians Nomads and City States" Campaign Setting, including the FRA module series (1990) [2E AD&D]

  FOR series, from FOR1 Draconomicon to FOR13 Secrets of the Magister (1990 to 2000) [2E AD&D, though the later parts of the series developed its own slight variations on later 2E and 2.5E rules, and were billed as simply "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" products, from FOR7 Giantcraft in 1995 and on, a variant I call "2.5F AD&D")]

  The Ruins of Undermountain (1991) [2E AD&D]

  LC series for Ravens Bluff (1991) [2E AD&D]

  Maztica, the Meso-American Adventures Campaign Setting, with the FMA and FMQ adventures/sourcebooks (1991 and 1992) [2E AD&D]

  Menzoberranzan, Myth Drannor, City of Splendors, Elminster's Ecologies, and Ruins of Zhentil Keep (1992 to 1995) [2E AD&D]

  Volo's Guides series (1992 to 1996, with one in 2000) [non-system resources, mostly]

  Al-Qadim Arabian Adventures and Land of Fate, plus the ALQ series of small boxed adventures (1992 to 1994) [2E AD&D]

  Forgotten Realms Campaign Set Second Edition and PG2 Player's Guide to the Forgotten Realms (1993) [2E AD&D]

  City of Delights (1993) [2E AD&D]

  The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook (1994) [2E AD&D]

  Miscellaneous sourcebooks from Cormyr and Book of Lairs to Cloak & Dagger (1994 to 2000) [2E and some 2.5 E AD&D]

  Dungeon Crawl adventure series (ca. 1996 to 2000) [2E and 2.5F AD&D]

  Spellbound, The North, Netheril, Lands of Intrigue boxed sets (1995 to 1997) [2E and 2.5F AD&D]

  Miscellaneous adventures (1997 to 2000) [2 and 2.5F AD&D]

  Arcane Age settings (1998) [2E and 2.5F AD&D]

  Reunion, an Al-Qadim module (1998) [2E AD&D]

  Forgotten Realms Interactive Atlas CD-Rom (1999) [non-system resource]

  Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (2001) [3E D&D]

  Various adventures and sourcebooks (2001 and ongoing) [3E and 3.5E D&D]

James,

In case this is useful, I think this post I wrote over on DF might be a useful way to discretely break up the OD&D/AD&D "eras" (if you're looking for that level of detail):
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewt ... ht=#252374

grodog wrote:James,

In case this is useful, I think this post I wrote over on DF might be a useful way to discretely break up the OD&D/AD&D "eras" (if you're looking for that level of detail):
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewt ... ht=#252374

Grodog,

I find your breakdown of the early AD&D era to be interesting. I'd considered including a split based on the core book covers that occured in 1983, but decided that the real elemental change in the game was the systemic changes that began to occur in 1985 with the publication of Unearthed Arcana and Oriental Adventures, developed through the Dungeoneer's and Wilderness Suvival Guides in 1986 and the Manual of the Planes and Dragonlance Adventures in 1987, and finally reached the end of the 1E evolution in 1988 with Greyhawk adventures, which was billed as "Compatible with the AD&D and 2nd Edition AD&D Game Systems" in 1988, a year before the 2E rules released. That period, 1985 through 1989, was more significant in importance to the development of the game than the cover changes and the re-printing of monsters and D&DG as L&L (though such is, as you say, a good marker for determination of the "generation" of a gamer).

2E gets even messier in its later era, which is why I just threw up my hands and called a lot of what was done "Variants," as each setting almost develops its own variation of the rules. This is not like in 3E, which is far more modular a system that 2E. Fitting in rule sfrom different settings in 3E is generally like working with Legos, as the game is designed in such a way that everything clicks together. Sure, you might be clicking together Legos from a science-fiction set with those from a pirates or knights set, but the Legos always fit together. Sometimes, mingling the rules variants from the different late 2E settings was trying to put together Legos with Lincoln Logs and Erector Sets. A mess that didn't quite fit together. I am certain that this rules fracturing, and not merely the existence of numerous campaign settings themselves, was the major factor in the fracturing of the market that Ryan Dancey discussed as the reason for the collapse of 2E AD&D, and a major reason for the design changes put into 3E D&D.

zhowar1 wrote:James, great post. I love the attention to detail.

Shingen wrote:How about the Empire of the Petal Throne?

See my posts on pg 1 of this thread. EPT is a very detailed campaign setting, but has its own rules that are similar but not the same as OD&D. I get the impression that most people at the time considered it a distinct game. EPT might be classified as an "OD&D variant" under James' guidelines. But then again, you could also classify the original Met Alpha, Gamma World, or Boot Hill that way.

One way or another, arrangements were made with TSR

Someone brokered the deal, for a commission on every copy sold.  Between the commission, the author's commission (seperate!) and the special printing map, EPT was very expensive for the time.

It was also viewed as a different game, much like the Mars, Boot Hill, Top Secret and other games.

The big difference between EPT and Runequest is that people found it difficult to feel they were doing EPT right, everyone seemed to feel they could do RQ right.