Published by TSR

That scream of outrage you heard a few years ago was from the legions of old school role-players reacting to the news from TSR that the world of Greyhawk would be discontinued. Greyhawk was the first and greatest campaign setting for AD&D, a gorgeous, well- rounded universe rife with magic, political struggle, and hordes of monsters to hack and slay. Free of the unwieldy bloat of The Forgotten Realms, the overwhelming NPCs of Dragonlance, or the genre-tweaking of Ravenloft, Greyhawk was the epitome of high fantasy role-playing. Its loss snuffed out a bright and shining light that had lit the industry since the beginning.

Or so it seemed, until the new regime at TSR announced Greyhawk's triumphant return of a new series of supplements. For fans of Oerth and its numerous inhabitants, it was reason to celebrate. Now, with the first three installments of the new line on the market, it's time to sit back and decide whether our celebration was justified or not. Greyhawk has returned, but in what form? And does its reincarnation truly live up to its billing, or is it just a pale shadow of its former self?

return of the eight

The first installment in the new series, this adventure module highlights some of Greyhawk's most endearing characters and places. At the same time, however, it assumes the players are already familiar with Greyhawk, and takes few steps to integrate the uninitiated. It's also wickedly dangerous, designed only for high level characters who can think on their feet.

The storyline embroils the characters in the machinations of the Circle of Eight, a group of powerful magicians dedicated to preserving the balance between good and evil. An old enemy has kidnapped one of their number, Jallarzi Sallavarian, and it's up to the players to rescue her. Their path leads from the shanrytowns of Greyhawk City to the fortresstower of the archmage Tenser, another member of the Eight slain some years ago. If they can survive, they will uncover a conspiracy that threatens the entire world.

As you may have guessed, this is not an adventure for low-level tenderfoots. The players must outfox a pair of archwizard's fortresses bristling with traps and Monsters, fight some truly terrifying demonic adversaries, and go toe-to- toe with an author well-versed in all their tricks. Roger Moore, a long-time writer for TSR, seems very cognizant of the Monty Hauler tactics of some players, and has taken steps to cut them off at the knees. At times, it can be a little overwhelming. The dungeons here are truly lethal, and require both power and an old-school tunnel- trawling mentality to succeed. The module lists optimum character levels at 6-12, but I can't imagine any PC lower than 10th level taking it on.

In addition, for the first product in a resurrected line, it contains precious little information for new fans. People expecting an outline of Oerth's politics, ways to set a longrunning campaign there, or other beginning advice will be sorely disappointed. Action takes precedents over background, and Moore always assumes that his readers are familiar with the characters and situations he describes.

Those new to the Greyhawk should look elsewhere to get a proper introduction, and leave Return of the Eight to long-time players already familiar with Greyhawk.

If one can get past the lethality, however, there's a lot to like here. Return of the Eight has an epic scope which lets the players affect the fate of an entire world. At the same time, it has some personal touches and well developed characters that make it more than just monster-bashing.

The dungeons have been designed as challenges - not just mindless PCs destroyers and those who manage to Outwit them will truly feel as if they have accomplished something. As a fast and dirty way to ramrod players back into the setting, it's both effective and enjoyable. just make sure your characters can roll with the punches.

the adventure begins

The Adventure Begins, also written by Moore, provides more of solid setting material than Circle. Intended as a "bridge" between earlier products and the new line, it contains a general overview of Oerth, including history updates, calender events, and the cultural and geographical divisions of the area. The bulk of the book, however, covers a great deal of specific information on the City of Greyhawk, Oerth's largest and most populous urban center. Everything from its ruling council to its criminal codes is covered in detail, and notable locations and personalities within the city comprise the bulk of the text's second half.

Updates from the earlier "From the Ashes" boxed set are sprinkled throughout, providing a strong continuity link to other Greyhawk products. 0 The forces of evil which seemed so powerful in "From the Ashes" have suffered some heavy setbacks and a new age of balance and exploration is dawning. The Adventure Begins aspires to cover these events as well as possible.

The result is a mixed but useful bag of elements that people are bound to find both enlightening and enraging. Old players will likely be interested in the historical developments since From the Ashes, but are unlikely to find anything else new or different about the book. The Greyhawk section is thorough, but doesn't cover much new, and ends up reiterating a lot of 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 really don't justify the overall cost of the product. Old players may feel required to purchase it in order to keep up, only to be cheated by a lack of anything new.

New players will probably fare better. The frustration at hunting down out of print products is averted by being both concise and complete.

While numerous references to earlier works (including some only available on the net) will make newbies feel a bit left out, the thoroughness with which Moore covers Oerth more than makes up for it. Those who want a fast start to Greyhawk campaigning will find The Adventure Begins indispensible. 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.

the player's guide

So where do beginning players go for a sense of Oerth? The answer lies in The Player's Guide easily the most accessible of the three products. It's essentially a pared down version of The Adventure Begins full of information intended for players rather than GMs. The history, culture and geography of Oerth receive a basic overview - enough to give players a strong sense of what the world is like.

Character development is strongly emphasized, with rules on creating members of various material orders, priestly sects, and bands of Knights and Rangers. Thumbnail descriptions of important power players are included to catch PCs up on who's who, and the various races of humans, demi-humans and humanoids receive a modicum of Coverage. Some well-detailed maps of the world at large and Greyhawk City in particular round out the book.

The Player's Guide was released before The Adventure Begins and obviously places more emphasis on character development than comprehensive coverage. GMs would be well advised to wait for the later product before starting a campaign.

For players -- both new and old -- the book is a treasure. It contains loads of information, player kits, and role playing tips that fit well with earlier material. It also contains enough new stuff to entice old Greyhawk hands, and unlike The Adventure Begins, shouldn't leave them wanting. The I I" X 16" maps are a godsend to people who get tired of the unwieldy folding maps of earlier sets. While the religion section is annoyingly vague, and PC clerics may find themselves falling back on more traditional deities to worship, there's more than enough to make up for it.

The big issue with these products is whether you're approaching Greyhawk for the first time, or coming back to it from earlier products. Looking at them as a whole, these three new releases achieve a strong balance between the new and the old; they give Greyhawk a chance to grow into the current role-playing environment without losing touch with its roots.

While they may be a bit awkward in places, they still manage to revive the magic that make this universe so exciting. TSR's purchase by Wizards of the Coast may not have gone over well with the rank-and-file roleplayer - and I must confess I'm still uneasy about that turn of events - but by bringing back the world of Greyhawk, WotC has earned themselves a kharmic reprieve. Those of you who think fondly back on the Circle of Eight or long to battle once more with the forces of Iuz, take heart -- an old friend has returned.