Do you play in a specific timeline? If so, when? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Do you play in a specific timeline? If so, when?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Jul 10, 2003 7:37:17 Everyone knows Greyhawk has a rich history. The modules and sourcebooks have created many changes in the setting over the years. In fact, I remember the publication of early events that are now written as history in the Living Gazeteer.

But do we all play at precisely the same time? I have played in recent campaigns that were set before and after the Greyhawk Wars. I have seen other campaigns that were set in periods long before Mordenkainen and well after the history recorded in the LG Gazeteer. It's a healthy mix, to say the least.

Do you have a timeline? If so, when?
#2
Argon
Jul 10, 2003 10:25:57 585 CY - This is the current year in my campaign. There are distinct advantages to playing in an earlier timeline then what is currently run in the LGH setting. First you have an endless supply of historic references to choose from for your campaign. Many details from these references can be easily adapted to your campaign. I like the remaining tension after the wars that's the main reason for me choosing this timeline.
There is nothing wrong with playing in the current LGH timeline or in advance of that timeline. The current timeline has scenarios and the coming and going's on. A campaign that advances beyond the current LGH timeline allows the PC's to feel as more an integral part of the world's history. This can be true for any timeline because we can change what we want too in our campaign's.
#3
zombiegleemax
Jul 10, 2003 10:47:17 Another advantage of playing in an earlier timeline is the foreshadowing that you can have that will lead up to more current events. Playing just before the GH wars for example, enables you to present some of the 'impending doom' aspects to your players, sometimes long before the war even starts. Another advantages is to play on the players assumptions of what they 'think' is going to happen, especially if your players are as knowledgeable about the setting. Toss in a twist or two to your game that they won't expect. For example, our DM had the players present at the signing of the post war peace treaty. Now, all of us players had at least skimmed through the book Rary the Traitor and knew what was about to happen. But when the DM pulled a simple switch and had it be Otto that turned traitor, we were floored (especially since the DM even built up a working relationship between the party and Otto).
#4
grodog
Jul 10, 2003 10:51:42 The campaign I ran most recently was set in 175 CY, on the shores of Whyestil Lake. No Iuz, no Iggwilv, the Great Kingdom rules the world, etc. A fun time just before the Turmoil Between Crowns....

The campaign I am currently playing in is set in 583 CY before the Wars begin, in the Wild Coast.
#5
zombiegleemax
Jul 10, 2003 12:36:41 Given that I'm fairly new to the setting, I have the vast resources of the last twenty years to draw on without any bias developed through having played in the setting.

I see a lot of people who don't like the Greyhawk Wars or the Scarlet Brotherhood supplement, but to me, it's all a rich tapestry to draw on as I please.

I personally will, if I can ever get a group together (lately it's been really difficult for some reason), be running a GH game set in 585 C.Y. much for the same reasons as already stated.

I also consider the LGG to be an invaluable resource for running such a game as, at the end of the day, the PC's can't do EVERYTHING. So whatever regions or areas they don't affect with their actions, I can use the history of the LGG to enhance and bring to life the setting around the PC's.

The political machinations, the power struggles, the deaths of notable figures, the rise of various powers, the change in the landscape of the various faiths, the ascendence of Mayaheine, all that sort of stuff can be great to occassionally throw in to make the world come alive. Having such an immense amount of material to draw on means I'm never left wanting for what the PC's overhear in a tavern or what rumours are going around in whatever particular area, or the news that is being shouted out by the town crier, etc.

And, what's more, giving them such a rich backdrop also means that they can involve themselves in it in a much more organic fashion than me simply placing Adventure Scneario #4 in front of them. I like to run a game 'on the fly' with only minimal preperation (that's a lie, I prepare my arse off, but I do so in a way that allows me the freedom to do whatever I want in the actual game), so this is an awesome method of playing (starting further back in history than what is current).
#6
zombiegleemax
Jul 11, 2003 16:13:31 591 CY... =o) It's probably almost 592 though. My party has been down in the Underdark for a while.
#7
Aeolius
Jul 11, 2003 17:30:38 591 CY also.

My party was in 579 CY (1e AD&D pre-Wars GH), when they were turned to stone. They awakened in 3e D&D post-Wars GH :D
#8
extempus
Feb 06, 2006 1:41:57 When I first started in 1981, I had wondered about the current game year. I didn't know much about D&D's history at the time, and since I thought it came out ca. 1976 and the game year then was 576 CY... I figured we should set the current year to 581 CY. Well... 24+ years later, it's currently Reaping 601 CY. Both wars had obviously already happened given the official timeline, but since they hadn't IMC... I tinkered with things such that the second war took place from 595-598 (our then current years), and my players did what they could against Iuz (mostly behind the scenes). Basically, our 601 CY is equivalent to the year after the official 591 CY...
#9
Mortepierre
Feb 06, 2006 3:13:54 All my campaigns always begin in 585 CY as I love the grim & gritty feel of the world described by CS.

Thus, my Nyrondese campaign began in 585 CY, just after the signing of the peace treaty. Years later, the players are now in 587 CY (almost 588 CY).

The campaign is based heavily on the Night Below boxed set for the main plot but I bypassed completely the first book of that adventure to run either old (read: 1e) but updated adventures OR new adventures of my own devising that focus on the political situation in Nyrond. I use the LGGazetteer only as a summary of how things could turn out but I let the actions of my players (and NPC) affect that (at least in Nyrond).

Amusingly, they managed to put Lynwerd on the throne one year earlier than in LGG canon but it didn't help as they're now dealing with both an external war (with the Pale) and an internal one (two provinces attempted to secede)

Actually, they've been doing so much stuff that I am beginning to wonder if some of the encounters in book 3 of NB will still be a challenge to them. They finished book 2 recently and, by the time they were through, the City of Glass was nothing but a field of ruins.
#10
zombiegleemax
Feb 06, 2006 16:37:20 I use the "From the Ashes" era the most, but I like all 4.
#11
kar-vermin
Feb 06, 2006 17:31:37 565 CY.
#12
Torpedo
Feb 06, 2006 20:09:35 As of the last adventure session I ran it was a late Freeday evening on Reaping 7th, 595 C.Y. We're playing in an Age of Worms campaign. The party were on a respite from exploring the Whispering Cairn and enjoying themselves in Diamond Lake at the Emporium for Shag Solomon's invitational Three-Dragon Ante tournament.

The campaign began on Reaping 1st and we've average about two days per adventure session. We play once a month. I'm intrigued to see how much of the Greyhawk calendar they'll use in completing the campaign and reaching epic levels (assuming they survive of course).
#13
OleOneEye
Feb 07, 2006 23:27:28 My game is just prior to the Wars delving into the machinations between various minor nobles in the heart of Furyondy. The PCs were just duped into helping a baronet overthrow the local baron, but they haven't yet figured out it was a fix.
#14
cwslyclgh
Feb 08, 2006 13:29:20 my current Greyhawk game started in 592 and has progressed to 593 during the course of play.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Jul 10, 2003 7:37:17	Everyone knows Greyhawk has a rich history. The modules and sourcebooks have created many changes in the setting over the years. In fact, I remember the publication of early events that are now written as history in the Living Gazeteer. But do we all play at precisely the same time? I have played in recent campaigns that were set before and after the Greyhawk Wars. I have seen other campaigns that were set in periods long before Mordenkainen and well after the history recorded in the LG Gazeteer. It's a healthy mix, to say the least. Do you have a timeline? If so, when?
#2 Argon Jul 10, 2003 10:25:57	585 CY - This is the current year in my campaign. There are distinct advantages to playing in an earlier timeline then what is currently run in the LGH setting. First you have an endless supply of historic references to choose from for your campaign. Many details from these references can be easily adapted to your campaign. I like the remaining tension after the wars that's the main reason for me choosing this timeline. There is nothing wrong with playing in the current LGH timeline or in advance of that timeline. The current timeline has scenarios and the coming and going's on. A campaign that advances beyond the current LGH timeline allows the PC's to feel as more an integral part of the world's history. This can be true for any timeline because we can change what we want too in our campaign's.
#3 zombiegleemax Jul 10, 2003 10:47:17	Another advantage of playing in an earlier timeline is the foreshadowing that you can have that will lead up to more current events. Playing just before the GH wars for example, enables you to present some of the 'impending doom' aspects to your players, sometimes long before the war even starts. Another advantages is to play on the players assumptions of what they 'think' is going to happen, especially if your players are as knowledgeable about the setting. Toss in a twist or two to your game that they won't expect. For example, our DM had the players present at the signing of the post war peace treaty. Now, all of us players had at least skimmed through the book Rary the Traitor and knew what was about to happen. But when the DM pulled a simple switch and had it be Otto that turned traitor, we were floored (especially since the DM even built up a working relationship between the party and Otto).
#4 grodog Jul 10, 2003 10:51:42	The campaign I ran most recently was set in 175 CY, on the shores of Whyestil Lake. No Iuz, no Iggwilv, the Great Kingdom rules the world, etc. A fun time just before the Turmoil Between Crowns.... The campaign I am currently playing in is set in 583 CY before the Wars begin, in the Wild Coast.
#5 zombiegleemax Jul 10, 2003 12:36:41	Given that I'm fairly new to the setting, I have the vast resources of the last twenty years to draw on without any bias developed through having played in the setting. I see a lot of people who don't like the Greyhawk Wars or the Scarlet Brotherhood supplement, but to me, it's all a rich tapestry to draw on as I please. I personally will, if I can ever get a group together (lately it's been really difficult for some reason), be running a GH game set in 585 C.Y. much for the same reasons as already stated. I also consider the LGG to be an invaluable resource for running such a game as, at the end of the day, the PC's can't do EVERYTHING. So whatever regions or areas they don't affect with their actions, I can use the history of the LGG to enhance and bring to life the setting around the PC's. The political machinations, the power struggles, the deaths of notable figures, the rise of various powers, the change in the landscape of the various faiths, the ascendence of Mayaheine, all that sort of stuff can be great to occassionally throw in to make the world come alive. Having such an immense amount of material to draw on means I'm never left wanting for what the PC's overhear in a tavern or what rumours are going around in whatever particular area, or the news that is being shouted out by the town crier, etc. And, what's more, giving them such a rich backdrop also means that they can involve themselves in it in a much more organic fashion than me simply placing Adventure Scneario #4 in front of them. I like to run a game 'on the fly' with only minimal preperation (that's a lie, I prepare my arse off, but I do so in a way that allows me the freedom to do whatever I want in the actual game), so this is an awesome method of playing (starting further back in history than what is current).
#6 zombiegleemax Jul 11, 2003 16:13:31	591 CY... =o) It's probably almost 592 though. My party has been down in the Underdark for a while.
#7 Aeolius Jul 11, 2003 17:30:38	591 CY also. My party was in 579 CY (1e AD&D pre-Wars GH), when they were turned to stone. They awakened in 3e D&D post-Wars GH :D
#8 extempus Feb 06, 2006 1:41:57	When I first started in 1981, I had wondered about the current game year. I didn't know much about D&D's history at the time, and since I thought it came out ca. 1976 and the game year then was 576 CY... I figured we should set the current year to 581 CY. Well... 24+ years later, it's currently Reaping 601 CY. Both wars had obviously already happened given the official timeline, but since they hadn't IMC... I tinkered with things such that the second war took place from 595-598 (our then current years), and my players did what they could against Iuz (mostly behind the scenes). Basically, our 601 CY is equivalent to the year after the official 591 CY...
#9 Mortepierre Feb 06, 2006 3:13:54	All my campaigns always begin in 585 CY as I love the grim & gritty feel of the world described by CS. Thus, my Nyrondese campaign began in 585 CY, just after the signing of the peace treaty. Years later, the players are now in 587 CY (almost 588 CY). The campaign is based heavily on the Night Below boxed set for the main plot but I bypassed completely the first book of that adventure to run either old (read: 1e) but updated adventures OR new adventures of my own devising that focus on the political situation in Nyrond. I use the LGGazetteer only as a summary of how things could turn out but I let the actions of my players (and NPC) affect that (at least in Nyrond). Amusingly, they managed to put Lynwerd on the throne one year earlier than in LGG canon but it didn't help as they're now dealing with both an external war (with the Pale) and an internal one (two provinces attempted to secede) Actually, they've been doing so much stuff that I am beginning to wonder if some of the encounters in book 3 of NB will still be a challenge to them. They finished book 2 recently and, by the time they were through, the City of Glass was nothing but a field of ruins.
#10 zombiegleemax Feb 06, 2006 16:37:20	I use the "From the Ashes" era the most, but I like all 4.
#11 kar-vermin Feb 06, 2006 17:31:37	565 CY.
#12 Torpedo Feb 06, 2006 20:09:35	As of the last adventure session I ran it was a late Freeday evening on Reaping 7th, 595 C.Y. We're playing in an Age of Worms campaign. The party were on a respite from exploring the Whispering Cairn and enjoying themselves in Diamond Lake at the Emporium for Shag Solomon's invitational Three-Dragon Ante tournament. The campaign began on Reaping 1st and we've average about two days per adventure session. We play once a month. I'm intrigued to see how much of the Greyhawk calendar they'll use in completing the campaign and reaching epic levels (assuming they survive of course).
#13 OleOneEye Feb 07, 2006 23:27:28	My game is just prior to the Wars delving into the machinations between various minor nobles in the heart of Furyondy. The PCs were just duped into helping a baronet overthrow the local baron, but they haven't yet figured out it was a fix.
#14 cwslyclgh Feb 08, 2006 13:29:20	my current Greyhawk game started in 592 and has progressed to 593 during the course of play.