My intention would be to describe which nation you as a player/GM find the most appealing and why, and maybe give us a few plot hooks or ideas that you may have used in your campaigns.
So to start off let me name mine....
Ahlissa:
I find its faded glory and fall from power a potent vision, and all the history and potential adventure in the region makes it very attractive, also its not exactly a bastion of goodness, but once was, so there is a great potential for heroics and redemption.
the current campaign I am playing in we are RPing a fallen from grace noble family in Ahlissa, and are attempting to rebuild our family honor, its been a great deal of fun, and with all the events that have occured in the region it makes story hooks easy to come by.
so lets hear from you greyhawk lovers out there, share....
But on the whole, I like the former Great Kingdom for much of the same reasons as you listed Ahlissa. There is so much evil and decay and in the place that is built upon such former glory and romance that it's so full of adventure you'd be hard pressed as a DM NOT to have three hundred different adventure threads going at once.
Lots of potential and very romantic in a greek tradgedy kind of way.
I like the south-east area, centering on Irongate. I love Irongate - but I hate the lack of official detail. A city is a big place to describe!
I also like Ahlissa a lot, for much the same reasons as already described in this thread. There is plenty of evil and undead around and it is a large land with plenty of places for people/things to hide. There is also ancient good in the land, such as House Cranden and the former Knight Protectors of the Great Kingdom (those that were good aligned that is).
I also think Sunndi has a lot to offer. It contains Reuiwood which is a very large forest with a lot of elves. There are a few hills/mountain ranges and one very big ugly swamp (the Great Swamp - home of the Tomb of Horrors). What more could you ask for?
Add to this the simmering conflicts in the area involving the Scarlet Brotherhood, Ahlissa, Onnwal and the Iron League and you have one exciting place to adventure.
IMC characters live in a small independent town situated on the Azure coast, near the Iron Hills, on the border of control between Irongate, the Dwarven Kingdom of the Iron Hills and Ahlissa. Various adventuring parties are sponsored by a high level wizard who rules the town. They have many adventures in the Iron Hills with the local dwarves, some in Irongate and a few more in both Sunndi and Ahlissa. A few adventuring companies have also undertaken sea voyages to Ulek, Greyhawk City and other places.
Summary: Irongate, Sunndi, Ahlissa, Iron Hills = fun.
Most of my GH campaigns start in Veluna and it has always remained a focal point of the campaigns. I was amused that my home region for LG was chosen as Veluna as well.
One is set in the Ice Barbarians lands and involves an epic quest to find the Blades of Corrusk (sp?) and raise the god Vatun.
Another is set in the City of Freeport which we have placed down in the south east of the world. I'm not 100% sure exactly which city there got replaced - it might have been Irongate but we have done no adventuring in that part of the world before so anywhere down there would have worked.
The last one, the one I am running, is Monte Cooks' RttToEE and of course that is set in the Kron Hills.
My first real experience of GH was playing a 1st edition bard (fighter/thief/druid type) through the original ToEE, Slavers, Giants and Drow series, which spent most of it's time around the area to the south west of Greyhawk city and then in the giants series moved further west.
Our last campaign was a fantastic city based campaign in which we were all members of the GH City Thieves Guild. That campaign raged in and across the lands near the great city and was superb.
Before that we played the Night Below which the DM set in (and below) Furyondy.
Before that I ran a huge campaign based in and around Aerdy during the times of the Ivid the Undying supplement. A small band of good adventurers lead by a paladin tried to carve a niche for good out in a troubled realm.
So, as you can see I have DMed and played in many, many places across Oerth. I would be hard pressed to choose my favourite area. I think I've spent most time in the lands of Furyondy, the Wild Coast and Greyhawk, and my first and favourite greyhawk character grew up in the Gnarley Forest and has since retired there. So I guess if I had to vote I'd vote for the Domain of Greyhawk as it is now.
But the Flanaess is so varied and so interesting there are a million fab places to play!
Cheers
Blakey
1)Geoff....whats left of it....
2)Dyvers
3)Keoland
4)Veluna
5) Rel Astra...something about an enlightened dictatorship.....
Originally posted by Mach2.5
Veluna. Simple, peacefull . . . the perfect place for invasions, infestations, insurrections, and other words that begin with i that I can't think of right now.
Ick! I always paint Veluna as a Vatican-like city full of old, pompous farts who live lives full of debauchery and other luxuries of the rich whilst common people live simple, pious lives of worship and obedience to the clergy.
I'm big on the 'power corrupts' theory
Originally posted by Delglath
Ick! I always paint Veluna as a Vatican-like city full of old, pompous farts who live lives full of debauchery and other luxuries of the rich whilst common people live simple, pious lives of worship and obedience to the clergy.
I always thought of that as being the See of Medegia, being see means pope. Though that has been destroyed now.
Halber
From the city of Chendl heading west through the Vesve Forest over into Perrenland has seen a lot of action in the games I've played in over the twenty years I've played.
. My players are in the ToEE right now, but they plan to return to the north asap, to the confort of their houses in Crockport.No, my trully favourite realm is Almor; i found it while reading Ivid the Undying (Lord Osson is my hero
), but it dosent exist anyome. O hell, but i'll have revenge, soon bwahaha!No one in Greyhawk has ever said this and hopefully they never will.
You aren't the only one to use it, Souza, just the most recent one.
Originally posted by rostoff
Please leave this saying to Final Fantasy boards.
No one in Greyhawk has ever said this and hopefully they never will.
You aren't the only one to use it, Souza, just the most recent one.
I hope you're being sarcastic...
Most of my GH campaign has taken place in Ahlissa, the Adri Forest, and the Free City of Greyhawk. They did a bit of foraging in Nyrond and the Duchy of Urnst, but it was mostly just travelling through. Now they are back in Ahlissa and the campaign is awesome. I love the history of the undying overking Ivid V. A subplot of my campaign is that Ivid V is still living in Rauxes which is now in the demiplane of dread, but he maintains a tenuous bond with Oerth, such that he can receive things from servants in that plane, but not send anything out.
I like its geographic position. Verbobonc sits in a position where it's proximate to all the types of topography - the Gnarley and Welkwood forests; the Kron Hills and Lortmill Mountains; Close to Greyhawk, the Wild Coast, Veluna/Furyondy and Celene.
Since verbobonc is close to Celene, relationships and experiences with the elves of Celene are always easily explored. The same with elements (monsters, etc.) in the Gnarley Forest, Kron Hills and the Lortmills.
It may seem trite or obligatory, but I like the proximity to Homlett and its ToEE connections. The place has genuinely held a place in our hearts, despite the shortcomings of RttToEE and 3/3.5 Ed. changes.
Keoland and its "suburbs" (Ulek states, Geoff, Bissell etc.) come in second.
Scarlet Brotherhood, something about the domination of the Flanaess thru espionage is appealing.
Vale of the Mage, no explanation needed I'm sure.
1) Ratik
2)Shield Lands/Empire of Iuz
3)Keoland
4)Tenh
5)Bandit Kingdoms
Originally posted by Halberkill
I always thought of that as being the See of Medegia, being see means pope. Though that has been destroyed now.
Halber
Just wanted to add, see can refer to the pope, a more general definition of the term, and I think more appropriate here, is a territory controlled by a religious official, similar in meaning to diocese or parish, but generally reserved for the jurisdiction of higher level figures, like archbishops and such.
Where a fighter might be granted a barony, a cleric could be granted a see.
More on topic, I always found Medegia as one of the more interesting areas in the setting.
Scott
Keoland, Sterich, Gran March, Grand Duchy of Geoff, Bissel, Principality/County/Duchy of Ulek....basically all the good nations of the Sheldomar Valley. Also like The Knights of the Watch (a sort of Templars for The Flanaess).
I also love Keoland cause it has a cool Coat-of-Arms.