I picked up a new laptop and bought copies of DM Genie and CC2Pro with the dungeon module to make my table gaming vastly easier to run. I want an old school game setting with first rate technology doing the "heavy lifting" with all the modifiers and maps. I've downloaded some great CC2 maps of the continent and several cities. I plan on using the neat CC2 feature of hyperlinkning map icons to other documents like word files where I plan on doing summaries and such for political areas and natural areas as they are described in the main rulebook. It goes into great detail about nearly every labled are on the map so I figure I should take advantage of it. I'm going to start out small and only do the imediate areas around the PCs starting area but eventually as free time permits I hope to have encounter tables and descriptions for all the areas on the map to achieve a truly interactive tool for myself. I've got the downloaded SRD with all the hyperlinks so hopefully my plan of having everything at my fingertips for fast referencing can be accomplished.
I know it seems like overkill to use all this software but I'm tired of the 3 ring binder approach and these new tools seem like a powerful way to keep up with the vast quantity of information these games seems to produce. Plus it was a good excuse to my wife on why I needed a laptop
My question is what other resources are recommended for the campaign. I see there are both a Living Greyhawk Gazetteer and a D&D Gazatteer that are comprised of greyhawk info. I can also download that old Greyhawk Adventures hardback book in pdf from the same svgames site for another 5 bucks. Are one of these sources going to give me a better value than the others? Is it worth picking up these newer books or am I going to get mainly a rehash of what I already downloaded? Is the Greyhawk adventures book any good? I remember browsing it in the stores years ago but I can't remember what all it contained.
I've got time to develop the setting and read new material because I plan on sending the PCs on a couple of simple dungeon romps to get through the first 3 or 4 levels. After that I anticipate opening up their choices and allowing them to set out and that is when I'll need to be able to reference lots of info at a moments notice. I just want to avoid buying and reading duplicate info.
Any opinions?
GH Adventures has some spells by the circle of eight members, some magic items (these are available online in several articles.) , some few NPCs and new monsters, and some of the gods. All in all it`s a slightly haphazard collection of info. I like it for the NPCs and items but there`s far better and more important GH sources.
Ther have been several threads on what GH items to get and where. First and foremost i recommend getting WGR X Ivid the Undying from the acaeum site. It`s free and you could start a whole campaign with it. It gives a good impression of the Sargent era works which are also all well worth tracking down. (WGR4-6 and From the Ashes Box)
Here`s a thread on canonfire with some advice on what to get and many links for more info and material.
http://www.canonfire.com/htmlnew/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=819&sid=2dc3b27ece138ca320c2626036e5c55d
[copy/paste the link into your browser or you`ll be redirected to the main canonfire site.]
There`s also a more detailed review of GHAdv and other sources on canonfire:
http://www.canonfire.com/htmlnew/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=3
Some other Reviews are available here:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~monax002/Council/
Canonfire also hosts the great Oerth Journal fanzine which was started by Erik Mona who now pretty much runs or better pushes Greyhawk. Also there`s a lot of maps and nice articles available there and elsewhere on the web.