Greyhawk Grognard gambling on DMs Guild

[Big Mac]

I just found out that Joseph Bloch (aka "Greyhawk Grognard") has decided to gamble on Wizards of the Coast opening up Greyhawk to DMs Guild.

I actually didn't believe it at first, but here is a press release he put out in January, about the reason he has decided to start work on 5th Edition material ahead of WotC making the setting available for commercial reuse:

BRW Games Greyhawk Product Announcements (sortakinda)
Going through the Great Greyhawk Survey really got me thinking about what might happen if my favorite RPG setting* is ever opened up in Wizards of the Coast's Dungeon Masters Guild. Specifically, there's a line in the FAQ that opens up the possibility:

• Q: Is this going to remain Forgotten Realms only, or are other settings/IPs to be considered in the future??
  
  A: We intend to open up additional settings and IP as time goes on. However, for the time being, we will remain focused on the Forgotten Realms.

So it's definitely possible, even likely (especially considering they brought Ravenloft into the fold), that Greyhawk will be an option someday. I have to reiterate that I have no idea when that will happen, or even if it ever will, but I am basing all this on the (admittedly speculative) idea that it will. Eventually. I'm guessing within two years, but it could be next week for all I know (in which case, boy am I behind schedule!).

With all that said, here are the sortakinda product announcements, dependent entirely on whether or not WotC ever adds Greyhawk to the list of settings in the DMs Guild. Even if I just end up writing them for my own game, they'll get written.

The press release goes onto name a number of products that Greyhawk Grognard is working on. And he later posted about a playtesting program he is running to iron the bugs out of anything he is making. (The playtesting slots are all booked up, before you ask. )

What do you think of Greyhawk Grognard's gamble? How much content do you think he can make ready before any DMs Guild launch happens for Greyhawk?

Do you think he will be waiting a long time? I know that Spelljammer has been mentioned a lot recently, but are there really many other campaign settings that would stand in the way of Greyhawk?

[Morfie]

I'm betting (without betting anything) that Greyhawk will be next, and it will be sometime this year.

Joe Bloch (Pretty sure that's not his real name, as it's pronounced Joe Blow ) has done some pretty good stuff in the past. I liked his Greyhawk continent expansion maps. I wish him well.

[Tim Baker]

I'm betting (without betting anything) that Greyhawk will be next, and it will be sometime this year.

Have there been clues that Greyhawk will be next? I know Mike Mearls experimented with "Greyhawk Initiative" a few months ago. Greyhawk adventures featured pretty prominently in Tales from the Yawning Portal. Anything else?

[Big Mac]

I'm betting (without betting anything) that Greyhawk will be next, and it will be sometime this year.

There has been a lot of chatter about Spelljammer, but that could be a diversion tactic. We know that the 5e people like Greyhawk. They just don't seem to think it will pull in as much cash as Forgotten Realms.

The Greyhawk chatter seems to mostly be about what year a 5e Greyhawk product would be set in. There also seems to be a bit of "What would Gary Gygax do?" talk.

Joe Bloch (Pretty sure that's not his real name, as it's pronounced Joe Blow ) has done some pretty good stuff in the past. I liked his Greyhawk continent expansion maps. I wish him well.

I always thought his second name was pronounced like the word "blotch". Either way, I'll call people what they want to be called.

The Grognard sure has made some cool stuff.

I figure that the worse-case scenario here is that WotC never release Greyhawk on the DMs Guild (which I think is highly unlikely) and that Joe puts up the material for free on Canonfire or his own site and lets people throw him tips on Patreon, to finance further work.

[Greyhawk Grognard]

It's pronounced "Block".

[Thorf]

Here's hoping that they move ahead with adding settings to DMs Guild soon. They've kept us waiting on this for quite a while already now.

[Morfie]

It's pronounced "Block".

Sorry!

Don't know where I got the Blow from.. sure I read it somewhere. Obviously not true!

[Knightfall]

I would say with the announcement of Mord's Tome of Foes, GG's gamble has paid off.

[Tim Baker]

I would say with the announcement of Mord's Tome of Foes, GG's gamble has paid off.

I hope so. However, I wouldn't be shocked if the book had little more to do with Greyhawk than the use of Mordenkeinen's name. In that case, it may still not be available for DM's Guild products' use. This isn't a Greyhawk adventure or setting book, and if WotC stick to the model they used with Curse of Strahd, we'll need to wait for that type of treatment of Greyhawk. We shall see. I remain hopeful.

[vestcoat]

\I wouldn't be shocked if the book had little more to do with Greyhawk than the use of Mordenkeinen's name.

+1. 4e also had a Mordenkainen hardbound and it changed nothing.

[RobJN]

How much content do you think he can make ready before any DMs Guild launch happens for Greyhawk?

At Wizards' current rate of releasing settings to the Guild? I'm going to bet on "all of it."

[vestcoat]

How much content do you think he can make ready before any DMs Guild launch happens for Greyhawk?

At Wizards' current rate of releasing settings to the Guild? I'm going to bet on "all of it."

What settings have they opened up? Just FR and RL, right?

[Tim Baker]

What settings have they opened up? Just FR and RL, right?

That's correct.

[Knightfall]

I would say with the announcement of Mord's Tome of Foes, GG's gamble has paid off.

I hope so. However, I wouldn't be shocked if the book had little more to do with Greyhawk than the use of Mordenkeinen's name. In that case, it may still not be available for DM's Guild products' use. This isn't a Greyhawk adventure or setting book, and if WotC stick to the model they used with Curse of Strahd, we'll need to wait for that type of treatment of Greyhawk. We shall see. I remain hopeful.

If not Greyhawk, hopefully they will open up the Planes (if not actually the Planescape setting itself) since the book will touch on the planar conflicts of the Gith races vs. the mind flayers and the Blood War.

That would be very cool, but I hop they will add Greyhawk to the mix for DMs Guild.

[Big Mac]

\I wouldn't be shocked if the book had little more to do with Greyhawk than the use of Mordenkeinen's name.

+1. 4e also had a Mordenkainen hardbound and it changed nothing.

I'm pretty sure that DMs Guild didn't exist in the 4th Edition era, so I'm not sure what the existence of a 4e product with Greyhawk stuff in would imply.

4e Had Eberron and Dark Sun, but neither of those has had a look-in for the 5th Edition Era yet.

[willpell]

I just found out that Joseph Bloch (aka "Greyhawk Grognard") has decided to gamble on Wizards of the Coast opening up Greyhawk to DMs Guild.

I actually didn't believe it at first, but here is a press release he put out in January, about the reason he has decided to start work on 5th Edition material ahead of WotC making the setting available for commercial reuse:

BRW Games Greyhawk Product Announcements (sortakinda)
Going through the Great Greyhawk Survey really got me thinking about what might happen if my favorite RPG setting* is ever opened up in Wizards of the Coast's Dungeon Masters Guild. Specifically, there's a line in the FAQ that opens up the possibility:

• Q: Is this going to remain Forgotten Realms only, or are other settings/IPs to be considered in the future??
  
  A: We intend to open up additional settings and IP as time goes on. However, for the time being, we will remain focused on the Forgotten Realms.

So it's definitely possible, even likely (especially considering they brought Ravenloft into the fold), that Greyhawk will be an option someday. I have to reiterate that I have no idea when that will happen, or even if it ever will, but I am basing all this on the (admittedly speculative) idea that it will. Eventually. I'm guessing within two years, but it could be next week for all I know (in which case, boy am I behind schedule!).

With all that said, here are the sortakinda product announcements, dependent entirely on whether or not WotC ever adds Greyhawk to the list of settings in the DMs Guild. Even if I just end up writing them for my own game, they'll get written.

The press release goes onto name a number of products that Greyhawk Grognard is working on. And he later posted about a playtesting program he is running to iron the bugs out of anything he is making. (The playtesting slots are all booked up, before you ask. )

What do you think of Greyhawk Grognard's gamble? How much content do you think he can make ready before any DMs Guild launch happens for Greyhawk?

Do you think he will be waiting a long time? I know that Spelljammer has been mentioned a lot recently, but are there really many other campaign settings that would stand in the way of Greyhawk?

Is that asterisk in the quoted passage connected to any sort of explanation of WHY this person identifies Greyhawk as his favorite?

[Saracenus]

My guess (and it is a guess) is that Planescape is going to be the next "setting" put out for 5e. That makes the most logical sense since it can connect all the other worlds together. My bet is the soonest we see Greyhawk is 2019.

[Big Mac]

My guess (and it is a guess) is that Planescape is going to be the next "setting" put out for 5e. That makes the most logical sense since it can connect all the other worlds together. My bet is the soonest we see Greyhawk is 2019.

You could be right. Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes is about the conflicts of the D&D Multiverse, and it's been confirmed that we are not getting Spelljammer this year, so Planescape would be a good bet.