OneD&D Setting is Greyhawk?

[JackPhoenix]

Sure, and that's your right - I just find the desire to actively seek out OneD&D threads in which to reiterate that announcement ad nauseam to be questionable.

And I find insulting insinuations about other forum members' activities questionable, but hey, here we are.

[RedMage125]

I'm not sure whether 4E's "points of light" is in Greyhawk but I think they used their pantheon as the default, too.

They did not. 4e has its own pantheon, but some of the gods are similar to Greyhawk deities, and a few even use the same name. Pelor is the main one that comes to mind, as well as Vecna. There is a deity named Kord, but he's different from Greyhawk. And Nerull is referenced as a former deity of death who was killed and replaced.

I am excited for it. I started with Greyhawk in 3.5e way back and think it's a lot cleaner than the FR lore. I just hope that Nerul isn't replaced by the Raven Queen again.

That wasn't Greyhawk. In 4e's Points of Light setting, the Nerull who was killed and replaced by the Raven Queen is not the Nerull of Oerth.

That being said and I am ready for all the hate about this, but I hope they bring back the world axis as the main cosmology since they're doing away with alignments. I never much cared for how gamey the outer wheel feels.

They're not "doing away with alignments". They're just steering away from "usually evil" for humanoid races.

4e's default setting was Nentir Vale, yet people kept saying it was Forgotten Realms.
5e's default setting is "the multiverse", yet people keep saying it is Forgotten Realms.
5.5's default setting may be Greyhawk, yet people will keep saying it is Forgotten Realms.

4e's default setting doesn't have a name, it's just a setting that follows their "Points of Light" model. The Nentir Vale was simply where many of the lower level adventures started. There was a D&D board game that had a world map showing the Nentir Vale on it, and it's a small corner of the world.

5e has the vast majority of published adventures set in Forgotten Realms. The 5e PHB lists nine human ethnicities, and they all come from Faerun. Curse of Strahd and Ghosts of Saltmarsh were the only ones that didn't take place in FR. We had a Sword Coast book as one of the first supplements, and didn't have a second setting book until Eberron in 2019. The perception that FR is "the default of 5e" may not be concise, because it's not explicit like Greyhawk was for 3e, but it's absolutely a valid perception.

This article doesn't say Greyhawk is the default for 5.5e, it says they're going to flesh it out as an example of how to build a world.

[diplomancer]

Damn you, WotC, Mystara or nothing!

I guess they are not doing it because all these newbies would be thinking, "wait, Minthara is a setting now?!"

[Millstone85]

Damn you, WotC, Mystara or nothing!

I guess they are not doing it because all these newbies would be thinking, "wait, Minthara is a setting now?!"

Many PCs made her their world, so yes. ^^

[ZRN]

Actually it is going somewhere; the bookshelf, where it will sit and collect dust, never to be used again, because new players won't know about or care to engage with it, especially as the people in charge of managing said setting are actively running and promoting it differently.

Yeah, but since you already said you don't trust current WOTC to make new content, what other option is there? Just try to sell reprints of the 40-year-old stuff?

[Psyren]

Yeah, but since you already said you don't trust current WOTC to make new content, what other option is there? Just try to sell reprints of the 40-year-old stuff?

Which they're even doing - every prior edition is legally available on DTRPG. Sure, you'll probably have to print and bind the PDFs yourself if you want them in meatspace, but that's hardly a herculean task these days.

[Rukelnikov]

I thinkt the edition that came closer to having "the multiverse" as its default setting was 2e. There were adventures and videogames taking place in all kinds of different settings, The Realms, Greyhawk, Mystara, Dark Sun, Planescape, etc.

I'd like that to be the case for every edition, but what purpose would that serve current day PCWotC? The similarities between their settings would far outweigh the differences, they may claim their setting is "the multiverse" for the sole reason that no matter what setting you are talking about they are all more or less the same one, so it doesn't matter.

[Kurald Galain]

I thinkt the edition that came closer to having "the multiverse" as its default setting was 2e. There were adventures and videogames taking place in all kinds of different settings, The Realms, Greyhawk, Mystara, Dark Sun, Planescape, etc.

Yes, I think 2E at its height was supporting about ten settings all at the same time.

...and the downside of this is that you end up competing against yourself, because players invested in Setting A generall won't buy books for Setting B. This likely contributed to the bankruptcy of TSR, the company running D&D before WOTC took over. So it's just not a smart business move.

[Rukelnikov]

Yes, I think 2E at its height was supporting about ten settings all at the same time.

...and the downside of this is that you end up competing against yourself, because players invested in Setting A generall won't buy books for Setting B. This likely contributed to the bankruptcy of TSR, the company running D&D before WOTC took over. So it's just not a smart business move.

Sure, I don't know if it would be a good or bad monetization path, but I was talking about what I liked as a player over the editions, 2e had the overall best offer regarding settings.

[Schwann145]

Yeah, but since you already said you don't trust current WOTC to make new content, what other option is there? Just try to sell reprints of the 40-year-old stuff?

I mean, all they'd have to do to re-earn my trust in their writing is to stop half-assing it.
The reason that Faerun feels bland and kitchen sink is because they refuse to respect the integrity of the setting. There is a metric F ton of uniqueness to that world that isn't being published because it doesn't homogeneously fit with every possible D&D property. So they just delete/ignore it.
They skipped over 100 years into the future of the last time they properly published the setting, and we know basically nothing about how the world has changed. Fix that, (and in a way that actually respects the uniqueness of the setting) and I can have faith again.

In the meantime, I will be worried for Greyhawk as I expect the exact same treatment; forcing in things that don't belong and ignoring things that make the place feel like it's own until it is the new "FR that everyone is bored with/hates."

[Devils_Advocate]

The success of Baldur's Gate 3 is a reason to sell Forgotten Realms in a separate book. Never ask for money once when you can ask for it twice. That's probably one of the Rules of Acquisition.

Sell a man fishing lessons and you profit for a day, but sell a man fish and you can profit for life.

If putting the FR stuff in a dedicated FR book means both more time spent on it and less clutter in my PHB, I consider that a win-win.

I'm inclined to agree. The core books won't and shouldn't explore any particular setting in detail because most groups won't use that material. The more setting-specific material is included in core, the less of it will cover anything truly distinctive, and the more of it will be generic stuff that can easily be repurposed, with notes on adapting it to other settings. Doing any particular setting justice is too niche a concern to justify the necessary space. Again, in the core books. So it will be done elsewhere if at all.

[Chronos]

Greyhawk was also the default setting, to the extent that there was one, for 2nd, 3rd, and 5th (I don't know about 4th). There's not much setting-specific in the 5e core rulebooks, but there are references to Mordenkainen, Tasha, Bigby, etc., all of whom are Greyhawk characters, and none to iconic characters from any of the other worlds.

Although, to be fair, the D&D movie was set in Faerun, and they still namedropped Mordenkainen there.

[RedMage125]

Greyhawk was also the default setting, to the extent that there was one, for 2nd, 3rd, and 5th (I don't know about 4th). There's not much setting-specific in 5e core rulebooks, but there are references to Mordenkainen, Tasha, Bigby, etc., all of whom are Greyhawk characters, and none to iconic characters from any of the other worlds.

Although, to be fair, the D&D movie was set in Faerun, and they still namedropped Mordenkainen there.

2e didn't really give us a default setting.
3e was Greyhawk, for sure.
4e made its own setting, but 3 of the deities (4 if you count a deity named Nerull referenced in the Raven Queen's past) share names with Greyhawk deities.

But for 5e...
Volo (of the Guide to Monsters) and the Xanathar (of the Guide to Everything) both had books published before any books bearing Mordenkainen's, Tasha's, or Bigby's name.

Driz'zt has a sidebar in the Elf racial write up in the PHB. The Human write-up lists different ethnicities of human, all of which come from FR (they list Chondathan and Rashemi, not Suel or Flan). The FR pantheon is published first in the "gods of the multiverse" Appendix (then Greyhawk, then Dragonlance, then Eberron, so it's not alphabetical).

The Sword Coast Guide was also published in the first year of 5e, which is FR. All published adventures except Curse of Strahd (Ravenloft) and Ghosts of Saltmarsh (Greyhawk) take place in Forgotten Realms.

So the case that 5e's default setting is FR is stronger than the case for Greyhawk. If you're only citing those individuals because of the spells named after them, you should know that they're all known to have traversed to different realities, and those spells are also named the same in FR.

[Rukelnikov]

2e didn't really give us a default setting.
3e was Greyhawk, for sure.
4e made its own setting, but 3 of the deities (4 if you count a deity named Nerull referenced in the Raven Queen's past) share names with Greyhawk deities.

But for 5e...
Volo (of the Guide to Monsters) and the Xanathar (of the Guide to Everything) both had books published before any books bearing Mordenkainen's, Tasha's, or Bigby's name.

Driz'zt has a sidebar in the Elf racial write up in the PHB. The Human write-up lists different ethnicities of human, all of which come from FR (they list Chondathan and Rashemi, not Suel or Flan). The FR pantheon is published first in the "gods of the multiverse" Appendix (then Greyhawk, then Dragonlance, then Eberron, so it's not alphabetical).

The Sword Coast Guide was also published in the first year of 5e, which is FR. All published adventures except Curse of Strahd (Ravenloft) and Ghosts of Saltmarsh (Greyhawk) take place in Forgotten Realms.

So the case that 5e's default setting is FR is stronger than the case for Greyhawk. If you're only citing those individuals because of the spells named after them, you should know that they're all known to have traversed to different realities, and those spells are also named the same in FR.

In that line of reasoning, the example of how to build a character in the PHB is "Building Bruenor"

[RedMage125]

In that line of reasoning, the example of how to build a character in the PHB is "Building Bruenor"

Good point, those things reference Icewind Dale, and the recovery of Mithril Hall (which King Bruenor did in the books).

[Tawmis]

I have zero interest in Greyhawk and never have. I think it's a dull setting eclipsed by those that came after, serving only as a reminder of what foundations were built on to bigger and better things. Its planet is called Oerth. Like come on.

So yeah, not a fan.

I understand why they've chosen it - FR has a lot of baggage - but also "Hey, here's our default setting: It's boring!" isn't exactly a great selling point.

Heh. If you're gonna bag on the planet's name of "Oreth"... how can you not bag on "Forgotten" Realms? What's exactly forgotten about it? Considering all the lore, explored lands, etc?

Maybe it was "forgotten" long ago - but, there's nothing "forgotten" about it anymore.

[Amnestic]

Heh. If you're gonna bag on the planet's name of "Oreth"... how can you not bag on "Forgotten" Realms? What's exactly forgotten about it? Considering all the lore, explored lands, etc?

Silly! It's because there's so much lore that it's called the Forgotten Realms - ain't anyone remembering all that stuff. It's definitely got a bunch that's been forgotten.

[Zombimode]

I have zero interest in Greyhawk and never have. I think it's a dull setting eclipsed by those that came after, serving only as a reminder of what foundations were built on to bigger and better things. Its planet is called Oerth. Like come on.

So yeah, not a fan.

I understand why they've chosen it - FR has a lot of baggage - but also "Hey, here's our default setting: It's boring!" isn't exactly a great selling point.

Why do you think that Greyhawk is boring? Are you actually familiar with the setting?

[Amnestic]

Are you actually familiar with the setting?

Familiar enough to know I find it boring :)

[Psyren]

I understand why they've chosen it - FR has a lot of baggage - but also "Hey, here's our default setting: It's boring!" isn't exactly a great selling point.

However, "here's our starter setting, it's lightweight enough that you can make it your own!" is considerably better. (Coupled with a dose of "here's our starter setting, and the FR / Eberron guys at your table won't be nasally "um ackshually"-ing every plot arc you come up with!")

[Beelzebub1111]

Familiar enough to know I find it boring :)

Any idea what specifically about it? I can understand being bored by essentially cold wars and regional disputes between nations if you aren't into political naratives, but there's also lots of cool stuff within the Flanaess. I like the idea of uncovering a conspiracy of The Scarlet Brotherhood or infiltrating the capital city of an evil demigod to rescue a captured war-hero.

I like the diversity of the setting. All the peoples feel distinct without always having a real-world analogue. The Village of Hommlet has a direct conflict of the Temple and worshipers of zuggtmoy but also has a metaplot about the worshipers of the old faith and their conflict with the church of saint cuthbert converting followers to the cudgel while the old faith try to maintain the balance.

The least inetersting aspect is probably the wizard club drama of the circle of eight but that's always felt like a backdrop. Rescuing one of the former wizard club members from the moon was fun, though.

My overal point of what I like about the setting is that there is so much there that gives it verisimilitude. Every conflict and story has a reason for being there that fits into the world and makes sense. Making sense is always good.

[RedMage125]

The least inetersting aspect is probably the wizard club drama of the circle of eight but that's always felt like a backdrop. Rescuing one of the former wizard club members from the moon was fun, though.

Was that a published module, or something your DM did? I always thought Tenser got himself back from the moon (before he changed his name).

[KorvinStarmast]

Was that a published module, or something your DM did? I always thought Tenser got himself back from the moon (before he changed his name).

Wait, what? Tenser changed his name? Ernest is one of Gary's sons, and Tenser is his character. Did I miss a memo?

[RedMage125]

Wait, what? Tenser changed his name? Ernest is one of Gary's sons, and Tenser is his character. Did I miss a memo?

In the Age Of Worms adventure path. Later in the campaign, the party meets an archmage, whose name, I believe, is Manzorian.
His background specifies that he was part of the Circle of Eight, but was killed, and his clone on the moon activated.
Which makes him Tenser.

[KorvinStarmast]

In the Age Of Worms adventure path. Later in the campaign, the party meets an archmage, whose name, I believe, is Manzorian.
His background specifies that he was part of the Circle of Eight, but was killed, and his clone on the moon activated.
Which makes him Tenser.

Huh, that's odd. (Was this a "who has rights to this character" thing.

I see, it was a 3.5 adventure, and I'd not been subscribing to Dragon magazine for quite some time at that point. Thanks.

[Psyren]

Huh, that's odd. (Was this a "who has rights to this character" thing.

I see, it was a 3.5 adventure, and I'd not been subscribing to Dragon magazine for quite some time at that point. Thanks.

Given what EGG and NuTSR have been up to, a name change wouldn't surprise me...

[Blatant Beast]

Wait, what? Tenser changed his name? Ernest is one of Gary's sons, and Tenser is his character. Did I miss a memo?

Once Gary left TSR, Mordenkainen and the Circle of Eight got a makeover.
It makes sense. Mord, the PC, was probably not that heavily invested in "Preserving the Balance" outside the balance of his treasure vault, and let's face it the whole PC Mordenkainen schtick of only having hireling/alt characters with first names that end in IGBY, (ala Bigby, Rigby, Ziggby), probably needed to change for the Greyhawk storylines of 2e.

It is a funny joke for a home game, but a little too goofy for the public at large.

[Beelzebub1111]

Was that a published module, or something your DM did? I always thought Tenser got himself back from the moon (before he changed his name).

You do it in the module Return of the Eight if I remember correctly.

[ZRN]

I mean, all they'd have to do to re-earn my trust in their writing is to stop half-assing it.
The reason that Faerun feels bland and kitchen sink is because they refuse to respect the integrity of the setting. There is a metric F ton of uniqueness to that world that isn't being published because it doesn't homogeneously fit with every possible D&D property. So they just delete/ignore it.
They skipped over 100 years into the future of the last time they properly published the setting, and we know basically nothing about how the world has changed. Fix that, (and in a way that actually respects the uniqueness of the setting) and I can have faith again.

The funny thing is that I want to preface this by saying "I'm not a huge FR fan" but when I think about it I've probably read at least a couple dozen FR novels, spent hundreds of hours on FR-set video games, read and played tons of sourcebooks in the setting...

But anyway, when is this golden era you're talking about? For me one of the hallmarks of FR (a hallmark which I don't actually like) is that they have a big dumb global shakeup every time a new edition comes out because they have to in-game justify every rules change (like, they actually killed the god of murder when an edition change got rid of the assassin class).

As for the uniqueness of the setting? Man, it's kind of a grab-bag, isn't it? Like I said above, I read a ton of mediocre prose set in this world and I still only know anything about like 5% of it. If there was a "kitchen sink" era of FR it's gotta be 2e to 3e, when they were paying everyone with a pen to write junk novels and game supplements in the setting.

[KorvinStarmast]

If there was a "kitchen sink" era of FR it's gotta be 2e to 3e, when they were paying everyone with a pen to write junk novels and game supplements in the setting.

IIRC it started in AD&D 1e with the FR novels and DL novels.

The Crystal Shard is a 1988 fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. The first book in The Icewind Dale Trilogy, it was his first published novel.