Dungeons and Dragons recently returned to its roots with the classic world of Greyhawk, the setting created by Gary Gygax that served as the home for iconic early adventures like Against the Giants and The Temple of Elemental Evil. While the setting of Forgotten Realms has dominated products, video games, and movies for three decades, Wizards of the Coast is giving Greyhawk a major push by making it the primary setting for the two thousand twenty four core rulebooks. To support this return, the company launched Legends of Greyhawk, its largest global play campaign in forty years.Polygon interviewed Chris Tulach, the global play manager at Wizards of the Coast, and Savannah Houston McIntyre, creative director at Baldman Games, to learn why this new campaign is launching now.

Understanding legends of Greyhawk:

Legends of Greyhawk is a global shared world program where players build a character that they can bring to any participating game around the world. Players can join sessions at local game stores, massive gaming conventions, or even with their regular group at home.

Unlike previous programs like Adventurers League, Legends of Greyhawk is built specifically around the updated two thousand twenty four rules. Adventure content is created by partner organizations and distributed through monthly digital releases. Each monthly release includes several short quests designed to run between two and four hours.The progression system is also different. Character leveling happens at a much slower pace, and players face strict limits on magic items. This design choice forces players to spend more time exploring each level tier and face tough challenges with limited tools.

The difference between Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms:

While Forgotten Realms features widespread magic, deities, and legendary figures woven into everyday life, Greyhawk offers a much grittier sword and sorcery setting. Technology is primitive, and ordinary people view magic with fear and mystery.In Forgotten Realms, players join a rich lineage of renowned heroes. In Greyhawk, political tensions run high, ancient evil lurks everywhere, and no legendary hero is coming to rescue the world. Players must step into that void and become the heroes the world needs.

The program aims to make tabletop gaming easier to join for people without a steady weekly group. By starting with the core rulebooks and simplifying the rules for acquiring treasure, new players can jump into games instantly at local stores or conventions and share an ongoing story with thousands of other players worldwide.