Big changes to Greyhawk started with this set. Please go to Patreon.com and look under Page121 to help support the channel. Thank you. #TTRPG #RPG #FRPG #AD&D
Years ago I had a question for a panel of pundits at a convention: How can I run a titanic sandbox RPG using one system with mechanics for simulating everything from an interplanetary conflict down to the granularity of a party level player character? They were stumped for a minute and debated, but the older guy said something that shaped my gaming forever. He told me to use an RPG to manage the party, a skirmish game to manage the battles, a board game to manage the wars, and a different tabletop game to manage the world at large, etc. "It's easier to introduce new games into your system to support mechanics rather than introduce mechanics into the system of your game." This is why I love these sorts of books. They are tools which may not be used often (or ever), but are a beloved part of the artisan's collection and may inspire an application or solution beyond their original design.
Best buck fifty I ever spent. The rules are actually very good and are strongly reminiscent of a fantasy tweak of Axis & Allies (I'm actually surprised TSR got away with it… it's mechanically very similar!). Lots of epic feel and quick play, you can do the large (global) scenario in one evening easily but the smaller scenarios are real gems too. The adventuring mechanic (having your characters in some of the rare spots that have adventuring sites) is a great little mechanic that shows how even during a global war, adventurers still play a role in unearthing crucial magic items to help their side. I always wanted to play this with a group and then let the results of that game shape the campaign world for a subsequent Greyhawk AD&D 2e campaign. You should really give it a try! Maybe dont jump into the global scenario right away… try a smaller one and have fun with it. I strongly recommend using the optional rules for different troop types having "native" terrain as it adds a lot of dimension to how the different forces maneuver on the map and where they actually invade and where they don't want to fight. The problem with Risk is that there is no reason not to march over the entire map. With Greyhawk Wars, you find the Orcs and the Gnomes visciously fighting over the Kron Hills but much less willing to spill out onto neighboring regions that don't give them an advantage.
My brother and I got this as a gift. I was 11 and still very fresh with DnD as we lived in the country and didn't have anyone to help us learn Thac0 and other things. It was way different and we ended up just reading the big book for story. We punched the paper cutouts and messed around with them. All I can say is that it was not the style we had from basic DnD boxed set rules.
We played this and had a good time. I bought a couple extra copies for more chits and used them for play, with the one with my Greyhawk collection being unpunched. The history of the war was my favorite part. I also had plans to use this for some massive battles or to see what the future of Greyhawk might hold by playing out conflicts between countries. That never really materialized though. When we played, I put a couple of sheets of plexiglass on the map to hold it down. It worked very well. I like the simplicity of the system. It was easy to explain rules and quick to play. To make it more complex would bog it down. I feel like moving the timeline forward helps a product rather than hinders it. Since 3rd edition, all D&D does is pump out new rules and rules supplements. People don't even talk about stories anymore, but builds for their characters, it seems.
great video no doubt have checked my edition, but have read the country cards are 46 cards but have only 45 country cards, strange i dont renember lost card. thanks in advance and sorry for bad english.
Wow! So that's what Greyhawk Wars is. I've heard a few things about it, but thanks for the explanation. It strikes me immediately, that this may suck as a game, but it could be great as a model to better understand the "lay of the land in the World of Greyhawk". Legendary Avalon Hill game designer Jim Dunnigan once wrote to me simply, "You can learn a lot about something by gaming it out". So, use this to game to write an evolving geopolitically political situation for your campaigns in the Greyhawk. Using that tool, one can more easily imagine plausible scenarios that affect player characters and even motivate their actions.. Also, remember to keep the geopolitics of Greyhawk gray. There are difference types of warfare at different levels of intensities. That Greyhawk Wars map makes me consider the position of the Furyondian head of military intelligence and secret operations at Ft. Belvor. Also, consider that of his superiors in Chendl. What are they going to do? Critwall, Grabford, and Crockport... all under enemy control and those left, set to slave labor. What a great setting especially along the Flare Line and the Veng River. It a logistics and recon playground already half-built for us and easily modified to our needs and whims. Thanks Gary G. and thanks for this video. It gelled some ideas for new adventures for me to be sure.
You're NOT 100% wrong! However, I ran this as a background to a 2E AD&D game I ran, and it worked really well as a backdrop for the events the characters were experiencing as the campaign progressed. I recognise the limitations of this, as its basically a "Risk-Plus" style game, but it worked well for my purposes. Thanks for putting out a well-considered video!
I don't know enough to answer this question, but I did notice that the combat system in Greyhawk Wars looks like Avalon Hill's Kingmaker... a very rudimentary slugfest just to resolve the combat. There is no terrain or tactical component, just numbers, odds, and dice rolls set up in ranks. But the great thing about Kingmaker is the way cards representing mercenaries, armies connected to offices and titles add to the Nobel's (unit's) strength.
I second 2e BattleSystem (blue cover version). Been playing it since 1992. It has strong AD&D flavor, but it is a mass battles game, so extrapolation is expected. It covers everything, containing the proverbial kitchen sink. It covers siege warfare, aerial combat and units; it has rules for creating new creature types, new battle platforms, and converting RPG characters into the BS system. It is a bucket-O-dice game, but I enjoy rolling one Attack Die (d4-d12), per figure attacking within a given combat. The Chessex Pound-O-Dice, is a good deal, but other companies offer similar (some better...) deals, as well. Get a crafting compartmental container (fishing lure case) to keep your dice organized, as you will need, at times, to roll 20-50, d6's, for one Unit's attack! The book has a still-valid painting guide for miniatures. There are inexpensive, injection-molded, plastic figure sets available (Red Box Alliance figures are a fantastic bargain), but I would recommend either 15mm or true 25mm figures, to keep costs down. I own 10+ boxed sets from Red Box, and they paint up very nicely. Cheers!
Years ago I had a question for a panel of pundits at a convention: How can I run a titanic sandbox RPG using one system with mechanics for simulating everything from an interplanetary conflict down to the granularity of a party level player character?
They were stumped for a minute and debated, but the older guy said something that shaped my gaming forever. He told me to use an RPG to manage the party, a skirmish game to manage the battles, a board game to manage the wars, and a different tabletop game to manage the world at large, etc.
"It's easier to introduce new games into your system to support mechanics rather than introduce mechanics into the system of your game."
This is why I love these sorts of books. They are tools which may not be used often (or ever), but are a beloved part of the artisan's collection and may inspire an application or solution beyond their original design.
Best buck fifty I ever spent. The rules are actually very good and are strongly reminiscent of a fantasy tweak of Axis & Allies (I'm actually surprised TSR got away with it… it's mechanically very similar!). Lots of epic feel and quick play, you can do the large (global) scenario in one evening easily but the smaller scenarios are real gems too. The adventuring mechanic (having your characters in some of the rare spots that have adventuring sites) is a great little mechanic that shows how even during a global war, adventurers still play a role in unearthing crucial magic items to help their side. I always wanted to play this with a group and then let the results of that game shape the campaign world for a subsequent Greyhawk AD&D 2e campaign. You should really give it a try! Maybe dont jump into the global scenario right away… try a smaller one and have fun with it. I strongly recommend using the optional rules for different troop types having "native" terrain as it adds a lot of dimension to how the different forces maneuver on the map and where they actually invade and where they don't want to fight. The problem with Risk is that there is no reason not to march over the entire map. With Greyhawk Wars, you find the Orcs and the Gnomes visciously fighting over the Kron Hills but much less willing to spill out onto neighboring regions that don't give them an advantage.
Hear, hear! 🍻
I agree completely well said
i think thr IDEA was one of the greatest ever BUT tsr in those years ... well you get what i mean ... a redoing would be fantastic
My brother and I got this as a gift. I was 11 and still very fresh with DnD as we lived in the country and didn't have anyone to help us learn Thac0 and other things. It was way different and we ended up just reading the big book for story. We punched the paper cutouts and messed around with them. All I can say is that it was not the style we had from basic DnD boxed set rules.
We played this and had a good time. I bought a couple extra copies for more chits and used them for play, with the one with my Greyhawk collection being unpunched. The history of the war was my favorite part. I also had plans to use this for some massive battles or to see what the future of Greyhawk might hold by playing out conflicts between countries. That never really materialized though.
When we played, I put a couple of sheets of plexiglass on the map to hold it down. It worked very well. I like the simplicity of the system. It was easy to explain rules and quick to play. To make it more complex would bog it down.
I feel like moving the timeline forward helps a product rather than hinders it. Since 3rd edition, all D&D does is pump out new rules and rules supplements. People don't even talk about stories anymore, but builds for their characters, it seems.
It was fun. We just liked a simple game. I've avoided playing hardcore games like WFB and preferred RISK style games.
CONSUMER FATIGUE is real!
Didn't know it was a board game. I believed it was a set of adventures to help gamers transition to 2nd edition.
Same. I had no idea till just now, but then I was not into Greyhawk at that time.
great video no doubt
have checked my edition, but have read the country cards are 46 cards but have only 45 country cards, strange i dont renember lost card.
thanks in advance and sorry for bad english.
Now that I know it's a board game, I regret not buying it. My group was into WWII wargaming and AD&D. This would have been a hit!!
Wow! So that's what Greyhawk Wars is. I've heard a few things about it, but thanks for the explanation.
It strikes me immediately, that this may suck as a game, but it could be great as a model to better understand the "lay of the land in the World of Greyhawk". Legendary Avalon Hill game designer Jim Dunnigan once wrote to me simply, "You can learn a lot about something by gaming it out". So, use this to game to write an evolving geopolitically political situation for your campaigns in the Greyhawk. Using that tool, one can more easily imagine plausible scenarios that affect player characters and even motivate their actions..
Also, remember to keep the geopolitics of Greyhawk gray. There are difference types of warfare at different levels of intensities.
That Greyhawk Wars map makes me consider the position of the Furyondian head of military intelligence and secret operations at Ft. Belvor. Also, consider that of his superiors in Chendl. What are they going to do? Critwall, Grabford, and Crockport... all under enemy control and those left, set to slave labor. What a great setting especially along the Flare Line and the Veng River. It a logistics and recon playground already half-built for us and easily modified to our needs and whims. Thanks Gary G. and thanks for this video. It gelled some ideas for new adventures for me to be sure.
I have this but it was given to me by my friend a few years back - I played this decades ago. I might have to bust it out again
You're NOT 100% wrong! However, I ran this as a background to a 2E AD&D game I ran, and it worked really well as a backdrop for the events the characters were experiencing as the campaign progressed. I recognise the limitations of this, as its basically a "Risk-Plus" style game, but it worked well for my purposes. Thanks for putting out a well-considered video!
Just watching this video for the first time, cool video and I’m color blind too! Especially Red & Green
good with 4+ players, not so less players.
Review x10
What system do or would you use to simulate a massive battle in D&D? This question is open to all.
I use Battlesystem 2nd edition. I did a video on it last year. ruclips.net/video/2lvtsQzb4h0/видео.html
I don't know enough to answer this question, but I did notice that the combat system in Greyhawk Wars looks like Avalon Hill's Kingmaker... a very rudimentary slugfest just to resolve the combat. There is no terrain or tactical component, just numbers, odds, and dice rolls set up in ranks. But the great thing about Kingmaker is the way cards representing mercenaries, armies connected to offices and titles add to the Nobel's (unit's) strength.
I second 2e BattleSystem (blue cover version). Been playing it since 1992. It has strong AD&D flavor, but it is a mass battles game, so extrapolation is expected. It covers everything, containing the proverbial kitchen sink. It covers siege warfare, aerial combat and units; it has rules for creating new creature types, new battle platforms, and converting RPG characters into the BS system.
It is a bucket-O-dice game, but I enjoy rolling one Attack Die (d4-d12), per figure attacking within a given combat. The Chessex Pound-O-Dice, is a good deal, but other companies offer similar (some better...) deals, as well. Get a crafting compartmental container (fishing lure case) to keep your dice organized, as you will need, at times, to roll 20-50, d6's, for one Unit's attack!
The book has a still-valid painting guide for miniatures. There are inexpensive, injection-molded, plastic figure sets available (Red Box Alliance figures are a fantastic bargain), but I would recommend either 15mm or true 25mm figures, to keep costs down. I own 10+ boxed sets from Red Box, and they paint up very nicely. Cheers!