View source for The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting

{{Italic title}}
{{Source
|name             = The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting
|image            = [[File:Folio.jpg|250px]]
|caption          = 1st and 6th printings of the WoG Folio edition.
|type             = Campaign setting (folio)
|code             = Folio
|edition          = First edition
|author           = [[Gary Gygax]]
|editor           = [[Allen Hammack]]
|publisher        = [[TSR]]
|cover_artist     = 
|inner_artist     = [[Dave Sutherland]], [[Erol Otus]], [[David LaForce]]
|first published  = 1980
|series           = 
|pages            = 32
|isbn             = 0-935696-23-7
|class            = Official content
|setting_date     = [[576 CY]]
}}

'''The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting''' is the original [[World of Greyhawk]] campaign setting sourcebook, released in 1980 and written by Dungeons & Dragons creator [[Gary Gygax]]. It was the first published sourcebook to describe the campaign setting in detail.

It is commonly known among fans as the '''Folio''' due to its printing format. It is sometimes referred to as the '''World of Greyhawk Gazetteer''' for the name of the main 32-page book, or simply '''World of Greyhawk'''.

Not to be confused with the expanded box set version released in 1983 known as the '''[[World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting]]'''.

==Content==
===World of Greyhawk Gazetteer===

The ''World of Greyhawk Gazetteer'' is a 32-page sourcebook describing the [[Flanaess]], a continent on the planet of [[Oerth]], and the people who live there.

It begins by describing rules for rate of travel overland, the [[calendar]]s of the Flanaess, and its climate and seasons. A few pages are dedicated to a summary of its history, from with its settlement by [[Flan]] tribes over 1,000 years ago to the year [[576 CY]], and maps thereof, including the paths taken during the [[Great Migrations]]. It also describes the major languages spoken.

The largest section dedicates 11&frac12; pages to describing the various political divisions of the Flanaess: its kingdoms, baronies and so forth. Only a relatively small amount of information is given on each kingdom. One notable omission is the name of the rulers of each realm.

Nine pages are dedicated to various natural features such as rivers, mountains, and forests. One page describes various orders of knighthood and the precedence of royal and noble titles.

Finally, there are four pages of runes, symbols which might appear on ancient maps and so on. The final page also includes an advertisement for [[Gen Con]].

===Maps===

One of the most notable inclusions is the [[Darlene Map]], a definitive map of the World of Greyhawk created by {{smallcaps|[[Darlene]]}} (then known as Darlene Pekul). This full-color fold-out map is 34" by 44" (86 cm by 112 cm), and serves as the basis of all future ''World of Greyhawk'' maps.

===Covers===

The book is contained within a fold-out cardboard cover decorated with the heraldry of the major realms of the Flanaess circa [[576 CY]].

==Development and release==
===Origin===

The ''World of Greyhawk'' originated from Gary Gygax's home D&D campaign, which was based around his ''Castle Greyhawk'' megadungeon. Originally, Gygax's world was based heavily on real-world Earth, with the [[Free City of Greyhawk|City of Greyhawk]] located approximately at Chicago and [[Dyvers]] near Milwaukee.<ref name="en-post-2867963">[https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-2867963 Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 274]. ENWorld, Jun 4, 2006.</ref>

Gygax was surprised when [[TSR]] asked him to produce his setting as a product, as he had assumed that most DMs would enjoy creating their own settings.<ref name="en-post-1207846">[https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-1207846 Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 83]. ENWorld, Nov 5, 2003.</ref>

===Development===

Wary of disclosing too much of his setting to existing players in his home ''Greyhawk'' campaign, Gygax decided to create an all-new world instead. This new world was to be called Aerth, and the continent Oerik.<ref name="en-post-2867963">[https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-2867963 Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 274]. ENWorld, Jun 4, 2006.</ref>

Gygax spent a number of weeks hand-drawing an all-new world map, based on the largest size TSR was able to print. He named the various locations, then wrote up a brief description of the various realms and geographic features. While the ''Folio'' was inspired by his home campaign, he made many changes to fit the new map and avoid revealing too much information to players in his home campaign.<ref name="en-post-1207846">[https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-1207846 Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 83]. ENWorld, Nov 5, 2003.</ref>

In all, around 90% of the ''Folio'' map was invented new for the product, with only the City of Greyhawk and environs remaining from his original home campaign.<ref name="en-post-3831993">[https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-3831993 Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 413]. ENWorld, Oct 15, 2007.</ref> Following the completion of the manuscript, Gygax then moved his home campaign to the new setting.<ref name="en-post-2867963">[https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-2867963 Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 274]. ENWorld, Jun 4, 2006.</ref>

Gygax intentionally left much of the world undefined, expecting that DMs would fill in the blanks with their own campaigns.<ref name="en-post-2690446">[https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-2690446 Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 249]. ENWorld, Oct 31, 2005.</ref> The weather tables drew from a friend of [[Frank Mentzer]], and tended toward warmer climates as Gygax personally preferred a more Mediterranean climate; although he would later admit that he never actually used the tables in his own campaigns.<ref name="en-post-1396805">[https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-1396805 Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 100]. ENWorld, Feb 29, 2004.</ref>

Product development ultimately saw numerous delays. The foreword by editor Allen Hammack was dated February 6, 1979, although the book would bear a copyright date of 1980. In [[dragmag|Dragon]] #37 (May 1980), Gygax declared the ''World of Greyhawk'' sourcebook complete and sent to the printers.{{cite dragon|37|10-11|Greyhawk: The Shape of the World}}

===Release===

The ''World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting'' was printed in a folio format. It consists of a folding cardboard cover, a 32-page black-and-white booklet called the ''World of Greyhawk Gazetteer'', and a large color map. It also included a one-page flier for MiniFigs miniatures. It was first printed in 1980, with subsequent printings made up to 1981.<ref name="acaceum">[https://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/miscpages/wrldgrey.html World of Greyhawk] at the Acaceum.</ref> After many delays, it finally arrived on shelves around August 1980.{{cite dragon|46|48-50|Three Views of Greyhawk}}

The initial printing had a misprint where the copyright notice and ISBN were missing, and as a result had to be stamped onto the later. At least one copy, originally belonging to TSR's [[Brian Blume]] and later coming in the possession of a collector, was never stamped. Gygax was outraged when he discovered the misprint, and handed out "demerits" to those responsible. The copyright stamp issue was not fixed until the fourth printing, when the font used for the title also changed from a black calligraphy to a blue one.<ref name="acaceum">[https://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/miscpages/wrldgrey.html World of Greyhawk] at the Acaceum.</ref>

===Future plans===

Gygax planned to release further products, short booklets detailing various states and regions for use in individual campaigns, as well as a second boxed set to complete the world. These would ultimately not come to fruition.<ref name="en-post-3481672">[https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-3481672 Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 369]. ENWorld, Apr 26, 2007.</ref><ref name="en-post-3825367">[https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-3825367 Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 411]. ENWorld, Oct 11, 2007.</ref>

Gygax intended to release a similar map and gazetteer product for the ''City of Greyhawk'', around 1981 or 1982, which would introduce deities, as well as up to ten planar adventures, and an eventual ''Castle Greyhawk'' adventure.{{cite dragon|37|10-11|Greyhawk: The Shape of the World}}

==Reception and influence==

The Folio was reviewed by three authors in Dragon #46 article ''Three Views of Greyhawk''. In ''The wait was worth it'', Jeff Seiken describes the 34x44 inch two-part color map as the highlight of the product, and worth the $10 price alone to some. However, he criticized the lack of information on religion, the omission of figures like [[Mordenkainen]] and [[Tenser]], and the confusing placement of port cities inland in their map hex rather than by the sea. In ''A universal constant'', Kenneth W. Burke rated it 9/10, finding only minor flaws and mainly due to the large scope. He criticized the use of the term "cannibal savages" to describe inhabitants of jungle, likening them to negative European stereotypes of African native peoples. Finally, in ''&apos;Grey&apos; areas were made that way'', TSR vice president [[Lawrence Schick]] responds to the reviewers, noting that deities were planned in an upcoming product within five years, vaguely defined, and noting that omissions of details were generally intentional to allow DM freedom.{{cite dragon|46|48-50|Three Views of Greyhawk}}

The folio is oversized, and the edges tended to crumple, making surviving copies in good condition relatively rare.<ref name="acaceum"/>

Future issues of Dragon magazine expanded upon the World of Greyhawk folio. An expanded box set version of the product, the [[World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting]], was released in 1983.

==See also==
* [[World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting]] (1983)
* [[Greyhawk Adventures]] (1988)
* [[The City of Greyhawk]] (1989)
* [[Wars]] (1991)
* [[From the Ashes]] (1992)
* [[The Adventure Begins]] (1998)
* [[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]] (2000)

==External links==

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Greyhawk_Fantasy_Game_Setting World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting] at Wikipedia
* [https://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/miscpages/wrldgrey.html World of Greyhawk] at the Acaceum
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A6EEcbIAgk A Review of the World of Greyhawk Folio For AD&D] (Apr 29, 2021). Page121, YouTube.

== References ==
=== Notes ===
<references group="note" />
=== Citations ===
<references />
=== Bibliography ===
* <onlyinclude>{{StandardRef
|title   = {{PAGENAME}}
|article = {{PAGENAME}}
|page    = {{{1|}}}
|sub     = {{{2|}}}
|year    = 1980
|month   = 
|abbr    = folio
|code    = TSR9025
|prefix  = 
|box     = no
|canon   = Canon
|cs      = [[Gygax, Gary]]. ''The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980 (ISBN 0-935696-23-7).
|url     = 
}}</onlyinclude>
{{index|title=World of Greyhawk Folio}}

[[Category:Canonical sources]]