Greyhawk canon

This article is an essay.

In Greyhawk fandom, each individual holds his or her own idea of what constitutes Greyhawk canon. These differing views range from the "Gygaxian" (Greyhawk products authored/ overseen by Gary Gygax during his tenure at TSR) to the "all-inclusive" (any mention of Greyhawk, even in fan-produced materials) extremes. The truth of the matter is that each DM decides what is regarded as "canon" for his or her own campaign. However, for the purposes of this wiki, a baseline must be established, for a number of reasons:

1. To provide contributors with an idea of which Greyhawk subjects fall within the scope of this wiki;

2. To give fans and professional authors of Greyhawk material an idea of how much value a source brings to the setting;

3. To provide a point of reference from which the majority of Greyhawk fans and writers can work from; and less importantly,

4. To provide a context for the study of Greyhawk canon itself.

Therefore, for the purposes of this wiki, Greyhawk sources will fall into one of three broad descending categories: Canon, Apocrypha, and Fanon. Note that it may be possible for a source to "straddle" two categories. Note that a source's category is not always reflective of its inherent quality (though there is often a correlation)--there is plenty of well-written fanon, and poorly written canon.

Officially Published Sources (Canon)

In general, this category includes modules and sourcebooks published for the mass market and approved by the IP holder at the time of publication (ie, TSR or Wizards of the Coast), that are of significant value to the setting. This also includes materials that the IP holder releases via the web, as well as materials that were regarded as "generic" when first published, but retconned into Greyhawk by later authors. "Significant value," in this case, is broadly defined. A safe bet is that if the product as a whole is not written off by the IP holder, then it's probably canon. Note that this category may also include many general Dungeons & Dragons sources that may include only a minimal amount of Greyhawk material.

Examples of Canon

• The Doomgrinder
• Most Dragon articles
• Most Dungeon adventures
• From the Ashes
• Ivid the Undying
• Living Greyhawk Gazetteer
• Living Greyhawk Journal
• Patriots of Ulek
• Queen of the Spiders
• The Shackled City
• Tomb of the Lizard King
• Greyhawk Trading Cards

Apocrypha

Apocryphal sources include those approved or published by the IP holder that are of limited value to the setting, or made available to a limited audience. This includes novels, comics, RPGA adventures, and some materials produced for the Living Greyhawk campaign. In some sources, the setting material is entirely canon, but the plot, storyline, or events which occur are exclusive only to that novel, graphic novel, etc. Also included in this category are materials that were created for the IP holder, but wound up being cut from the final product, either due to space limitations or other concerns. Additionally, unofficial materials with distinct Greyhawk references (similar maps, place names, etc) authored by published Greyhawk writers may also be regarded as apocryphal.

Examples of Apocrypha

Product Name	Category	Reason
Dungeons & Dragons: In the Shadow of Dragons	Authorized by IP holder	Comic series by Kenzer& Co.; Events occur in Alternate Timeline
Vecna: Hand of the Revenant	Authorized by IP holder	Graphic Novel; Events occur in Alternate Timeline
Artifact of Evil	Published by IP holder	Novel; Events occur in Alternate Timeline
Master Wolf	Published by IP holder	Novel; Events occur in Alternate Timeline
Quag Keep	Published by IP holder	Novel; Events occur in Alternate Timeline
Night Watch	Published by IP holder	Novel; Events occur in Alternate Timeline
White Plume Mountain	Published by IP holder	Novel; Events occur in Alternate Timeline
Dance of Demons	Published Greyhawk Author	Novel; Gary Gygax, Events occur in Alternate Universe
The Good Oerth: The Green Nightmare	Published Greyhawk Author	Roger E. Moore
Maze of Zayene	Published Greyhawk Author	Rob Kuntz
"Vecna's Realm"	Published Greyhawk Author	Erik "Iquander" Mona
Some Oerth Journal articles	Published Greyhawk Authors	Various
All that Glitters	Published by IP holder	Not originally set in Greyhawk, Retconned
To the Aid of Falx	Published by IP holder	Only Available to RPGA Members
Castle Greyhawk module	Specifically written off by IP Holder	Parody/Whimsical
Child's Play	Published by IP holder	Parody/Whimsical
Gargoyle	Published by IP holder	Parody/Whimsical
Puppets	Published by IP holder	Parody/Whimsical

Fan-Produced Sources (Fanon)

Fanon is unofficial Greyhawk material created by fans. Subjects and events exclusive to fanon generally have no place on this wiki, though elements of some materials originally created as fanon may eventually become canon when an author "goes pro" and incorporates these elements into an official product. Of course, it's a safe bet that much canon originally began as fanon. Though subjects and events exclusive to fanon are not appropriate for this wiki, articles about popular fanon sources are welcome.

Examples of Fanon

• Most Canonfire! articles
• Most Oerth Journal articles
• Maps by Anna Meyer at GHmaps.net
• Nodwick