Talk:Greyhawk canon: Difference between revisions
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Abra Saghast (talk | contribs) Created page with " == Regarding "Canon" vs. "Apocrypha" … == I think that there needs to be something more than these two distinctions. "Canon" mentions that it doesn't include anything wr..." |
Created page with "==Historical notes on community attitudes to Greyhawk canon== Recently I've been reading some documents revealing past attitudes of various members of the broader Greyhawk fa..." |
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==Historical notes on community attitudes to Greyhawk canon== | |||
Recently I've been reading some documents revealing past attitudes of various members of the broader Greyhawk fan community when it comes to the definition of "canon". For reasons of historic interest, I'd like to summarize them here. | |||
I | |||
---- | Steven B. Wilson's [https://www.greyhawk.fr/IMG/pdf/Greychrondex_42.pdf Greychrondex v.4.2), released May 2001, is a World of Greyhawk timeline originally intended for use by ''Team Greyhawk'', Wizards of the Coast's staff group working on the setting from 1997-1999. It describes Team Greyhawk's division of canon, and therefore WotC's attitude in the late AD&D 2e era going into D&D 3e. | ||
Team Greyhawk divided Greyhawk canon into four categories: | |||
* '''Canon''': All AD&D 1e/2e TSR/WotC ''Greyhawk'' sourcebooks, nearly all adventure modules by Gygax et al, AD&D 1e/2e core rulebooks and monster books, Unearthed Arcana, the OD&D Greyhawk and Blackmoor supplements, Spelljammer sourcebooks, Deities & Demigods, Encyclopedia Magica, some AD&D 2e sourcebooks (e.g. Book of Artifacts, Monster Mythology, Encyclopedia Magica), some AD&D adventures (Rod of Seven Parts, Night Below, Die Vecna Die), and a few others. The list also includes the unpublished ''Ivid the Undying'', The House On Summoner's Court from the fanzine Oerth Journal #7, Return of the Pick-Axe, the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, and the Dungeons & Dragons Gazetteer. Several Dragon magazines from 1981 to 1997 were also cited by the index as canonical. | |||
* '''Non-canon''': A short list of Greyhawk-relevant works which Team Greyhawk excluded from their official canon. EX1 ''Dungeonland'', EX2 ''The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror''', the controversial parody WG7 ''Castle Greyhawk'', WG9 ''Gargoyle'', WG10 ''Child's Play'' and WG11 ''Puppets''', parts of WG8 ''Fate of Istus'', ''The Shattered Circle''', ''Return to the Keep on the Borderlands'', ''Axe of the Dwarvish Lords'', ''Bastion of Faith'' (although this book was heavily supported by past members of Team Greyhawk), and Len Lakofka's L3 ''Deep Dwarven Delve''. | |||
* '''Broad canon''': All D&D third edition sourcebooks and magazines, where Greyhawk is the implied default setting. These were omitted from the Greychrondex. | |||
* '''Living Greyhawk''': Living Greyhawk and RPGA material, including the adventure module Fright at Tristor and the Living Greyhawk Journal. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer content was listed in the index in purple, the color normally reserved for Living Greyhawk level canon. Living Greyhawk was considered essentially an "Alternative Setting" or alternate continuity which fans or writers could optionally draw from. | |||
Notably omitted from the list are Greyhawk novels. | |||
Wilson considered that beginning with D&D 3rd edition, the concept of Greyhawk "canon" in WotC products had become irrelevant. The official WotC stance was that all D&D 3rd edition sourcebooks were canon to the setting. Winter criticized this view, arguing that the freedom of WotC writers to make changes (including in Dragon and Dungeon magazines) would allow a large number of people and products to make independent changes to the setting's canon without consulting Team Greyhawk, leading to clashes in canonicity. Additionally, following the disbanding of Team Greyhawk, WotC retroactively considered some older products such as L3 Deep Dwarven Delve to be canon. | |||
[[User:Rexidos|Rexidos]] ([[User talk:Rexidos|talk]]) 12:41, 7 June 2021 (CDT) | |||
Revision as of 12:41, 7 June 2021
Historical notes on community attitudes to Greyhawk canon
Recently I've been reading some documents revealing past attitudes of various members of the broader Greyhawk fan community when it comes to the definition of "canon". For reasons of historic interest, I'd like to summarize them here.
Steven B. Wilson's [https://www.greyhawk.fr/IMG/pdf/Greychrondex_42.pdf Greychrondex v.4.2), released May 2001, is a World of Greyhawk timeline originally intended for use by Team Greyhawk, Wizards of the Coast's staff group working on the setting from 1997-1999. It describes Team Greyhawk's division of canon, and therefore WotC's attitude in the late AD&D 2e era going into D&D 3e.
Team Greyhawk divided Greyhawk canon into four categories:
- Canon: All AD&D 1e/2e TSR/WotC Greyhawk sourcebooks, nearly all adventure modules by Gygax et al, AD&D 1e/2e core rulebooks and monster books, Unearthed Arcana, the OD&D Greyhawk and Blackmoor supplements, Spelljammer sourcebooks, Deities & Demigods, Encyclopedia Magica, some AD&D 2e sourcebooks (e.g. Book of Artifacts, Monster Mythology, Encyclopedia Magica), some AD&D adventures (Rod of Seven Parts, Night Below, Die Vecna Die), and a few others. The list also includes the unpublished Ivid the Undying, The House On Summoner's Court from the fanzine Oerth Journal #7, Return of the Pick-Axe, the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, and the Dungeons & Dragons Gazetteer. Several Dragon magazines from 1981 to 1997 were also cited by the index as canonical.
- Non-canon': A short list of Greyhawk-relevant works which Team Greyhawk excluded from their official canon. EX1 Dungeonland, EX2 The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror, the controversial parody WG7 Castle Greyhawk, WG9 Gargoyle, WG10 Child's Play and WG11 Puppets, parts of WG8 Fate of Istus, The Shattered Circle, Return to the Keep on the Borderlands, Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, Bastion of Faith (although this book was heavily supported by past members of Team Greyhawk), and Len Lakofka's L3 Deep Dwarven Delve.
- Broad canon: All D&D third edition sourcebooks and magazines, where Greyhawk is the implied default setting. These were omitted from the Greychrondex.
- Living Greyhawk: Living Greyhawk and RPGA material, including the adventure module Fright at Tristor and the Living Greyhawk Journal. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer content was listed in the index in purple, the color normally reserved for Living Greyhawk level canon. Living Greyhawk was considered essentially an "Alternative Setting" or alternate continuity which fans or writers could optionally draw from.
Notably omitted from the list are Greyhawk novels.
Wilson considered that beginning with D&D 3rd edition, the concept of Greyhawk "canon" in WotC products had become irrelevant. The official WotC stance was that all D&D 3rd edition sourcebooks were canon to the setting. Winter criticized this view, arguing that the freedom of WotC writers to make changes (including in Dragon and Dungeon magazines) would allow a large number of people and products to make independent changes to the setting's canon without consulting Team Greyhawk, leading to clashes in canonicity. Additionally, following the disbanding of Team Greyhawk, WotC retroactively considered some older products such as L3 Deep Dwarven Delve to be canon.