Oerth Journal
| The Oerth Journal | |
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| The cover of The Oerth Journal #1 (1995). | |
| Type: | Periodical |
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| Edition: | Various |
| Author(s): | Various |
| First Published: | May, 1995 |
The Oerth Journal is an online periodical devoted to the World of Greyhawk. Though consisting chiefly of fan-produced content, some of this content has eventually found its way into canon, and many contributors to The Oerth Journal have gone on to write Greyhawk content for professional publications. The Oerth Journal has occasionally featured Greyhawk content by professional D&D authors, such as Robert J. Kuntz, Lenard Lakofka, Gary Holian, Erik Mona, and Roger E. Moore.
Other notable contributors include Eric L. Boyd, Creighton Broadhurst, Stephen S. Greer, Allan Grohe, Paul Looby, Rick Miller, Denis Tetreault, Frederick Weining, Sam Weiss, and Steve Wilson.
History
The Oerth Journal was originally published by the Council of Greyhawk.
The first issue of The Oerth Journal was released in May of 1995 with Steve "Tamerlain" Wilson as Editor-in-Chief and Erik "Iquander" Mona as Managing Editor. The first few issues featured contributions from Steve Wilson, Len Lakofka, Gary Holian, Eric Boyd, Roger Moore, Robert Kuntz, and Mona himself. Mona's run as Editor-in-Chief from #3 lasted until the seventh issue was released in June of 1998.
Nathan "Nellisir" Irving was Editor for the next four issues, his last being #11 in May of 2000. Under Irving's watch, The Oerth Journal began featuring cover art, starting with #10.
The Oerth Journal #12 and #13 were co-Edited by Marc "Tizoc" Gonzalez and Jason Zavoda, with Gonzalez becoming sole Editor with the release of #14 in April of 2002. It would be nearly two years before the next issue would be seen, with #15's release in January of 2004. The following issue (#16) would take over another year to complete, released in June of 2005, this time with Andy "Fallon" Seale at the helm.
Rick "Duicarthan" Miller would take over as sixth Editor-in-Chief for #17, released in October of 2005. Irving (#17) and Brian "Cebrion" McRae (#18 - #26) were listed as Assistant Editors-in-Chief. Miller would release a total of ten issues, the last being #26 released in October of 2011. After that, the Oerth Journal languished a bit, not seeing another issue for nearly another five years with no next issue in development.
Denis "Argon" Lovatt would take the helm in April 2016 for one issue, #27. It was one of the largest issues to that point. Three more years would pass before the Oerth Journal would be picked up again.
After assuming the lead of Greyhawkonline.com in 2018, Kristoph Nolen also became Publisher and Editor of the Oerth Journal with Miller listed as co-editor of issue #28 (dated February 2019). #28 was a "handout" for a panel seminar at GaryCon XI (2019) called Celebrating Greyhawk: a Fandom Renaissance. For the very first time the Oerth Journal was physically in print and was 30 pages. There were only 100 print copies made and it was very well-received. It remains available as a PDF download like all other Oerth Journals. As sole the Editor-in-Chief from #29 forward, Nolen became the first Editor to consistently deliver the Oerth Journal quarterly - a first for the magazine. With issue #31 in the Winter of 2019, four issues had been released in the same year - another first.
On March 14, 2020, just after the announcement of the cancellation of GaryCon XII[1] due to the COVID-19 virus, Greyhawk Online announced that the Oerth Journal would be in print full time for every issue. The magazine would still remain the same free PDF it had always been, but print copies would be available as a perk of becoming a patron of Greyhawk Online.
Gallery
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no.1, first issue - Wilson, Editor-In-Chief -
no.10, first cover art - Irving, Editor-In-Chief -
no.13, Gonzalez' 1st issue as Editor-In-Chief -
no.17, Miller's 1st issue as Editor-In-Chief -
no.28, Nolen's 1st issue as Editor-In-Chief
