In 1980 we had a folio edition of the Greyhawk campaign setting. When I reviewed that publication for this project, I felt that it was flimsy and too reliant on military strength of several regions of the world, belying its origins in wargames instead of roleplaying games. It was all about numbers of troops rather than cultural, political or social characteristics of each region. There was then little development of the Greyhawk pantheon or other information useful for DMs trying to tell their own stories in that setting.

Three years later, we get this box-set and it really does address the majority of problems I had with the original. This is pretty great stuff. At about quadruple the size of the folio edition, this consists of two separate booklets and the same map as the 1980 version. These two booklets are full of information, about locations, history, gods, weather, rulers and pretty much all you need to know to develop adventures in the setting.

In my opinion this is the first truly modern campaign setting for AD&D, leaving behind the military focus of the first folio, which was very much a remnant from the Chainmail and wargaming days where the setting started with Gygax and Arneson, and bringing it more to the storytelling kind of game that AD&D ended up being. It’s also a beautifully illustrated and designed piece well worth seeking out.