Publication
In the late 1980s, TSR, Inc., the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons, had been disappointed by declining sales of the Greyhawk product line. TSR therefore decided to make a significant change to the setting to re-invigorate customer interest and sales of Greyhawk-related materials. The Greyhawk Wars was the in-game catalyst used to allow TSR game developers, principally Carl Sargent, to take the setting in a new direction.
The storyline leading up to the Greyhawk Wars is presented in the 1991 adventure modules Five Shall Be One and Howl from the North (WGS1 and WGS2). These modules were intended to enable Dungeon Masters to involve their players in the events that precipitate the start of the Wars.
TSR published the history of the Wars themselves in the Greyhawk Wars Adventurer's Book, included as a component of David Cook's 1991 board game Greyhawk Wars. The board game allowed participants to play the events of the Wars as a strategic simulation, controlling various political entities, military units and heroes of the World of Greyhawk in competition with other players.
Meanwhile, game developer Carl Sargent had been working on a significant update for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting as a whole. This was published in 1992 as a boxed set entitled From the Ashes. The boxed set detailed the situation on the Flanaess in the aftermath of the Greyhawk Wars. From the Ashes was followed in 1993 by a series of Sargent sourcebooks and modules providing additional information regarding the updated setting, including The Marklands, Iuz the Evil, and City of Skulls.
The tone of Sargent's post-Wars material was intentionally darker and more grim than pre-Wars TSR publications. These changes generated mixed reactions from fans of the setting, failed to sufficiently revive sales and led to TSR's cancellation of the product line in late 1993.
Read more about this topic: Greyhawk Wars
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