DCC World

[Renshai]

Thanks Harley, I can't wait to about the "core" areas. As far as my campaigns go, I am running one for my 11 year old son. This is his first real campaign and I thought Into the Wilds was a great way to start that. It has that Keep on the Borderlands feel and that was my first adventure, so I felt it fitting.

I had been reading though the PDF but my hard copy came through today. I've got most all of the DCCs now. I really need to get around to writing some reviews. I think maybe I'll strart with Into the Wilds after we are finished playing it.

Ren

[jason.richardson]

I am very excited about learning more of this setting.

I'm currently running a campaign that's set in the world of Greyhawk. The party is ~9th level. I'm running them through the free v.3.5 Tomb of Horrors from Wizards' web page. I promised them I'd run this campaign until their characters hit the 20th level mark. I'm holding true to that promise. Once the survivors exit the Tomb of Horrors, Iuz will begin his conquest of the world with the help of his demon army that he's been putting together. Anyway...

Once that campaign raps up I want to start a new, classic style campaign. I can't think of a better way to do that than with the Dungeon Crawl Classics. I want to use the DCC world as the setting.

How long before we can see some previews? Maps? Gods/Goddesses? Maybe a region?

Thanks for everything.

[Harley Stroh]

Jason,

Absolutely. I'm envious of your Greyhawk campaign. Great world to run, with great modules for support. I've run entire campaigns where the PCs never really left Greyhawk City. Fun times.

Gods: Feel free to ask any questions of Jeff, our DCC pantheon expert. They've started up a thread here:

http://goodman-games.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=642

Maps and Core Nations: Mr. Simmons is hard at work on the maps, so all I have to offer are our rough hand/computer drawn maps --- nothing close to the final drafts. But I'll try to bring a sense of the core region in the coming days.

//H

[jason.richardson]

Harley,

Yes, my Greyhawk campaign has been very fun so far. I've been running it since last October. We play every week, Wednesday night, 6 to 10 PM, Savannah, Georgia. Come on by.....I'll make room at the table for you : )

I have a few questions about the "DCC" campaign setting:

1) is there a detailed history? This may have already been addressed, sorry.

2) does the setting have any "surprises"? By that, will all the classes, races, etc. from the default assumptions of D&D be changed in any way? Or, can we expect a very generic D&D campaign world (which is what I'm hoping for)?

3) will you incorporate the Terrasque into the backstory? : )

-jason

[Jeff LaSala]

Jason,

I'll offer some brief answers and Harley, Mike, or Joseph can either scold me or expand on this...

1) is there a detailed history?

There will be, yes. One chapter is devoted to a general world and ancient history, including a possible creation myth to go with the gods chapter. Another chapter will be a history of the "modern" age—i.e. when humans have been the most dominant race.

2) does the setting have any "surprises"?

Elves have not been reinvented, if that's what you mean. Drow can still be bad, dwarves have beards, and gnomes are not in charge. That said, I think there's plenty of innovation and yet the setting is still fairly generic without being a blank slate with no flavor. Everything in the PHB, DMG, and MM still holds true in the DCC world.

will you incorporate the Terrasque into the backstory?

Heh heh heh. Let's just say that if you want the Tarrasque in your campaign, you won't have to work too hard to place it.

Anything to add or refute, Harley?

[jason.richardson]

Everything in the PHB, DMG, and MM still holds true in the DCC world.

I'm a happy gamer!

[Harley Stroh]

Yes, my Greyhawk campaign has been very fun so far. I've been running it since last October. We play every week, Wednesday night, 6 to 10 PM, Savannah, Georgia. Come on by.....I'll make room at the table for you : )

I am SO there.

Anything to add or refute, Harley?

Nope.

That Tarrasque question must have made you glow with pride, Jeff. Dead on bullseye.

[Save Vs. Death Ray]

Forgive me as I preach to the choir: DCCs are NOT generic. They can fit into nearly any old school campaign, new school campaign, whatever campaign, but they aren't faceless, bland, lifeless wannabees. They have MORE life than most of the modules being published today because they aren't worried about stressing weird campaign themes.

I'm sorry for the rant. I love my DCCs, but they aren't generic.

[jason.richardson]

So, can we expect Goodman Games to release this around August or thereabouts?

[joeforan]

I don't know if anyone else feels it, but being a father I can definately relate to my own dad's statements about how kids make time go faster. However... waiting for the upcoming release of DCC World with baited breath seems to have neutralized that sensation and time seems back down to normal. Well, at least til release day.

So, about that pesky Terrassque...

Seriously, is there room in the DCCW (would that be pronounced duck-cuh-wuh?) for new nations, places, deities, and the like not in the initial pub (say, from future DCC modules) that could be put out as a World Suppliement (and would that then be duck-cuh-wuh-sup, or maybe just Duck Soup)?

[Jeff LaSala]

Seriously, is there room in the DCCW (would that be pronounced duck-cuh-wuh?) for new nations, places, deities, and the like not in the initial pub (say, from future DCC modules) that could be put out as a World Suppliement (and would that then be duck-cuh-wuh-sup, or maybe just Duck Soup)?

Hey, Joeforan. I'm not sure I entirely understand the question. Is there room for new nations, places, and deities in general? Yeah, there's probably even a few areas on the map that aren't as filled in as others. I'd say that's a GM's playground. Although certainly existing nations could easily be yanked out for their own, too.

Personally, I'd be most happy if future DCCs are somehow made to connect to the DCC world, but that's up to Joseph Goodman! Certainly I like the idea of supplimental material (and free web enhancements!), but that may have a lot do with how well received the world itself is.

[Harley Stroh]

Joeforan,

Yes, there is plenty of room for all. Do you remember the how regions of the Forgotten Realms would be focused on in detail, revealing all the small hamlets, towns, minor cities and geographic details that didn't show up on the big maps?

The scope of DCC world is the same --- our maps cover a HUGE space. Plenty of it is detailed, but there are many more places that need to be detailed/revealed in upcoming DCCs or (even better) in your home campaign. It's a world for PCs and GMs to discover.

//H

[Renshai]

Everything I hear so far is very promising. Thanks for the information! I liked the original Forgotten Realms boxed set for that very reason, that there was plenty of room to play with and develop for myself when I needed to.

Oh and you can bet I'll be making a CC2 (or CC3 if its out) map of the world come August!

[goodmangames]

So, can we expect Goodman Games to release this around August or thereabouts?

Yup, shooting for Gen Con release... with fingers crossed, because this project is HUGE!! But we're on track so far.

[Harley Stroh]

Overview of DCC World
I know this is a bit generic, but we'll start here and focus in more as we get closer to GenCon. The boxed set details three continents:

the Northlands, a collection of isolated kingdoms, faded empires and majestic forests and mountains;

the Southlands, a land of dense jungles and forgotten cities occupied by snake-men and the ancient nagas;

and the Lostlands, once the cradle of civilization, now a place of fearsome monsters and ancient, sand-swept ruins.

The Northlands are at the heart of the world, and are home to the majority of the DCCs, so let's begin the tour there.

An Introduction to the Northlands
A grim cloud hangs over the North. At the time of the scribes' feeble scratchings, scarcely one-third of the North can be properly termed civilized. The great empires of yore have all slipped beneath the march of time. Where great cities once thrived, tall forests now stand. The great works of wizards abound, but few can lay claim to their arcane might. Ruins of old whisper of long lost secrets, waiting only for those bold enough to uncover them. Fell monsters prowl the borderlands, while barbarian raiders grow ever bolder. And civilized nations of mankind, once the shining rulers of the North, are poised on the brink of ruin.

Majestic Crieste, whose empire once spanned the Northlands, has shrunk to a handful of baronies. Its emperor, a mere child, is counseled by corrupt barons and a vizier of unchecked wickedness. Once again monsters and monstrous humanoids roam the darkness, setting upon the helpless and weak. The Priest-Kings of old have returned, and wage a secret war for control of the empire.

To the east the Grand Duchy of Leherti stands in smoking ruin, its cities put to the torch and its people enslaved to monsters. The surviving free cities are hard put to hold their own, let alone retake that which was lost. The armies of the Scourge, far from defeated, bide their time and recoup their forces, waiting only for the time to finish what they have begun.

To the south and the north are smaller nations, once beholden to the Emperor of Crieste, that now strike out for their own. They carry humankind’s fiery torch, but are threatened on all sides, contesting as much with one another as with monsters.

Travel between nations grows ever less frequent and ever more dangerous. Meanwhile, barbarians of the North and Abylos of old, threaten at the borders, raiding deeper into the heart of civilization. Dark seers consult their fiendish masters and declare an end to the Age of Man.

And yet, not all is lost. In Crieste, the Knights of the Sable fight in the name of the Emperor and wage a secret war against their wicked Vizier. Dwarven warlords hailing from the Holdfast of the Steel Overlord take up axe beside elven knights of Blackbriar, Corsan and Anseur. Knights of the Lance ride to the ends of the North, fighting for justice and good. And everywhere, adventurers fight their way into forgotten ruins and ancient dungeons, returning with untold riches and arcane relics.

It is a time of heroes, when power, riches and honor can be won by any hero courageous enough to take risk the threatening darkness.

//H

[Renshai]

Wow! Thanks Harley, that is a great look into the Northlands. I can't wait to see inforation on the other lands.

[Harley Stroh]

Coming soon.

[Renshai]

How are you pronouncing: Crieste ? (Creeste)?

BTW, Holdfast of the Steel Overlord is a really cool name for a dwarven stronghold!

[Jeff LaSala]

I say cree-EST. But I think Mike Ferguson's the one to ask about that one.

[Jeff LaSala]

Nice one, Harley. Folks, if you want hardcore, old school Eurocentric-and-yet-not-really Greyhawkian-style D&D fantasy, you can’t do better than Mr. Stroh’s Northlands.

If you happen to want a more foreign and exotic campaign, of if you’d like your campaign to at least extend into the wilder parts of the world, look no further than the Southlands or the Lostlands. So let’s see if I can offer another tiny slice of the world…

An Introduction to the Southlands

Antediluvian magic and spirits as old as the world itself dwell in the continental region known as the Southlands. The name is a misnomer, since the Southlands are more west than south, but the names that stick are the ones explorers first write on their maps. To those who sail westward across the great Empyrean Ocean the Southlands may seem like the New World at first, but the glyphs carved into the ancient temples and great megaliths beg to differ.

The Southlands are a vast geography ranging from towering, ice-capped mountains to humid, burning jungles. The climate is decidedly tropical, but numerous anomalies of nature confound all but the local druids—and the priests of the Mighty Eye, the ancient creation god Madrah.

The mighty City-States of Xulmec (pronounced shul-mec) are by far the dominant power of the Southlands, a proud and mystic people who’ve learned the hard lessons of the nagas who once reigned supreme millennia before. Devotion to their gods and the primeval belief that they must protect the world from ultimate destruction keeps the Xulmecs from the manifest destiny of which the Northlanders seem possessed. They stave off the expansionist-minded foreigners, hold at bay the unspeakable horrors of the jungle, and remain ever vigilant against the evil schemes of Ssorlang, a would-be empire of human-snake hybrids intent on conquering the Known Lands.

The Xulmecs are as diverse as they are mysterious. While the fire priests of the city-state of Chuzec regularly cut out the hearts of their captives upon their burning altars, the adolescent king and queen of Teotcoatlan host elegant ceremonies at the summits of their majestic pyramids. Acolytes of the Rain Queen pray for life and healing...even as the bloodthirsty warlords of Coatlimict plan their next raid. A Northland visitor to the jungles of Xulmec is as likely to be welcomed with gifts of food or scalped and later sacrificed to the gods—it all depends on which Xulmecs he meets first.

But that’s just on the surface. The expansive Zimala, the old homeland of the nagas, and the monstrous Isle of Tarras are locales not conducive to long lives—to say nothing of the wyvern-infested marshes of exotic Dujamar. If there is a place of safety, it might be found in the Criestine Colonies, where the famous Emerald Cobra once reigned, or the safe harbor of Halcyon.

But a poisoned kris blade is hiding in the shadows somewhere...

[Renshai]

Another great teaser for DCC World. I'm really looking forward to this.

Renshai

[toper]

Greetings again.

Charged with the not small task of rendering this brilliantly-conceived world I have vacillated between bouts of shimmering pride and moments of abject terror. It's no small thing, but ultimately, fantastic fun.

I can say now, however, that at last (actually well over a week ago) the first of the true renderings has begun, and Joseph has approved the style. I cannot yet give any specific descriptions or upload any samples (or Joseph might feed me to the Xulmecs), but suffice it to say that it will be very rich and detailed and probably not what some might be expecting. I think for all it will be a good surprise, though. Otherwise, I might have to make that run for Mexico I mentioned in my last post....

Soon, my friends, the amazing world realized by these creative and very busy fellows will be fit for play! Woohoo! My computer is chugging away on it (and how! I think I saw steam coming out of it last night) as we speak.

-J.

[Renshai]

Thanks for the update Jeremey. From what I've seen so far you do excellent work. I've got some ideas about what the maps might look like (probably just personal tastes or a gut feeling) but I'll keep that to myself for now and see if I'm right once we get a glimpse at them.

Again, thanks for the update.

[jason.richardson]

This is all very exciting. I have a few more questions...

1) will the nonhuman races be sub-defined? I mean, will there be wood elves, high elves; or will the elves just be elves (no subraces)? I'm hoping for the latter.

2) can you guys share a breakdown of what items will be in the boxed set?

cheers,

jason

[Jeff LaSala]

Jason,

We didn't go making a bunch of new subraces, so you'll find the material very adaptible to homebrewed campaign ideas. There's a couple of new races altogether, which are only PC races if you want them to be, but we didn't mess with existing races too much.

As for items, there's a handful of new ones but I don't think we can list them just yet. They're very regional and have a lot to do with their nations of origin.