Dungeons & Dragons Supplement I: Greyhawk by Garg Gygax and Rob Kuntz
(TSR, 1975; reprint edition 2003). Cover and interior art by Greg Bell

Fifty years of Greyhawk and an amusing Castle Zagyg anecdote.

It has been 50 years since the release of the first and perhaps most important supplement to Dungeons & Dragons. It was none other than Supplement I: Greyhawk, by Gary Gygax and Robert Kuntz. This pivotal, 68-page book is not likely to be celebrated by the entity that owns the rights to D&D, because they do not look upon the original materials or its creators favorably. But we don’t need them to celebrate the anniversary of this great achievement.

[Click the images for hawk-sized versions.]

Thieves and Paladins are introduced (left), and Greg Bell’s infamous Bugbear (right)

In the foreword to Greyhawk, Gygax explains that the book contains “new rules, additions to existing rules, and suggested changes.” And boy does it deliver. With this book, we see the introduction of two new classes (Thief and Paladin), a new race (Half-elf), new multi-classing rules, and mechanics for ability scores enhanced quite a bit (so begins the power creep!)

New spells and newly expanded level ranges for spells (7th to 9th) were a monumental addition. New monsters, such as the iconic Beholder (created by Rob’s brother Terry), and new items, such as the Vorpal Blade, the Sword of Sharpness, and the +5 Holy Sword! So many iconic elements that would become part of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and carried on through all the editions to today.

 

At the top are photos of my own copy of this book, a reprint from 2003. In 2006, at the Lake Geneva Gaming Convention (LGGC), I had the opportunity to have both Gary and Rob sign this book. It’s one of my finest gaming treasures.

Dungeons & Dragons Supplement I: Greyhawk was originally published in 1975. It was a major enhancement to the original game, including rules for exceptional strength and variable hit dice, plus The Book of Vile Darkness, the Deck of Many Things, Carrion Crawlers, and more. This book is loaded with elements that (in many cases refined or reworded) would later become part of AD&D. Strangely, it still lists Hobbits as a player character race, which I thought had been switched to “Halflings” much earlier due to an unhappy Tolkien estate.

Greyhawk was named after the dungeon and campaign created by Gary Gygax and then expanded on in collaboration with Rob Kuntz. Earlier this week at Black Gate I looked at Gary’s Greyhawk novels, including Saga of Old City.

I have an amusing story regarding one of the illustrations included here: the bugbear, illustrated by Greg Bell. It was an error by the artist to draw the humanoid’s head as a large pumpkin. Apparently, his instructions were to draw it with a “pumpkin head,” which he took literally.

Over thirty years later, in 2006, when I was writing Castle Zagyg for Gary, I thought it would be funny to include a bugbear with a pumpkin head in the adventure. I suggested it to Gary, and he went off about how the artist had drawn it wrongly, that it had been a mistake, and so on.

So, I said, “I know all that, but I think it would be funny to have one in there! Maybe it is cursed or something?”

Nope. Gary would not have it. It was still stuck in his craw three decades later. We went back and forth a bit on it, but eventually I said, “Fine, it’s really not a big deal.” 🙂

Gary, as many of you know, was the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, a game that has enjoyed 50 years of success. Gary taught me a lot, even when he wasn’t actively teaching or instructing me on the development of Castle Zagyg (or Castle Greyhawk, to those who know).

I recently relayed the story of Gen Con in 2007, when Gary was signing autographs at the Troll Lord Games booth. The line snaked through the halls, filled with fans who wanted to have something signed, or to shake his hand, take a photo, or to tell him how much his creations meant to them or changed their lives.

It was inspiring for me to see how he handled his enthusiastic fandom. He listened to and spoke with every one of them. He treated them like fellow gamers, like peers, and he was humble and thankful for their kind words. It was really nice to see. Gary was more than just a genius creator of games. He was a good guy. Cheers, Gary!

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Jeffrey P. Talanian’s last article for Black Gate was a look at the Greyhawk novels by Gary Gygax. Jeffrey is the creator and publisher of the Hyperborea sword-and-sorcery and weird science-fantasy RPG from North Wind Adventures. He was the co-author, with E. Gary Gygax, of the Castle Zagyg releases, including several Yggsburgh city supplements, Castle Zagyg: The East Mark Gazetteer, and Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works. Read Gabe Gybing’s interview with Jeffrey here, and follow his latest projects on Facebook and at www.hyperborea.tv.