The Bard is not hard

OK, dispense with the giggles. My point is, the Bard class, much reviled for its complexity and convoluted presentation in the original AD&D, isn't really that difficult.  In fact, it's a precursor to the product sustaining concept of the Prestige Classes that dominated 3rd and later editions of the game.  No, you're not going to start out as a Bard.  By definition, you won't start out as a prestige class either.  You begin as a fighter, then a thief.  And then you get tutelage under a Druid, but really at that point become a Bard.  You have certain prerequisites, and then you gain certain benefits.

In my hodgepodge Greyhawk world, Bards are limited to the Duchy of Tenh, and are a unique class to that region.  I have Tenh as my resident Celtic world.  Though I've also dropped the Moonshaes into the world as well, I reserve them more for a later Medieval England/Ireland feel.  The Druidic world encompasses a rough arch starting with the Moonshaes (just off the map, northeast of the Sea Barons), and going through the Pale and Tenh (which I've labeled the Suthlans), and then across the middle regions down into Velnua, up to Perrenland, and those regions.  Druids can be other places, but they are most numerous there.

Tenh, however, occupies that particularly Celtic flavor, and so Bards, with their spiritual and mystical place in culture, find a natural hub there.  Most such advanced classes are, by default, the NPCs in my world.  Though Players can obtain them.  But since Bards are a prestige style class, don't expect them to be what anyone can start out with.  And given their high score requirements, the likelihood of rolling one is close to nil.

Still, as with all things in the early days of D&D, I appreciate at least some attempt to have the game mechanics reflect the literary, if not the somewhat watered down historical, basis for something.  In this case, remembering that Bards were never just musicians, but were men of power linked to that nature religion common in the ancient Celtic world.  And if you think about a Bard slipping into a similarly leveled party, they would  be nothing short of superstars.  Even with those from other Greyhawk cultures.  As well they should be.

Greyhawk as I once saw it

By 1983, I'd seen several fellow kiddoes playing this new thing called Dungeons and Dragons.  By then I had forked out money for my first purchase: the Moldvoy Basic and Expert sets.  I also had a copy of the Monster Manual, a Christmas present from my parents who didn't realize it was a game, but thought I might enjoy it given my interest in mythology and monster movies. 

One day we were shopping at the Northland Mall, a major shopping center in northern Columbus, OH.  It's gone now, but in the day, the police gave warnings to people going there at Christmastime because of the crowds.  In college it was the place to hang out.  Many memories from those old stores.  On the coveted corner on the main intersection by the main entrance was a Waldenbooks.  Its eastern wall contained a display window that opened up on the main aisles going north and south.  That day I looked and saw a large Dungeons and Dragons display with none other than the World of Greyhawk showcased, the two Darlene maps posted prominently behind the various books and accessories. 

In those days, pre-computer/pre-mega-mart, seeing a display like that was breathtaking.  I didn't buy it that day, owing to a lack of funds.  But I did buy the old Dungeon Geomorphs, which lasted me about a month. 

By the end of the year, I lost interest in the game altogether.  Boyhood crushes will do that.  I was entering my junior year, driving, making new friends.  Time moved on.  But I never forgot how stunning that display was, and several years later (when you're young they seem like decades), when I had the money, I saw the Greyhawk Box set in a local gaming store and picked it up.  It's the one I use today.  It's the reason why Greyhawk, and nothing else, is the mainstay of my campaign world.   

Greyhawk as base world

The legendary Darlene maps, unmatched by any other attempts at RPG mapping

As will become clear, the World of Greyhawk is my primary campaign world.  It's the canvas upon which I splatter any modular paints, campaign ideas or inspirations.  There is a fair amount of Forgotten Realms tossed in, and I dissected and repositioned various domains from the Ravenloft boxed set.  I'll frequently unpack the world I've improvised.  It's not canonical, and only has passing similarities to most of what was published about Greyhawk after the 1983 boxed set. But, it's what we have, and it will be one of the ongoing themes of the blog.