I could have swore that I posted this. This was the 4 hour interview with me from September 2021 on Zock Bock Radio with Settembrini and friends.
https://pesa-nexus.de/2021/09/22/episode-26-gene-weigel-english/
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Thursday, April 14, 2022
CASTLE GREYHAWK MISCELLANEA
Castle Greyhawk to me is an enigma. For years reading Dragon Magazine there were these endless hints that it was coming soon and it was being worked on by him and Rob Kuntz. It was supposed to be the pinnacle of D&D gaming. The ultimate Dungeon & Dragons thing. That ended when Gary Gygax the legendary creative genius behind the D&D game was removed from working on the game ever again in 1985.
Years later in the year 2000, sadly I had asked Gary Gygax direct information on Castle Greyhawk and the answer was flat out: NO WAY
Gary said to me that it was something that he was going to publish so he couldn't share it with me yet to put on my "True Greyhawk" website then known as "GENENKAINEN'S FAN-BASTICH ADVENTURE" which was "anti-Greyhawk establishment" and pro-Gary.
You can't talk about fans of Castle Greyhawk without sludging through the terrible history of Castle Greyhawk. This is the truth but only from my own perspective as a player of TSR products not necessarily the views of any of the people involved.
I AM A FAN ONLY. An E. Gary Gygax fan. Ultimate fan? I don't think so but I'll try...
There were already published versions of Castle Greyhawk that were made without Gary Gygax's consent. One was called WG7 CASTLE GREYHAWK (1987) which I viewed as an all out attack on D&D fans by the Buck Rogers' people that technically "owned" TSR but had no clue as to what they stole. The presentation was crude as if former employee Gary and his Greyhawk crap was a joke. The backlash of WG7 ripped through gaming universe as a total cancellation of Greyhawk fans, at least to those who were paying attention like myself, so the new "Buck Rogers TSR" corporation scrambled to make an apology version which they published in 1990 as WGR1 GREYHAWK RUINS. It was too little too late and the feeling hung low. Greyhawk fandom continued like an abused person in a loveless marriage for years after this. Most stuff was histories and light gazetteers as people tried to hold on to what once was.
Way later, the new owners Hasbro toys tried to republish the 1990 WGR1 as updated to their new system (3.5 edition) when Gary independently tried to publish a version of Castle Greyhawk called CASTLE ZAGYG. With Gary falling ill the production slowed then its release was limited then cancelled by his estate after his passing. There was THE EASTMARK GAZETTEER (2007) and THE UPPER WORKS (2008) amongst publications which are hard to find because of the debacle. It is a really sore subject to many of the people that worked on it (Recently, I saw how hurtful this was to them.) and they and the publishers, Troll Lord Games, Gary liked working with TLG a lot, should get appreciated for that.
Alright that wasn't so bad... Internet reaction: ((((KABOOOOOMMM!!!!)))) Ouch! ;)
Seriously, the void of Castle Greyhawk has made me ponder from time to time in creative images and notes, as a fan of Castle Greyhawk, imagined what Castle Greyhawk might be like but in a very light way so that some lawyer doesn't break my spine... ;)
Someone said they had a photo of Gary playing the first level of Castle Greyhawk so I looked at it intensely then I made this map and later numbered it.
I then speculated about the history based on crap that I heard from Gary (Gygax) and Rob (Kuntz) so I tried to assemble what they were talking about by stacking the levels simply to imagine how big this dungeon was:
Then it was too simple because there were extra legendary levels. So I made an infographic as to what the levels were to the first 1974 levels:
Then I had wondered how this compared to the 2007 CASTLE ZAGYG layout they openly spoke of:
Then the last thing that I was looking at was using known sizes and basing it on the information from the Greyhawk Adventures/ Gord the Rogue 1987 story "HEART OF DARKNESS", in the anthology of short Gord Stories NIGHT ARRANT, when Gord went to Castle Greyhawk and paced his way in mentioning the sizes. So I made a 3D view of perhaps the first few dungeon are within the shell of the castle with the 13 levels from the 1974 version:
To further since I was never going to get a key of anything I had made a speculative view of what the random encounters would look like in Castle Greyhawk based on the original D&D random encounter charts. With the monsters that weren't included in the charts (Level dependent?) at the end:
CASTLE GREYHAWK WANDERING ENCOUNTER SPECULATION
RED = REMOVED FROM GREYHAWK
SUPPLEMENT
BLUE = REARRANGED IN GREYHAWK
SUPPLEMENT
GREEN = ADDED TO GREYHAWK
SUPPLEMENT
VIOLET= ELABORATED ON IN GREYHAWK
Based on a party of 1-3 and number of group monsters (orcs, etc) will usually be in equal amounts (party of 10-12 would draw 10-12 gnolls).
LEVEL 1) BARRACKS/VAULTS/DUNGEONS
33.33% (ML1) Kobolds, Goblins, Skeleton, Orcs, Giant Rat, Centipede, Bandits/Berserkers, Spider, Stirges, Footpads, Dwarves/Elves, Gelatinous Cube
33.33% (ML2)Hobgoblins, Zombie, Lizard, Warriors, Conjurers, Robbers, Gnolls, Thoul, Ghoul, Berserkers, Theurgists, Burglars, Giant Toads/Ants, Bugbears, Carrion Crawler
16.66% (ML3)Wights, Heros, Giant Hogs, Giant Ants, Ochre Jelly, Thaumaturgists, Swashbucklers, Magicians, Giant Snakes/Giant Spiders, Giant Weasels/Hogs, Cutpurses, Sharpers, Harpies, Wererats, Giant Spiders
16.66% (ML4)Wraiths, Ogres, Evil Priests, Myrmidons, Giant Beetles, Giant Scorpions, Lycanthropes, Gargoyles, White Apes, Enchanters, Dopplegangers, Pilferers, Shadows, Carnivorous Apes, Owl Bears, Displacer Beasts, Blink Dogs, Phase Spiders, Giant Ticks, Will O’ Wisps, Rust Monsters
LEVEL 2 STOREROOMS/DUNGEONS/CATACOMBS
16.66% (ML1) Kobolds, Goblins, Skeleton, Orcs, Giant Rat, Centipede, Bandits/Berserkers, Spider, Stirges, Footpads, Dwarves/Elves, Gelatinous Cube
LEVEL 3 CELLS/LOWER DUNGEONS/CRYPTS
LEVEL 4) TORTURE CHAMBERS/CRYPTS
LEVEL 5) MAZE/CATACOMBS
LEVEL 6) LABYRINTH
16.66% (ML4)Wraiths, Ogres, Evil Priests, Myrmidons, Giant Beetles, Giant Scorpions, Lycanthropes, Gargoyles, White Apes, Enchanters,
33.33% (ML5) Trolls, Ogre Magi, Superheroes/Paladins, Wyverns, Spectres, Mummies, Druids, Hell Hounds, Invisible Stalkers, Minotaurs, Manticores, Lammasu, Cockatrices, Sorcerers/Necromancers, Wyverns, Thieves, Salamanders, Hydra (6-8 Heads), Medusae, Umber Hulks, Rust Monsters, Giant Slug
LEVEL 7) CATACOMBS/LESSER CAVES
33.33% (ML5) Trolls, Ogre Magi, Superheroes/Paladins, Wyverns, Spectres, Mummies, Druids, Hell Hounds, Invisible Stalkers, Minotaurs, Manticores, Lammasu, Cockatrices, Sorcerers/Necromancers, Wyverns, Thieves, Salamanders, Hydra (6-8 Heads), Medusae, Umber Hulks, Rust Monsters, Giant Slug
LEVEL 8) CRYPTS/GREATER CAVES
LEVEL 9) ARENA/CAVERNS/LESSER CAVERNS
LEVEL 10) GREATER CAVERNS
33.33% (ML6) Giants, Titan, Hydra (9-12 heads), Golems, Dragons, Basilisks, Gorgons, Fire-Breathing Hydra, Chimeras, Vampires, Hell Hounds, Lords/Paladins, Balrogs, Beholders, Wizards(each will be accompanied by from 1-4 apprentices (Enchanters/Evil Priests) and 1-6 body-guards (levels 4-6) fighter-type.), Evil High Priests (each will be accompanied by from 1-4 apprentices (Enchanters/Evil Priests) and 1-6 body-guards (levels 4-6) fighter-type., Master Thieves, Lich, Purple Worms, Rust Monsters
LEVEL 11) MARTIAN WHITE APE LEVEL
16.66% (ML5) Trolls, Ogre Magi, Superheroes/Paladins, Wyverns, Spectres, Mummies, Druids, Hell Hounds, Invisible Stalkers, Minotaurs, Manticores, Lammasu, Cockatrices, Sorcerers/Necromancers, Wyverns, Thieves, Salamanders, Hydra (6-8 Heads), Medusae, Umber Hulks, Rust Monsters, Giant Slug
33.33% (ML6) Giants, Titan, Hydra (9-12 heads), Golems, Dragons, Basilisks, Gorgons, Fire-Breathing Hydra, Chimeras, Vampires, Hell Hounds, Lords/Paladins, Balrogs, Beholders, Wizards(each will be accompanied by from 1-4 apprentices (Enchanters/Evil Priests) and 1-6 body-guards (levels 4-6) fighter-type.), Evil High Priests (each will be accompanied by from 1-4 apprentices (Enchanters/Evil Priests) and 1-6 body-guards (levels 4-6) fighter-type., Master Thieves, Lich, Purple Worms, Rust Monsters
LEVEL 12) DRAGON LEVEL
33.33% (ML6) Giants, Titan, Hydra (9-12 heads), Golems, Dragons, Basilisks, Gorgons, Fire-Breathing Hydra, Chimeras, Vampires, Hell Hounds, Lords/Paladins, Balrogs, Beholders, Wizards(each will be accompanied by from 1-4 apprentices (Enchanters/Evil Priests) and 1-6 body-guards (levels 4-6) fighter-type.), Evil High Priests (each will be accompanied by from 1-4 apprentices (Enchanters/Evil Priests) and 1-6 body-guards (levels 4-6) fighter-type., Master Thieves, Lich, Purple Worms, Rust Monsters
LEVEL 13) INVISIBLE MONSTER LEVEL/BOTTOM LEVEL/ZAGYG’S
LEVEL
MONSTERS TO CONSIDER THAT ARE LEVEL DEPENDENT:
Monday, March 28, 2022
2008 Gameplay Video Returns
Someone suggested going through Rumble and slapping parody labels all over it and the music should be fine. Here it is back in its warts and all glory:
CORRECTION
This is with the corrected ending:
https://rumble.com/vyvrl8-parody-gene-weigels-dungeon-2-2008.html