Making a Video Talking about the setting of Blackmoor.

[CawmeKrazee]

When I first discovered the Setting of Blackmoor I immediately took to looking at youtube to find information on the setting and what I found was very interesting history behind DnD and the Behind the Scenes creation of Blackmoor as a setting. All really interesting stuff to learn and I feel is important to still learn about. 

However, there was hardly anything talking about the lore of the setting. Stuff like Castle Blackmoor and it's leaders. What the setting of Blackmoor looks like. What's the people and culture like there?

So I've taken it upon myself to try and start writing up scripts discussing the different bits about the setting of Blackmoor so that way it can reach more people and it can be experienced by even more players of not just D&D but any TTRPG Player. 

I should also note that I've dropped some lore information on things that I found in discord servers I'm apart of and a lot of people have like what I shared. 

Stuff like how Nobles are mandated to adventure in their domain for at least five years before they can rule it.
How the Docrae were formed. 
The interesting fact on how The Wizard Cabal hunt down Sorcerers.
Not to mention the Egg of Coot! 


There is so much good stuff and I do not even know where I should begin with making this video. So I ask you all, where should I first introduce people to Dave Arneson's World of Blackmoor. 

(To note I'll be talking about all the adventure modules too in the videos as their own separate thing. Stuff like DA1-4. The ZTG books and MMRPG. To the Magazine adventures. I'll be leaving nothing unturned. Not even WoTC Return to The Temple of the Frog.)

[Havard]

I would love to see more lore based videos on Blackmoor! I like your idea of starting with the Castle. That is where it all started, after all!

Would love to hear other people's suggestions though!

-Havard

[aldarron]

The foremost piece of advice I would offer is that you make crystal clear exactly what Blackmoor you are going to be featuring in your videos. By the sound of it, I'm guessing that you are highlighting the ZG version.  There is certianly a lot of material there, but be aware there are many significant differences between the ZG version and the Mystara version or the Greyhawk version or the Wilderlands version or the Original version, etc.

[CawmeKrazee]

The foremost piece of advice I would offer is that you make crystal clear exactly what Blackmoor you are going to be featuring in your videos. By the sound of it, I'm guessing that you are highlighting the ZG version.  There is certianly a lot of material there, but be aware there are many significant differences between the ZG version and the Mystara version or the Greyhawk version or the Wilderlands version or the Original version, etc.

I'll be covering all versions of Blackmoor as I do not really know fully the differences. However the ZG version will probably be the most prominent as that one does have the most material. 

The version published in the TSR books DA1-4 are the ancient past of Mystara but the whole time travel stuff isn't something I'm willing to cover as from what I can tell from my readings online is that Arneson didn't even want to do the time travel stuff. (I could be wrong and please correct me if I am). 

I could not find much over the Greyhawk version. 

This is my first time hearing about the Wilderlands Version.

As for the Original Version I do have the first books that were published by TSR. The First Fantasy Campaign and Supplement II Blackmoor. 

I plan to only cover stuff that was ever fully endorsed by the Arneson Foundation. Which as far as I'm aware encompasses:

The First Fantasy Campaign.
Supplement II Blackmoor.
DA1-5
ZTG Books: Dave Arneson's Blackmoor, Dave Arneson's Blackmoor Player's Guide, City of the Gods, Clock and Steam, Redwood Scar, Wizard's Cabal, Riders of Hak, and The Dungeons of Castle Blackmoor. 
This will also include the MMRPG. 
As well as supplement material mention in magazines. 


All this content seems to be able to seamlessly fit together as if it was one setting rather than settings under a different banner. BUT if there are important details I'm ignorant to, I'd love to be educated on it better.

[jbulloug@gmail.com]

Count me in as one who would eagerly consume video or podcast content on Blackmoor lore.  There is a large and active Greyhawk community but the "Friends of Blackmoor" certainly seem to be a smaller and more tight-knit group.

I don't know the Arneson estate's take on Wizards of the Coast's Blackmoor content in the world of Greyhawk, but the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer has a lot of details about that corner of the world, and it includes the Egg of Coot, City of the Gods, and an orc kingdom in the ruins of Castle Blackmoor. It's definitely an alternative-universe Blackmoor! I can only imagine a bizzarro adventure wherein a team from Mystara's Blackmoor time travels to Mystara and then hops on a portal to Greyhawk, ending up in that Blackmoor! 

How much of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer's details will survive the transition to Arn, however, we will have to wait and see.

John

[CawmeKrazee]

Count me in as one who would eagerly consume video or podcast content on Blackmoor lore.  There is a large and active Greyhawk community but the "Friends of Blackmoor" certainly seem to be a smaller and more tight-knit group.

I don't know the Arneson estate's take on Wizards of the Coast's Blackmoor content in the world of Greyhawk, but the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer has a lot of details about that corner of the world, and it includes the Egg of Coot, City of the Gods, and an orc kingdom in the ruins of Castle Blackmoor. It's definitely an alternative-universe Blackmoor! I can only imagine a bizzarro adventure wherein a team from Mystara's Blackmoor time travels to Mystara and then hops on a portal to Greyhawk, ending up in that Blackmoor! 

How much of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer's details will survive the transition to Arn, however, we will have to wait and see.

John

ah I see I see that is very much vastly different! 

I wasn't aware of the Greyhawk Gazetteer. 
Is the Mystara time travel Blackmoor that much different from the OG Blackmoor and ZTG/MMRPG Blackmoor?

[jbulloug@gmail.com]

From what I have gathered, the Mystara-connected Blackmoor from DA1-4 is very much the same world as the Blackmoor from "First Fantasy Campaign" published by Judges Guild and the Zeitgeist/Goodman/Code Monkey Blackmoor (including the MMRPG) Blackmoor publications. The map is the same, the countries and characters are the same.

The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer's Blackmoor is definitely a different world (i.e., Gary Gygax's world of Greyhawk) with some similarities (Castle Blackmoor, Egg of Coot, City of the Gods).

[CawmeKrazee]

From what I have gathered, the Mystara-connected Blackmoor from DA1-4 is very much the same world as the Blackmoor from "First Fantasy Campaign" published by Judges Guild and the Zeitgeist/Goodman/Code Monkey Blackmoor (including the MMRPG) Blackmoor publications. The map is the same, the countries and characters are the same.

The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer's Blackmoor is definitely a different world (i.e., Gary Gygax's world of Greyhawk) with some similarities (Castle Blackmoor, Egg of Coot, City of the Gods).

I think I'll probably leave out Greyhawk's Blackmoor. As i dont think Dave Arneson had anything to do with it. I could very well be wrong.

[Havard]

My dream for decades has been to unite all the subgroups of Blackmoor fandom. 

While we CAN focus on what separates us, we could also focus on what what we have in common. If we focus on the latter, we will have a bigger community where everyone can have things to talk about. 

I mean that doesn't mean we cannot talk about the differences in order to understand where ideas came from, but I think if we are focusing on running games rather than the more academic research type posts, then people will probably be more interested in having as many ideas as possible for fleshing out own versions of Blackmoor.

-Havard

[CawmeKrazee]

My dream for decades has been to unite all the subgroups of Blackmoor fandom. 



-Havard

thats my hope with covering Blackmoor as a whole setting rather than being like "so this is the mystara blackmoor, now here is Greyhawk's, oooh and here is ZTG." 

Im mostly just gonna cover what ive found in all the books ive found and will study. So the DA series, ZTG, MMRPG, Magazines. TSR books.

Maybe after i finish up a lore study I'll go back and do a "world of ___'s Blackmoor and how its different" but for now I'm gonna focus on where the majority of lore can be pulled from. 
Idk much about wildergames or greyhawks versions but maybe i could combine their lore into the ZTG stuff?