The Hello Thread!

[RobJN]

Hi all! I'm largely knew to Blackmoor, but reading up on the setting as I get chances. I just found out about this forum and it's presentation reminded me of many of the forums I've been a part of in years past. Still a forum junkie, despite my appreciation for the speed and fluidity of Discord.

Graphic designer by trade, currently looking for, ideally, a full time gig in the Twin Cities area. In the meantime I've busied myself with layout work for a tabletop product I can't disclose yet as well as researching publishing some tabletop content under my own imprint.

I know some settings can be quite dense. My current favorite is Pete Spahn's Amherth. Curious what a setting vet would suggest I focus my research on first in getting to really know the setting without gettingg overwhelmed, if that's possible.

Welcome to the Comeback Inn, Riaghan!

If you're looking to learn about Blackmoor, I'm pretty sure you've come to the right place -- between Havard's relentless pursuit of KNOWING ALL OF THE THINGS about the setting, to having regulars from the earliest days of playing in Dave Arneson's first fantasy campaign back in the day posting their recollections -- you're in for a treat.

I'm hoping your call for recommendations on just where to dip the toes to learn about the setting is in regards to Blackmoor itself (since I know nothing about Pete Spahn's Amherth)....

Blackmoor is a bit of an odd duck, as settings go, since it has.... five-ish (?) different iterations: It originated in Supplement II of the original D&D game back in the mid 70s. Then it saw publication by the Judges Guild in 1977; Gary Gygax integrated the setting into his world of Greyhawk; TSR also lumped the setting in with the "Classic" D&D line, as part of that main game setting's past in the mid-to-late 80s (DA-series of D&D modules). Finally, after Wizards of the Coast rescued TSR, the setting was updated to the d20 system with 2004's Dave Arneson's Blackmoor Campaign Setting by Goodman Games, with Arneson as the lead designer. A 4th edition version was produced by Code Monkey Publishing in 2009.

I'm pretty sure you can find discussion on most -- if not all -- of these versions of the setting, most of which are available in PDF through the DM's Guild/D&D Classics/DriveThruRPG.