Greyhawk: ToEE Q&A

Sorcerer’s Place has posted an interview that they conducted with Project Leader, Tim Cain regarding Greyhawk: Temple of Elemental Evil. This interview has been split into two installments due to its size. Here’s a snippet:

SP: For those of our readers who are not familiar with the world of Greyhawk, please describe the setting and its major characteristics in comparison to other D&D settings.

Tim Cain: The Greyhawk setting was one of the original, if not the first, D&D settings, being invented by Gary Gygax himself. It is a very rich and complex world, filled with many nation states and various political alliances. Unlike most other D&D settings, the Greyhawk world is very dynamic, with these political alliances shifting constantly and, with the Greyhawk Wars, changing dramatically. It’s a world in which it’s easy to become a hero and even easier to become dead.

SP: In short, what will Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil be about, and what role does the Temple of Elemental Evil play in it?

Tim Cain: ToEE is about a group of adventurers coming to a small village, for various specific reasons, but generally to seek their fortune. Their foray into a small local bandit camp uncovers something bigger and more mysterious going on, and they eventually discover that the previously defeated temple is not quite abandoned, and its leaders are not dead. How they respond to this threat is, of course, up to the player.

SP: How intricate is the game’s plot going to be?

Tim Cain: We have provided multiple ways to advance the plot as the game progresses. Unlike the original module, which assumed the party was of a good alignment, we make no such assumption. There will be ways to complete the game that are dependent on how you handled yourself earlier.

SP: What will the ratio between questing and fighting be like?

Tim Cain: That’s hard to say. We have added a lot of side quests that do not depend on fighting, but fighting can always be used as a solution. D&D is a very combat-oriented game, and we don’t intend to change its nature. But we do provide alternatives when we can.