Wars

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Wars
GreyhawkWars boxcover.jpg
Cover art of the Wars game, art by Roger Raupp.
Type: Board Game
Author(s): Dave "Zeb" Cook
Editor(s): J. Robert King
Cover Artist(s): Roger Raupp
Interior Artist(s): Ken Frank and Charles Frank,
Counter/card art:
Robin Raab and Karl Waller
Series: WGS
Publisher: TSR
First Published: 1991
ISBN: 1-56076-086-9
Class: Officially published content
Setting date: 584 CY

Wars, also called the Greyhawk Wars boxed set, is a fantasy board wargame published by TSR, Inc. in 1991. The game was designed by Dave "Zeb" Cook as a strategic simulation of the eponymous Greyhawk Wars.

Cover blurb[edit]

""From the mad Malachite throne in Rauxes to the bejeweled city of Chendl in Furyondy, the Flanaess is at war! In the east, Overking Ivid V thirsts for conquest. Vatun, Great God of the North, meanwhile unites the barbarians and Fists into a fearsome force. Not to be outdone, the dread Iuz masses humanoids and fiends in the northwest. And the Scarlet Brotherhood in the south hangs over all the Flanaess, pulling the strings of war like a mad puppeteer.

Take command of the armies yourself and change the dark course of history! Between two and six players can battle, deciding the Flanaess's fate in diplomacy and war, and leading armies and heroes across two full-color maps. Muster your armies from over 300 counters, ranging from light infantry to dragons - with your favorite demi-humans and monsters as well! With over 150 cards, you can search for treasure or mercenaries and receive the gods' blessing (or curse) through special events. When the battle comes - the times that try the souls of all - you'll want your armies backed with the wisdom contained within the 32-page history of the actual war. The boxed set also includes an easy-to-read 8-page book of rules, with optional advanced rules for hard-core wargamers.

The Flanaess awaits a heroic deliverer - or an oppressive overlord! Which will you be?""

Credits[edit]

The Greyhawk Wars game featured design by David Cook, editing by J. Robert King, and was published by TSR, Inc..[1] The cover was by Roger Raupp, interior art by Ken Frank and Charles Frank, counter and card art was by Robin Raab and Karl Waller, and graphic design was provided by Dee Barnett.[1]

Components[edit]

Greyhawk Wars is a boxed game which included an eight-page rulebook, two fold-out color paper maps; two sheets of cardboard chits; 153 playing cards representing the various countries, events, mercenaries, and treasures; two ten-side dice, and a 32-page "Adventurer's Book", containing a history of the war and a set of scenarios. [1]

The maps depicted the various lands and nations involved in the war and were joined together along the edge to form the full game world. The map is subdivided into areas of roughly equal size, with edges often lying along various boundaries, such as nation borders or terrain features. The nations are divided into good, neutral, and evil states, with green, gray, and red borders, respectively. The terrain types included plains, forest, marsh, mountains, hills, lakes, oceans, and wastes. The major rivers are also depicted, usually along area borders. The map contained a series of iconic symbols depicting the various capitals, ports, fortifications, and sites where treasure or mercenaries could be obtained.

In addition to their place on the map, each of the countries in the game is represented by a card. Each player starts with one or more country cards representing their home nations. Additional nations can be gained through alliance, conquest, or by liberating a conquered nation. The cards for these nations are placed under the home nation cards. Every nation card includes their alliance ratings, which determine how easily good or evil nations can ally with it. The card also includes a modifier for alliance attempts to specific countries, and a roster of troops that the country can raise.

Each player has a set of hero markers they can use for various purposes each turn. These represent a band of heroes that can perform various special actions. They cannot be destroyed, although they can be hindered in various ways.

Armies are represented by colored chits that are printed with a shield symbol of the owning nation. These are placed on top of a stack of up to 5 troop units. Troop chits have a strength rating, a silhouette symbol for the creature type, and sometimes special information indicating a unique ability.

The color of the troop chits is based on the ethos of the creature, with good creatures being green, neutral creatures gray, and evil creatures in red (the same colors as the nation borders). There are several different creatures represented by these chits, and the various races or species are drawn from the Greyhawk world setting. For example, there are elves, bugbears, orcs, humans, and so forth. There are also counters to represent fleets for nations along the coast.

The various scenarios require from 2 to 6 players, with the two-player scenarios only using one of the maps. Each scenario lists the initial set-up, any special rules, and the victory conditions. The scenarios attempt to replay the situations described in the war history.

Game play[edit]

The players command opposing armies struggling to kill enemies and control territory. The game begins with players selecting a scenario and receiving cards representing their countries, with each country card listing the available troops. Players deploy the counters for their armies on the map, a detailed rendering of Oerth, divided into dozens of discrete regions. Each region can hold a stack of up to five friendly troop counters. Players also receive a fixed number of hero counters, which function as super soldiers capable of a variety of special actions. Heroes may be deployed in any country controlled by a friendly player, one hero per region.[1]

A die-roll determines which player goes first. After making sure his heroes are properly positioned, the active player begins his turn by drawing an Event Card and following the instructions. Some events are played immediately, while others are held and played at the owner's discretion. The active player then completes an action for each of his troop stacks and heroes. Troops may move (up to three regions for infantry and four for cavalry, with forests and other rough terrain impeding normal movement rates), fortify (by constructing a castle to increase the defensive capacity of the region), or disband (the player removes a stack from the map, making the troops available for deployment elsewhere).[1]

Heroes may accompany troop stacks or split off on their own, moving up to six regions per turn. If a hero moves to an uncommitted country, he may engage in diplomacy by rolling a die and comparing the result to his home country's diplomacy rating. On a sufficiently high roll, the uncommitted country becomes an ally. Heroes can also recruit mercenaries by moving to a special mercenary recruitment area, then drawing a Mercenary Card. If the Mercenary Card's alignment is compatible with the hero, the player acquires the card and may use it to improve his chances in combat. Finally, heroes may search for treasure in regions designated as magic areas. Before he acquires a treasure, the hero must draw a Treasure Card and battle the indicated guardian monster. A single die-roll resolves the battle. A high roll means the hero triumphs, and the player adds one or more Treasure Cards to his hand.[1]

Heroes and troops may engage in combat when occupying the same region as enemy forces. Both sides remove their counters from the map and arrange them in parallel lines so that every friendly counter faces at least one enemy. The attacker makes an assault against an opposing piece by rolling a ten-sided die and comparing the result to the attacking unit's strength, printed on the counter. If the roll is equal to or less than its strength, modified by any applicable Mercenary or Treasure Cards, the enemy suffers a hit. Strong units suffer two hits before dying, while weaker units die after a single hit. Combat lasts for three rounds, although if a hero is present the battle may be extended to four rounds, with the winner taking possession of the area. A hero may also increase any unit's strength by one. Regardless of the outcome of combat, a hero never suffers damage. At the end of a player's turn, any damaged units that haven't taken any actions may be healed to their full strength. One new army may also be raised in any unoccupied home country.[1]

Each turn of play represents a full year in the game setting and is divided into a series of phases. Every player must complete the procedure for a phase before continuing to the next phase. The first phase is used to determine the order in which each subsequent phase will be performed. The remaining phases are used to place heroes, draw event cards, and perform actions, in that order.

A player's heroes can move across up to six contiguous areas each turn, although the occupying armies of another player may block their path. Areas with certain terrain features (such as desert, hills, and forests) cost more movement to enter, while entering a swamp and mountain area ends movement for that turn.

The event cards produce a random element that can positively or negatively affect a player's situation. These can range from additional forces joining your side, to a sudden attack or rebellion that draws off some of your forces. The cards can also affect the actions of heroes.

The main part of the game occurs during the action phase. Here the armies can move, attack, create fortifications, or disband. A player performs actions with their armies and heroes one at a time, with all actions being performed before moving to another marker. Land armies can move through up to 3 areas in a turn (or 4 if they are all cavalry). Fleets can move up to 6 areas but can never enter a land area. Ship markers can be used to carry troops that are in a port and can unload them along a coast or on an island.

Certain special units have unique abilities in combat; cavalry can pursue a retreating enemy, or screen against pursuit (if the optional rule about pursuit is in play); marines can take part in sea battles; scouts can attack first in a round, with the result applied before being attacked. There are also specific races that gain a combat bonus in their native terrain, e.g. dwarves in mountains or hills.

Publishing history and reviews[edit]

In the late 1980s, TSR, the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons, decided to make a significant change to the setting to re-invigorate customer interest and sales of Greyhawk-related materials. The Greyhawk Wars were the in-game catalyst used to allow TSR game developers, principally Carl Sargent, to take the setting in a new direction.[2]

Relationship to WGS modules[edit]

TSR published the first two adventures in what they called an "adventure trilogy"—the WGS, or "World of Greyhawk Swords" series—WGS1: Five Shall Be One and WGS2: Howl from the North. By the end of the second adventure, the barbarians of northeastern Oerik were united under the leadership of Iuz, who was masquerading as their Great God Vatun.[2] The events described in Greyhawk Wars occur chronologically just after the conclusion of the Greyhawk module WGS2: Howl from the North.

Greyhawk Wars was originally advertised as the third supplement in that trilogy of adventures. It's been widely speculated it was intended to be an adventure coded "WGS3" which would have let players take on dramatic roles during the Greyhawk Wars. TSR instead decided to publish a boxed board game of the Greyhawk Wars which describes the "official" events of the Wars in the included "Adventurer's Book". Otherwise, it doesn't continue the trilogy [as playable events for PCs]—nor does it claim to do so.[2]

Combining the Wars' official canon with a board game was an uncertain combination, since the official events of Greyhawk's history aren't necessarily the most likely results of the game. Nonetheless, some Greyhawk DMs recount that they used Greyhawk Wars to determine what happened in their own Greyhawk... showing how this sort of supplement can be great for personal campaigns, but less helpful when metaplot gets involved.[2]

The game allowed participants to play the events of the Wars as a strategic simulation, controlling various political entities, military units, and heroes of the World of Greyhawk™ in competition with other players.

Exploring Greyhawk[edit]

Greyhawk Wars advances Oerth's timeline from 582 CY to 584 CY. It describes the results of a massive series of wars; this information would later be synopsized in ]]From the Ashes]] (1992), but Greyhawk Wars remains the best source on the events. The most notable developments were: the rise of Iuz to conquer several nearby countries; the unification of the Pomarj; and the revelation and rise of The Scarlet Brotherhood. The Great Kingdom tried to take advantage of the chaos to its own deficit, while many good-aligned kingdoms were weakened.[2]

The overall result was a darkening of Greyhawk, creating a grittier setting that was more appropriate for the '90s, in which several mediums were darkened — from bloodthirsty superheroes at DC and Marvel to the beginning of the grimdark fantasy genre with series like Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy (1995-1997) and George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice & Fire (1996-Present).[2] These changes generated mixed reactions from fans of the setting, failed to sufficiently revive sales.

From the Ashes was followed in 1993 by a series of Sargent sourcebooks and modules providing additional information regarding the updated setting, including The Marklands, Iuz the Evil, City of Skulls, and Ivid the Undying. This last of which was cancelled and would never see official print, though it was published and distributed for free online by TSR/WotC.

Metaplotting around[edit]

By the early '90s, TSR was pushing metaplot in their Forgotten Realms setting with events like Avatar (1989) and Empires (1990), which advanced the setting's timeline while also making major changes to it. Though some notable Greyhawk events had occurred in WG8: Fate of Istus (1989) and the Falcon adventures (1990), the "WGS" series really marked the beginning of metaplot in the Greyhawk setting.[2]

The "WGS" adventures started that metaplot by advancing the Greyhawk timeline to 582 CY. Otherwise, the supplements' metaplot events were pretty small, just depicting the beginnings of the Greyhawk Wars. The boxed Greyhawk Wars was the release that really updated and changed the setting — albeit in a very unusual format.[2]

Reviews[edit]

Rick Swan reviewed Greyhawk Wars for Dragon magazine, appearing in their edition #188 in December 1992.[1] In comparing this game with other military simulation games, especially concerning the difficulty in understanding the rules and in how long it takes to play a game, he felt that Greyhawk Wars "... has more in common with the Squad Leader system than the Minion Hunter game. But Dave Cook has bent over backward to make the mechanics as painless as possible without sacrificing the sophisticated interplay that makes the best military simulations so appealing."[1] Swan considered combat "... the least satisfying aspect of the game ..." even though it was "fast and easy."

Regarding the combat, Swan said, "The three-round limit seems arbitrary, serving no clear purpose other than to minimize the number of casualties. Because the strength of an opponent isn't considered when resolving combat, an attack against a tough infantryman can be as effective as an attack against a puny goblin. And why must heroes be invulnerable? I don't care how tough he is, I don't think that any character ought to be able to survive an indefinite number of assaults."[1]

Note: the three-round limit Swan called "arbitrary" serves to represent the three calendar years (582 CY to 584 CY) in which the battles of the Greyhawk Wars take place before the truce which led to the Treaty of Greyhawk.

Swan concluded the review by saying: "Combat aside, the Greyhawk Wars game features sensible, easily mastered rules that make the game fluid and intense. The variety of units, ranging from ships to treants, encourages players to experiment with different strategies. The Mercenary and Treasure Cards increase the tactical choices, while the Event Cards keep things interesting by introducing a steady stream of variables. To put it all in context, the 32-page Adventurer's Book provides a detailed historical background, enabling ambitious players to incorporate the results of the board game into a Greyhawk campaign. An intelligent design, well-executed and handsomely presented, the Greyhawk Wars game is a war game for people who hate war games."[1]

In a later review, Swan called the Greyhawk setting a mess, but felt that after The City of Greyhawk, Greyhawk Wars "... took another step in the right direction by shaking things up with a much-needed dose of epic conflict".[3]

See also[edit]

External Links[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. a b c d e f g h i j k Swan, Rick (December 1992). "Role-playing Reviews". Dragon (#188): 76–77. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR.
  2. a b c d e f g h Applecline, Shannon. Greyhawk Wars (Product history essay). DMsGuild. One Book Shelf, inc., June 14, 2016. Retrieved on 10 January 2022.
  3. Swan, Rick (October 1993). "Role-playing Reviews". Dragon (#198): 49–51. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR.

Bibliography[edit]

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Index is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, and his work as continued and updated by Eric Johnson, Richard DiIoia, Jason "PupickDad" Jacobson, a French fan group, and numerous other fans over the years. The wiki page for the EGI has a list of sources, full product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Duxchan Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 74
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dungeon magazine #073 58
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dungeon magazine #105 70
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dungeon magazine #114 103
Greyhawk Wars Adventure The Fright At Tristor 3, 7
Greyhawk Wars Adventure From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess 2, 6, 9, 17, 19, 20, 25, 27, 28, 33, 35-44, 46, 47, 50, 51, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59, 82-85, 89
Greyhawk Wars Adventure From the Ashes: Campaign Book 3-5, 8, 9, 11, 13, 17, 40, 41, 47, 49
Greyhawk Wars Adventure From the Ashes: References Card #1
Greyhawk Wars Adventure From the Ashes: References Card #2
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Ivid the Undying 2, 5, 19, 22, 25, 26, 44, 62, 80, 88, 98, 123, 126, 128, 134, 138, 140, 154, 156, 159, 160, Back Cover
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e Dis, 6, 8, 12, 15, 29, 30, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 44, 55, 56, 62, 64, 74, 75, 84, 89, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 105, 106, 109, 110, 112
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 15, 24, 25, 29, 30, 35, 40, 42, 44, 46, 47, 52, 53, 55, 58, 59, 62, 66, 67, 69, 72, 74, 75, 78, 80, 82, 86, 87, 88, 92, 93, 95, 96, 98, 100, 101, 106, 109, 112, 113, 115, 117, 118, 119, 123, 124, 126, 127, 128, 130, 132, 134, 138, 140, 141, 147, 148, 149, 156, 158, 159, 160, 173
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk Journal #0 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk Journal #1 14, 17, 26, 28, 30
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk Journal #2 8, 29
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk Journal #3 27, 30
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk Journal #4 4, 9, 29, 31
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk Journal #5 29
Greyhawk Wars Adventure ONW1-01 Escape From Scant 13
Greyhawk Wars Adventure ONW1-02 To Catch A Traitor 6, 11
Greyhawk Wars Adventure ONW1-03 The Glaive's Gambit 4
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Player's Guide to Greyhawk 4-6, 10-12, 16, 21, 23-28, 30, 38, 48, 55
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Polyhedron magazine #129 39
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Polyhedron magazine #163 108, 109, 112
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Return of the Eight 2, 3, 20, 47, 58, 59
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Slavers, AD&D 2e 6, 32, 38, 48, 61, 79, 105, 120, 122
Greyhawk Wars Adventure The Adventure Begins 1-6, 8, 15, 17, 19, 25, 27-31, 33, 38, 40, 43, 47, 54, 62, 65, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73, 76, 80, 85, 88, 89, 94, 99, 101, 105, 108, 110, 113-119, 122, 127
Greyhawk Wars Adventure LT3 The Doomgrinder 16
Greyhawk Wars Adventure The Scarlet Brotherhood 5, 12, 17, 34, 83
Greyhawk Wars Adventure War Captain's Companion Boxed Set: Book 1 38
Greyhawk Wars Adventure WGM1 Borderwatch 2, 24
Greyhawk Wars Adventure WGR4 The Marklands 2, 9, 10, 58, 90
Greyhawk Wars Adventure WGR5 Iuz the Evil 2, 6, 7, 42, 66, 76, 96
Greyhawk Wars Adventure WGR6 City of Skulls 10, 62
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Against The Giants: The Liberation of Geoff 63
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #195 94, 96
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #204 53
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #206 35
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #225 50, 52
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #230 8
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #233 92
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #241 44, 76, 80
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #245 73
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #256 51
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #262 38
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #263 47, 49
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #268 70
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #269 65
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #270 60, 76
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #281 39
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #291 95
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #293 92, 93, 94
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #294 93, 95
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #297 92
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #298 84, 86
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #300 89, 92
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #301 89
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #302 99
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #306 97, 100
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #AN3 21, 22
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #AN4 20
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dungeon magazine #041 46
Greyhawk Wars Adventure Dungeon magazine #053 35
Greyhawk Wars box set Publication Supplement, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook 10
Greyhawk Wars box set Publication Supplement, From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess 2, 9
Greyhawk Wars box set Publication Supplement, Ivid the Undying 5
Greyhawk Wars box set Publication Supplement, Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e 6
Greyhawk Wars box set Publication Supplement, WGS2 Howl From the North 5, 42, 54
Hateful Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #167 11
Hateful Wars Adventure Dragon magazine #262 38
Hateful Wars Adventure From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess 40, 41, 56, 58
Hateful Wars Adventure Greyhawk Adventures 101
Hateful Wars Adventure Greyhawk Wars: Adventures 15
Hateful Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e 11
Hateful Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 40, 66, 88, 117, 118, 121, 146
Hateful Wars Adventure Living Greyhawk Journal #1 26
Hateful Wars Adventure Slavers, AD&D 2e 89, 99, 120, 121
Hateful Wars Adventure The Adventure Begins 19, 59, 60, 69, 119
Hateful Wars Adventure WG8 Fate of Istus 25
Hateful Wars Adventure The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting (Folio) 14
Hateful Wars Adventure WGQ1 Patriots of Ulek 2, 10, 12
Hateful Wars Adventure World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983) 31
Wars Calendar Reference SEE Greyhawk Wars
Warship (Jetsom Island) Building Inn, Tavern, Bar, or Restaurant , WGR2 Treasures of Greyhawk 42, 51