Luke Gygax's return to his father's Greyhawk setting just picked up a new name and a bigger scope. Writing team member Jay Scott has confirmed the upcoming sourcebook is called Melf's Guide to Greyhawk: Borderlands of Iuz, not The Shield Lands as Gygax himself had been hinting earlier in the month. Scott made a point of calling it "Book 1", a strong signal that a full series is planned.
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See how it worksThe distinction matters for Greyhawk nerds. The Shield Lands are a loose cluster of provinces that Iuz, the cambion half-son of the demon lord Graz'zt and the witch Iggwilv, has been stomping on for decades of lore. The Borderlands sit next door, rougher territory where Iuz's influence bleeds outwards and adventurers can plausibly go to prod him. Starting there gives Dungeon Masters a natural jumping-off point rather than dropping parties straight into a war-torn occupied zone.
This is the same project that drew headlines earlier this month when actor and long-time D&D fan Vince Vaughn dropped a reported $5,000 at a Gary Con charity auction on cover artwork for Luke Gygax. The book is unofficial in the sense that Wizards of the Coast isn't publishing it, but the team has flagged the product as "Official Greyhawk D&D WotC", and it includes veteran designers Stephen Radney-Macfarland and Les "Oblivion Seeker" Reno. No firm release window has been confirmed yet.
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Set up your group for freeFor Greyhawk fans, the "Book 1" phrasing is the real news here. Gary Gygax's original setting has been neglected for years in favour of Faerun, and a multi-book treatment from his son suggests a long-term plan to bring the Flanaess back to tables. If you run a Greyhawk campaign and want to swap notes with other DMs, start a community on Backseat Gamer.
Sources: EN World | Bell of Lost Souls
