Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Blackmoor is everywhere.

I knew I had these images somewhere, but today I finally dug them up to share.

Blackmoor has its own world, which got a hardbound late in the 3.x era.  It also appears on the Greyhawk map.  And if you go back in time in Mystara, you'll find Blackmoor there as well.  It's also to the northeast of the Wilderlands of High Fantasy.  Dig it:



Note that Rob Conley's Map 19 just north of the Wilderlands (found in Fight On! #3) would be due west of Blackmoor.  I wonder if they line up?  I should dig out my copy of FO! 3 and check.

This placement of Blackmoor ruins my earlier proposal but I think that you *might* be able to work it out so that Greyhawk and the Wilderlands stand side-by-side with Blackmoor in the center-north.  Either way, the two campaign worlds are connected by this strange northern realm AND both lurk in Mystara pre-history.  How cool is that?

Of course, they're not all really the exact same Blackmoor.  But a boy can dream.

I vaguely remember Arneson once noting that the Outdoor Survival map was connected to his First Fantasy Map as well, but so far I haven't tracked down the reference.

12 comments:

  1. The Outdoor Survival map was due south of the original Blackmoor map. It was where all the players went to carve out baronies and I believe the City of the Gods was.

    How do I know this? F-ck if I know. Osmosis?

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  2. Anonymous3:17 PM

    One obvious solution is to treat Blackmoor as a kind of dimensional nexus and let PCs go there when they want to travel between Greyhawk, Mystara, and the Wilderlands. It also exists in my home world of Advent, so if anyone wants to visit there by way of Blackmoor that should work out fine too.

    - Calithena

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  3. I could swear Outdoor Survival is mentioned in FFC itself.

    You should also remember the various references in FFC which seem to suggest Blackmoor is part of Middle-earth. Also the various references suggesting it is a planet in the Star Trek universe.

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  4. Anonymous3:42 PM

    They all connect through Arduin. ;)

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  5. It seems that Blackmoor is the Moorcockian city of Tanelorn of the D&D multiverse.

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  6. Blackmoor: a kinder, gentler Leng?

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  7. To further complicate things, the lands east of Greyhawk, by way of Mentzer, are a Wilderlands as well.

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  8. Yes they line up, bottom left half Blackmoor to right edge Map19

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  9. Am I the only one who laughs like a 5th grader at the sounds of "Moorcockian?"

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  10. I always used Blackmoor as a gateway between the different campaign worlds.

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  11. There was an official Blackmoor for 4e as well... Its one of the few things that came out for the GSL

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