Publication:The Adventure Begins

Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins is a 1998 sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. The 128 page book was written by Roger E. Moore and published by Wizards of the Coast under its then recently acquired TSR imprint.

Contents
The Adventure Begins contains a general overview of the world of Oerth, including updates on the world's history, notable calendar events, and descriptions of the cultural and geographical divisions of the area. The book provides much specific information on the City of Greyhawk, the largest and most populous city of Oerth, including details on everything form its ruling countil to its criminal codes, and descriptions of notable locations and characters within the city.

Publication history
The Adventure Begins was intended as a "bridge" between previous Greyhawk products, and the relaunch of the new product line. The book updates material from the earlier From the Ashes.

The book was the first in a series of publications designed to re-launch the Greyhawk campaign setting, followed by other sourcebooks and adventure modules set in Greyhawk such as Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil and Return to the Tomb of Horrors.

Reception
James MacDuff reviewed The Adventure Begins in 1998, in Shadis #50. Comparing it to the first release for the relaunch, Return of the Eight, MacDuff found this book contained more solid material about the setting. He found that the book offered little new information about Greyhawk City, and much of the material reiterates information fromt the old City of Greyhawk boxed set: "Anyone who owns CoG will likely feel cheated by the rehashed material, and while the timeline updates are welcome, they don't justify the overall cost of the product." MacDuff felt that older players would be likely to purchase the book just to keep up with the changes, but that new players would fare better as they would avoid the frustration of hunting down out of print material because the new book is both concise and complete. He noted that the thoroughness with which Roger E. Moore covers Oerth makes for a fast start to a Greyhawk campaign, making The Adventure Begins indispensable. MacDuff concluded the review by saying, "As an outline of the world and a way to quickly start things, it gets the information aspiring GMs need. If Return of the Eight caters solely to old players, this one more than makes up for the difference."

Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins won the 1998 Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement.

Additional reading

 * "Ruins of the Mistmarsh", The Oerth Journal #11
 * Review, Dragon #252 (1998)