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 from 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.
Read more about this topic: Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins
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