Common Year
Encyclopedia
The Common Year Reckoning is a fictional dating system used in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
for the Dungeons & Dragons
role-playing game
.
In the mid-1970s, Gary Gygax
created a campaign world called Greyhawk for the new fantasy roleplaying game called Dungeons and Dragons that he was helping to develop. In the 1980 TSR
publication World of Greyhawk (TSR 9025), he included a brief timeline of twenty-one historical events that described a thousand years of history in order to explain how his world—the Flanaess
—had arrived at its present state of affairs. There were five major cultures involved in this timeline, each of them with their own calendar system:
One of the major events of Gygax's timeline was an invasion by the Oeridian people, which forced other cultures to the peripheries of this land and led to the formation of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy. The first emperor marked the start of this new empire with a new universal calendar, Common Year Reckoning.
Gygax calculated all events that had taken place before 1 CY as negative numbers, and since there was no 0 CY—the year previous to 1 CY was -1 CY—this forced an extra calculation when attempting to convert Common Year dates prior to 1 CY to the other calendar systems. However, by the start of Gygax's campaign (set as 576 CY), the Common Year Reckoning was used almost universally by most cultures, making conversions to the other calendar systems by dungeon masters largely unnecessary.
Days, weeks, and months within the Common Year are reckoned using the Greyhawk Calendar
.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
.
In the mid-1970s, Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
created a campaign world called Greyhawk for the new fantasy roleplaying game called Dungeons and Dragons that he was helping to develop. In the 1980 TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
publication World of Greyhawk (TSR 9025), he included a brief timeline of twenty-one historical events that described a thousand years of history in order to explain how his world—the Flanaess
Flanaess
The Flanaess is the eastern part of the continent of Oerik, one of the four continents of the fictional world of Oerth in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. The Flanaess has been the setting of dozens of adventures published between the 1970s...
—had arrived at its present state of affairs. There were five major cultures involved in this timeline, each of them with their own calendar system:
- SuloiseSuloiseIn the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Suloise, also known as the "Suel," are one of the major races of humans inhabiting the Flanaess....
: Suloise Dating or Suloise Dominion (SD) - Olven: Olven Calendar (OC)
- Bakluni: Baklunish Hegira or Baklunish Hierarchy (BH)
- FlanFlan (Greyhawk)In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Flan are a race of humans living in the Flanaess. The Flan peoples were the first humans known to have settled the eastern portion of the continent of Oerik, the Flanaess, which is named for them...
: Flan Tally (FT) - Oeridian: Oeridian Record or Oeridian Reckoning (OR)
One of the major events of Gygax's timeline was an invasion by the Oeridian people, which forced other cultures to the peripheries of this land and led to the formation of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy. The first emperor marked the start of this new empire with a new universal calendar, Common Year Reckoning.
Gygax calculated all events that had taken place before 1 CY as negative numbers, and since there was no 0 CY—the year previous to 1 CY was -1 CY—this forced an extra calculation when attempting to convert Common Year dates prior to 1 CY to the other calendar systems. However, by the start of Gygax's campaign (set as 576 CY), the Common Year Reckoning was used almost universally by most cultures, making conversions to the other calendar systems by dungeon masters largely unnecessary.
Days, weeks, and months within the Common Year are reckoned using the Greyhawk Calendar
Greyhawk Calendar
The Greyhawk Calendar is a fictional calendar used in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game...
.
Further reading
- Gygax, GaryGary GygaxErnest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game SettingWorld of Greyhawk Fantasy Game SettingThe World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting and the World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting are two closely related publications from TSR, Inc. that detail the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
(TSRTSR, Inc.Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
, 1983). - Holian, GaryGary HolianGary Holian is an American author of several products and articles for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, especially for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting...
, Erik MonaErik Mona-Career:Erik Mona served as the editor-in-chief of Dragon magazine since 2004 and Dungeon magazine from 2004 to 2006; at the time, both magazines were published by Paizo Publishing, until the license through Wizards of the Coast expired in September 2007...
, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick WeiningFrederick WeiningFrederick Weining is among those credited for design of the Dungeons & Dragons Gazetteer and the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, both published by Wizards of the Coast. He has also authored or co-authored a number of Greyhawk articles for the Living Greyhawk Journal, the Oerth Journal, and...
. Living Greyhawk GazetteerLiving Greyhawk GazetteerThe Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is a sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Despite the title, the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is not exclusive to the Living Greyhawk Campaign...
(Wizards of the CoastWizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, 2000). - Moore, Roger ERoger E. MooreRoger E. Moore is a designer of role-playing games. He is best known for his long-running tenure as editor of Dragon magazine, and was the founding editor of Dungeon magazine.-Early life:...
. Greyhawk: The Adventure BeginsGreyhawk: The Adventure BeginsGreyhawk: 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...
(TSR, 1998). - Sargent, CarlCarl SargentCarl L. Sargent is a British author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels.-Early career:...
. From the AshesFrom the Ashes (Dungeons & Dragons)From the Ashes is a supplement for Dungeons & Dragonss World of Greyhawk campaign setting. It was published in 1992 by TSR as a boxed set of materials...
(TSR, 1993).