Canonfire!

Sun Mar 18, 2012 2:41 am Rod of Seven Parts novel - is it canon?

Over at The Piazza, a thread was started about the Rod of Seven Parts novel (by Doug Niles). Someone wanted to know if it was set in Greyhawk.

The bibliography section of GLOG's Rod of Seven Parts article mentions Skip Williams boxed set, but not the novel that goes with it. Is this an oversight, or is there something in the novel that puts it beyond the scope of the wiki?

I mainly ask, as having read a few GH novels recently, I wonder if there might be some interesting factoids about the Rod in Doug's novel. (And given that the two Tomes products go together, I'd have thought they would both be canon, both be apocrypha or both be non-canon.)
_________________
David 'Big Mac' Shepheard<br />My Greyhawk links: http://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9355<br />(If I am not here, you can find me at the Greyhawk or Chainmail forums at The Piazza.)<br />

Sun Mar 18, 2012 3:15 am

It might be worth putting in the bibliography section, but I'd have to read it to know if it had any particular Greyhawk relevance.

The Rod of Seven Parts boxed set was generic, but the Battle of Pesh was subsequently canonized as taking place on Oerth. I don't have high hopes that a generic novel based on a generic adventure would have much of use in it, I wouldn't be against mentioning it in the bibliography for giggles.

Tue May 08, 2012 3:31 pm

I once read somewhere (it may have been on GreyTalk) years ago that novels were generally considered to have far less canonical value than modules.

I've yet to see any *Greyhawk* novel dubbed such by the powers that be, though there are bits & pieces from the novels that get worked into the canon (such as Evaleigh from the Gord novels). However, IIRC, much of our information about Azalin did originate in novels, though these were from the Ravenloft novel line & not GH (in truth, though his origins lie in the Flanaess, I don't think I've ever seen Azalin mentioned in any GH-branded product).

I think perhaps the best way to approach this on the wiki would be to identify any information found solely in a novel by citing the source.

For novel info that contradicts a module or sourcebook, I would not be adverse to mentioning it, but I would also clarify it by following it up with something like, "However, this is clearly contradicted by source x, which states that the battle took place in location y."

Sat Sep 22, 2012 2:13 am