[RPGA] Organized Play Support for Dark Sun

[Thaumaturge]

From today's RPGA Report (Subscription):

Dark Sun is the new hotness. Our 2010 campaign setting will be the exciting blasted world of Athas, making its long return from the annuals of the AD&D 2nd Edition days! Expect to see support from Organized Play as we get closer to the setting’s release.

So, do people take this to mean, as I do, that there will be some form of Linving Dark Sun campaign next year? I'm thinking it'll be something along the lines of Xendrik Expeditions: a two-year story arc.

Are there other interpretations I'm missing? (I'm sure there are)

Thaumaturge.

 

[Kralin Thornberry]

Probably (and more likely) a game day setting.

 

[Thaumaturge]

Ah, yes. A Game Day. I hadn't thought of that. Does that truly count as support? I'm not quibbling with your interpretation as much as their word choice if that is true.

/sigh.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Atras]

Ah, yes. A Game Day.

Well, there was the Delve Night program that Wizards ran for the first half of 2009. That was Organized Play, but not tied into any campaign/world and was random levels each month. I was hoping that GenCon would announce a new "Delve" program - something like 6 monthly mini-adventures, set in Eberron (or now, going forward, Dark Sun) where you have some small amount of character persistence from month to month. I still hope that is coming, but still no word...

 

[darjr]

Well, there was the Delve Night program that Wizards ran for the first half of 2009. That was Organized Play, but not tied into any campaign/world and was random levels each month. I was hoping that GenCon would announce a new "Delve" program - something like 6 monthly mini-adventures, set in Eberron (or now, going forward, Dark Sun) where you have some small amount of character persistence from month to month. I still hope that is coming, but still no word...

I think they did reboot the Delve... not recalling what it is called now. Unfortunately I do recall that they are only for events where WotC RPGA staff are attending.... like PAX and Gen-Con.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drrep/2009August

Note the blurb about the 'Ultimate' dungeon delve at PAX.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Ugh. I'm all for Dark Sun coming back, but this I'll need to see many more details before I'm going to think this is going to be beneficial to the setting.

 

[catsclaw227]

I don't know about you guys, but a Living Dark Sun sounds reaaaaaaalllly good to me.

 

[smerwin29]

I highly doubt there is going to be a Living campaign supporting either Eberron or Dark Sun anytime soon. Chris Tulach of the RPGA has said many times over the past year that right now the RPGA only has the resources to run one Living campaign well, and Living Forgotten Realms is going to be that campaign for the foreseeable future.

There are many other ways that the RPGA can support a setting: the D&D Delve that runs at conventions, the Ultimate Delve that runs at conventions, other one-shot adventures that are created for RPGA play, Worldwide D&D gameday adventures, etc.

The Delve night program was dropped a few months ago. The RPGA ran a pilot test of another similar program at a number of gaming stores subsequently, and plans are in the works for a program that would replace Delve night. That plan will be pilot-tested again to see if it meets the needs and expectations of the public venues at which it will play. If so, the full program will be rolled out.

Chris Tulach talked about some of this at one of the GenCon seminars. I'm not sure if notes regarding that seminar have been posted anywhere.

 

[kitsune9]

I think if the RPGA makes mention of the campaign, you can bet that they got a campaign arc in the works. I would have loved to play a Living Dark Sun or Living Planescape back in 3.x days. I missed out on Living Eberron and Living Green Regent.

 

[Thaumaturge]

I think if the RPGA makes mention of the campaign, you can bet that they got a campaign arc in the works.

This was my thought. I looked at the post-GenCon RPGA report from last year, and there is was no mention of Eberron. It was LFR only, which leads me to believe there is a different kind of support for Dark Sun than there was for Eberron.

Thaumaturge.