Picking Up Dark Sun, what do I need?

Melhaic · Jan 17, 2008

I want to run a 2e Darksun campaign. What books do I need? I've got all of the stuff to run 2e Player's Option (I've been running 3e for a while now, might be interesting to switch back), but have nothing on Darksun but interest. Thanks.

Crothian · Jan 17, 2008

First you need to decide if you want the early Dark Sun Boxed set or the revised on that changed a lot of things thanks to the novels.

Melhaic · Jan 17, 2008

I have no knowledge of either. Any suggestions?

Set · Jan 17, 2008

The Will and the Way made 2e Psionics actually kinda cool, including a system sorta like spell research that allowed a Psionicist to create custom powers.

Dragon Kings had a fair number of useful spells and further detailed the elemental priesthoods.

Those are the only two products, other than the boxed set, that I picked up, although I've read a friends Thri-Kreen of Athas and ended up not caring for it enough to buy my own copy.

Voadam · Jan 17, 2008

The first boxed set created a post apocalyptic land of desert wasteland city states ruled by 30th level psionic sorcerer kings. Everyone had 2e complete psionics handbook psionics, no metal, huge stats, and started at 3rd level. Races were more powerful, halflings were feared cannibals, elves were unscrupulous thieves, half giants and half dwarves were PC races. Lots of wierd bone or stone weapons. Clerics worshipped elemental powers or were bureaucrat minions of the sorcerer kings. Slavery was rampant. There was one dragon and the sorcerer kings offered him tribute yearly. Magic corrupted the land necromantically. High powered and brutal.

The revision killed off the dragon and a sorcerer king(s). There was a city state with no slavery. It used a PO version of psionics.

They helpfully had a distinctive visual cover style differentiation between the first set and the revised set that flowed onto each's modules and supplements so you could tell at a glance which went with which.

I really liked the original setting and was hugely dissapointed the first thing the novels did was to change important setting elements drastically.

Crothian · Jan 17, 2008

Melhaic said:
I have no knowledge of either. Any suggestions?

I'm curious if you have no knowledge of the main box sets what makes you want to run this as a campaign?

The first box set present the desert setting as a tough place to live with great sorcerer states and the one Dragon. The Revised has two of those cities free (I think) and the Dragon is dead and it really changed the world. I imagine a google search will find some good information on this.

Melhaic · Jan 17, 2008

The original sounds better, which is good since most of what I'm finding on eBay ia the original. I didn't even consider the Psionics Handbook, but feel stupid for not doing so. Off for another search...

Voadam · Jan 17, 2008

Immediate gratification, $4 a pop

http://paizo.com/store/downloads/wizardsOfTheCoast/aDAndD2/darkSun

Note the different logos for what goes with which boxed sets.

The deck of psionic cards is nice too.

I never got any of the adventures but I like a lot of the supplements.

recommendations in descending order

Campaign setting to start

psionics handbook

MC I and II for strange tough psionic monsters. Lots of fun things in these.

Dragon Kings for stuff past level 20.

Will and the Way or deck of psionic cards for great psionics expansion including dark sun version archetypes for psionic combat attack and defense maneuvers.

Earth, Air, Fire, Water

Thri-Kreen of Athas

Elves of Athas

Dune Trader for info on merchant houses and trade routes

Veiled Alliance for the non corruptively necromantic secret society of renegade mages.

Melhaic · Jan 17, 2008

Thanks for the link: my geek fix has been satiated for today! I would have my imaginary character buy your imaginary character a imaginary beer, but then we'd have to kill stuff and take its stuff and my health insurance just expired...

Spell · Jan 17, 2008

Melhaic said:
I want to run a 2e Darksun campaign. What books do I need? I've got all of the stuff to run 2e Player's Option (I've been running 3e for a while now, might be interesting to switch back), but have nothing on Darksun but interest. Thanks.

unless you have only the player's option books, i would go:

core AD&D.
psionics handbook.
original dark sun boxed set.

if you want a setting rulebook, you can get: the will and the way (excellent for psionic heavy campaigns) or dragon king (i am not 99% sure it's the correct name, but it should be. sorry, it's been a looooong day).

if you want a setting "fluff" book, don't buy anything. first read the boxed set and then decide where you want to set your campaign. in some of the sourcebooks, the world might be slightly different (to accomodate the changes in the metaplot), but unless you get those published for the revised boxed set (i think from thri kreen of athas onwards), you can ignore the changes fairly easily, if you want (as far as i can remember).

i suggested you to go with the original boxed set because, in my opinion, is more evocative, and leaves more options to the DM. the revised set is cool, too... but there were a LOT of changes to the setting, and if you happen to like the hammered in metaplot (i personally think it went way out of hand, at some point), you might end up wasting your 5 dollars (assuming you're buying the PDF).

as for what the metaplot is, you should get the first five books published for the setting. even if you decide the ignore the story, the background information alone is well worth the buy, in my opinion.

PS: i suggested to do without the player's option books because, especially for skills and powers, you would have some conversion work to do: why bother, if you can run the campaign out of the box as it is?

PPS: if you have access to old Dragon issues, i remeber there was a terrific article on preservers using defiling powers (akin to jedi messing with the dark side, if you wish) around issue 202... i'm not totally sure of the issue number, but i have a vision of the cover in my head...

PPPS: if that is ACTUALLY the issue with the article, i am officially a geek. scary.