Confused: Dark Sun Setting vs. Guide

[raindog308]

WOTC has published the Dark Sun Campaign Setting and the Dark Sun Campaign Guide.

I thought maybe the Guide was for players and the Setting for DMs, but I read that the Guide was a supplement to the Setting...? The names seem designed to maximize confusion.

The Guide seems different from the Creature Catalog, but on this list of 4e publications, the link for the guide goes to the creature catalog listing on Amazon. They do have cover art for a Dark Sun Campaign Guide, though...?

The WOTC web site seems to list the DS Setting and the Creature Catalog only.

 

[MerricB]

Last time I checked, the available products were the:

- Dark Sun Campaign Setting
- Dark Sun Creature Catalog
- Marauders of the Dune Sea (adventure)

There's no such thing as the "campaign guide". (Apparently, the main setting book was earlier referred to as the "Campaign Guide" instead).

Cheers!

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Yeah... previously the settings had a Player's Guide and a Campaign setting, with the first directed at players and the second at DMs.

Dark Sun decided not to go that way, but instead decided to release 2 DM focused books.

 

[raindog308]

Yeah... previously the settings had a Player's Guide and a Campaign setting, with the first directed at players and the second at DMs.

Dark Sun decided not to go that way, but instead decided to release 2 DM focused books.

Well, that's too bad, because separating the player section from the DM section is a good idea.

I guess my confusion was caused by the fact that there were pre-release pics of both a Campaign Setting and a Campaign Guide. I think the Guide may have morphed into the Creature Catalog.

 

[fuzzlewump]

[MENTION=95407]raindog308[/MENTION]

I liked it too, but I guess it led to repeat information and junk. Honestly, I wish they would publish more books so that there would be a Dark Sun Player's Guide and say an Eberron Monster Guide or some kind of specialized guide like in 3E. I'd buy it. But I guess it doesn't fit into WOTC production schedule.

 

[Plaguedguy]

While I can't judge the Dark Sun books (despite my best efforts my group had zero interest) as I don't own them, but from looking at the FR and Eberron guides I can agree there's a lot of geographical/political/social cross over through both books. It's necessary obviously. Players need to know that material as much as the DM does.

The major additions in the Player's Guides however are the new classes. Swordmage and Artificer each take up a good amount of pages.
It might be that because there's no new class in Dark Sun (that I know of) that Wizards just decided there wasn't the page count to warrant a separate book.

This is all of course just guesswork on my part. Not that it matters much since we're yet again switching to a new format for campaign settings after Gamma World.