How grim and hopeless is Midnight?

[Ashrem Bayle]

Thanks alot Ash. See if I do anything nice for you ever again!

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Thanks alot Ash. See if I do anything nice for you ever again!

 

[coyote6]

Now that said, doing something like dismantling the Night Kings, defeating Izrador, or letting the old gods back into the world (disabling the Veil) will definitely take away Midnight's main strengths. Those types of victories might be ok if you never plan to run or play in the game again.

I don't see why you couldn't run an epic campaign where the PCs lift the Shadow in some way, then later run another campaign set in Midnight, ignoring the first campaign. You can use the setting multiple times without having each campaign connected to one another.

 

[Ran]

I don't see why you couldn't run an epic campaign where the PCs lift the Shadow in some way, then later run another campaign set in Midnight, ignoring the first campaign. You can use the setting multiple times without having each campaign connected to one another.

The problem with that approach would be two, in my perspective:

1. The campaigns would always be the "save Eredane from Izrador style which would be boring after two or three, if not a complete frustration sicne it is not easy to think too many different approaches to the same thing with the same players...

2. The world would lack the thrill (is this word correct here?) and the dinamism that it would have if you make a campaign based on vicotries of heroes over the forces of the shadow with many campaigns resulting in a living world with more heroes every new campaign... a resistance of all sorts.

Anyway I love midnight...

Wil I hope we see many more good produts signed by you! And surely you deserved mroe than a level for this setting...

 

[Kai Lord]

Midnight sounds kind of like a traditional fantasy version of the original Star Wars films, with the PC's being the equivalent of rebels and smugglers and such. That's cool. I also was wondering if it was Cthulu-esque, ie "congratulations, for your great victory you are awarded with the knowledge that all gain is pointless and you're going to die anyway, make an insanity check!"

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

True. At least in Midnight there is a chance, albeit a very slim one, that the champions of evil can be defeated and driven back. On Athas, even defeating ALL the 'big bad nasties' still means your screwed.

On the other hand, most the truely big baddies in Dark Sun were once humans - and in theory, you could become just as strong as they are. In Midnight, however, there's not really any chance of ever becoming as powerful as Izrandor.

Midnight is about facing overwhelming evil - all the people of the world are suffering under the Shadow through no or little fault of their own. Dark Sun is about facing the human weaknesses in all of us - humans created this wasteland, and it is up to them to put it right again, because there is simply no one else who is going to do it.

All in all, I'd say that Dark Sun is less hopeless than Midnight - you can become a true force for change for the better if you try hard enough.

 

[Nifelhein]

Midnight sounds kind of like a traditional fantasy version of the original Star Wars films, with the PC's being the equivalent of rebels and smugglers and such. That's cool. I also was wondering if it was Cthulu-esque, ie "congratulations, for your great victory you are awarded with the knowledge that all gain is pointless and you're going to die anyway, make an insanity check!"

Well just to make sure I am the Ran up there ok, just changed user IDs my sign says it.

Midnight is not hopeless it is about giving hope to those who lost, the war is lost but there is still much to fight for, the least of it your own life.

It is difficult to define which one is hopeless above the other (DSun or Midnight) since both make epic enemies on the "dark side" and in my opinion it is much more closer to what many pwople have said:

The designers seem to have started with the statement What would the world be if Sauron won the war

It seems more accurate on the idea that both Sauron and Izrador can be defeated but while the later is a god itself the former was beaten and just reformed or the like, Izrador enjoys the victory Sauron never did, mostly because Sauron was definetely defeated and Izardor was not...

Anyway I can say that I don't see Midnight as hopeless, saving lifes, freeing cities or estabilishing countries are victories and while it does not destrtoy the Shadow it surely creates a better plaace to live and many more to protect...

Just my opinion though!

 

[Chingerspy]

Agreed. Midnight is all about hope. The characters are the heroes of the world, without them and others like them the lands would be helpless/hopeless against the tyranny of Izrador.

I am not sure about grim either. Certainly there are grim themes in the game setting. That is what makes it so interesting for me though! Imagine the elation of townsfolk when the heroes thwart a seemingly unopposable evil for them or recover a long lost magical item that may return water to the dried up river running through a parched town, etc...

I just got the setting yesterday but have been totally engrossed in the mainbook ever since. Boy am I glad I bought the entire game line along with it On with the reading, then lets see if I can get anyone to play in London!

Respec FFG!

 

[AshremBayle@Home]

All you newcomers, make sure you check out www.againsttheshadow.org

There you will find the biggest group of Midnight fanatics the net has ever seen.

 

[Chingerspy]

Already there dude, still waiting for my account password to arrive

I am going to attend the Dragonmeet Convention in London in December. Asked about running/playing a Midnight game there already. See how things go...