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How I'd rewrite Dark Sun... what changes would you make?
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<blockquote data-quote="humble minion" data-source="post: 8947661" data-attributes="member: 5948"><p>Cannibalism, yes. Slavery - I'm in two minds. If you're going to do it, you have to really research this history of slavery across history and go deeply how it fits into the different cultures of the citystates etc, and not just grab the setting assumptions from 60s gladiator movies and call it a day. I'd certainly include slavery in a campaign I ran, assuming my players would be ok with it, but i understand the counterarguments too, especially those about putting it in an official product line.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Yep. You need light to contrast the darkness, and to give something worth defending.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I like Lynn Abbey's idea here, where the sorcerer-kings would be just fine with the idea of BEING a dragon, but know that the process of BECOMING a dragon involves losing your mind agonisingly for many years (and probably getting killed by Borys before they can mature to rival his power). So they actively avoid progressing along the path to dragonhood - unless they think they can find a way to skip the nasty bits.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Yep. I liked how they did this in 4th ed. Dead Kalak means that Tyr is an easier starting point for low level characters, plus it adds a bit of variety to the city-states, and an impetus for war if that's the campaign you want to run. Though I'd make him dead a bit longer in the past. My idea of post-Kalak Tyr is kinda like the post-Reconstruction US South, where the slaves are technically free but the nobles etc are trying to reassert their authority and condemn ex-slaves to perennial second-class-citizenship using their hold on lawmaking institutions, and nighttime terror tactic.</p><p></p><p>I'd have to think about the exact mechanics, but agree that defiling should be a temptation available to any mage, at any time.</p><p></p><p>Yeah, that's fair. Some things are very unlikely to ever actually matter in a game. Rajaat is the biggest oldest cosmic horror the setting needs to think about, I reckon.</p><p></p><p>I'd keep Borys as an ascended sorcerer-king, and I'd keep the Dragon's Levy. It's such a great plot hook.</p><p></p><p>SOME preservers are actively trying to save the world. Others just just want to be able cast spells in peace without ruining their fields or arousing their neighbours into an angry mob by defiling the crops. Druids are the real crusaders to restore Athas.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes yes yes. The world is bigger than the Tyr Valley.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>That's a tougher sell for me. I'd have all sorts of creatures that people could make warlock pacts with, and certainly all sorts of pre-Cleansing Wars ancient temples etc, but actual gods, maybe not. They probably existed once, but they're dead now.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Able to grant spells, yeah. Practically immortal and enormously powerful, yeah. But also deeply flawed, ancient, jaded, callous, tired, possessive, controlling, sometimes petty and sometimes uncaring and sometimes cruel and vindictive. The scary thing about the sorcerer-kings is that they have the power of gods controlled by this ancient mortal mind that was never designed to see what it's seen, or live as long as it has, or handle the power under its control, or to do what it's done. Gods know how to be gods. The sorcerer-kings don't. They're still very human, which is why they're so awful.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Yeah. I mean, crops have to grow SOMEHOW if the population of the place is ever going to eat.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="humble minion, post: 8947661, member: 5948"] Cannibalism, yes. Slavery - I'm in two minds. If you're going to do it, you have to really research this history of slavery across history and go deeply how it fits into the different cultures of the citystates etc, and not just grab the setting assumptions from 60s gladiator movies and call it a day. I'd certainly include slavery in a campaign I ran, assuming my players would be ok with it, but i understand the counterarguments too, especially those about putting it in an official product line. Yep. You need light to contrast the darkness, and to give something worth defending. I like Lynn Abbey's idea here, where the sorcerer-kings would be just fine with the idea of BEING a dragon, but know that the process of BECOMING a dragon involves losing your mind agonisingly for many years (and probably getting killed by Borys before they can mature to rival his power). So they actively avoid progressing along the path to dragonhood - unless they think they can find a way to skip the nasty bits. Yep. I liked how they did this in 4th ed. Dead Kalak means that Tyr is an easier starting point for low level characters, plus it adds a bit of variety to the city-states, and an impetus for war if that's the campaign you want to run. Though I'd make him dead a bit longer in the past. My idea of post-Kalak Tyr is kinda like the post-Reconstruction US South, where the slaves are technically free but the nobles etc are trying to reassert their authority and condemn ex-slaves to perennial second-class-citizenship using their hold on lawmaking institutions, and nighttime terror tactic. I'd have to think about the exact mechanics, but agree that defiling should be a temptation available to any mage, at any time. Yeah, that's fair. Some things are very unlikely to ever actually matter in a game. Rajaat is the biggest oldest cosmic horror the setting needs to think about, I reckon. I'd keep Borys as an ascended sorcerer-king, and I'd keep the Dragon's Levy. It's such a great plot hook. SOME preservers are actively trying to save the world. Others just just want to be able cast spells in peace without ruining their fields or arousing their neighbours into an angry mob by defiling the crops. Druids are the real crusaders to restore Athas. Yes yes yes. The world is bigger than the Tyr Valley. That's a tougher sell for me. I'd have all sorts of creatures that people could make warlock pacts with, and certainly all sorts of pre-Cleansing Wars ancient temples etc, but actual gods, maybe not. They probably existed once, but they're dead now. Able to grant spells, yeah. Practically immortal and enormously powerful, yeah. But also deeply flawed, ancient, jaded, callous, tired, possessive, controlling, sometimes petty and sometimes uncaring and sometimes cruel and vindictive. The scary thing about the sorcerer-kings is that they have the power of gods controlled by this ancient mortal mind that was never designed to see what it's seen, or live as long as it has, or handle the power under its control, or to do what it's done. Gods know how to be gods. The sorcerer-kings don't. They're still very human, which is why they're so awful. Yeah. I mean, crops have to grow SOMEHOW if the population of the place is ever going to eat. [/QUOTE]
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