Top Ten Reasons to Buy Sandstorm

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/news/20050307news

Interesting to see that Touchstones are making a reappearance. I don't mind them as much as others seem to, though. I have a feeling I'm going to have to pick this up, though, as I loved Frostburn and I'm a sucker for even slightly Egyptian stuff.

 

[Orius]

Could be interesting, as long as they don't overdue the Egyptian/Arabian themed stuff. There's more to desert campaigns then those two cultural archetypes, to the point where vaguely Middle Eastern stuff becomes nearly cliched.

 

[Jdvn1]

Does anyone else find a War Camel as amusing as I do?

 

[Crothian]

Fear the War Camel. I wonder if that's one hump or two?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Does anyone else find a War Camel as amusing as I do?

"Watch out, they spit!" [/Genie]

 

[Snapdragyn]

I have to say I'm a little disappointed already, just from the bit in the previews that talked about deserts being the result of 'ecologies gone awry' (or however they phrased it). While wastelands certainly CAN result from that sort of thing (OK dustbowls, for example), most deserts are natural features with their own thriving (if sparse) ecology. Quite a few deserts are even fairly well vegetated with drought-resistant plants; I've been in the desert around Tucson that has so many cacti & mesquite that it looks like shrubland instead of the common cultural 'desert' archetype of bare earth or sand.

 

[Jdvn1]

Thank you for the Aladdin reference. I didn't need to remember Robin Williams as a big blue guy with no shirt.

 

[Jdvn1]

I have to say I'm a little disappointed already, just from the bit in the previews that talked about deserts being the result of 'ecologies gone awry' (or however they phrased it). While wastelands certainly CAN result from that sort of thing (OK dustbowls, for example), most deserts are natural features with their own thriving (if sparse) ecology. Quite a few deserts are even fairly well vegetated with drought-resistant plants; I've been in the desert around Tucson that has so many cacti & mesquite that it looks like shrubland instead of the common cultural 'desert' archetype of bare earth or sand.

Eh, it's a color thing. Most societies don't gather at exceedingly dry spots. The Sahara used to be a forest, though.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I have to say I'm a little disappointed already, just from the bit in the previews that talked about deserts being the result of 'ecologies gone awry' (or however they phrased it). While wastelands certainly CAN result from that sort of thing (OK dustbowls, for example), most deserts are natural features with their own thriving (if sparse) ecology. Quite a few deserts are even fairly well vegetated with drought-resistant plants; I've been in the desert around Tucson that has so many cacti & mesquite that it looks like shrubland instead of the common cultural 'desert' archetype of bare earth or sand.

You have to remember that this is fantasy. Realism takes a back seat to stereotypes, archetypes, and good old fashioned cheesiness.

And in the case of deserts, they are wastelands of nothing. Me, I like it.

 

[MerricB]

Yay! The return of planar touchstones!

Cheers!