2010: Is it Dragonlance? (hint)

[rounser]

It could be Darklance. Or maybe, Dragon Sun. Two birds, one stone.

"Grim-n-gritty, post-apocalyptic enslaved desert world collides with high fantasy heroics world brimming with wacky comic relief sidekick races. Hilarity ensues."

 

[TwinBahamut]

It could be Darklance. Or maybe, Dragon Sun. Two birds, one stone.

"Grim-n-gritty, post-apocalyptic enslaved desert world collides with high fantasy heroics world brimming with wacky comic relief sidekick races. Hilarity ensues."

Over on the WotC boards someone posted an amusing idea of introducing Dark Sun as a form of post-apocalyptic Dragonlance, based on the idea that Dragonlance had one world-shattering event too many and the gods gave up on it, leading into a slide towards destruction. I think something like that would actually be able to get me into playing in the Dragonlance setting.

Seriously though, the only part of Dragonlance that I ever found interesting was the original novel trilogy, and even then I think it worked better as a single story than as a game setting. If WotC wants to release that setting for 4E, I think they really need to wind the clock back to those books, or simply reboot it entirely to create a situation resembling the war of the lance that allows more PC involvement. I mean, just like Eberron works because it has a central theme built on the threat of a resurgence of the Last War, Dragonlance could work by being a setting built around letting the PCs participate in the epic struggle between armies of good and evil in the War of the Lance. It is just about the only thing the setting has going for it.

 

[Henrix]

Uh, Dragonlance. Not my choice.

Oh, well, perhaps thay make something interesting for the PG. The setting is bland enough so that it could be used in about any other generic fantasy setting.

 

[AllisterH]

I have to agree...Dragonlance reads better than it plays..

 

[avin]

So, the mini hint was right, huh? I told you

Not a DL fan here but I do hope they at least give it a better graphic treatment. FR3E rocks but FR4E is visually horrible.

 

[Dausuul]

Over on the WotC boards someone posted an amusing idea of introducing Dark Sun as a form of post-apocalyptic Dragonlance, based on the idea that Dragonlance had one world-shattering event too many and the gods gave up on it, leading into a slide towards destruction. I think something like that would actually be able to get me into playing in the Dragonlance setting.

Ha, I posited something like that once. Of course, that was back in the 2E days before Dragonlance went nuts with the apocalyptic remodelings, so my theory was that Dark Sun was the final outcome of the "Raistlin kills all the gods" timeline.

If WotC wants to release that setting for 4E, I think they really need to wind the clock back to those books, or simply reboot it entirely to create a situation resembling the war of the lance that allows more PC involvement.

I think the latter is the more probable outcome. Turning the clock back would enable them to re-release the original module series, of course... but how do you run a module series when 80% of the gaming community has already read the plot in novel form?

 

[Dragonhelm]

I have to agree...Dragonlance reads better than it plays..

I've seen this sentiment over and over on this thread, and I have to ask if this is based on the original modules or not. For the critics who say it's a better novel world, have you given the 3.5 version a shot? Is it fear of messing with continuity that's holding some back?

I've not found it hard to play at all. In fact, I find it more enjoyable to play than most worlds. Now I understand that DL isn't for everyone, but why is this such a strong sentiment?

Just a curiosity on my part.

 

[rounser]

Just a curiosity on my part.

The thinking seems to be thus:

1) The setting's all about the heroes and events in the novels, therefore my PCs and what they do will be irrelevant, and eventually overwhelmed by canon events taking place in those novels.
2) The original Dragonlance modules are a railroad, and are basically playing out the novels (nevermind that the modules predate the novels). See point 1.

I don't agree entirely, but that seems to be the concensus.

 

[Dausuul]

I'd imagine Dark Sun is probably under consideration. It has a somewhat strong fan base, and it's usually counted among the good 2e settings. The only problem is trying to shoehorn core 4e classes and races into the DS setting; they tried that with the 3.5 stuff in Dragon, and it didn't go over well at all. If they're just doing limited support for setting with a player's guide, a DM guide and a module, and just continuing support through DDI, there shouldn't be any reason for them to not cut some of the core stuff out. It's better to present that stuff as options than say, "You have to use everything from this book if you want to use anything".

In many ways, I think 4E is a better fit for Dark Sun than 3E or even 2E were. Consider that 4E has:

• Stripped alignment mechanics from the game, so there are no longer classes that are required to be exemplars of virtue
• Changed the low-level "create food and drink"-type spells to rituals with a component cost, so they can't sustain a party indefinitely
• Generally reduced the ability of spellcasters to negate environmental hazards
• Made 1st-level characters tough and durable (the original Dark Sun boxed set started everyone at level 3 to achieve this)
• Introduced a PC race, the dragonborn, which are dead ringers for the Dark Sun dray
• Reduced magic item dependence, and made it possible to reduce it even further with simple adjustments
• Created the epic destiny system, which is a perfect fit for dragon (and avangion, if we must have avangions) metamorphosis

There really is very little in the 4E core books that would not fit quite well in Dark Sun - unless you adopt a purist, "If it wasn't in the original boxed set it is anathema and must be burned at the stake*!" attitude. Which is sadly common, but those people won't be happy with any re-release of an old setting.

I admit that tieflings and devas would require a little creativity. Still, tieflings could be explained as the result of years of exposure to defiling magic, and devas with their reincarnation shtick could work quite well as lonely idealists who remember the world as it was and keep trying to turn back the clock; they already have a kind of doomed nobility thing going on, which is the only kind of nobility Dark Sun's got.

Frankly, Dark Sun does not need to change all that much to fit the new D&D, because the new D&D has already changed to fit Dark Sun.

[SIZE=-2]*Of course, I am only speaking of 4E stuff here. Stuff from the novels and the revised boxed set is anathema and should be burned at the stake. Except dragon metamorphosis, that bit was cool, once you took out all the garbage about Rajaat.[/SIZE]

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Of course, I am only speaking of 4E stuff here. Stuff from the novels and the revised boxed set is anathema and should be burned at the stake. Except dragon metamorphosis, that bit was cool, once you took out all the garbage about Rajaat.

lol, agreed 100 and 1 %!!
Having established a wonderously baroque, different setting of tyranny, brutality and survival, which was awesome and completley un-like all the "Tolkein-esque" stuff, TSR turned around and made Tyr a DEMOCRACY WTH?!...
All to fit the novels which were decidedly iffy (nice flavour bakcgorund etc, but ruined the mystery and the Cleansing war precluded DM's use of many creatures etc) , omg...that was so lame, so I've always stuck with the 1st boxed set.

Same problem with Draognlance: shoe horning, driving the setting to novels, then again, Dragonlance modules were just spin offs, and frankly suck sweaty orc armpits!
(I had three of the "Dragons of Somehting or Other" modules, fyi)
At least the novels were good (some of them anyway)

So I do hope they kick the fans in the jimmy and bring out Dark Sun, or Spelljammer or Planescape, anything but Dragonlance or Greyhawk, 'cause both of them don't really offer anything very different or "fun".
Dragonlance, what's different: twoers of high sorcery/split magic users, and Raisitlin's funky eyes Oh and tinker gonmes, and too many folk seem to have forgtten D&D is about FUN and have thus retconned gnomes into being boring. Gnomes, to me, are most fun when juggling nitroglycerine and Fireballs, k?

Another issue that is important to me, is that the old settings had very defined art/styles, which was vital for their "feel".