D&D General Dark Sun as a Hopepunk Setting

[Gradine]

So let's say that Wizards is not interested in either (a) making Dark Sun things themselves and/or (b) not interested in opening it up for the DM's Guild. How would we go about making something along these lines but with enough of the serial numbers filed off to stave off the copyright gremlins. The questions then become:

1) Which serial numbers need to be filed off?
2) What would we potentially replace them with?
3) Would such an endeavor still be worthwhile without the specific Dark Sun branding?

 

[Steampunkette]

If we're wishlisting? Sure, then that's fine.

Oh. It's just part of the OP. Though I called it the "Chronicler's Guide".

This phrasing reminds me of my first RPG setting:
View attachment 388876

One thing I'd want to be careful of in a hopeful Dark Sun is to not shy away from how bad things are. Have hope despite the terrible situation. The vibe needs to be right. I feel like an adventure wheelchair isn't something that's believable in the universe (not enough wood or metal to make one, and bone doesn't come in disks), but perhaps a person who's unable to walk could get a psychic crystal empowered by the hopes of a similarly disabled esper, who crafted it to grant telekinetic movement to those who otherwise might be abandoned.

I'd want to punch the grimdark until it bleeds sunlight, but I still want the grimdark there.

Could strap yourself to a Crodlu or Kank. Or you could use the carapace plates of a Mellikot for materials to make a crude wheelchair.

Or you could use the back-plate of a Kank as a disk with a crude stool lashed to it and a pair of skis to slide over sand.

Lots of options!

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

So let's say that Wizards is not interested in either (a) making Dark Sun things themselves and/or (b) not interested in opening it up for the DM's Guild. How would we go about making something along these lines but with enough of the serial numbers filed off to stave off the copyright gremlins. The questions then become:

1) Which serial numbers need to be filed off?
2) What would we potentially replace them with?
3) Would such an endeavor still be worthwhile without the specific Dark Sun branding?

Why not just create a setting that was loosely inspired by Dark Sun?

I would avoid any use of "Dark Sun" (duh) as well as any specific names from the setting.

But tropes? No worries there.

 

[Gradine]

Why not just create a setting that was loosely inspired by Dark Sun?

I would avoid any use of "Dark Sun" (duh) as well as any specific names from the setting.

But tropes? No worries there.

Yeah, I think there are plenty of tropes that would be fully copacetic. Psionics, for instance. The deserty-swords-and-sorcery trappings? Fair game for sure. But defiling? Dragon sorcerer-king tyrants? Cannibal halflings? Half-dwarf slaves? Where exactly is the line? Is it really just the Proper Nouns?

 

[Charlaquin]

Jeremy, I know you’re reading this, please for the love of Pelor hire this woman!

 

[Steampunkette]

So let's say that Wizards is not interested in either (a) making Dark Sun things themselves and/or (b) not interested in opening it up for the DM's Guild. How would we go about making something along these lines but with enough of the serial numbers filed off to stave off the copyright gremlins. The questions then become:

1) Which serial numbers need to be filed off?
2) What would we potentially replace them with?
3) Would such an endeavor still be worthwhile without the specific Dark Sun branding?

Well... Here's the rub.

The ATMOSPHERE we could steal whole cloth. Mad Max, Waterworld, a thousand other knock-ons and even tiny media bits, here and there, in other TV series which lampoon the postapocalyptica.

But...

Yeah, I think there are plenty of tropes that would be fully copacetic. Psionics, for instance. The deserty-swords-and-sorcery trappings? Fair game for sure. But defiling? Dragon sorcerer-king tyrants? Cannibal halflings? Half-dwarf slaves? Where exactly is the line? Is it really just the Proper Nouns?

Names mostly. Names and specific identities. Desert Running Elves who never tire is pretty much a unique Identity within a product. Same thing with the Mul being half-dwarves who can't have children and combine all the best traits of humans and dwarves.,

Sorcerous Tyrants we could pull off pretty easily. Though having them working to become dragons, specifically, really dares the third rail. Better to have some different goals.

But the vibe, the idea of defiling, things like that? We could do with different names.

Though I'd also just write a whole new history, myself, and ditch the whole "Secret Tyrant Borys" angle for something different while maintaining the vibes.

The big question is whether or not we'd want to stick with Environmentalism as the core theme or move to a more Anticapitalist allegory in the modern day. One of those two things sells a lot better, lately, after all!

Jeremy, I know you’re reading this, please for the love of Pelor hire this woman!

D'awwwww... Shucks.

 

[Savage Wombat]

I wouldn't mind just seeing a guide to creating a hopepunk setting - considering how, in terms of the DM's world-building, you're still building a dark world full of dark things, and expecting the players to do the "hope" part.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Yeah, I think there are plenty of tropes that would be fully copacetic. Psionics, for instance. The deserty-swords-and-sorcery trappings? Fair game for sure. But defiling? Dragon sorcerer-king tyrants? Cannibal halflings? Half-dwarf slaves? Where exactly is the line? Is it really just the Proper Nouns?

I don't want to go through the whole thing, but "defiling" would be fine. Dark Sun cribbed it from The Land (Covenant Second Series). Honestly, some could make the point that Dark Sun is just a simplified version of that series (it lacks the other effects of the Sun Bane).

But an apocalyptic desert setting with magic that defiles is basically just '70s environmentalism in fantasy trappings. I would go with the themes and tropes of that (and sword and sorcery) and go a different direction on the Big Bads and the ... uh .... cannibal halflings.

thinking. Weirdly, not even close to the worst race! I'm looking at you, kender. Gully dwarves. And the 3,938 varieties of soulless, dead-eyed elves.

Heck, if you promise to get rid of Bards and Elves, I will contribute to the Kickstarter!


ETA- I just realized that a dystopian setting wouldn't remove bards; it is probably dystopian because of them. CURSES!

 

[Chaltab]

My Dark Sun game was kind of like this. The party accidentally started a slave rebellion in Walis when they sold a giant iron spike from a green age trap to the enslaved gold miners. Turns out a few iron weapons was all the slaves needed to start the revolt they've been planning. They even started flying the House Wavir flag since the party face was a house agent, much to the agent's chagrin.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Well... Here's the rub.

The ATMOSPHERE we could steal whole cloth. Mad Max, Waterworld, a thousand other knock-ons and even tiny media bits, here and there, in other TV series which lampoon the postapocalyptica.

But...

Names mostly. Names and specific identities. Desert Running Elves who never tire is pretty much a unique Identity within a product. Same thing with the Mul being half-dwarves who can't have children and combine all the best traits of humans and dwarves.,

Sorcerous Tyrants we could pull off pretty easily. Though having them working to become dragons, specifically, really dares the third rail. Better to have some different goals.

But the vibe, the idea of defiling, things like that? We could do with different names.

Though I'd also just write a whole new history, myself, and ditch the whole "Secret Tyrant Borys" angle for something different while maintaining the vibes.

The big question is whether or not we'd want to stick with Environmentalism as the core theme or move to a more Anticapitalist allegory in the modern day. One of those two things sells a lot better, lately, after all!

D'awwwww... Shucks.

becoming more than mortal is cheap concept wise cut out dragons and make your own showpiece monster?