D&D General Dark Sun as a Hopepunk Setting

[Vaalingrade]

Appereantly nowadays yes, because implication and subtexts are just overread. People ask why we have to read literature and write interpretations in school, thats why.

Another example from recent memory that differs from your example: The Barbie movie. I actually enjoyed the first half, but the message was NOT subtle. Its like brute force satire. But they put anyway multiple monologues at the end where characters of the movie explained the intention of the movie directly to the camera, to the viewer. It felt laughable, I was annoyed and felt not taken seriously as a viewer. Again, the movie was not very subtle up until this point. But they had to do what you wish implicitly: Putting the authorial intent directly in the actual work, even adressing it directly to the viewer, it was almost a 4th wall break. They seemed to have the urge to remove any ambiguity and need for interpretation, which I think is just sad.

The sad part is, even that wasn't enough.

Heck, this year the makers of Joker burned their franchise to the ground to try to get through to the misaimed fandom and the Joker people completely no-sold it.

In media, first impressions, however wrong, have become permanent.

 

[Bae'zel]

I haven't yet caught up with this entire thread, but to respond directly to the OP:

Hopepunk, as a concept, is one in which hope is the core thrust of the story. Yes, you live in a horrible and dystopic place surrounded by great evils that seem insurmountable. But in spite of those evils you struggle and eventually thrive. You are able to be good in a place of darkness, and to make that place a little brighter for your presence. Given enough time, you'll save everyone and banish the darkness itself.

I just wanted to say that I love this term (Hopepunk). And it is exactly what I'm going for in my current Ravenloft campaign set in Falkovnia.

The PCs, outsiders from Toril (Faerun), are literally and figuratively "points of light" bringing hope to the downtrodden people of this Realm. They may even find a way to defeat the Dark Lord; although the Mysts will be striving to tempt them all along the way.

Purists will shudder at this, but my players truly love it, especially considering that they're all horribly stressed and anxious about life and the current state of the world. "Hopepunk" is just what we need.

Sorry for the almost too-naïve optimism in this comment.

 

[Steampunkette]

I haven't yet caught up with this entire thread, but to respond directly to the OP:

I just wanted to say that I love this term (Hopepunk). And it is exactly what I'm going for in my current Ravenloft campaign set in Falkovnia.

The PCs, outsiders from Toril (Faerun), are literally and figuratively "points of light" bringing hope to the downtrodden people of this Realm. They may even find a way to defeat the Dark Lord; although the Mysts will be striving to tempt them all along the way.

That sounds awesome!

Purists will shudder at this, but my players truly love it, especially considering that they're all horribly stressed and anxious about life and the current state of the world. "Hopepunk" is just what we need.

Purists can run their own game of Ravenloft.

Sorry for the almost too-naïve optimism in this comment.

Piffle and Poppycock. No optimism is naive. No Hope is naive.

 

[Gradine]

It almost seems, if WotC isn't going to tackle the setting, it might almost be more worthwhile to create a 5e OGL-compatible game as a spiritual successor beyond just a setting.

 

[Corinnguard]

It almost seems, if WotC isn't going to tackle the setting, it might almost be more worthwhile to create a 5e OGL-compatible game as a spiritual successor beyond just a setting.

Agreed. Which non-WoTC RPG company would everyone like to see as its' creator?

 

[Steampunkette]

It almost seems, if WotC isn't going to tackle the setting, it might almost be more worthwhile to create a 5e OGL-compatible game as a spiritual successor beyond just a setting.

I dunno...

I feel like A5e could contain it -really- well. The combat maneuvers and stuff for the martial types really play into the more over the top style of the setting and gladiatorial fights.

Could hand out extra exertion to all the martial types to play up the more "Gonzo" nature of things. Then have the Sorcerer and Wizard defile by default with preserving taking some extra effort... and then give them the ability to defile harder for -additional- power.

Warlocks, Paladins, Druids, Clerics, no defiling.

 

[Chaltab]

Could hand out extra exertion to all the martial types to play up the more "Gonzo" nature of things. Then have the Sorcerer and Wizard defile by default with preserving taking some extra effort... and then give them the ability to defile harder for -additional- power.

My take on that was to have Arcane casters use Spell point variant rules. Half the SP are defiler points, but you could take a minute out of combat to convert them to preserver spell points.

 

[Remathilis]

It almost seems, if WotC isn't going to tackle the setting, it might almost be more worthwhile to create a 5e OGL-compatible game as a spiritual successor beyond just a setting.

I would agree with you, but the 2024 DMG lists the setting amongst the "Worlds of D&D" list. It's the only setting as of that book that hasn't been previously in a product in 5e, including Wildemont and the MTG settings. That tells me Dark Sun isn't as dead a setting as WotC previously said, and that they are going to do something with it relatively soon.

(The other settings listed are GH, FR, DL, RL, SJ, PS, WM, Eberron, Theros, Ravnica and Strixhaven.)

 

[Charlaquin]

I think Dark Sun was very much influenced by Mad Max when it first came out. I really liked the recent movies of that franchise (Fury Road and Furiosa), even if they weren't exactly blockbusters.

…was Fury Road not a blockbuster? Maybe it’s the portion of the internet I hang out on, but I remember that movie being very well received both critically and commercially at release, and even the weirdos who were mad about a woman having the audacity to bark orders at Max were at least bringing attention to it.

 

[Zardnaar]

…was Fury Road not a blockbuster? Maybe it’s the portion of the internet I hang out on, but I remember that movie being very well received both critically and commercially at release, and even the weirdos who were mad about a woman having the audacity to bark orders at Max were at least bringing attention to it.

Good movie didn't do well at box office. It made money but wasn't a massive blockbuster.

Furious cratered comparatively.

People liked the movie.