D&D 5E Assuming Dark Sun is on the horizon, what are your worries?

[QuentinGeorge]

My main worry is if it doesn't feel like Dark Sun. Dark sun has the gritty/harsh/brutal ambiance to it and that is what attracts me utterly to it. If it doesn't have those vibes, it hasn't done it's job quite right, for me.

I'm such a fan of this setting, if it ever comes out, I will get giddy whatever the outcome.

But, finger's crossed.

That was a risk in 2nd Edition as well. It's simple for casters to create water and food in the RAW. I imagine you can handle it in 5th edition the same way it was in 2nd.

 

[Coroc]

That was a risk in 2nd Edition as well. It's simple for casters to create water and food in the RAW. I imagine you can handle it in 5th edition the same way it was in 2nd.

But that would be so grognard? Wouldn't it? You could not combine it with all the other neat products then, what if I wanted to make a crossover with Ravnica? Wouldn't that be so modern and diverse?
Lol I'm just kidding, I had to

 

[Bitbrain]

I'm worried this board is going to explode in nerdrage when they find WotC's vision is closer to the 4e reboot than the 2e box set.

I also worry when they find out it will be another D&D setting rather than some D&D hardmode.

Well, the bit in Princes of the Apocalypse about playing the adventure in Dark Sun describes the setting’s history as “the Dawn War happened here, but the gods lost. As the ages passed and the world became a desert, evil Sorcerer-Kings rose to power.”

So, I suspect they have always planned to incorporate at least some of the lore from the 4e Campaign setting.

My main worry is if it doesn't feel like Dark Sun. Dark sun has the gritty/harsh/brutal ambiance to it and that is what attracts me utterly to it. If it doesn't have those vibes, it hasn't done it's job quite right, for me.

I'm such a fan of this setting, if it ever comes out, I will get giddy whatever the outcome.

Well, I recently concluded a homebrew game heavily based on Dark Sun that my players certainly felt was harsh, brutal, post-apocalyptic, and a desperate struggle to survive.
It may not have been Dark Sun, but I like to think that it was close enough to it in spirit, given what is currently possible with standard 5e.

Whenever they killed ANYTHING (except humanoids. Only the halfling would eat the dead humanoids) they would ask if it was safe to eat, and could they do so? They were concerned about dying of heatstroke, and absolutely terrified of starving to death.
They would oftentimes look at each other across the table and say things like “just what the heck happened to this world? What kind of people or person would ruin their planet with such an utter disregard for the future?”

And yet, when the campaign ended (and I started a new game set in Eberron), there was a moment where the players all looked at me and asked if we would ever be returning to that “Desert World”, because they had grown to love it.

 

[NaturalZero]

I'm worried this board is going to explode in nerdrage when they find WotC's vision is closer to the 4e reboot than the 2e box set.

I also worry when they find out it will be another D&D setting rather than some D&D hardmode.

I liked the original 2e boxed set and the 4e reboot. I'd be upset if it actually looked more like the late 2e Dark Sun than the 4e version.

 

[Coroc]

What I also do worry is that, even if they do everything quite right they do not exclude certain classes and spells which make environmental challenges trivial. Also with psionics I hope they do not introduce psychoportation since this is the same. Even at high levels the environment should be a challenge for DS players. It should never be trivial to cross the desert by flying over it or teleporting instead or having a leomonds luxurious shelter filled with heroes feast every evening or if mob infested a hewards instant fortress or what this spells name was or a climbing roper with an extradimensional hole to hide for the night or similar shenanigans.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

What I also do worry is that, even if they do everything quite right they do not exclude certain classes and spells which make environmental challenges trivial. Also with psionics I hope they do not introduce psychoportation since this is the same. Even at high levels the environment should be a challenge for DS players. It should never be trivial to cross the desert by flying over it or teleporting instead or having a leomonds luxurious shelter filled with heroes feast every evening or if mob infested a hewards instant fortress or what this spells name was or a climbing roper with an extradimensional hole to hide for the night or similar shenanigans.

5th edition is probably better suited than 2nd. 2nd edition had wizards at high level doing pretty much anything. The rules really weren't suited at all for a survival style game.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

I'm not worried at all. As long as Dark Sun is added to the list of content that can be created under DMs Guild, I could care less what they with it for 5e. I (and others) will be able to make our own corrections, changes, and supplements to create the version we want to play at our own tables.

 

[dave2008]

Far from on the horizon, I'm increasingly convinced that there will never be a D&D 5e version of Dark Sun - indeed it's not possible within the 5e design ethos.

I would argue it is not possible with the 5e designer's ethos. The 5e game can definitely support DS, because it can support rather large changes and work just great. However, I think the D&D team isn't willing to make those changes at this point. Maybe down the road, but I see no evidence of that currently.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I'm worried they will still lack decent maps.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I have seen, and the action figures of Hanna-Barbera cartoon "Pirates of Dark Waters", with a look as Dark Sun was produced by Hasbro. Warner may be very jealous about its trademarks, but maybe Hasbro could talk to suggest a reboot of the serie. Now it's a dead franchise. Where would be the risk? Not it is perfect to send a message about pollution and being responsible to take care our ecosystem.

* I dare to say Hasbro may be plans about an adaptation of Dark Sun as videogame. This means paying more money for designer artists. Even somebody would like to work in this project as a great opportunity to promote himself. My mind is also open to the idea of a future adaptation on the screen, maybe after a episode of Magic: the Gathering set in Kaladesh.

* I am also sure we will see some retcons about certains details, for example the new races. Sometimes the retcons in the remakes are unavoidable. We should worry more about the coherence between the new and the old elements.

* 3rd Party companies could publish their own ersatz or spiritual successor of Dark Sun. For example "Dragon Kings" by Soldier-Spy.

* Sorcerer-kings wouldn't be very happy if gods from outer worlds used Athas as a cosmic firewall against an invasion of "contagious" creatures from the Far Realm.

* The time-travel is canon in Athas, and also in Magic: the Gathering. You can imagine what this could mean.

* After the first book we will see some titles about crunch and modules, but the metaplot will be stopped for more time. Maybe a module will be about Kalidnay, the dark domain in the demiplane of dread (Ravenloft). It would be if some supernatural conspiration fails and a planar portal between Kalidnay and Athas was in the land of the deads.

* Maybe we will see in the future crossovers about pocket universes as bridge bubbles, demiplanes (maybe within the feywild, "the land within wind"?) linking different worlds, for example the hollow world of Mystara or the island of Jakandor. Fun? Try to stop defilers to invade and taint other lands.