DARK SUN - Most Used City?

[Wik]

So, I've been thinking a lot about DARK SUN lately, mostly reminiscing about past campaigns, and about where I want to take future campaigns.

I usually play in a sandbox-style DARK SUN game, with the PCs choosing their own paths. But, I've also manipulated these choices a bit in the past, pushing the PCs towards cities that I prefer (particularly Raam and Balic). I'm curious to see which cities were most commonly used in other DARK SUN games.

So, here's the main question: which city was the most frequently-occuring/visited city in your DARK SUN campaigns? Which one was the most-common backdrop throughout your campaigns?

That's the poll question. But here are some follow-ups. Which city do you think is the best for an ongoing urban campaign? For individual adventure use? As a villain (And I'm excluding Giustenal or Ur Draxa, here)? As a friendly home base for a "typical" Dark Sun campaign?

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

so far, poll suggests what my own prefferences favour: Dark Sun "classic" no damned metaplot messing it up, so, Tyr before the changes

Nibenay is fun I think, too

 

[I'm A Banana]

IMO? Tyr (pre-freedom) is to Dark Sun what Sigil is to Planescape, what Waterdeep is to FR, what Sharn is to FR. It's one of the cities that defines the nature of the setting the clearest. It's DS's iconic urban area.

Other stuff can be fun, but Tyr is pretty essential.

 

[physicscarp]

I used Raam pretty extensively in my 2E Dark Sun campaign. It was set post-Prisim Pentad, so the city was in chaos. There were so many factions, all struggling to not only gain power, but also survive, that I was able to develop any urban adventure that I wanted. I did drop some of the Indian cultural themes that the original box set mentioned.

Eventually, I wrote up a DM's guide to Raam incorporating the changes to my own homebrew version and created a map of the city. That campaign ended up running over three years. Those were good times.

 

[Wik]

I'm a bit surprised that so many people chose Tyr before the Freedom adventure (i.e., before it became a slave haven and "Free"). Or maybe I mistposted the question, and people are thinking "pre revised boxed set" and "post revised boxed set"? I dunno.

I always figured Tyr was meant to be a free-state. It always started as a typical state in my campaigns, but would change as the PCs acted throughout the campaign.

ANyways, to answer my own questions.

Raam is my most-used city-state, and I like how it works in an ongoing urban campaign because it's a larger city, and because the influence of the templars is smaller (thus allowing more criminal factions and the like). I think shadowy Nibenay is probably the best site for individual adventures - that city oozes flavour. But most of the cities work as good adventure sites. Draj makes the best "villain", since the idea of not only getting killed b ythe sorcerer king, but having your heart torn out in a sacrifice, is pretty effin' nasty. And the best "friendly" city-state is post-freedom Tyr, because it has all sorts of needs for PCs to do stuff, and because PCs can have an influence on their home a bit more easily. Gulg comes a close second.... or New Kurn, if you're running in that era (personally, I hate Kurn, but I can see why some people love its addition).

 

[Mouseferatu]

I always figured Tyr was meant to be a free-state. It always started as a typical state in my campaigns, but would change as the PCs acted throughout the campaign.

Yep, this is where I am. It's the only major change from the original set that I don't object to.

I think it's important to have one major city that doesn't follow the pattern of the others, in terms of having a sorcerer-king as the ultimate authority. It opens up adventure and plot potential that doesn't otherwise exist, without removing any story possibilities, because there are still half a dozen city-states where said stories can occur.

Now, that said, Tyr should not be a happy, cheerful place. It should (IMO) be a city of factions struggling to fill the power vacuum, rampant crime and corruption, and basically everything you expect from a nation whose government (however vile) has been toppled without anything solid put in its place. In many respects, a free Tyr is a more dangerous place than the cities still laboring under their sorcerer-kings.

 

[Klaus]

Now, that said, Tyr should not be a happy, cheerful place. It should (IMO) be a city of factions struggling to fill the power vacuum, rampant crime and corruption, and basically everything you expect from a nation whose government (however vile) has been toppled without anything solid put in its place. In many respects, a free Tyr is a more dangerous place than the cities still laboring under their sorcerer-kings.

Mouse got the right of it.

In fact, if the PCs were the ones to do the deed, "Freedom" would an even more awesome adventure.

 

[Wik]

See, I like the idea of the PCs NOT being the ones to do the deed. Hell, I like the idea of them being in another city-state when they hear the news that "Tyr is free". And then come onto the scene late, with about a half dozen factions sniping each other in the post-slaying chaos.

To me, that's a lot cooler than low-level PCs killing a sorcerer king with a magic spear. YMMV, and all that jazz, of course.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Now, that said, Tyr should not be a happy, cheerful place. It should (IMO) be a city of factions struggling to fill the power vacuum, rampant crime and corruption, and basically everything you expect from a nation whose government (however vile) has been toppled without anything solid put in its place. In many respects, a free Tyr is a more dangerous place than the cities still laboring under their sorcerer-kings.

(tryiing not to be political at all here)

I think with the modern history of Iraq, and what happened in the last few years there the new Devs could really play up what such a city state would be like. A consant civil war until someone comes to power...

 

[Mouseferatu]

(tryiing not to be political at all here)

I think with the modern history of Iraq, and what happened in the last few years...

Don't think I didn't have that firmly in mind when I wrote that post.

But even without getting into any sort of modern metaphor--which I think the writers should be careful not to do--the situation itself still stands.