Dark Sun Preparation?

[Terramotus]

I've always loved the idea of Dark Sun. I have a couple of supplements from back in the 2E days, but never really had the chance to run it. My memories are also a little fuzzy due to my just getting into D&D at the time and being much younger. Well, now that 4E Dark Sun is coming out, I plan to run a huge campaign set it in it.

I know there are a lot of you out there with a great deal of knowledge of the setting. I'm in the process of acquiring a lot of the older material, but I'd like to put the question to you guys who have more experience with the products than I do: Which products or supplements are most crucial for getting that Dark Sun feel and inspiration?

The plan is to read through the old product, get a feel for the setting while designing the campaign, and then hopefully be in a state to run the setting when August comes around and I've got the 4E material in my hands.

So... novels, boxed sets, supplements, anything. What to you guys are the crucial bits of Dark Sun lore? Which products do you recall reading and thinking, "Damn, I really wan to play in / run a game in that setting."

 

[Xyxox]

I've got a copy of everything from the 2E run. I ran it for several years. Great fun!

The Prism Pentad is absolutely necessary.

The early stuff for the game was great, the later stuff, especially the revised boxed set, not so much.

 

[darjr]

Isn't the prism pentad comming back out in print? When is that?

 

[Terramotus]

I've got a copy of everything from the 2E run. I ran it for several years. Great fun!

The Prism Pentad is absolutely necessary.

The early stuff for the game was great, the later stuff, especially the revised boxed set, not so much.

I've heard that the Prism Pentad is awesome, and I've heard that it's an abomination that totally destroyed the game setting. I suppose something so polarizing would be a good start. If someone has a good explanation of why, it would be interesting to hear.

Also, I suppose it's worth expanding the scope of the original question a bit. Is there any non-Dark Sun material that's particularly useful? Maybe things that might have been original inspiration for the devs. Dune is the first thing that comes to mind in that regard.

 

[Wik]

Bah. Ignore the Prism Pentad. It's a novel series, not a game series, and it doesn't necessarily expand the setting so much as restrict it. Gah.

First, pick up the boxed set - the original set. For 4e purposes, it's a better buy, although that's not to say the revised setting sucks. There's a lot of flavour in both - the original, though, is probably a bit closer to what's coming out for 4e (in that the designers have stated they're working off the original set).

After that, you'll want to get stuff that's heavy in fluff, low on rules. There are quite a few good products out there, but in terms of sheer necessity...

First, you'll want "The Veiled Alliance". While it is built around the underground preservers in Athas, it is also the best introduction to all of the city-states, which is why it's a wonderful product. However, the Alliance campaign information is also friggin' amazing, and it can be the basis of an entire campaign - and one of the big problems with DARK SUN is trying to find a way to frame your adventures.

Second, I'd pick up the Ivory Triangle. It really goes into two cities - Nibenay and Gulg, and gives a lot of detail on the surrounding area (an area that is roughly in the centre of the campaign map). It's a good product for the "ideal DARK SUN" campaign - a combination of city intrigue and wilderness exploration.

Those are the absolute necessities, in my book. City State of Tyr is great for more city-based campaigning... Slave Tribes gives some detail on a major part of wilderness campaigns, Elves of Athas has some pretty good moments, and Valley of Dust and Fire is great if you like more high-powered stuff to throw at the PCs.

Mind Lords of the Last Sea and Windriders of the Jagged Cliffs kind of stray from the "Core" athasian experience, but I think both are interesting works - they just don't necesasrily mesh well with the rest of the campaign setting.

 

[Keefe the Thief]

The Prism Pentad is awesome if you want to
a) see an example how high-powered NPCs fight for the future of Athas and
b) want to get a feel for the world and
c) want to dive into the history of the world without reading a lot of supplements

If you feel that novel stories should be canon for the setting as in "this has happened / this has to happen" burn them BEFORE reading. But it´s not as bad as some make it out. If you look at them as an example of "what could happen" and then let your PCs choose their own path, they are a valuable resource. That TSR merged the novel stories into the world as canon, however, was beyond stupid.

Supplements you don´t need many: the first boxed set (ignore the second) is really enough.

 

[Jhaelen]

Bah. Ignore the Prism Pentad. It's a novel series, not a game series, and it doesn't necessarily expand the setting so much as restrict it. Gah.

I disagree. The Prism Pentad novels have been crucial for me to 'get' the setting. I don't think there's a better way to get a feel for it.

I agree with Keefe the Thief, though, that you should definitely _not_ treat them as canon.

 

[Keefe the Thief]

There are simply a lot of cool things to steal from the PP. The Pristine Tower as a kind of "mutation battery", responsible for all those new races coming out of the desert. The Scourge, with all it´s powers and drawbacks ("what do you mean, my supersword doesn´t harm this sorcerer king?!"). The way priests and their relationship to the elements work. What it feels like to be an half-elf on Athas. And the way the people on Athas look back into their lost past - especially that temple of the Ancients in UnderTyr and the vault below Kled.

The look on the faces of Athasian dwarves and muls when they find out (by looking at 1000-year-old paintings) that back then, dwarves had BEARDS! Priceless.

That´s enough to forgive space-halflings and setting-destruction, if you´re one of those DMs who can ignore what they read selectively. If you can´t, stay away from it.

 

[Scribe Ineti]

Isn't the prism pentad comming back out in print? When is that?

They're all in print now. All by Troy Denning:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Verdant-Passage-Prism-Pentad-Book/dp/0786950579/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265557727&sr=1-1"]1: The Verdant Passage[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Legion-Prism-Pentad-Book/dp/0786950587/ref=pd_sim_b_1"]2: The Crimson Legion[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Amber-Enchantress-Prism-Pentad-Book/dp/0786950595/ref=pd_sim_b_1"]3: The Amber Enchantress[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Obsidian-Oracle-Prism-Pentad-Book/dp/0786950609/ref=pd_sim_b_2"]4: The Obsidian Oracle[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Cerulean-Storm-Prism-Pentad-Book/dp/0786950617/ref=pd_sim_b_1"]5: The Cerulean Storm[/ame]

Fun reads. I'd recommend finding a copy of the original box set as well.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

I've dug out all my Dark Sun books in preparation for the upcoming campaign and was reading through Veiled Alliance.

I the book makes a bid deal of only good or neutral characters are allowed to join, defilers are never allowed to join, etc.

I realized that with 4e and no detect alignment, and with all arcane being able to defile or preserve at choice, it makes the job of confirming who joins much more interesting in ways I really like.