DARK SUN - Your Plans?

[Wik]

Howdy. Returned from my long hiatus, because I've had this question burning in my coconut brain for some time now (since before DS was announced as the new setting, in fact). Namely - what will I do?

I've already established to my group that, once the books come out, we'll be ending our current campaign (and actually *ending* it, not just leaving the game suspended) and switching to Athas. Most of my group supports this - only two players are iffy about it, and that's because they like their current characters.

What concerned me at first was the idea of how the setting will be converted. While I've read a lot of good news about the DS 4e Conversion, I know there will be stuff I won't like. But, I hit a very simple solution... so simple, in fact, that it bugs me it didn't hit me sooner - I can ignore what I don't like. After all, there won't be a glut of DS products - probably just three (the DM guide, the Player's guide, and an adventure). Easy enough to fix.

Anyways, I'm Interested in hearing about other people's plans for how they want to run Dark Sun (and what they hope to see/plan on replacing).

 

[Keefe the Thief]

I´ll run the heavily modded FREEDOM flip-book module from the 1st box. I really liked how this module started: every player was going to be caught and put into the slave pens, and i plan to tell the players this up-front. However, a lot of NPCs who are going to be of core importance pop up during these "catch them!" sequences.

This means that the players´ actions during their "getting caught" sequence will earn them friends, enemies and contacts for the play in the slave pens.

After freeing themselves they are free to go and do what they want (lots of sand = sandbox), though i will allow them to discover stuff about Athas´ past as they travel and do what they do.

EDIT: and i´ll ignore that Baxa painted any pictures for the module. *blech*

 

[Wik]

What I'm planning is simple. I have a document that says, basically, "here is what I want in my Dark Sun campaign. If the published book goes against this, I will consider their point, but if I don't like it, here's how we're doing it". A few of my points:

1. Few races. Basically, the races that are in the Dark Sun original setting, and that's it. I like fewer, well-developed races over the kitchen sink approach. Personal opinion.

2. Weapon Materials. My approach, right now, is that weapons are metal, or non-metal. Non-metal weapons break on a critical fumble, and can't be replaced. As for magical weapons, non-metal magical weapons break on a critical fumble, but can be repaired during a short rest.

3. Armour Materials. Since magical armours don't really exist (see below), armour materials gets folded into the existing "armour material" scheme - just instead of elven chain, it becomes "Mekillot skin". Or something.

4. No magical item. Or the "mearls rule" - a low-magic solution put forward by Mearls. Armour, neck slot items, and weapons do not add an enhancement bonus to attack and damage... instead, that is automatically given to PCs as they level. Magical items of these sorts instead add daily powers (as listed), and perhaps a higher critical value.

5. No Packets. No treasure packets. Since item progression is folded into character advancement anyway, you don't need them. This also means that I can have the economy scale "realistically", and not around the PCs. I don't expect to see this in the books; I'll be doing it myself.

6. Defiling is easier than preserving. Needs to be in the game. Preservers should pay a price. But I also want defiling to be simple. I have a few ideas half-written, but I'll wait to see how it's officially handled before I bother.

 

[Derren]

Doesn't your list go directly against WotCs policy of "Everything is core", meaning that the new Dark Sun will contain everything which has been published already including gods, all magic items, warforged, etc.?

 

[Wik]

They said stuff that suggests that won't be the case. But what I'm saying is, if what wotc releases goes against my list, I'll follow my list. I'm not afraid to do a little work.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Unlike with FR, WotC doesn't have an excuse to add random races to Dark Sun, especially ones that have been wiped out.

Given the lack of planar connection, even the core race tieflings don't belong in the setting. WotC would have to seriously contort itself to allow them.

 

[Baron Opal]

I've been toying for the idea of adapting it, of all things. I really enjoy the Dark Border world by Paul Zimmer. The environment of Dark Sun would be a good fit for the devistation on the other side of the border.

Or, I might just run it as is. Although my son loves the dragonborn and gensai so there might be some withdrawl if I do that.

 

[Nifft]

My plans include:
- Buying the setting.
- Reading the setting.
- Drooling over the setting.
- Never playing the setting because we have two games going already which we quite like, and it seems like we have hardly any time anymore.
- Crying myself to sleep with the setting book under my pillow.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Crothian]

New races won't bother me. It's a buig desert and who knows what lies beyond the mountain range?

I run Dark Sun a lot like I run Thieves World. It is very gritty and day to day. Survival is part of the game and the players have to be prepared for that.

 

[drothgery]

Considering that most of my group rather liked prior editions of Dark Sun (though we've been mostly playing in Eberron since it launched), we had a rather fun 3.x Dark Sun game, and everyone seemed interested when they heard a 4e version was coming (though not everyone is an RPG news junkie who was following twitter feeds from GenCon ), what I think I'm going to do is

- follow the preview and playtest material pretty closely
- if I like what I see enough to think we'll actually be playing Dark Sun, buy the Player's Guide (if it's just something I'd raid for mechanics, well, I've got a D&Di subscription for that)
- if the 'rotating DM' thing we're experimenting with is still going on by next summer and so it looks like I might be DMing Dark Sun, buy the Campaign Guide