D&D 2E Darksun 30th anniversary article from comicbook.com

[Yaarel]

Wait. To clarify.

Dark Sun is one of the settings of the DMs Guild that is ok to create content for?

 

[darjr]

Wait. To clarify.

Dark Sun is one of the settings of the DMs Guild that is ok to create content for?

No, unfortunately.

Your work can use any of the 5th Edition D&D rules published by Wizards of the Coast, plus decades of published material for the Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, Ravnica, and Theros settings.

Content and Format Questions

What can I use in my titles on the Dungeon Masters Guild? When you create your own title for the Dungeon Masters Guild, you get access to a hoard of resources. Your work can use any of the 5th Edit...

support.dmsguild.com

 

[Yaarel]

No, unfortunately.

Your work can use any of the 5th Edition D&D rules published by Wizards of the Coast, plus decades of published material for the Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, Ravnica, and Theros settings.

Content and Format Questions

What can I use in my titles on the Dungeon Masters Guild? When you create your own title for the Dungeon Masters Guild, you get access to a hoard of resources. Your work can use any of the 5th Edit...

support.dmsguild.com

Ok. The interviewer seemed to interpret that one could submit Dark Sun content to DMs Guild, but thanks for clarifying, not yet.

 

[darjr]

Ok. The interviewer seemed to interpret that one could submit Dark Sun content to DMs Guild, but thanks for clarifying, not yet.

Oh!

I’ll edit my post but that interview was from 2013 before there was a 5e. Or a DMsGuild.

edit: I thought Yaarel meant the video not the article.

 

[Yaarel]

Oh!

I’ll edit my post but that interview was from 2013 before there was a 5e. Or a DMsGuild.

Specifically, near the end of the article says this:

"Now, through D&D Beyond, the Dungeon Masters Guild, and various other online websites and communities, it's easier than ever to share ideas for a new Dark Sun."

But DMs Guild doesnt yet allow "ideas for a new Dark Sun".

 

[darjr]

O

Specifically, near the end of the article says this:

"Now, through D&D Beyond, the Dungeon Masters Guild, and various other online websites and communities, it's easier than ever to share ideas for a new Dark Sun."

But DMs Guild doesnt yet allow "ideas for a new Dark Sun".

h the article, not the video. Duh!

yea, no DarkSun on DMsGuild. Yet. I hope!

 

[darjr]

See Teos site about getting the Ashes of Athas

Ashes of Athas | Alphastream

Launched at the Winter Fantasy convention (then called D&DXP) in January of 2011, Ashes of Athas was a 4E D&D organized play campaign set in the world of Dark Sun. Each adventure advances t…

alphastream.org

 

[Alzrius]

There is this post on reddit that seems pertinent.

Both that the space of Athas was lost or way to far away or the sphere was closed to all spelljammers. Maybe a bit of both.

That quote from CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook is, take note, ambiguous about whether or not Athas can be reached via Spelljamming. The more definitive quote is from Defilers & Preservers: The Wizards of Athas, which says (via the sidebar on page 10):

Barriers exist between Athas and other places. In the case of other planes of existence, the Gray impedes travel. In the case of other places in the Prime Material Plane, the crystal sphere surrounding Athas is impenetrable. Consequently, travel via spelljamming is impossible, and planar travel is much more difficult.

When it comes to magical means of planar travel, the buffer formed by the Gray imposes some restrictions. Both wizard and priest spells that provide access to or contact with other planes, from astral spell to gate to planeshift, require an additional check to see if the energy of the spell cuts through the barrier formed by the Gray.

A priest reaching out to his patron element doesn’t need to make this check. Other characters modify the check by adding their level to the number rolled. For example, if a 9th-level preserver casts contact other plane, he adds +9 to the check.

The same holds true for those trying to contact or reach Athas. The barrier formed by the Gray impedes travel in both directions.

It then goes on about the percentage chances of being able to navigate to/from Athas successfully, and what happens on a failed check. So it's clearly possible.

Nor is that the only Dark Sun product to note that the setting exists within a larger cosmology. DSE2 Black Spine is about a githyanki invasion from the Astral Plane, and as I recall DSM2 Merchant Houses of Amketch acknowledged that what Forbidden Lore boxed set had said about Kalidnay being in Ravenloft. City By the Silt Sea had Dregoth, the undead Dragon King, returning after a centuries-long sojourn through the Outer Planes, learning about the gods that people on other worlds worshiped.

Please note my use of affiliate links in this post.

 

[AtomicPope]

I really, really like the idea and setting of Dark Sun.
I have no ideas for a campaign that I would actually want to run there, though.

The easiest way to build a campaign is to find a theme you really like and explore it. This is a good way to discover ideas you want to delve into more deeply.

What do you like about Dark Sun?

• Despots - This is an easy one. Often, DMs choose where the NPCs side to fit their narrative. It's a style of play for NPCs and social settings and can be adapted from any module.
• Desert - I've found that arctic adventures more easily convert to desert since terrain and weather are already made prominent. Just swap the survival mechanisms.
• Desolate - Lots of classic adventures take place in forbidden regions, lost cities, and faraway places. By contrast, social settings are far more prominent in modern adventures where hobnobbing and banter are baked into the story.
• Departure - Dark Sun is just different. It was designed to be different. What is common in other places is scarce in Dark Sun. Water, food, gods, dragons, arcane casters (Wizards), all of them are rare, unique, or extinct.

Showcasing these differences is an easy way to build a campaign.

A modern campaign that comes to mind is Jade Regent. Swapping arctic weather for desert and you're just hauling a caravan of goods through deadly terrain. Jade Regent also focuses on martial classes. Not to mention, the section with the boats and ships could take place in the Silt Sea.

 

[AtomicPope]

In 2013, Brown attempted to fill that void by launching a successful Kickstarter for a spiritual successor to Dark Sun called Dragon Kings, playable with several different game systems, including D&D 5th edition.

Has anyone played this? I don't know anyone who owns it or played it.

Too bad I learned about the Kickerstarter years after it was over.