The Little Raven
First Post
How does one steal the thunder from something that has been dead for 13 years? 
Darksun Teasers
- Thread starter Phaezen
- Start date
Nifft
Penguin Herder
- Seek through the UnderworldHow does one steal the thunder from something that has been dead for 13 years?
- Wyld Shaping Technique
Cheers, -- N
Henrix
Explorer
A bit tricky to do that, as WoD was out the same year. I don't remember the months they came out, but both are -91 products. Maybe they grew out of the same sentiments - but WoD had no time to inspire it.
I love you, man.
Bold or Stupid
First Post
I was talking about my impressions at the time, I suspect they both were feeding off the dark edge running through geek culture post Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen.
Wik
First Post
Dark Sun had its genesis in a blurb given to the designers - make something that utilizes the BATTLESYSTEM rules, and implements the Psionics handbook as core.
That was it.
The designers started tryign to turn standard fantasy stuff on its head, because they didn't want to release another Faerun or Krynn - which seemed to be a pretty standard sentiment at TSR at the time, because we saw settings like Al-Qadim and Planescape released at roughly the same time.
When they got Brom on their staff, they started using his art as inspiration.
Also, remember that Dark Sun was designed during the fall of the U.S.S.R. and the Cold War was foremost on everyone's minds (what if the Soviets release their missiles, knowing they have nothing to lose?). All of the designers grew up in a time where the threat of nuclear fallout/post-apocalypse was a possibility - it would make sense to see that reflected in their game, because it would be something on everyone's minds around 1990. Just look at a lot of the movies of that era.
And ecological collapse, in the wake of things like Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, provides easy inspiration for game designers tryign to do new things for D&D.
If it was meant to cash in on other product lines, that was a secondary goal. Mostly, it just came from a different way of thinking than the earlier products. It was a much more "modern" setting, using many more newer role-playing ideas than older concepts. (For example, there are relatively few Dungeons in earlier dark sun adventures, and only lip service paid to them in most products).
That was it.
The designers started tryign to turn standard fantasy stuff on its head, because they didn't want to release another Faerun or Krynn - which seemed to be a pretty standard sentiment at TSR at the time, because we saw settings like Al-Qadim and Planescape released at roughly the same time.
When they got Brom on their staff, they started using his art as inspiration.
Also, remember that Dark Sun was designed during the fall of the U.S.S.R. and the Cold War was foremost on everyone's minds (what if the Soviets release their missiles, knowing they have nothing to lose?). All of the designers grew up in a time where the threat of nuclear fallout/post-apocalypse was a possibility - it would make sense to see that reflected in their game, because it would be something on everyone's minds around 1990. Just look at a lot of the movies of that era.
And ecological collapse, in the wake of things like Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, provides easy inspiration for game designers tryign to do new things for D&D.
If it was meant to cash in on other product lines, that was a secondary goal. Mostly, it just came from a different way of thinking than the earlier products. It was a much more "modern" setting, using many more newer role-playing ideas than older concepts. (For example, there are relatively few Dungeons in earlier dark sun adventures, and only lip service paid to them in most products).
Wik
First Post
Oh, I imagine we'll see dungeons. And I'm okay with that. They just have to be the right TYPE of dungeons.
I've run plenty of DS Dungeons, and they can be a lot of fun. They're just not "megadungeons"... more "five room dungeons".
AdmundfortGeographer
Getting lost in fantasy maps
I wonder if this means that it was the defiling that pushed into bloodied, or the effect of the spell that did it. I'm not sure how I like PC's defiling affecting non-plant life. Feels like a mood changer. Good or bad? Not sure yet.
