D&D 4E How would you re-envision Darksun with 4e?

[Ruin Explorer]

I completely agree.

I'll go even farther: Dark Sun jumped the shark the moment the VERY FIRST adventure was published!!!

I completely agree with this, and I blame the godawful Prism Pentad novel series for it, because I'm pretty sure their desire to write an "epic" Dark Sun story whilst wrecking up the setting is responsible for many of the early, idiotic changes to DS.

It wouldn't be so bad if the Prism Pentad wasn't sub-fan-fiction in quality, but good god, even when it came out, and I had pretty appalling taste in novels, I could tell that this was something really remarkably terrible. I keep the first book on a shelf at home to remind me just how bad things can get, published fiction-wise.

 

[Klaus]

I completely agree.

I'll go even farther: Dark Sun jumped the shark the moment the VERY FIRST adventure was published!!!

The original boxed set had a lot of flavour and potential, but it hasn't EVER been explored by official adventures.

It's like the first adventure of Ravenloft had Stradh killed!! That's the sort of revolution you keep for the moment where you have to make something big to revitalize interest in a setting that's losing momentum (a la Faction War).

But NOT at the start!!!

I'd really wich they bring back Dark Sun but NOT pushing the timeline forward, but instead pulling it before the Prism Pentad, when nobody ever heard of Rikus and the others.

When Dark Sun was still fightening and special. Killing Kalak should be the ending point of an epic campaing, and becoming a new avangion (or a new Dragon, maybe...) the "Epic destiny" as they call it now of a character, not just a backdrop story...

Apart from having the NPCs kill Kalak, I don't think Freedom was actually bad. The structure of the adventure was rather good (PCs get captured, become slaves and have to survive gladiatorial combat, then attempt an escape). Just arrange another event (probably engineered by the PCs) to create chaos, and use the rest of the adventure as-is.

Plus, the presentation of DS adventures (flipbook) is awesome.

 

[Sitara]

Hey guy's,

how does road to urik compare to freedom? Also, if I have the revised box set, do I need to purchase the Will and the Way supplement? Apoart from kits, I think everything it has is contained in the revised set (in the way of the psioncist booklet)

 

[Danzauker]

Apart from having the NPCs kill Kalak, I don't think Freedom was actually bad. The structure of the adventure was rather good (PCs get captured, become slaves and have to survive gladiatorial combat, then attempt an escape). Just arrange another event (probably engineered by the PCs) to create chaos, and use the rest of the adventure as-is.

Plus, the presentation of DS adventures (flipbook) is awesome.

Yes, I was only talking about the timeline repercussions, not the adventure quality per se...

 

[vagabundo]

I completely agree.

I'll go even farther: Dark Sun jumped the shark the moment the VERY FIRST adventure was published!!!

The original boxed set had a lot of flavour and potential, but it hasn't EVER been explored by official adventures.

It's like the first adventure of Ravenloft had Stradh killed!! That's the sort of revolution you keep for the moment where you have to make something big to revitalize interest in a setting that's losing momentum (a la Faction War).

But NOT at the start!!!

I'd really wich they bring back Dark Sun but NOT pushing the timeline forward, but instead pulling it before the Prism Pentad, when nobody ever heard of Rikus and the others.

When Dark Sun was still fightening and special. Killing Kalak should be the ending point of an epic campaing, and becoming a new avangion (or a new Dragon, maybe...) the "Epic destiny" as they call it now of a character, not just a backdrop story...

Having read through the original boxed set only last week for the first time, I could not believe the was no published adventure in that setting. The first adventure sets out to destroy the whole mood of DS. The setting is sooo cool.

This totally needs a ret-con back to the original. Add in some of the cooler supliments and keep the past a mystery for the DM to explorer with the players through hints.

 

[Sitara]

Actually both the original set and the revised set each came with adventures (different for each). I think in the adventure in the original you wake up tied up inside a wagon or something.

The revised box set does come with full rules for psionics, so that was cool.

 

[Spatula]

Yes, the original box set had an intro adventure where the PCs start off as slaves, escape, and help out a dwarven village.

The death of Kalak by itself wasn't so terrible, as it opens a lot of adventure possibilities with the new Tyr and creates a possible (relatively) civilized safe-haven for good-aligned PCs. It's what happens afterwards in the Prism Pentad that wrecks the setting, as sorcerer-kings and -queens are killed left and right in an off-hand manner by Rajaat. Well, that and completely ruining the mystery of the setting by laying out its previously-unknowable (and rather silly - halflings are the master race!) history.

 

[evildmguy]

Even though I think the designers intended Tyr to be free, I would leave it under Kalak and run it as the first box says.

What I would do is a lot more fluff.

I would do a lot more with how playing under a SK could work. (Ga'ould from Stargate.) I would talk more about the benefits about working from the inside. And I would teach the DM how most SKs don't care what others are doing unless it directly influences their plans. I would give lots of ideas of what those plans were but allow each DM to choose.

Dark Sun seems to work best when focused in the present. Eventually, I think there wouldn't be more to publish. The history isn't relevant to where they are now. And, the debate continues on moving the timeline forward and what it does to inividual compaigns.

During this time, though, I would solidify the cultures under the SKs.

Tyr - dictator/tyrant
Balic - Roman Republic
Draj -
Gulg -
Nibenay -
Raam -
Urik - warrior king

(I don't remember what they were. I think one was Aztec based. I never got a good distinction between them, though, which is what I would try and create.)

I think I would also increase the distance to double the scale presented. It makes each area more isolated and gives more room for slave tribes and perhaps independent villages. It also allows for a bit higher population, if needed.

I would look at the dragon's place in all of this. I don't like Rajaat still existing. My thought would be to make the dragon superfluous. Maybe the other SKs are trying to get powerful characters to be able to destroy the dragon, so they can take his place. I would just like a reason for the dragon.

I don't mind some of the later stuff, like the large lake, the kreen empire, but I would stick to the table lands for the adventures, which is also why I want to make it larger. I would make those other areas smaller and perhaps warring/skirmishing a lot, which is why the tablelands are better.

There would definitely be interest in finding out about the history but I would leave that up to DMs. Possibly more ruins. I like Dregoth and would keep him around.

Tons more, only because I have been thinking about it and will probably run it for the next campaign.

edg

 

[outsider]

There was a trend in Second Edition(though I think it actually started in 1st.) They put the focus on worldbuilding and storytelling instead of gaming. Basically, they'd create an awesome setting with great npcs and full of cool things to do. They would then immediately proceed to have the npcs do all the cool things as the pcs stood around and watched, leaving nothing for the pcs to do and basically ruining the setting as far as gaming in it goes. It was a common complaint about Dragonlance. The Avatar Trilogy in the Forgotten Realms was another good example of it. Dark Sun is the setting that was most hurt by it though. They basically rendered the focus of the campaign boxed set(Tyr) completely useless with the very first novel and module.

I think the Dark Sun fans overall feel really burnt by this. I constantly see people suggesting a retcon back to the original boxed set. I don't recall ever seeing anybody argue against it. If they wouldn't retcon it, at the very least they should provide information on playing in the timeline of the original boxed set as well as the post Prism Pentad timeline.

 

[Najo]

Even though I think the designers intended Tyr to be free, I would leave it under Kalak and run it as the first box says.



During this time, though, I would solidify the cultures under the SKs.

Tyr - dictator/tyrant
Balic - Roman Republic
Draj -
Gulg -
Nibenay -
Raam -
Urik - warrior king

(I don't remember what they were. I think one was Aztec based. I never got a good distinction between them, though, which is what I would try and create.)

Warning: My article contains a little bit of Spoliers of the first and second Prism Pentad books.

Tyr controls iron, is a major trade hub between balic and urik and the outlaying cities leading to Nibenay and Gulg. The iron is key to understanding the citystate's role in the setting.

Balic is a roman republic, but the senators are blind and mute (eyes and tongues cut out) and the serve their Sorcerer King through psionic telepathy/ mind links he holds while they are in session.

Draj is the Aztec city. Human sacrifice, worshiping the queen as a god etc.

Nibenay is the highest evolved dragon king, he is rarely seen outside his temple. His templars are all women who he takes as wives and the higher therank the less clothing they wear. They are all highly trained warriors and are kept as a harem. The culture is obssessed with monsters and evil spirits, carving visages of creatures into their builds to ward them away. Nibenay vanity is so that his temple is designed to look like his human visage and has named his city after himself.

Gulg is ruled over by the forest god-queen. She is seen as the wrath of the earth, a vengeful demon of nature. Here warriors worshiper as a warrior goddess and mother of life that keeps them safe from enemies.

Raam is the Sorcerer king who has a revolution occuring, and ends up being killed by his citizens. I don't remember much of the culture here. I think they were highly supersitious and into astrology and divination here. Everything is based on portents and entrail reading.

Urik is ruled over by the Warrior God King Humanu. He is the youngest of the sorcererkings and was created after the Cleansing War. His city controls the obsidian in the surrounding land, with many state slaves being used to mine the glass like rock. Humanu maintains a standing army of slaves, trained soldiers and templars. It is Kalak's death in the first novel that brings Hamunu's attention onto the iron mines of Tyr. The political heroes whjo replaced Kalak in Tyr decide to send an army to Urik to stop Humanu, Rikus is put in charge of it. The army marches to Urik, does a decent job of fighting back Urik's army, and then Humanu in all his glory shows up and singly handly wipes through Rikus army, which I remember being awesome. The Tyrian army is sent back defeated. But Urik is slowed down, as Humanu has to rebuild his forces.