New Dark Sun Info - Free Tyr and the Mountains of Athas

[Wik]

Out of curiosity, if someone were to try to start running 4E Dark Sun starting with no 4E materials, what is he supposed to have? Like 3 PHBs (I, II & III) and 3 DMGs plus the DS specific books? It seems like at this point there's a huge investment required for folks who would want to start.

Players could run it with the PHB 1, and I imagine GMs can use the Core Set 1. PHB 3 is probably going to be heavily referred to, as well. Then there are the Specific DS books. Yeah, it can get pricey, but... but... it's DARK SUN! I mean, it's totally worth it!

At least, I hope so!

(My Dark Sun excitement has rubbed off on one of the skeptical players - we talked on the phone, I explained some of the world weirdness and the role-playing possibilities for the races, and he fell in love with the idea of playing an Elven Monk. Couple that with the fact that one player has already "shotgunned" being a Thri-Kreen ranger, and another player who has a history of playing bow rangers, and our party of five looks like it'll be striker heavy).

 

[fuzzlewump]

Out of curiosity, if someone were to try to start running 4E Dark Sun starting with no 4E materials, what is he supposed to have? Like 3 PHBs (I, II & III) and 3 DMGs plus the DS specific books? It seems like at this point there's a huge investment required for folks who would want to start.

Getting just 1 month of the subscription at this point or at any point down the line is so ridiculously worth it. The character builder and adventure tools will have all the material released up to this point, just for 10 bucks or whatever it is. A little cheaper I think. But you don't have to log on to the internet to use it after it's installed and updated, so once you have it it's yours forever.

As far as understanding the rules, I would get the PHB and maybe a DMG. The adventure tools through monster builder will have all the monster manual stuff you need.

 

[ferratus]

Yeah, I only possess the PHB I, DMG I and MM 1 & 2, and I use all the latest rules.

DDI makes getting into all the small details of specific game styles of D&D much cheaper.

And remember, you can share a DDI subscription between 5 people.

 

[Wolfwood2]

I can give you a few reasons:

In addition to all your points, the key part of Danzauker's question for me is, "a couple of days later". This is an extraordinary event, and immortal beings are probably reluctant to react in haste. Maybe one of the other SKs will send an army to conquer Tyr... eventually. But armies of conquest aren't put together overnight, and even if they were, it's not unreasonable for the SKs to take some time to let events play out and see what the new status quo will be like.

Maybe in a year or two or three an army will come marching on Tyr. Just when the PCs reach a high enough level to oppose it, maybe.

 

[lin_fusan]

I can imagine the Sorcerer Kings thinking that the Free City will fall apart to anarchy and chaos at any moment. Not only would that make it easier to conquer, but it would provide great propaganda: "See how my rule provides order and peace, whereas freedom leads to anarchy and death. Embrace slavery!"

 

[Mark Hope]

Isn't it amazing how a couple of images serve as shorthand for a campaign? Mentioning "halfling Macchu Picchu" and "moai" was enough to add tons of flavor to a side of Athas I never really liked much.

Totally agree. There's a great Brom picture in the original Wanderer's Journal showing halflings in forest ruins - cool to see some more riffing on that idea. I'd use that in a heartbeat.

Besides, since they are giving rationales to the setting assumptions, I'd like to see how they explain why the first free city in a man's memory span is not stormed over by the other sorcerer-kings a couple of days later, if not just to tell the lesson to their citizens: "do not try this at home, because THIS is what happens next".

Well, that is what happens next - see The Road to Urik and The Crimson Legion. SKs send their armies to do their dirty work of course - they're loathe to leave their own cities because when the cat's away...

Very true and I did always wonder why the SKs just stayed in their dust bowl and did not try and take the Forest Ridge. I guess I skimmed the ringing mountains part - or failed my Dark Sun Knowledge check.

In the original setting, they initially left the halflings alone because Rajaat told them to. He was, after all, planning on giving the world back to the halflings when he was done with the Cleansing Wars. It was the discovery of this by the SKs that led to them betraying and imprisoning Rajaat. Afterwards, I'd always assumed that the cited reasons about the altitude of the mountains were a huge barrier to conquest - that and the fact that the Forest Ridge was a truly horrible place - think "green hell". The desert is safe by comparison.

 

[Scribble]

Besides, since they are giving rationales to the setting assumptions, I'd like to see how they explain why the first free city in a man's memory span is not stormed over by the other sorcerer-kings a couple of days later, if not just to tell the lesson to their citizens: "do not try this at home, because THIS is what happens next".

Seems like a good thing for adventurers to try and prevent.