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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 9305122" data-attributes="member: 7635">The short answer is 4e Dark Sun is not the same as 2e Dark Sun despite the fact that it covers a lot of the same ground as far as time period and such. The long answer is: 2e Dark Sun is utterly defined by negative space. That is, Dark Sun is more known for what it changes than what it adds: It changes the fundamental way arcane magic works, changes or removes several classes, removes or alters every race in the PHB, completely removes the equipment list, and removes large swaths of the classic D&D monsters. 2e Dark Sun even changed ability score generation. When purists go on about how different Dark Sun is from D&D, THIS is what they are talking about. If it was as easy as adding a few new races, a subclass or three, and a psionics system to D&D and putting a varnish of desert-apocalypse aesthetic on it, it'd be done already.There have been several attempts to design a Dark Sun with a more inclusive eye towards rules integration. Paizo did one in Dragon during 3e, WotC did their own in 4e. Both went over like a fart in church because they committed the unforgivable sin of not requiring you to take a hatchet to your PHB in order to play it. The 3e version found space for every class and most of the races in the PHB and Psionics Handbook, the 4e version did likewise. That was enough for Dark Sun purists to reject it outright. You can get a few to grumble and admit there were a few good ideas (such as warlock templars or genasi) but there has been an overall negative reaction because, again, its the negative space that was the attraction in the first place. Any attempt to make it work with the majority of class options in D&D defeats the purpose. Its not Dark Sun if half your PHB isn't invalidated. And that's not how WotC design settings. It really never did. The Golden Age of "chuck the PHB, we're using these rules instead" died in 1997. Every setting WotC developed for 3e, 4e, and 5e (and including its officially licensed ones like Ravenloft and Dragonlance) moved toward at the bare minimum all the PHB classes and most of the races being included. WotC wants to minimize negative space in its design, and that's an anathema to Dark Sun. Personally, even if there wasn't any lore issues (and that's a whole different kettle of fish) Dark Sun's identity as being "not your daddy's D&D" was always going to doom any attempt at a revival. Which is why, moreso than any other setting in WotC's stable, Dark Sun is the one that either needs to be its own separate (but compatible) game which defines everything according to its own design principles OR needs to be left in the vault with Birthright and Mystara. You cannot do it justice by just adding psionics and a few character options.</blockquote>

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