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So, Dark Sun: It's officially out. What do you think of it?
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<blockquote data-quote="TikkchikFenTikktikk" data-source="post: 5288790" data-attributes="member: 67494"><p>I've been coordinating and running a table for the D&D Encounters Dark Sun adventure.</p><p></p><p>The Encounters format and this adventure in particular leave a lot to be desired. But in my opinion the new mechanics, the races and classes (and themes), and the setting descriptions have done a great job. </p><p></p><p>The game feels like a blasted world where survival is a challenge even when you aren't being chased by a powerful primal shaman and his hirelings or captured by a tribe of evil hobbits that plan to eat you.</p><p></p><p>The Campaign Setting Book feels about 75% done:</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There are "page [xx]" typos. Simply inexcusable from a major publisher. Michele Carter, Greg Bilsland, M. Alexander Jurkat, Ray Vallese, and Kim Mohan (the credited editors) should be ashamed and embarrassed when even one of these gets through.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A lot of the little incidental art scattered through later chapters is just plain bad. Also, no one knows how to illustrate thri-kreen.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There are waaay too many small portraits of characters doing stuff throughout the rest of the book. There is not enough world building, setting defining medium-sized (like half-page or so) pieces. Which leads to:</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The book feels very light on art, especially in later chapters like "Atlas of Athas" which contributes to the next point:</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It feels short. The original Dark Sun had something like a dozen books and boxed sets released with three years of its release full of stuff to draw from. I expected more detail about everything: only four new rituals? the entirety of the forest ridge gets two pages? twenty pages of advice to DMs?</li> </ul><p>But a lot is really good:</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It has the polished layout we expect from 4E at this point.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Though the art is a mixed bag, there is some really good stuff here. The splash page art at the beginning of chapters is mostly really good. The portraits in the Races and Themes chapters are mostly good. I love the city maps.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I love the pictures on p139 and p183. I wish they were larger and there were more like them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I love the themes, muls and thri-kreen. They have "felt right" the ten sessions I've played with them. I don't have a problem with goliaths being plopped in for half-giants. In fact, I am likely to retcon goliaths in my games in other worlds as being descended from half-giants from Athas.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The few pages for DMs are pretty well done. The adventure looks lame, though.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The new mechanics unique to Dark Sun are just right. I like survival days, sun sickness, and weapon breakage.</li> </ul><p>So, I'd say WotC has succeeded in bringing Dark Sun to 4E.</p><p></p><p>It's a strong setting despite some failures in execution and presentation. Players will enjoy creating and running unique characters. DMs will enjoy new and unique ways to kill those players.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TikkchikFenTikktikk, post: 5288790, member: 67494"] I've been coordinating and running a table for the D&D Encounters Dark Sun adventure. The Encounters format and this adventure in particular leave a lot to be desired. But in my opinion the new mechanics, the races and classes (and themes), and the setting descriptions have done a great job. The game feels like a blasted world where survival is a challenge even when you aren't being chased by a powerful primal shaman and his hirelings or captured by a tribe of evil hobbits that plan to eat you. The Campaign Setting Book feels about 75% done: [LIST] [*]There are "page [xx]" typos. Simply inexcusable from a major publisher. Michele Carter, Greg Bilsland, M. Alexander Jurkat, Ray Vallese, and Kim Mohan (the credited editors) should be ashamed and embarrassed when even one of these gets through. [*]A lot of the little incidental art scattered through later chapters is just plain bad. Also, no one knows how to illustrate thri-kreen. [*]There are waaay too many small portraits of characters doing stuff throughout the rest of the book. There is not enough world building, setting defining medium-sized (like half-page or so) pieces. Which leads to: [*]The book feels very light on art, especially in later chapters like "Atlas of Athas" which contributes to the next point: [*]It feels short. The original Dark Sun had something like a dozen books and boxed sets released with three years of its release full of stuff to draw from. I expected more detail about everything: only four new rituals? the entirety of the forest ridge gets two pages? twenty pages of advice to DMs? [/LIST] But a lot is really good: [LIST] [*]It has the polished layout we expect from 4E at this point. [*]Though the art is a mixed bag, there is some really good stuff here. The splash page art at the beginning of chapters is mostly really good. The portraits in the Races and Themes chapters are mostly good. I love the city maps. [*]I love the pictures on p139 and p183. I wish they were larger and there were more like them. [*]I love the themes, muls and thri-kreen. They have "felt right" the ten sessions I've played with them. I don't have a problem with goliaths being plopped in for half-giants. In fact, I am likely to retcon goliaths in my games in other worlds as being descended from half-giants from Athas. [*]The few pages for DMs are pretty well done. The adventure looks lame, though. [*]The new mechanics unique to Dark Sun are just right. I like survival days, sun sickness, and weapon breakage. [/LIST] So, I'd say WotC has succeeded in bringing Dark Sun to 4E. It's a strong setting despite some failures in execution and presentation. Players will enjoy creating and running unique characters. DMs will enjoy new and unique ways to kill those players. [/QUOTE]
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So, Dark Sun: It's officially out. What do you think of it?
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