Tell me about YOUR DARKSUN campaign

[Najo]

My point above

To make Dark Sun work, focus on the political elements. The characters know howto survive in the world, they live there. The survival element should only come into play when they are pushed into it. Don't focus on the heat and sand as much as you think you need to. Focus on the alien element of the setting and its harsh beauty. Look at the brom inspired art and not Baxa's and capture that feel. Embrace the non-racial slavery, warfare, and aggressive elements of the setting. Dark sun should be a violent, mysterious and haunted world with the shadow of the Sorcerer Kings and the myth of the Dragon looming over it.

 

[evildmguy]

Almost on topic:

If I were to run a DS campaign, I would make the first campaign about them being in service to Kalak. Then, they get to choose if they try and take him down or help him with his plans. I would have Kalak still do his plan but allow the PCs to either help him succeed or fail, perhaps by cautioning him or coming up with something better. Sure, Kalak will be lying about some things, but it would be a perspective thing as he talks about why he wants to become a dragon. (Or maybe he doesn't care if he is an avangion or dragon, just wants the power. Again, I would leave all of that open to the PCs to influence.) This would put me firmly in the first boxed set with the ideas of the second available but not necessarily present.

I don't like Rajaat still being around after millenia and still being sane. I like the origin idea of the world, as presented in the revised boxed set, but would have Rajaat gone for good. Rajaat is a good literary device but not role playing, imo.

I would figure out what Borys is up to as well at this point. I liked his city and its people, for the most part. I just don't know what he would be doing.

I would also find an explanation of why the SKs are all here, instead of other areas. Maybe it's not needed but it could be fun to have some reason why they have all stuck around in this area.

I do like the idea of the other city states including the reformed SK but it wouldn't come out in the first campaign. I also like the idea of something existing outside of the tablelands but I don't think I would make it such a "paradise" but lost civilizations. Places where the other races went to hide from their would be killers.

I would figure out what the other SKs are doing and see how they would interact. However, they have long term plans, so more than likely no more than two, and probably only one, would ever have plans going at the same time. Besides, makes it easy on me!

As someone else said in a different thread, I liked having different things serve the same purpose in DS. I liked kanks instead of horses. It took a bit of research but I liked not having corn/wheat as the main crop! It added a lot of nice details to the game. ymmv

I don't think I had the ability to do something like this years ago. Also, since I am using Alternity, I would get the "feel" of it being more powerful, since the ability scores do have limits. I just don't know when I will be able to do this.

edg

 

[evildmguy]

My point above

To make Dark Sun work, focus on the political elements. The characters know how to survive in the world, they live there. The survival element should only come into play when they are pushed into it. Don't focus on the heat and sand as much as you think you need to. Focus on the alien element of the setting and its harsh beauty. Look at the brom inspired art and not Baxa's and capture that feel. Embrace the non-racial slavery, warfare, and aggressive elements of the setting.

Well, as much as I agree with this, my players aren't much for political stuff. That's fine, don't get me wrong. I tend to have it but more in the background. But, I agree with everything else you say, whole heartedly! And there is lots of room for adventures!

Dark sun should be a violent, mysterious and haunted world with the shadow of the Sorcerer Kings and the myth of the Dragon looming over it.

This is an awesome description! As powerful as the SKs are, the Dragon is what makes them scared! And there is so much fun in the myths you can do with them and the dragon!

Good ideas!

edg

 

[evildmguy]

I've only ever run one-shots in Dark Sun. However, I might end up making Athas an apocalyptic version of my homebrew sometime. A major villain in my campaign is soon going to kick up his quest to become a god-like creature. If the PCs fail to stop him, I'll probably fast forward a few centuries after his death, where he becomes the Dragon of Tyr and ravages the world, creating the atmosphere in the first boxed set. That will allow me to add lots of ruins that call back to previous games, along with a few epic level PCs who might still be around and trying to take out the dragon.

This gave me an interesting idea. What if, using only the main boxed set, the dragon WAS the cause of the devastation? What if the SKs ARE trying to return the world to the Green Age? What if it is the dragon that has templars, spreading the rumors about the SKs and making life tough on Athas for most people? And the SKs stopped trying to explain themselves because it only got worse.

Now, no idea about the fact that they are defilers. I suppose that could be changed with little problem. Or, perhaps only a few are defilers, the others are preservers. Some want the power for themselves and others are looking to reverse it.

I need more time and I think another group or two!

Sure, just about all of those plans contradict the second boxed set, but I sort of see the Prism Pentad and revised setting as a good example of what a company should never do to an RPG campaign setting.

This might be letting out the worms, but what didn't you like? I am curious.

edg

 

[an_idol_mind]

This might be letting out the worms, but what didn't you like? I am curious.

I didn't like the fact that so many major pieces of the setting were drastically changed through actions the players could not be a part of. The Prism Pentad novels came out very shortly after the campaign setting was released, IIRC. During the course of those books, the dragon and multiple sorcerer kings were killed, and life on Athas was drastically changed -- before the general role-playing audience could even get a good feel for what life on Athas WAS.

The Prism Pentad novels and the revised boxed set would have been better for me if they had been released much later in the setting's life cycle. If Dark Sun had made it to 3e, that series would have been a suitable earth-shaker to lead the setting into the new edition. Instead, anyone who bought the boxed set had little time to actually get acclimated to the setting, because the first novels started changing things right off the bat. The adventures weren't much help, either. One of the first adventures, Freedom, had PCs basically sit back and watch while a bunch of novel-introduced NPCs killed a sorcerer king.

 

[Nebulous]

It remains my favorite setting, but I still failed in the mission of making my players like it.

The one thing I'd done different from the core was creating my own version of remnant halfling life-shapers, and that was before I got the chance to look at Wind Riders. At that point I decided to remain with the core in this matter as well.

Cheers,

That's kind of what happened in my Midnight campaign. I love it, but the players not as much. Both DarkSun and Midnight are pretty bleak.

 

[evildmguy]

I didn't like the fact that so many major pieces of the setting were drastically changed through actions the players could not be a part of. The Prism Pentad novels came out very shortly after the campaign setting was released, IIRC. During the course of those books, the dragon and multiple sorcerer kings were killed, and life on Athas was drastically changed -- before the general role-playing audience could even get a good feel for what life on Athas WAS.

The Prism Pentad novels and the revised boxed set would have been better for me if they had been released much later in the setting's life cycle. If Dark Sun had made it to 3e, that series would have been a suitable earth-shaker to lead the setting into the new edition. Instead, anyone who bought the boxed set had little time to actually get acclimated to the setting, because the first novels started changing things right off the bat. The adventures weren't much help, either. One of the first adventures, Freedom, had PCs basically sit back and watch while a bunch of novel-introduced NPCs killed a sorcerer king.

Ah. Okay, I can agree with that. As you said, I didn't get a sense of DS and the first novel changed it.

Unfortunately, game companies seem to do that a lot. I think the Avatar Trilogy was one of the first for FR. I know several novels changed Ravenloft but don't know when. DL obviously changed a lot. I am also pretty sure that the WW novels didn't mesh 100% with the game world but that was planned.

Exalted is an example of a company not advancing things but still supporting it. I haven't heard of many others.

I said in another thread a while ago that DS is probably a top world for me because it is OOP and what is printed is it! I know all that it will ever be and anything else is up to my group and I!

Thanks!

edg

 

[evildmguy]

That's kind of what happened in my Midnight campaign. I love it, but the players not as much. Both DarkSun and Midnight are pretty bleak.

I think this is up to style. My players recently thought they had a victory and it turned out to completely help the bad guy. Talk about "losing the high" from the moment really quickly!

I also agree that overall, DS is bleak. However, many players seemed to like Tyr being a free city, so perhaps that one change makes a lot of difference?

edg

 

[megamania]

Hello Burlington Vermont- (I'm in Arlington Vermont)



In Freedom, I made a point of the PCs feeling what it was like to live on Athas.

I started with an intro story where they were hired by Tithian to retrieve a powerful magic item from the Cleansing War time era. Once back, the item was taken from them and they were put into slavery for completeing Kalak's Zigguraut.

There they dealt with life as a slave, made contacts with Vieled Alliance and eventually became gladiators for the big day.

Though the action with Kalak and the "heroes" took place without them, they were in charge of saving people by getting the gates open somehow. The clock was ticking as the defiling was occuring weakening them the whole time.

Though they were not "THE heroes" they played a major and action packed part of it. Especially later as they had to deal with the riots and wild politics that took place.


then came Road to Urik.

 

[megamania]

My groups had issues with the no metal rules. They love their armor.