D&D General Tell me about your experiences playing Dark Sun

[Ralif Redhammer]

Going back to 2e, I remember the struggle to survive, to get food, water, and shelter. That getting a simple steel weapon was a major quest reward. I remember the fear of cannibal halflings.

But PCs being PCs, there was a lot of conflict with the Dragon Kings, Templars, and other authority figures. And subsequently, there was a lot of time spent fleeing as it wouldn't take much for the PCs to get in over their heads.

 

[Enrico Poli1]

Dark Sun is my favourite setting. I played a lot in it in the 90s when it came out (we were in high school).
First of all, the post-apocalyptic world was really fascinating. The Brom art was the best D&D had ever offered, with aesthetics that hit our imagination. And the lore was intriguing, with the Sorcerer Kings, the Dragon of Athas, and Rajaat. However, we ignored the novels and the development of the metaplot, because it ruined the setting. It had an epic feeling for us, not a gritty survivalist one.
The feeling of greatness was augmented by the power-play ingrained in the setting (higher ability scores, starting at Lvl 3, psionics, easier multiclassing, ultra-powerful enemies with 10th Lvl spells). Actually, the magic items were rarer but more powerful. I fondly remember when we recovered the Silencer of Bodach!!
Dark Sun is the best.