D&D 5E (2024) Unconfirmed Dark Sun World Book

[LuisCarlos17f]

It will be not a book about DS but a generic sourcebook about post-apocalyptic campaigns with some pages about the region of Tyr.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Its already going to be full of warnings and 'we are not endorsing' and 'past books include bad things' and 'talk to your players and dont hurt feelings' type language, if its anything remotely like what Dark Sun should look like.

Who is to say what Dark Sun “should look like?”

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I agree that’s probably the line, but not that they’ll remove it from the setting entirely. It just won’t be so central to the basic functions of society. Much like in FR, you may have slaver enemies to fight, but their slave taking and trading activities will probably be kept vague and implied to be illicit. The sorcerer kings might be known to own slaves, and slaves might be known to be forced to fight in the arenas, but the average citizens of the city-states will consider slavery distasteful and take pride in not having to rely on slave labor.

I just recently finished Don Quixote, and I was shocked when, at one point, Sancho Panza dreamed of ruling an African kingdom so he could sell off the residents as slaves.

I know what period Don Quixote was written in, but having a protagonist express enthusiasm for the slave trade was a real "what am I getting out of this book" moment.

I trust slavery in the 5E Dark Sun will be a thing confined to characters the players are not supposed to admire or like.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Nah, fans are going to keep justifiably criticizing the direction WOTC is taking and they're correct to do so.

Even if it stands zero chance of making changes?

The people complaining about Dark Sun aren't going to buy it if WOTC makes the changes they're demanding, it's just going to alienate the fans of the original while failing to gain new ones.

I think older players consistently underestimate how many new fans 5E brought in. Even if every pre-5E player boycotted every 5E product, the new customers are so huge in number that they -- and only they -- are capable of determining whether something is a hit or not.

Yelling at fellow old fogies that you don't like what the whippersnappers are doing with older properties doesn't meaningfully impact sales. It's just annoying everyone else in the rest home.

 

[Maxperson]

Who, then, is actually saying that "genocide, imperialism, slavery, body horror, cannibalism, etc, should be removed from Dark Sun because children can't handle them"?

It doesn't really matter. He didn't attribute that argument to any particular person or group, so while it may or may not be true, it's not a Strawman.

 

[Scribe]

Who is to say what Dark Sun “should look like?”

The past canon of Dark Sun, and existing fans of that content in style, and tone.

 

[Azzy]

It doesn't really matter. He didn't attribute that argument to any particular person or group, so while it may or may not be true, it's not a Strawman.

He's offering up a false argument that nobody has made.

 

[Mecheon]

The past canon of Dark Sun, and existing fans of that content in style, and tone.

So, killing off all of the villains in novels and surfing lizardmen, then? We're not forgetting the Prism Pentad exists, right?

Also shoehorning Ravenloft monsters into it because TSR thought for some reason that they should crossover Ravenloft monsters in Dark Sun

Just saying, the probably most widely accepted Dark Sun product done recently was WotC's 4E version of it that, y'know, deliberately ignored half of Dark Sun's canon, and was widely accepted and praised for doing so.

 

[Morrus]

The capacity of their current writers to create new ideas is basically non-existent. They'll pillage the old lore, change it (almost always for the worse)

Make your mind up! Do you want it the same or do you want it different?

 

[Scribe]

Just saying, the probably most widely accepted Dark Sun product done recently was WotC's 4E version of it that, y'know, deliberately ignored half of Dark Sun's canon, and was widely accepted and praised for doing so.

Sure, as long as the tone and feel is maintained and they dont make some brutal 'hopepunk' mockery while ignoring anything that could be triggering for the supposed modern audience.