What do you like and dislike about Dark Sun?

[Najo]

I ran a Dark Sun campaign for over two years back on the original boxed set. It took me starting it three times to get the right feeling down before it flew, but then it became one of the best campaigns I ever ran. I enjoyed most of the supplements that came out, but hated when they killed the dragon in the novels and later replaced him with an undead dragon (in City by the Silt Sea). When Dark Sun got revised I lost interest, feeling that it lost alot of the original flavor Brom had envisioned. The supplements at that point changed their focus and tried to make athas to gimmicky, not to mention it was dominated by terrible art. People seem to either love or hate Dark Sun. I would like to know what you love or hate about it and why?

Nate

 

[Sagan Darkside]

I disliked the automatic starting at higher levels- the idea made no sense to me. Most fantasy worlds seem harsh, but you can start them at 1st level.

My experience, as a player, seemed to center around the "lets find water" adventure. ugh.

I also did not like the insect people- they struck me as pretty cheap.

Other then that- I did not care for it either way.

SD

 

[Henry]

Points I liked about Dark Sun:

• The feel that it was TOTALLY NEW. Nothing standard - not races, not weapons, not even the humans. Insect PC's, Canniablistic Halflings, Dwarves with their Focus, Half-giants, Clerics you couldn't trust, potion-fruits - Every D&D axiom was turned on its ear.
• The high power the players start with. It's a high powered game, but...
• Knowing that the power the players' characters started out with didn't matter. No matter what the level, or the ability scores, or the special abilities, they were still going up against naturally armored beasts using sticks and stones.
• The prevalence of Psionics. Dark Sun was the game that got my interest up in Psionics. Its prevalence over magic was another D&D axiom that got turned over, and I enjoyed it.
• The monsters. These things were different from any D&D game before its time, and these things were like creatures out of nightmares. Everything from milking and riding Kanks instead of cows and horses, to the creatures like Braxat and Belgoi, and the Dragon that was a Force of Nature. Not "Dragons" - THE dragon.

That was what I liked about Dark Sun - the inversion of EVERYTHING.

 

[Apok]

What I liked about Dark Sun:

The Setting: It was actually something different rather than the same old-same old glut that was the core of most 2e products. It took alot of archetypes and turned them on their heads while creating new ones. I liked the world's history and age. I dunno, maybe it fulfilled some kinda wierd Mad Max meets D&D fetish. It just seemed alot more raw than FR, Greyhawk, or Mystara/Known World.

The Mechanics: Psionics abound! I am a devout lover of Psionics in D&D and I loved the fact that they were a key element of the Dark Sun setting. The way magic worked was actually interesting (drawing life energy from plants) and created it's own conflict; using magic can benefit the weak, but it destroys the planet also. The whole Preserver/Defiler concept was great. I also liked the fact that Clerics got their powers from the Sorcerer Kings or some Elemental representative rather than from deities. Don't get me wrong, I think gods are usefull as a game device, but I also like settings that have little to no involvement with otherworldy powers.

The Creatures: Lizards and large Insectoids replace your more common mammals, and even those mammals still around are drastically changed (Bears having massive carapaces instead of shaggy fur). The Kreen rocked.

Overall, Dark Sun is just one of those weird settings you either really love or utterly despise. I just happen to be one of the former.

 

[megamania]

DARKSUN!

I have GMed DARKSUN for six of the eight years I have GMed. I love it completely.

As said before- it is truely a unique world setting that was well done. It was no longer a thing of "oh look...another humaniod to crush". Nope. Psionics were random and extremely deadly. Heck- even the plants were deadly and used tactics like trap setting and hunting.

It's one drawback (well two) was 1- It was so different many people avioded it. and 2- They didn't expand the Darksun universe until it was too late. 3e was coming and nothing new came out for it.

I honestly wish White Wolf or someone good would buy the licence and release it as 3e. The website is fine but too slow in my mind. I want adventures and accessories darn it!

 

[megamania]

oh yeah- I'm doing a PbP currently on Darksun that takes place 1800 years before the boxed sets were released. It's early yet but feel free to check it out. See the link below.

 

[mmadsen]

I never bought or played in Dark Sun, but from what I've perused, I did not like:

• That they felt the need to keep all the core races and classes.
• Psionics.

I loved:

• Brom's artwork.
• The desert landscape -- insect-men, giant lizards, etc.
• Cruel empires of slaves.
• The sword-&-sorcery feel, rather than the now-typical Tolkienesque feel. (OK, that sums up the other points.)

 

[Spatula]

I never bought or played in Dark Sun, but from what I've perused, I did not like:

• That they felt the need to keep all the core races and classes.

Errr... they didn't keep all the core races and classes, though.

I really liked Dark Sun, at least the Dark Sun that was presented in the original boxed set. I hated the novels and how they trashed the setting, however.

 

[mmadsen]

Errr... they didn't keep all the core races and classes, though.

Dark Sun had Halfling, Dwarves, and Elves, didn't it? And Clerics, Druids, and Magic-Users? I don't remember seeing Paladins though, so I guess it didn't keep all the core classes. Did any other classes get cut?

 

[Henry]

To be specific:

Races - They cut gnomes, added Thri-kreen, Half-dwarves, half-giants.

Classes - they cut paladins, added gladiators, and Templars.

In Dark Sun's defense, however, even though they kept the core 4 standard D&D races, they gave all but humans characteristics that made them unique among the pack: Dwarves had their Foci, Elves are almost Gypsy-like in attitude and presentation, and Halflings basically took the place of Elves, and became species-canniabals, to boot! Halflings ate otehr sentients - just not other halflings. Nasty!

And to mmadsen - THANK YOU. I knew I was missing the proper term for the "swords-&-sorcery" feel of Dark Sun. It does almost remind one of conan, if you look at it a certain way.

However, even R.E. Howard's Conan Books were not as depressing as Dark Sun...