D&D 5E (2024) When are we getting announcements for 2026 books?

[ECMO3]

That's not behind "hey, knock it off with all the arcane magic; you're making this planet uninhabitable?"

That is what happened because the Gods Abandoned Athas. There were Gods during the Green Age, but they either left on their own accord or were driven away by Elementals. Either way the morals left with them and you ended up with the Dragon, Defilers etc.

Look at the changes to PCs and classes: There are no Paladins in Dark Sun and Clerics are Elemental priests who are severely nerfed (nerfed from the standard 2E Cleric that was already weak). In terms of mechanics, these are the biggest two changes to the standard 2E rules and both of them are focused on Religion. There are other mechanical changes as well, but they are not as significant as these.

I have never heard "you need to be religious or you end up with an amoral hellhole" was a central concept of the setting.

The main concept of the setting is without God(s) you end up with an amoral hellhole. That was a quite common way of thinking in the 90s and was a direct reaction to the moral relativism of the 80s, as the entire world became more religious and fundamentalist.

It certainly fits with the social fabric of the 90s. Especially the Dragons trying to impersonate and take the place of Gods

 

[ECMO3]

I mean, absolutely that is not the #1 theme in Dark Sun. It's a largely irrelevant part of the backstory.

That's like saying the #1 theme in the Forgotten Realms is the Wall of Souls or something.

I would disagree. Out in context of society in the 1990s, what happened on Athas is what happens when you lose religion.

The 90s saw a rapid expansion in religion and fundamentalism worldwide ..... Darksun is product of that era.

I think today the prevailing opinion is exactly the opposite - that religion causes problems in society (not saying it does or doesn't).

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I would disagree. Out in context of society in the 1990s, what happened on Athas is what happens when you lose religion.

The 90s saw a rapid expansion in religion and fundamentalism worldwide ..... Darksun is product of that era.

I think today the prevailing opinion is exactly the opposite - that religion causes problems in society (not saying it does or doesn't).

Wow. It's an interesting theory, I will grant, but it hardly seems like the "main theme" to me, but more like "interpretive subtext".

I always saw it more grunge. As in "the gods are dead.... and no one cares".

I think maybe we bring our own to it when it comes to that aspect.

Meanwhile, it's undisputed themes are social inequality and environmental collapse. Pretty darn relevant today, I would think.

 

[mamba]

The main concept of the setting is without God(s) you end up with an amoral hellhole. That was a quite common way of thinking in the 90s

maybe in the US, no idea, today is certainly the first time I heard of that as being a DS theme. That idea is also contradicted by basically every metric in the real world…

I always saw greed, corruption and environmental destruction as the main theme, and they are more relevant than ever