D&D 5E WotC: Why Dark Sun Hasn't Been Revived

In an interview with YouTuber 'Bob the Worldbuilder', WotC's Kyle Brink explained why the classic Dark Sun setting has not yet seen light of day in the D&D 5E era.

I’ll be frank here, the Dark Sun setting is problematic in a lot of ways. And that’s the main reason we haven’t come back to it. We know it’s got a huge fan following and we have standards today that make it extraordinarily hard to be true to the source material and also meet our ethical and inclusion standards... We know there’s love out there for it and god we would love to make those people happy, and also we gotta be responsible.

You can listen to the clip here.

 

[Zaukrie]

I doubt it would be considered "woke" no matter how much people here are trying to finangle it into that. WotC is correct that newer gamers nowadays would probably find it offensive.

Someone will try to stir up outrage and claim it's pro-genocide or something. Or that it approrpriates something.

The only way it can probably be done in 5e today is if it was published by someone smaller and much less known I would say.

Lost me in the first sentence.

 

[Reynard]

I humbly propose stop asking WotC to make things you know they won't, and start buying from companies that do.

 

[EthanSental]

I’ve only played in a Dark Sun campaign a few sessions. We didn’t dwell on the slavery aspect but did have the nature related theme. It was a fun change of pace over our Krynn, Forgotten realms or middle earth like settings.

I’m not sure WoTC or any company could pull it off without hearing from one side (offended consumers) or the other (previous setting enjoyers) for not being like the 2e days. If they could, and pull it off well, would be due to someone using a ring of 3 wishes and using all 3 wishes. I’d probably buy too.

 

[The Glen]

They could just slap a 'mature' rating on the setting and market it to an older audience. Fury Road dealt with a lot of the same issues that Dark Sun focused on, and it's beloved. The biggest issue Dark Sun will have isn't the theme of the game, but 5E is a poor fit for it mechanically. 5E is saturated with magic and that's a bad thing on Athas. Hard to run a survival game when the cleric can cast goodberry and create water at first level and negate a huge part of survival. Athas is about scarcity, and 5E doesn't like to stifle players.

 

[Micah Sweet]

One wonders how watered down it will be compared to the original. Looking at Spelljammer, that doesn't fill me with great expectations.

I'm not wondering at all. They have shown their hand.

 

[Kettlebriar]

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In an interview with YouTuber 'Bob the Worldbuilder', WotC's Kyle Brink explained why the classic Dark Sun setting has not yet seen light of day in the D&D 5E era.

I’ll be frank here, the Dark Sun setting is problematic in a lot of ways. And that’s the main reason we haven’t come back to it. We know it’s got a huge fan following and we have standards today that make it extraordinarily hard to be true to the source material and also meet our ethical and inclusion standards... We know there’s love out there for it and god we would love to make those people happy, and also we gotta be responsible.

You can listen to the clip here.

I think they can't make it because Dark Sun had PSIONICS and WOTC doesn't have a Psionics Handbook for 5E

 

[MGibster]

I'm actually amenable to changes in Dark Sun and wouldn't expect it to be exactly the same as it was in 1991. I'm okay with leaving the genocide, slavery, and other unpleasant aspects of the setting, but I can live without psionics. It's been almost 30 years since I last played Dark Sun, and there's a lot about the setting I've just flat out forgotten. The same was true of Ravenloft, I remembered some of the 3rd edition setting that wasn't even made by WotC, but I'd pretty much forgotten a lot of it because it's been almost twenty years and thirty for the 2nd edition stuff. I didn't mind the changes because I didn't remember everything from the original.

I'd love a new Dark Sun setting, but maybe I'd rather wait until WotC is willing to put out a decent setting.

 

[James Gasik]

I mean, rather than kit bash some unwieldly facsimile of Dark Sun together with 5e, wouldn't it be better to create a new setting with a similar "D&D: Fallout Edition" theme? There's something to be said for not only making a setting line up with the rules, but also not being beholden to legacy content that most players won't care for.

 

[Yaarel]

I am sure there will be absolutely zero repercussions to D&D publishing an "M"-rated book.

Yeah. There should be adult games. But they dont need the D&D logo.

 

[Umbran]

but due to language restrictions on here I can't call them that word

Mod Note:
You know, when we can tell what you are saying, you are still saying it, right?
While sometimes we may let a clever innuendo go, not so much when you are being insulting.
So, please clean it up. Thanks much.