At GenCon Indy 2009, Wizards of the Coast had a big announcement regarding their flagship roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition. They announced that in 2010 the next campaign setting would be Dark Sun, the desert world of Athas. This was a very fan-pleasing decision as many gamers hoped that this, would in fact, be the next setting for D&D 4e to be released.
The Dark Sun campaign moves away from more traditional fantasy settings like Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, and Greyhawk. Instead of the traditional fantasy world, you have bleak desert wastelands. The world of Athas is a world largely considered to be more post-apocalyptic than fantasy.
One of the biggest differences in Dark Sun over the other settings is magic, or the lack there-of. Athas is a world that has been ravaged by a magical backlash. As such, magic is much less common in this world, where psionics are decidedly more common. Just like magic has become a part of everyday life in most other fantasy settings, so too has psionics become a part of daily life in Athas.
There are many unique races in Dark Sun that are playable character races. Muls are half dwarf and half human hybrids. Thri-Kreen are mantis like creatures with multiple limbs. Half-Giants are considered a playable character race as well. In addition, there are also the 'standard' races such as Human, Elf, Dwarf, Half-Elf, and Halfling.
There is some variation between the classes in Dark Sun and the classes from traditional fantasy settings. First, there really isn't any equivalent for Paladins, Monks, and Sorcerers in the Dark Sun world. As stated earlier, psionics are much more commonplace so the traditional 'magic classes' are either not represented or are drastically altered in this setting.
For anyone not familiar with the Dark Sun setting, it may be good for them (especially the game master) to get leg up on learning the world. The Tribe of One is a short three book series by Simon Hawke that is a great starter series. Also, the Chronicles of Athas is a five book series with multiple authors, so you can get a variety of writing styles.
Some of the Dark Sun resources currently available on the Internet are: a Dark Sun interactive atlas of the World of Atlas, the Official Dark Sun Discussion Forum, The Unofficial Dark Sun Wiki, and the Next Campaign Setting Announcement from Wizards of the Coast. Each of the resources provides a lot of information for those interested in studying the world of Athas.
Overall, the Dark Sun setting is a great choice for Wizards of the Coast to make as their next Dungeons & Dragons 4e campaign setting. The world and setting are dramatically different than many of the other campaign setting currently available. The Dark Sun Campaign Guide will come out in 2010 shortly after the release of the Players Handbook 3, which introduces psionics. Look for the game book soon!
The Dark Sun campaign moves away from more traditional fantasy settings like Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, and Greyhawk. Instead of the traditional fantasy world, you have bleak desert wastelands. The world of Athas is a world largely considered to be more post-apocalyptic than fantasy.
One of the biggest differences in Dark Sun over the other settings is magic, or the lack there-of. Athas is a world that has been ravaged by a magical backlash. As such, magic is much less common in this world, where psionics are decidedly more common. Just like magic has become a part of everyday life in most other fantasy settings, so too has psionics become a part of daily life in Athas.
There are many unique races in Dark Sun that are playable character races. Muls are half dwarf and half human hybrids. Thri-Kreen are mantis like creatures with multiple limbs. Half-Giants are considered a playable character race as well. In addition, there are also the 'standard' races such as Human, Elf, Dwarf, Half-Elf, and Halfling.
There is some variation between the classes in Dark Sun and the classes from traditional fantasy settings. First, there really isn't any equivalent for Paladins, Monks, and Sorcerers in the Dark Sun world. As stated earlier, psionics are much more commonplace so the traditional 'magic classes' are either not represented or are drastically altered in this setting.
For anyone not familiar with the Dark Sun setting, it may be good for them (especially the game master) to get leg up on learning the world. The Tribe of One is a short three book series by Simon Hawke that is a great starter series. Also, the Chronicles of Athas is a five book series with multiple authors, so you can get a variety of writing styles.
Some of the Dark Sun resources currently available on the Internet are: a Dark Sun interactive atlas of the World of Atlas, the Official Dark Sun Discussion Forum, The Unofficial Dark Sun Wiki, and the Next Campaign Setting Announcement from Wizards of the Coast. Each of the resources provides a lot of information for those interested in studying the world of Athas.
Overall, the Dark Sun setting is a great choice for Wizards of the Coast to make as their next Dungeons & Dragons 4e campaign setting. The world and setting are dramatically different than many of the other campaign setting currently available. The Dark Sun Campaign Guide will come out in 2010 shortly after the release of the Players Handbook 3, which introduces psionics. Look for the game book soon!
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