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 world of Athas is different than the fantasy settings you typically see in Dungeons & Dragons, like Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, and Dragonlance. In the world of Athas you have a bleak desert that is more like a 'Dying Earth' setting than a fantasy setting.
Magic versus psionics is one of the biggest differences in the setting of Dark Sun. The world of Athas has been brutalized by years of magical backlash and destruction. As such, magic is much less common in the world. Its replacement is psionics, which is much more common and accepted among the population.
Although the Dark Sun campaign setting has many of the traditional races you'll see in a fantasy setting, it does have a lot of unique races as well. The setting has the traditional Human, Elf, Dwarf, Half-Elf, and Halfling make-up that you will see in other D&D games. But they also have Half-Giants, Muls (half Dwarf Half Human), and Thri-Kreen (Mantis men).
The classes in Dark Sun are very different than other settings. Priests don't worship deities in the traditional sense; they derive their powers from other sources. Spell casters are altered due to the fact that magic is less common in the world. Most spell casters are divided up between either Defilers or Preservers. And, there isn't any true equivalent to Sorcerers, Monks, or Paladins in the game.
There are many Dark Sun books that have been in print which can give players or the dungeon master a 'heads up' on the world before it comes out. The Prism Pentad series by Troy Denning is very good five book series on the world of Dark Sun. Also, the Tribe of One series by Simon Hawke is a three book series with a great background of the world as well.
There are also other resources online that are available to those interested in studying the world of Dark Sun before it comes out. There is the Unofficial Dark Sun Wiki, the Official Dark Sun Discussion Forum, and an interactive Dark Sun Atlas for the World of Athas, and Official D&D 3.5e products released for Dark Sun. All of these provide great information for those that are interested and can't wait till the campaign guide comes out.
I, and many other fans, am ecstatic about the choice of Dark Sun as the next setting for Dungeon & Dragons 4e. It is a fan pleasing choice that gives more variety to the D&D 4e settings. Look for the Dark Sun Campaign Guide in 2010 from Wizards of the Coast.
The world of Athas is different than the fantasy settings you typically see in Dungeons & Dragons, like Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, and Dragonlance. In the world of Athas you have a bleak desert that is more like a 'Dying Earth' setting than a fantasy setting.
Magic versus psionics is one of the biggest differences in the setting of Dark Sun. The world of Athas has been brutalized by years of magical backlash and destruction. As such, magic is much less common in the world. Its replacement is psionics, which is much more common and accepted among the population.
Although the Dark Sun campaign setting has many of the traditional races you'll see in a fantasy setting, it does have a lot of unique races as well. The setting has the traditional Human, Elf, Dwarf, Half-Elf, and Halfling make-up that you will see in other D&D games. But they also have Half-Giants, Muls (half Dwarf Half Human), and Thri-Kreen (Mantis men).
The classes in Dark Sun are very different than other settings. Priests don't worship deities in the traditional sense; they derive their powers from other sources. Spell casters are altered due to the fact that magic is less common in the world. Most spell casters are divided up between either Defilers or Preservers. And, there isn't any true equivalent to Sorcerers, Monks, or Paladins in the game.
There are many Dark Sun books that have been in print which can give players or the dungeon master a 'heads up' on the world before it comes out. The Prism Pentad series by Troy Denning is very good five book series on the world of Dark Sun. Also, the Tribe of One series by Simon Hawke is a three book series with a great background of the world as well.
There are also other resources online that are available to those interested in studying the world of Dark Sun before it comes out. There is the Unofficial Dark Sun Wiki, the Official Dark Sun Discussion Forum, and an interactive Dark Sun Atlas for the World of Athas, and Official D&D 3.5e products released for Dark Sun. All of these provide great information for those that are interested and can't wait till the campaign guide comes out.
I, and many other fans, am ecstatic about the choice of Dark Sun as the next setting for Dungeon & Dragons 4e. It is a fan pleasing choice that gives more variety to the D&D 4e settings. Look for the Dark Sun Campaign Guide in 2010 from Wizards of the Coast.
About the Author:
George Mueller writes about Role-Playing Games Games and the the Dark Sun setting campaign guide.
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