Recently, at GenCon Indy 2009, Wizards of the Coast made a huge announcement. The big news that they released was of the next campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons 4e. Wizards of the Coast made the announcement that the world of Athas and the Dark Sun campaign setting would be the next due out for the game in 2010. This was to the delight of many fans as the choice is widely considered a fan pleasing decision.
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.
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.
Dark Sun has traditional fantasy races such as Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Half-Elves, and Halflings. They also have many unique player character and non-player character races. These unique races include the Thri-Kreen, a race of Mantis men. Half-Giants are also a playable character race in the world of Athas. And Muls, which are half dwarf and half human hybrids.
The mix of classes in Dark Sun is recognizable to other fantasy games, but significantly altered. For example, there isn't any equivalent to Paladins, Monks, or Sorcerers. Spell casters are typically divided up between Preservers or Defilers. And, Priests derive their power from non-traditional sources, as opposed to deities or gods.
If you are looking to learn about Dark Sun lore, there are three book series that are great reads. The Prism Pentad is a five book series by Troy Denning. The Tribe of One is a three book series by Simon Hawke. And the Chronicles of Athas is a five book series by multiple authors. Each series will give you more information about the world of Athas.
Many of the Dark Sun resources available on the internet are free for fans to use. There is the Unofficial Dark Sun Wiki, a Dark Sun interactive Atlas for the World of Athas, the Official Dark Sun Discussion Forum at Wizards of the Coast, and many other product releases that are available if you know where to look.
Wizards of the Coast made a great selection by choosing Dark Sun as their next campaign setting. They have pleased many of the fans with this decision and the choice should prove to be a great success for the company. The world is very different from other settings currently offered. Look for the Dark Sun Campaign Guide in 2010.
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.
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.
Dark Sun has traditional fantasy races such as Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Half-Elves, and Halflings. They also have many unique player character and non-player character races. These unique races include the Thri-Kreen, a race of Mantis men. Half-Giants are also a playable character race in the world of Athas. And Muls, which are half dwarf and half human hybrids.
The mix of classes in Dark Sun is recognizable to other fantasy games, but significantly altered. For example, there isn't any equivalent to Paladins, Monks, or Sorcerers. Spell casters are typically divided up between Preservers or Defilers. And, Priests derive their power from non-traditional sources, as opposed to deities or gods.
If you are looking to learn about Dark Sun lore, there are three book series that are great reads. The Prism Pentad is a five book series by Troy Denning. The Tribe of One is a three book series by Simon Hawke. And the Chronicles of Athas is a five book series by multiple authors. Each series will give you more information about the world of Athas.
Many of the Dark Sun resources available on the internet are free for fans to use. There is the Unofficial Dark Sun Wiki, a Dark Sun interactive Atlas for the World of Athas, the Official Dark Sun Discussion Forum at Wizards of the Coast, and many other product releases that are available if you know where to look.
Wizards of the Coast made a great selection by choosing Dark Sun as their next campaign setting. They have pleased many of the fans with this decision and the choice should prove to be a great success for the company. The world is very different from other settings currently offered. Look for the Dark Sun Campaign Guide in 2010.
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