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3 years ago ::
Jun 01, 2010 - 5:06PM
#11
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- Dragon Slayer
- If only he would apply himself
- Dammit Jim, this is Star Trek, not D&D!
Date Joined:
Jan 31, 2006
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spoiler on Athas' past in previous editions and a certain monster
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Daskinor, the 14th Champion, bore the title of "Goblin Death". It had been previously reported that (after 822 years) he had managed to kill the last goblin. I am not aware of any previous (live) goblin mentions in DS material.
It could be in error, or it could be that they are bringing them back. Goblins are like roaches. Then again, I think Athasian roaches are way cooler than everyday goblins. I will likely reskin them to something else.
Follow my blog and Twitter feed with Dark Sun campaign design and DM tips! Dark Sun's Ashes of Athas Campaign is now available for home play (PM me with your e-mail to order the campaign adventures).
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3 years ago ::
Jun 01, 2010 - 5:17PM
#12
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Date Joined:
Jun 11, 2008
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Really?
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I am sorely disappointed that there are goblins in this adventure. Goblins, seriously? In Dark Sun? In the adventure showcasing Dark Sun? Why goblins?
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3 years ago ::
Jun 01, 2010 - 6:48PM
#13
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Date Joined:
Dec 11, 2009
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well I'm going to resolve this by...
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...reskinning the gobbos into caniballistic halflings XD That should sufficiently freak everyone out and properly showcase a feature of Dark Sun!
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3 years ago ::
Jun 02, 2010 - 2:08PM
#14
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Date Joined:
Jun 22, 2007
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So...
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DMs should definitely do whatever they want to flavor their game to their liking/style, but there are some things that are different about 4E Dark Sun than the previous edition. I haven't looked at all the monsters, but it's possible that gobos weren't omitted from 4e Dark Sun for whatever reasons. There was also a crazy amount of convoluted and confusing contradictions (do I get points for alliteration?) just within the previous edition of Dark Sun source material and novels. I just want people to be aware that while the upcoming version of Dark Sun feels very much like the deadly wastelands and vicious city-states of the older version, expect some details to change. Oh, and yes, there are definitely still canabilistic halflings 
But again, all that said, definitely reskin things to be more fun/flavorful if you want to!
Trevor Kidd
Community Manager
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3 years ago ::
Jun 02, 2010 - 9:20PM
#15
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Date Joined:
Aug 21, 2007
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I'm always a big fan of "what is" as opposed to "what was" in terms of a new, or re-newed, campaign settings. That said there are some ways a DM can work a particular monster to make it feel more Dark Sun -ish Spoiler:
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Don't call the goblins goblins at all! Make up a cool decription of something else, or at least flavor them differently.
"A tribe of small dusty skinned creatures emerge from atop the badlands. Their skin looks dried and scaley, giving them the appearance of wind beaten rock. Their beady black eyes peer out at you hidden behind bone armor arranged to make them appear as skeletons. Their trappings seemingly more ceremonial than practical. Two creatures have odd fins attacked to their legs."
You could easily call the race Sandlings and give historic details similar to the goblin race, but time in the sun blasted wastes of Athas have changed them. These are the poor surviving species of a once far more numerous race.
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3 years ago ::
Jun 04, 2010 - 11:58AM
#16
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Date Joined:
Aug 17, 2007
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Ok guys, now you're all being cruel. You can't keep posting in a thread called "Quick Player's Primer for Dark Sun: Fury of the Wastewalker" and tease us players with potential spoilers in each post.
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3 years ago ::
Jun 04, 2010 - 1:36PM
#17
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- Dragon Slayer
- If only he would apply himself
- Dammit Jim, this is Star Trek, not D&D!
Date Joined:
Jan 31, 2006
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That is a good point. DMs should note there are now better threads for the DM-only stuff!
Follow my blog and Twitter feed with Dark Sun campaign design and DM tips! Dark Sun's Ashes of Athas Campaign is now available for home play (PM me with your e-mail to order the campaign adventures).
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3 years ago ::
Jun 09, 2010 - 1:27PM
#18
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Date Joined:
Feb 24, 2006
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With thanks to James Zack.
The Gods are Silent: Long ago, when the planet was green, the brutal might of the primordials overcame the gods. Today, Athas is a world without deities. There are no clerics, no paladins, and no prophets or religious orders. In the absence of divine influence, other powers have come to prominence in the world. Psionic power is well known and widely practiced on Athas; even unintelligent desert monsters can have deadly psionic abilities. Shamans and druids call upon the primal powers of the world, which are often sculpted by the influence of elemental power.
Reading through the old version of 2nd edition Dark Sun it says that the gods were never part of the world and there was a grey mist that surrounded the Dark Sun Sphere that prevented deity access to the world.
I guess they changed the origin story to fit better in their Primordials/God war.
I prefer the older version the mystery on where this grey mist came from is more interesting.
James
Playing D&D since the Red Box of '83.
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3 years ago ::
Jun 11, 2010 - 8:57PM
#19
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Date Joined:
Aug 21, 2007
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That is the fantastic thing about D&D! We as DM's (and players) can change the settings (and rules) as much as we want!
I'm running a 4E Forgotten realms game where old PC's from 3.5 still have had an impact on the world and their grandchildren (and great GC's) still roam.
That said, for Dark Sun I've got a ton of the old material and I'm sure I'll still use a bunch of it. The Thri-kreen book is great and I'm hoping a Dragon/Dungeon article about the kreen pops up at some point!
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3 years ago ::
Jun 12, 2010 - 1:51PM
#20
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- Dragon Slayer
- If only he would apply himself
- Dammit Jim, this is Star Trek, not D&D!
Date Joined:
Jan 31, 2006
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The other fun thing is watching how what we love and hate is so firmly dependent on what we grew up with. If you grew up with 1st ed, with the first Manual of the Planes, with Planescape, with 3.5, with 4E's Primordial vs Gods...
The hard truth is that they are all cool concepts based loosely on real myth. Some aspect is bound to resonate with us at a base level, plus seem imaginative and fantastic and cool.
That aside, certain things do seem to fit better for certain campaigns. The Greek/Roman pantheon concept works very well in some settings, for example. The idea of Sigil works well in others.
Dark Sun has always been a bit hard for me to peg. On the one hand, I love the uniqueness of never having had gods. On the other, I love the idea of having lost them. (And, unlike Dragonlance, in a "they will never come back, ever" kind of way).
The literature is all over the place. There are plenty of references (such as in Troy Denning's novels) to religion being something that was lost and with real remnants of faith and power left behind. On the other hand, the official history of Athas is completely godless. *shrug*
I do miss the idea of the elemental clerics. While non-divine leaders through other forces work fine mechanics-wise, I really miss the elemental worship. I would like to see that return. If anything, the 4E cosmology seems to support this more than ever.
Follow my blog and Twitter feed with Dark Sun campaign design and DM tips! Dark Sun's Ashes of Athas Campaign is now available for home play (PM me with your e-mail to order the campaign adventures).
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