Help for a dark sun campaign

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

zombiegleemax

Oct 12, 2006 21:40:05
This year, I am helping some of my friends organize the D&D campaign at Dak-Kon, a local gaming convention. The theme is "Badlands," so I thought a Dark sun campaign would be good. I found athas.org, which has helped a lot, however, I found it a bit lacking in fluff. That is, descriptions of the world, history and flavour of Dark Sun. I would like to ask:

A) Where can I find some good Dark Sun fluff, short of buying the box set off Ebay?

B) Aside from the PHB, DMG, MM, and EPH, what 3.X books would be useful?

C) What should we know about running a Dark Sun campaign?

D) What makes a good Dark Sun adventure? (Intrigue? Hack/Slash? Horror?) and/or where can a good Dark Sun adventure be found?
#2

Silverblade_The_Enchanter

Oct 12, 2006 23:01:44
a) www.athas.org
You can buy the original boxed set in pdf format from www.paizo.com
I recommend it (some folk like myself hate the way later stuff screwed the setting and preffer original, though with 3.5 rules)

b) sandstom perhaps, lots of useful stuff in other books but nothing "specific", I like the Complete Adventurer.

c)and d) Harshly, gritty, tough, high likelyhood of dying. Survival and smarts are prime partof DS games, rather then "heroics" it's often about survival and defeating the shmucks who rule, or are trying to get one over you.
Think Mad Max, Death Lands that kind of thing

Most of my DS games are set in Tyr and involve "dirty deeds done dirt cheap".
#3

zombiegleemax

Oct 13, 2006 10:34:27
I tend toward the gritty political campaigns but for a con maybe a quick "caravan guard" scenario from once city-state to another. Get to show off the harshness of athas, some unique critters, the templarate/cargo inspectors, and maybe throw some hints in about the struggles between merchant houses.
#4

kalthandrix

Oct 13, 2006 11:07:03
Yeap - Athas.org is the place to get the best (and official) material for Dark Sun 3.5, if you are looking to keep the same feel as the orginal boxed sets.

(You can also check my sig for some of the best material around too :D )

As for other books - well it always just depends on what you want to add to your game - but with the material from Athas.org and the core books from Wizards, there is not reallt much else that you really need - I would first suggest that you get the campaign running using only the Athas.org material and the core books then add on as you feel the need.

I would say that if you want to get to know the setting, the best way to really do that is to read the Prism Pentad series by Troy Denning - you can find cheap used copies at half.com that will really work - I bought a whole set just for my players to read (and because I would not let them read my orginal first edition, very good condition ones).

In my campaign, I have alway kept the danger level just short of TPK - I make my players earn the cool things I give them. I also have had an on going plot line that the story has followed - using and tweeking some of the adventures from Athas.org to fit my needs and writing my own.
#5

zombiegleemax

Oct 14, 2006 19:24:31
I try to think of a cross between Conan the Barbarian, Beyond Thunderdome, Quest for Fire and Lawrence of Arabia, set to the soundtrack of The Kingdom of Heaven.

If you really want to introduce Dark Sun, I think you need to to have an adventure were the characters are survivors of a raided caravan. (Raided by Elves!) and the characters all have to get to the nearest well in order to get the water they need to survive.

Give each character a different card of world knowledge they need to get to say... Altruk or The Bitter Well... and give them reasons to not fully share that inforamtion with each other. Kinda like a murder mystery.

In those cards you can give individual characters elements of Dark Sun, such as:

  • distrust of Magic-users
  • escaped slaves
  • psionic mercenary
  • half-elves are REALLY dispossesed
  • dwarves are hairless
  • elves are worshipers of the Now
  • Muls are crossbreeds
  • Templars are the oppressors
  • defilers kill the Land
  • preservers hate defilers
  • thri-kreen don't sleep and eat people
  • halflings are like the boomerang kid from Road Warrior and they eat people too


And whatever you want to add. The players will introduce Dark Sun to each other and all you need to do is keep them on an interesting path together.
#6

jon_oracle_of_athas

Oct 16, 2006 12:30:02
You could get the introductory adventure Whispers of the Storm and the accessory City-State of Draj where said adventure is set. Both are available in the releases section at athas.org.
#7

zombiegleemax

Oct 16, 2006 16:15:52
Thanks for the help, guys. I am not familiar with this campaign setting, but with this info, I am confident that the Dak-Kon campaign will be sucessful.
#8

kalthandrix

Oct 16, 2006 17:48:27
Thanks for the help, guys. I am not familiar with this campaign setting, but with this info, I am confident that the Dak-Kon campaign will be sucessful.

If you are ever doubting if your game is truly "Dark Sun" enough - just kill a character or make your players cry - that is a good measuring stick IMAGE(http://smilies.vidahost.com/contrib/dvv/uriel.gif)
#9

mouthymerc

Oct 16, 2006 17:53:31
I knew it was working when my players became wary of the plant life as well as the denizens.
#10

kalthandrix

Oct 16, 2006 21:24:24
I knew it was working when my players became wary of the plant life as well as the denizens.

Mongol General: Conan, what is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of [the players in my Dark Sun campaign].

:D
#11

dracochapel

Oct 17, 2006 7:43:18
Originally Posted by Modified quote from Conan the Barbarian
Mongol General: Conan, what is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of [the players in my Dark Sun campaign].

They werent mongols. that would be like saying the guy who taught conan to use a sword was japanese/samurai. or that people from Draj are actually Aztec.
And the worst part of running a DS 2nd edition campaign was trying to kill ppl with 22s or 24s in their stats. T
he FUN part was sending them to Myth Drannor and having the Defiler break down in tears at the sight of all the trees. Then have a whole bunch of pansy wood elves turn up. And get killed by the Mul gladiator (there was always one); or the half-giant with his x2 hit points.
#12

kalthandrix

Oct 17, 2006 7:57:51
They werent mongols. that would be like saying the guy who taught conan to use a sword was japanese/samurai. or that people from Draj are actually Aztec.

Chill dude - I got the quote from the web and that was how they had it listed - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082198/quotes - jeeze!
#13

dracochapel

Oct 17, 2006 8:18:19
Chill? didnt realise i was been aggro about it.
And whoever labelled that IMDB quote is wrong too. (damn i am trying to chill i swear)
#14

jon_oracle_of_athas

Oct 19, 2006 12:34:33
Do read the article on athas.org called The Athasian Game Master, it has some tips on how you could run a DS game.
#15

lastard

Oct 19, 2006 13:46:47
you are looking for fluff? i specialise in fluff... ;)

lastard >8)

PS: would it be possible to update the links section of athas.org? a lot of the links are dead and me thinks some new pages have appeared on the net :D
#16

kalthandrix

Oct 19, 2006 14:19:19
If they are updating things like that, then another item should be putting the correct version and last updated info on some of the release stuff. :P
#17

jon_oracle_of_athas

Oct 19, 2006 16:25:52
I have a dialogue going with Grummore regarding the links section. I will be back with more information if we get something concrete out of our talks.

PS: The link question should really be a separate thread.
#18

lastard

Oct 19, 2006 16:30:59
Thanks for the info. Can start a new thread so that we approach the next 50,000 sooner ;) Sorry for diverting another thread. I will be notorious soon as an anarchist... FREE TYR!!

er....

Lastard >8)
#19

lastard

Oct 19, 2006 16:47:56
To bring something more constructive to the debate:

Mad Max is a good example - if Mad Max was a vengeful druid who seeks to sabotage defilers and torture them with swarms of vermin and if he co-operated with an Aunt Entity ranger/bard woman and a MasterBlaster gladiator-duo (half-giant carrying a bossy halfling).

This answers your question what makes a good DS adventure: sabotaging of anything to do with Sorcererkings/-queens. Be it through the Veiled Alliance, druids or other people bearing a grudge!

Lastard >8)