1. They never killed Kalak, he killed them (Rikus, Agis, etc) or he killed some, killed none and succeeded in becoming a dragon, and now uses the forest ridge as his base where he has plenty of plants to defile, like the halfling Nok said he would.
2. Hamanu successfully conquers Tyr, now he's emperor Hamanu
Hmm, would he try to conquer Balic next, he never could conquer Raam for some reason, even though it's real close to him and his army is stronger.3. Yaramuke and Kalidnay (and perhaps even Bodach was rebuilt) were never destroyed and have Sielba and Kalid-Ma ruling them. I wonder what exactly it was Sielba was trying to get/take from Hamanu that made him destroy her city.
4. Definitely more sorceror-kings and or Champions of Rajaat, I'd say 50 of them, spread across Athas. Maybe even Daskinor and Keltis/Oronis show up to help reimprison Rajaat in the Cerulean Storm.
5. Borys (and why did he never defile it, the Forest Ridge or the last sea) hits the Crimson Savanna and terrorizes the Kreen there.
6. A Psion/Life Shaper Human either from the Order or the Last Sea resurrects the Trolls or another Green Age race. I'd call the troll adventure Reborn in the Stone
7. A Kreen or Dead Lands (or both at the same time) invasion of the Tyr Region.
8. Not really something about the story, but could a defiler cast Trap the Soul on a spirit/spirits of the land (when it manifests) and some harness/ cannibalize it's power. Since it takes the body of the soul it takes, it would leave a huge crater in the ground, or hole in the case of a oasis/pond, etc.
1. Take out Rajaat. Darksun doesn't need a big bad evil.
2. Remove the whole champion angle. This allows DM's the freedom to make up more city-states outside of the Tyr region ruled by whom ever they wish.
3. Return the history of Athas back to the shadowed veil of mystery it once was allowing DM's to determine what Athas once was and tell the story as they wish.
My whole thing, as I have also seen people post here, is that once the mystery was gone, Athas became just another FR's more or less. Different Climate, badguys have a different name and look, but its just another "quest to kill the evil".
Back when DS first came out my step-brothers uncle ran us in a campaign of it. Since there was little known about it's history he turned Athas into the fantasy version of a "Post Nuclear Holocaust" world. Outside of the Tyr region, wich we explored, held ancient cities, both alive and thriving, and dead and wasted. Treasures of a by-gone age were there to find for those who hunted, and we even found a few things that didn't belong in a swords and sorcery world, similar to The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Our campaign led us through the Tyr region peicing together clues of the great history of our world and what had happened. And then slowly moving out from the Tyr region exploring new lands until we found the source of Athas destruction. Granted, there was nothing we could do to reverse it, but we did find out what caused the defilement of the planet.
I'll leave your imaginations to fill in what we found as that was the joy we had in that first DS Campaign that I played in.
Changes I'd like to make...
1. Take out Rajaat. Darksun doesn't need a big bad evil.2. Remove the whole champion angle. This allows DM's the freedom to make up more city-states outside of the Tyr region ruled by whom ever they wish.
I was also thinking it would be possible to have SK's who weren't ever champions of Rajaat, Farclun never was and he's a dragon (da*n, I have to get that adventure, I want to see his stats, or if someone would post them here)
I'd just stop the Prism Pentad after Kalak's death, and allow the PCs to determine what happens next. Otherwise, the PCs are just spectators in someone else's story.
And no Rajaat. The storline was OK but to quick IMHO. It happened ver 2 years of real time. DS didn't really survive long enough to see where it was going.
No Prism Pentad
I have to agree. I vaguely remember playing the old box set, and having lots of fun with endless possibilities.
Now that everything's been changed by the storyline, a lot of things that were great about DS are now unavailable:
- Starting off a campaign in Tyr with the PCs as gladiatorial slaves
- ANYTHING involving Urik (since it's now basically a closed city)
That being said, there are a few changes that make things a little more interesting:
- Draj's new "king" and the psion conspiracy
- Raam & Dregoth. Who needs an outside invasion, when there's one that's been waiting right in the middle of the tablelands?
I leave most of it in, I just make it that most people don't know what happened. I never liked the idea that everyone knows the secret inner workings that the Sorcerer-Kings know.
Ditto. I personally don't have any problem with how things went down in the storyline.
Ditto. I personally don't have any problem with how things went down in the storyline.
It's a world wracked by series of cataclysmic events. The events in the Prism Pentad, to me, are no less cataclysmic and world-changing. Not everything from those books is common knowledge. As it is, unless you are in or know someone who's been in one of the city-states that has lost a sorcerer-king, I don't believe you'd know about that -- rumors at best.
I'll leave your imaginations to fill in what we found as that was the joy we had in that first DS Campaign that I played in.
Nooo, please tell us! I'm really curious now
I leave most of it in, I just make it that most people don't know what happened. I never liked the idea that everyone knows the secret inner workings that the Sorcerer-Kings know.
I totally agree. It is doubtful that the Heroes of Tyr would just be throwing about the information that they gathered, knowing spies would be everywhere. Furthermore, many people aren't going to trust Sadira after she returns from the Pristine Tower, what with the obviously magically changed nature she has now. No one will trust that. They probably only do so because they fear her, or the know that they can kill her at night.
I totally agree. It is doubtful that the Heroes of Tyr would just be throwing about the information that they gathered, knowing spies would be everywhere. Furthermore, many people aren't going to trust Sadira after she returns from the Pristine Tower, what with the obviously magically changed nature she has now. No one will trust that. They probably only do so because they fear her, or the know that they can kill her at night.
Also, what about Tithian? The people of Tyr didn't know better and thought he was a great and noble king, what would they wonder when he never comes back?
And no Rajaat. The storline was OK but to quick IMHO. It happened ver 2 years of real time. DS didn't really survive long enough to see where it was going.
Do you mean 2 years of time in the real world? Yes, the Prism Pentad was written from 91 to 93, but events in the novels spanned a decade from the time of the Crimson Legion to the Cerulean Storm novel.
Do you mean 2 years of time in the real world? Yes, the Prism Pentad was written from 91 to 93, but events in the novels spanned a decade from the time of the Crimson Legion to the Cerulean Storm novel.
Yeah but IRL it was like heres this new world and 2 years later the Dragons dead along woth half the Sorceror Kings.
There was a long thread about this maybe a year ago, where Greyworm (?) talked extensively about not including someone else's meta-plot into the offical game history. In that discussion, it was revealed that the Prism Pentad was only the tip of the iceberg as far as global changes were concerned. Apparently TSR was planning a Kreen invasion, followed by an invasion by a Halfling spaceship.
Personally, I don't think that a setting with such a rich historical background (Athas in the present + Green Age and Blue Age) needs all of these planet-transforming events to happen in the present. Athas offers so much to explore in terms of learning about the past, it seems to be a waste to slap on these meta-plots on top of everything before exploring everything that the past and present have to offer.
itf
Either way, I would've changed a few things. One is this: have there be a chance to save Korgunard.
I too would've like the Thri-Kreen from the Crimson Legion to survive, and maybe have some assorted Kreen adventures of his own.
I would've liked Agis' death to be less definite. Not as in "Agis lives, PERIOD!" more like you never see the body. I actually screamed when he died, originally.
A more epic battle with the heroes, Rajaat and the SKs. They could've brought more dudes with them, like a frickin' army and the SKs could've had some crap go down. I didn't mind the deaths themselves, but I would've liked more bang-boom for the whole thing. The scenes as is reminded me of when I DM a game and I'm too tired to stage a huge mass battle so I settle for a smaller one instead.
None of the Paizo stuff. 'Nuff said. They should've done more research.
So yeah, just some minor tweaks, really.
Either way, I would've changed a few things. One is this: have there be a chance to save Korgunard.
I have done this in my campaign. The halfling psion who killed him turned his femur into a dagger. Grab that dagger from him and resurrect Korgunard. Problem solved, and it might actually make for a nice adventure. The reward is the gratitude of both Korgunard and Oronis (though they may never meet Oronis).
I did a couple of changes myself:
1. After Kalak died and the Crimson legion was broken in Urik, I changed the timeline, so all the history after that changed.
2. Abalach-re and Tyr feuded and she was killed by the party. It was the culmination of my first campaign, and many of their allies perished in that battle, which was intensely epic.
3. Her general turned up to be a nice guy, and he took control of Raam. Tyr and Raam signed the free cities pact. At that time, all the original heroes where alive, alongside the PCs themselves, Thitian was the ruler of Tyr, but he was assasinated by one of the PCs, working under pay from house vordon. The vacum of power was filled by Vordon which now become first lord of Tyr's council.
4. Hamanu decided to take Tyr's mines, and unfolded a complex scheme, which involved weakening Raam and Tyr. He broke the Raam defences using insurgants from within, and took Raam, while most of the Raamish army was outside the city.
5. When Hamanu himself led his army to conquer Tyr, the heroes recieved means to infiltrate destiny's kingdom to cut his power source. They were sure that a Pyreen name Mon adderath is helping them. Unfortunately for everybody, he wasn't a Pyreen, and when the PCs went to the Earth element, they managed to disconnect Hamanu from his vortex for a brief period of time. He arrived promptly and started taking the PCs apart, when Dregoth appeared and breathed on him. The body was not found, but this can be understood - as nothing much remained where Hamanu stood.
6. A prisoner of Hamanu called Demetrius misled the PCs to believe he is a good sorcerer of old, and with their help took control of Hamanu's severed vortex, resulting in a new SK for Urik.
I also created another prisoner under Destiny's kingdom, the last troll king, which Hamanu kept in stathys since the cleansing wars. This troll was not a brute, but quite an intelligent monster.
The culmination of the second campaign (three years in real life), found Tyr and Raam free again, and Demetrius putting garissons and "advisors" in Tyr to council them. Of course, he wanted taxes and levies from them.
====
I moved the campaign 15 years forward, and now the situation is similar to what I described. Demetrius consolidated power, but a great trade war removed Vordon from power. Now, Havalas minthur is the ruler of Tyr, and his house took most of Vordon's assets. Urik's ruler has now very good relationships with Tyr, and the Iron flows to the north regularly.
Dregoth is taking his time, he removed most of the dangerous pieces from Athas board (The original heroes have died or vanished long ago), and is behind the scenes, the situation is still too dangerous for him to make his move.
The nature of relationship between Demetrius and Dregoth is uknown.
====
I hope this is interesting enough, all this took 30 years of game time and five years of real time to get to..
I have done this in my campaign. The halfling psion who killed him turned his femur into a dagger. Grab that dagger from him and resurrect Korgunard. Problem solved, and it might actually make for a nice adventure. The reward is the gratitude of both Korgunard and Oronis (though they may never meet Oronis).
I was going to run an adventure in which that halfling psion would appear to be slowly going insane. In reality, it would be Korgunard's psyche that was gradually coming to the fore front of the halfling's mind (think along the lines of the mind seed power). In the end, the avangion’s personality would eventually become the dominate psyche in the halfling’s body.
Admittedly, the idea needs to be developed more.
I was going to run an adventure in which that halfling psion would appear to be slowly going insane. In reality, it would be Korgunard's psyche that was gradually coming to the fore front of the halfling's mind (think along the lines of the mind seed power). In the end, the avangion’s personality would eventually become the dominate psyche in the halfling’s body.
Admittedly, the idea needs to be developed more.
Great start though
Well, yes, the sun is still hot and yes, Athas still is a desert.
However, TSR shrouded the whole Dragon issue in mystery.
"What there is only one dragon on the whole entire planet?"
"And this dragon is, hands down, the most bad-*ssed thing on a planet full of super-tough characters/ creatures?"
"And the Dragon commands a type of magic that is more formidable and diabolical than any other magic on Athas?"
After stunning us with the revelations about Dragon magic in Dragon Kings, we all rushed out to buy the Valley of Dust and Fire because we were so hungry to know more. Then in one fell sweep, VoDF was rendered obselete, and the dragon was gone.
So now we have to buy "Beyond the Prism Pentad" just to keep up with the game, but even that isn't enough, so TSR releases a "Revised and Expanded Boxed Set," since our the original one is obselete.
Sure, some folks will say, "if you don't like the additional stuff, just don't use it." That's fine, but can I get a refund the parts of "The City State of Tyr," that I paid for but am not using?
But going beyond finances, the issue of meta-plot just seems lazy. Turning an entire world upside down seems like something you do when you run out of options with the existing setting, or at least you wait until the setting is well-established before you flip everything upside down. TSR didn't allow players to explore the other side of the sea of Silt, the Hinterlands, the Dead Lands, or the area north of the Tablelands before they started tearing up the setting with their meta-plot. I would have preferred more supplements like "The Ivory Triangle" or "The Elves of Athas" (two of Dark Sun's best supplements, IMHO) in lieu of "Beyond the Prism Pentad."
itf
You have something in that. But to me setting the game where all the SKs are dead (after the prism pentand) is not the place to start playing. To me the problem should be solved by the players, and it is just as you said: they killed all the SKs in those books, so they had to invent uber powerful bad guys like Dregoth, Thri kreen, dead lands ETC.
In my last two campaigns, the whole game was played in the original boxed set. I didn't have the new supplements until we almost stopped playing. In fact almost all the campaign took place in Tyr-Raam-Urik-Balic. We played there for 5 Real life years and we could have played there more.
My players didn't even know about the new locations. They did managed to go to the hinterlands and came back running
.But for me as a DM, I want to have some variety too. I have lots of places, and didn't explore them yet myself. So, my next campaign will start in Balic, with a strong emphasys in the silt archipelago. After that, maybe I'll take them to the Ivory triangle, because this is an area I didn't explore too much myself. And I want something different than Try.
Personally, I don't think that a setting with such a rich historical background (Athas in the present + Green Age and Blue Age) needs all of these planet-transforming events to happen in the present.
Totally agreed. It's all bait-and-switch: "Look, here's this incredible, cool world with all sorts of mystery and adventure opportunities...whoops, changed it on you! Don't you just love the new world we've rewritten for you?" Bah. If I really wanted to pay to play in someone else's campaign...
Athas offers so much to explore in terms of learning about the past, it seems to be a waste to slap on these meta-plots on top of everything before exploring everything that the past and present have to offer.
Again, I agree: it was a waste. I didn't want fiction disguised as game resources, I wanted real game resources exploring and detailing the world presented to me.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that this all happened during the hey-day of the metaplot, during the 90's, when WW did it and everyone else jumped on-board with their own metaplots without thinking through the consequences of doing so.
The latter books in the PP and the revised box set didn't factor too much into the campaign, because their events were either low-key ('Enchantress') or too far in the future ('Oracle' and 'Storm'). When they did come to light, they were again backdrop events.
Overall I think they added a common reference point for most of my players - they understood the themes that Denning was trying to convey. I also didn't have to explain all the current events - they knew where they fit in the timeline.
Nowadays (15 years later), you are hit-or-miss with players. Either they know the campaign from the books, etc, or they're totally new, and don't. You can structure a campaign around that player knowledge, keeping the mystery intact with the n00bs, or integrating it with the old hats.
No need to sulk about the 'canon' meta-plot changes, either. My current campaign is 20 years after the fall of Kalak, but you could easily run one 20 or 200 years before... when the world was still heavily under the grip of the SKs and the Dragon - perhaps with Yaramuke and Kalidnay still intact... lots of great idea potential.
The games I run have all sorts of modifications to get the feel of Dark Sun back to first edition; it seemed much darker than the revised box set.
I think more than a few PCs had dreams of killing the Dragon which was probably do able by a well prepared party of around level 10-15 depending on how big the party was, ability scores rolled etc. Same deal with a few Sorceror Kings. I got the impression Athas was marginally nicer in the revised boxed setting and the focus was going to be on restoring the planet. TSR/WoTC killed it though so who knows how far it would have gone.
When we 1st played we only had the boxed set and had a Tyrian Templar in the party. I think the highlight of his career was having Kalak turn up for a party/event he organised for the other Templars. Dragon Kings was a decent shock to the system once I read it.
I think that the best thing to do in order to kill Kalak in the beginning, is to play the period before his demise, and then rock the world with his death.
I think that the death of a godlike SK should rock the wold enough, and give hope to the entire campaign.
P.S
I just remembered that I hated the groovy druid-surfers from the revised edition last sea accessory. I also hated the revised campaign art which was just bad (post brom and to a lesser extent baxa period).
I also didn't like the whole Kalid-ma sleeping in ravenloft. It was maybe nice from the ravenloft point of view, but I ignored it for my DS campaign.
I also didn't like the mixup of Kalidma king or queen, but let it pass as maybe the history is not known.
Oh, the whole space halfling stuff sounded silly enough to me.
I let korgunard die, I made another avangion later on, but this time the party helped her in her research and transformation (I think it was Nanda-Shatri - why do I remember her name, it was 4 years ago ?! - head of Raam VA)
I like the first box set much better than the second, because it's much more complete and attempts to give you everything you need to run DS. And the enigmatic nature of the sorcerer-kings and the Dragon was also very welcome. Increasingly, I've begun to dislike settings that are "too" defined; I like a more open-ended approach.
A particular issue is the schism created by the Troy Denning novels, the Prism Pentad series, and the basic rules presented in the first box set. I don't think any other D&D campaign setting suffered quite as much from this. (I don't count any of the other novels. Not so much that they're bad, just mediocre and not worth the trouble. Lynn Abbey's stuff is all right, but since she went off on her own path, I prefer to borrow only what I want from her materials.)
I agree with the prior posters here that the PP was disappointing in that it narrowed the field of speculation in the setting considerably, fixing things into one form. However, the character and feel of the stories was very well done, you really got a sense of how Athas is, or could be. It's great inspiration for how to write your adventures.
I find, though, that other elements from the rules set are somewhat jarring. I didn't like the preserver/defiler split very much. The later Paizo suggestion that defiling is an "impulsive action" that lets you strengthen spells was far more acceptable, and fits the novels more closely in how it plays out. Also, the fact that arcane spellcasters must be able to read to memorize spells, as well as train others, seems out-of-place in Athas. Sorcery, or spontaneous spellcasting, seems far more likely, and Denning's habit of referring to all arcane spellcasters as "sorcerers" instead of "wizards" reflects a bit of this.
The introduction of Raajat and the concept of champions was interesting. I'm surprised that TSR went for genocide as a concept in the novels, it's a powerful but politically-risky concept to introduce. I'd definitely want to keep that.
I truly despise the rules systems introduced for dragons and avanigions. I don't think players should ever have access to any rules systems that allow them such power. It reminds me of the Immortals rules for old D&D... unbelievably stupid rituals that are all written out nice and logical.
I really hate the introduction of avanigions. It reminds me of when August Derelith tried to re-write the Cthulu mythos into a battle of good and evil, which was never H.P. Lovecraft's intent. Considering that Athas is a world where survival is paramount over all else, how on earth could creatures of such pure "goodness" exist? I rather like that in Dragon's Crown that the one avanigion is killed (and eaten), it's rather ironic of the module writer to destroy such a symbol in such a way. Almost like he didn't like them either and wanted to get rid of him.
Part of my problem with it, I suppose, is that such power really puts the recipient beyond the nature of a normal mortal. At that point, they're no longer really a playable character. Denning hints at this, when he notes in the last PP novel that Sadira (I think it was) couldn't read anything on the expressions of the Sorcerer-Kings; their feelings on events were completely inscrutable. If all the SK's are is ultra-high level PC's, it really destroys a sense of the setting. What makes it different from high-level FR campaigns in that case?
Oh yeah, and dump all the Ravenloft and Planescape references. Clearly this was done just to encourage cross-campaign games so that TSR could sell more copies of everything. Athas works best in its own universe with its own rules.
Athas history I would like to change:
1) Make all the adventures unofficial. If you include them all then it just gets ridiculous the number of earth-shattering events that happen in the space of ten years. Interplanetary githyanki invasions, Nibenay-smashing earthquake, avangion transformation, abalach-re dragon-leap transformation, etc, all coincidentally happening at the same time as the events of the PP? If Athas is that unstable there's no way it would have stayed almost exactly the same for 2,000 years.
2) Clear up all the numerous inconsistencies regarding the creation of Rajaat's champions and their transformation into dragons.
3) Force WotC to let Troy Denning write all those other Dark Sun books he wanted to do :D.
4) Officially obliterate the Tribe of One books from any semblance of Dark Sun canonicity
I happen to like the concept of Living Vortices and their connection to the SKs.
I do too. However, I have considered that the Living Vortices actually were core "spirit of the Land" creatures that got sucked into the process to advance all the SK's into dragons. Their ability to tap into the four Elemental planes ended up becoming transfered over to the SK's...
I liken the concept to the Star Wars movies... it "started" with part IV-VI, which encompased pretty huge, galaxy changing events.
A New Hope = Slaves rise and kill Kalak
Empire Strikes Back = Tithian betrays Agis, etc
Return of the Jedi = Borys slain, Rajaat re-imprisoned
Now, there's probably some significant prequel/backstory that helped sow the seeds of these major changes. Examples:
- How or when did Ktandeo begin his planning to assassinate Kalak?
- Are the thri-kreen recent arrivals to the Tablelands?
- How went the last major campaign between Gulg and Nibenay?
- Yaramuke and Kaldinay?
- Korgunard's first steps towards becoming the first avangion...
TONS of great, untapped material...
I do too. However, I have considered that the Living Vortices actually were core "spirit of the Land" creatures that got sucked into the process to advance all the SK's into dragons. Their ability to tap into the four Elemental planes ended up becoming transfered over to the SK's...
I personally go with that the LVs were created by rhulisti nature-masters and clerics back in the Blue Age to safe gaurd the new races after the Rebirth.
(in particular, look at the entries about Tyr & Kalak and Raam & Abalach-Re)
Personally, I'm gonna (re)start my campaign in the time period of the original box set, and as the PCs progress through the game, have the events of the Prism Pentad happening around them. (which the PCs will hear about through rumours or direct involvement, depending on whether or not they're in the right/wrong place at the right time)
I do too. However, I have considered that the Living Vortices actually were core "spirit of the Land" creatures that got sucked into the process to advance all the SK's into dragons. Their ability to tap into the four Elemental planes ended up becoming transfered over to the SK's...
Great idea, I like.
If I had my way I would just do away with all the rajaat and Halfling and blue age crap and just say that the world was the way it was because of the ceaseless Magic Wars of the Sorcerer Kings. I do nto think that Athasian magic need be explained beyond what it means to the ecology of the world. In explaining magic you kill the mysticism of it, at which point it ceases to be " MAgic ". Think " MIDI-CHLORIANS ". :P
I think that the SKs should be treated as being above and beyond the reach of ANY Characters less than 30th level, and then I think it should take more than four of those characters to take down an SK. Kalak died FAR too easily to have been a Monarch who had survived 1000 friken years.
As far as what I would change. I would take Athas back to a time WELL before the destruction of Yaramuke and the likes just to bring something fresh to the world. AND keep the regions outside the Tyr region a bit of a mystery.
I loathe and despise the way we were forced into an "offical moulding* of Athas, that totally ruined it.
Set up the world with the SKs as BBEGs and..bamo half are dead..WTH kind of lamness was that?
Go back to the first boxed set, ignore ALL other things, except as background, races etc. make the history YOURS.
In my games, it's all to do with the mind flayers trying to darken the Sun, and making a right screw up ;)
The only thing I disagreed with the otherwise great Athas.org stuff, was making gladiators/templars as classes. All they are, is a specific type of cleric, and "gladiator" is not a class! It's a profession. Don't matter if yer a barbarian, fighter, multi-class or what, the crowd just wants to be entertained ;)
IE, what makes Athas unique is *Not* the need to make uneccessary classes, but the setting itself.
And the mystery of it's past is vital to that.
It's where TSR totally poisoned the Realms, you cannot have mystery, fear and wonder, where everything is cataloged GAH!
Look at the first boxed set for the Realms: truly fantastic, after that, it became Elminsterized, no mystery, just another world, ho hum...
Players should always be going "WTH is that?", or finding out things they assumed were wrong...
;)
Then the revised edition came out and seemed to destroy all of that, at least to a point. The SK where now fallible and there powers could be measured. The new threats seemed distant and not quite as threatening. There were now safe havens for which the PCs could seek, no matter how shaky or unsafe they really were.
Now, I will say that I don't necessarily have a problem with the changes that were made, but at the same time I have to agree that there should have been more that happened, in between. I've of late started working on making a campaign for Darksun using the 3.5ed. from Athas.org but the campaign will most definitely be based in the time period of the first campaign setting. The events may still happen as described, though the campaign will be based during that build up to future events, that the players may only guess at and will largely be in the background.
Also, I hope that if a new full campaign setting ever hits the shelves, it will be based in the earlier period. Maybe with adequate hints to future events, but maybe a bit more opened ended allowing the DM to chose the final culminations of events for themselves. Though at the same time, since what was done has been done, I don't blame anyone for using the revised edition as its bases. It may make Dark Sun just like any of the other settings, and although sad, is reasonable to a curtain extent.
My next campaing will likely be in Free Year 1015 and Sadira will be the Sorceror Queen of Tyr and each city will have a Sorceror King/Queen.
If for example Athas.org got hold of the DS licence what would be the "official" time period be? Would they progress the storyline after the revised boxed set, set it in the original timeline or set it in the future a'la Paizo.
Athas.org does have the official license from WotC. Things in production and things released take place after the revised box set. I believe that Dregoth Ascending takes place in FY 12.
That said, some products are going to have things that will make it much easier to play in previous time periods. Legends of Athas will have all of the SK's from the very beginning of the first boxed set, and the new revision of the core rules will have a section for DMing in previous ages. While their won't be massive amounts of material produced for you to run a Green Age or Cleansing War campaign, there will be things to help you do so.
Damn Chris, in a little while your sig will as monstrous as Kal's! :P
Please - no one's sig will ever by as awesome as mine :D
Owww - speaking of which - I need to add some stuff :P
Athas.org does have the official license from WotC. Things in production and things released take place after the revised box set. I believe that Dregoth Ascending takes place in FY 12.
That said, some products are going to have things that will make it much easier to play in previous time periods. Legends of Athas will have all of the SK's from the very beginning of the first boxed set, and the new revision of the core rules will have a section for DMing in previous ages. While their won't be massive amounts of material produced for you to run a Green Age or Cleansing War campaign, there will be things to help you do so.
In this case it was what I kind of expect, just looking over the material they have up now. As long as it's backwards compatible I'm happy. It works out OK since I can still do what I want with it and have more resources and insight to make it better. I've done the same thing with games like Shadowrun, where I run the game prior to the official dates which allows me to use the published time line as filler in the background to give the campaign more life. In short, the players are not the only ones changing the world, there's other fish in the pool too.
Next year, athas.org is producing a module where at the end Agis wakes up and it is revealed that all the events of the Prism Pentad were just a really bad dream he had! Just like in the last episode of Newhart! (And I hear Bob Newhart will even make an appearance!)
Please - no one's sig will ever by as awesome as mine :D
Owww - speaking of which - I need to add some stuff :P
"Our sigs will blot out the sun!"
"Then we will post in the shade..."
Did you guys hear?
Next year, athas.org is producing a module where at the end Agis wakes up and it is revealed that all the events of the Prism Pentad were just a really bad dream he had! Just like in the last episode of Newhart! (And I hear Bob Newhart will even make an appearance!)
That is just silly. It wouldn't be Agis, it would be Sadira!!!
Yeah, but we want to do the robot ninja pirates first.:P
Oh, come on. The hole robot ninja pirates thing is sooo played out. :P
/runs
How about a ninja lesbian vampire, bio droid/drow,pirate riding a dinosaurs and wielding twin schimitars
You know, the whole ninja lesbian vampire, bio droid/drow,pirate riding a dinosaurs and wielding twin schimitars has been done to death.
Maybe what we need is to take it up a notch. What about ninja lesbian vampire half-fiend Lloth touched, bio droid/drow pirate tuaric dinosaur wielding twin two-handed swords? I think it has potential. The kids will love it and it has tested well in several markets...:P
You know, the whole ninja lesbian vampire, bio droid/drow,pirate riding a dinosaurs and wielding twin schimitars has been done to death.
Maybe what we need is to take it up a notch. What about ninja lesbian vampire half-fiend Lloth touched, bio droid/drow pirate tuaric dinosaur wielding twin two-handed swords? I think it has potential. The kids will love it and it has tested well in several markets...:P
As long as the swords are brilliant energy weapons and a few Jedi er Psychic Warrior levels are added to the mix sounds great.
We should work for Hollywood or something. This story makes more sense than the Matrix 2 and 3 so far or the D&D movie.
That's because Matrix 2 and 3 were designed for people who enjoy looking at shiny objects.
And I agree with cnahumck. Most of the hollywood movies are crap. Everything good they've been making (for example LotR and Spiderman) are being done by former independent directors who know what makes for a good movie.