I liked this setting a lot, too, personally.
Edit: Dungeon #110 has the rest of the Dark Sun updates.
So in other words, the Dragon updates are of questionable value. the folks at athas.org are doing pretty good work, though. (Not perfect though. I have quibbles here and there about their conversions, too.)
So while I think this would be very cool, I don't see it happening unless Eberron falls flat.
Dungeon Master
http://dungeonsdragonsdmblog.blogspot.com
Although, that said, I find it amusing that WotC started up Eberron after cancelling earlier settings because they had too many of them.
Frankly, if Ghostwalk had enough of a market to justify getting published, some of the older campaign settings I could easily see getting a single, one off hardcover to handle them. Darksun would work for that, Ravenloft is already handled by a 3rd party, and Planescape is the core planes and I wouldn't trust the current team to write up unless they got the Planescape design team to write it (and conversion is already being done by Planewalker )
So while I think this would be very cool, I don't see it happening unless Eberron falls flat.
That will never happen, Eberron is actually a Great Campaign.
On the other note. Darksun is just on the Athas.Org, WOTC isn't going to bring it back.
Although, that said, I find it amusing that WotC started up Eberron after cancelling earlier settings because they had too many of them.
2e had way too many settings. 3e has had very, very few, and only two that were supported beyond the core, one being Eberron.
Frankly, if Ghostwalk had enough of a market to justify getting published,
How, exactly, did Ghostwalk have a market BEFORE it was published? Ghostwalk seemed more of a 'feeler' for campaign material; one that also failed horribly as far as I can see. My local gaming store has about 10 copies in the half-off bin, and has had them there for quite some time.
Personally, I think it was a pet project of Monte Cook's that WotC decided to try before he left.
As for Dark Sun itself, I wouldn't mind seeing a hard cover campaign setting, like Oriental Adventures or Dragonlance, but I'm not screaming for it. Even if it is a fairly popular setting, it simply will not sell enough to really warrant being a profitable item for WotC. WotC is a company out for money, afterall, and unless we fans pay for what we want, we ain't gonna git it. I don't see why WotC should effectively lose money just to placate a small percentage of fans who might not even buy for their product to begin with.
I mean, what has Dark Sun fans ever done for me?
This campaign may not have done anything for you in the present but look at the past and at how many people have played it and really enjoyed it. I haven't started playing this yet but setting up the campaign was just so exciting.
I was going to run an Eberron campaign but it's 3.5 more than 3.0 which is what I'm running.
About the magazines, I've read them and they didn't help a whole lot except in the characteristics of the races.
Thanks for the feedback.!
I didn't know that I would get this much feedback...thanks for the athas.org site. It was very helpful but it still lacks what a full hardbound rulebook would have.
This campaign may not have done anything for you in the present but look at the past and at how many people have played it and really enjoyed it. I haven't started playing this yet but setting up the campaign was just so exciting.
I was going to run an Eberron campaign but it's 3.5 more than 3.0 which is what I'm running.
About the magazines, I've read them and they didn't help a whole lot except in the characteristics of the races.
Thanks for the feedback.!
Do you know there is a Dark Sun forum on these message boards?
it simply will not sell enough to really warrant being a profitable item for WotC. WotC is a company out for money, afterall, and unless we fans pay for what we want, we ain't gonna git it. I don't see why WotC should effectively lose money just to placate a small percentage of fans who might not even buy for their product to begin with.
They made the Environmental series of books, which were niche products, and targeted to dm's mostly. We're also getting a DMG 2. A single book, ala Ghostwalk, for Dark Sun or any other setting shouldn't be technically unfeasible.
Ghostwalk's failure, I would bet, falls largely on the fact that a dm would have to completely, radically alter his campaign, and many bolted in ideas about d&d to use the book. Dark Sun, or any other such book could be marketed as one-shot books that are self contained (Ghostwalk had a self-contained setting, but was marketed as a campaign expansion book) could be done, and might surprise wotc.
They made the Environmental series of books, which were niche products, and targeted to dm's mostly. We're also getting a DMG 2. A single book, ala Ghostwalk, for Dark Sun or any other setting shouldn't be technically unfeasible.
I understand what you're saying, but the entire point of the policy is countermanded if small, one shot books pop up everywhere. Putting out one book that appeals to few draws audience away from Eberron, FR, and core, which is what their putting real money into. Just because something was published doesn't mean its feasible. The fact that we haven't seen core modules or campaign world conversions is evidence that they aren't feasible at all. DMG 2 is a special case in that while it applies to a small audience, that audience (DMs; read: hardcore D&D nerds) is the most likely to buy books and it has appeal no mater what style of game you run.
Campaign settings are really fun sometimes, but I think creating a homebrew game is the funnest part of DMing. Its a pity that most DM's don't have enough time to do this.
I wish wotc would publish more material on creating your own worlds. But I know it would never really happen.
DMG 2 appeals to dms. It's very release goes against the arguments WotC once offered about niche products. Same goes for the Environment books ( although they have some player use as well, but much less than a dm will get.)
Ghostwalk was the tryout book for such a thing as what I talked about above, but its marketing made it seem like something different. If marketing was changed, then results could be very different than GW's.
I don't think WotC thinks so much in terms of taking away from the other settings' sales. If they did, then we would not see many other books. Of course, what do I know?
I just think they might start looking at their old properties again, and see what they can do with them. I did read that Birthright got licensed, so maybe they will offer the other old settings again...
I just think they might start looking at their old properties again, and see what they can do with them. I did read that Birthright got licensed, so maybe they will offer the other old settings again...
What the hell! they're bring back birthright! :hoppingma
Dark Sun and Planescape both have a much larger fan base!
They better be putting some serious work into the regency system, because that was the whole point of the setting. I couldn't believe it when they decided to stop developing that aspect of the setting.
I quess I should admit that it was my third favorite setting.
What the hell! they're bring back birthright! :hoppingma
Dark Sun and Planescape both have a much larger fan base!
But WotC is technically mining Planescape for monsters, concepts and all of the core planes. So they're still using it even if it's not getting tons of stuff on its own. Technically there's more stuff on it in 3e than Greyhawk. And when it was being offered to anyone, the Planescape license was "prohibitively expensive" from what I've been told by people who made offers for it.
The Birthright license, if it was actually sold, would be a hell of a lot cheaper likely considering its level of sales never approached that of Dark Sun, let alone Planescape (which did very well, but the printing cost was much higher for the entire line and so comparatively it didn't make as much cash despite good sales).
What the hell! they're bring back birthright!
Go check the BR boards. That news were just a rumour. Although there's some tinkering on a BR 3.5 book there...
Wizards has all these different campaign settings that they could bring back to life. But I doubt they will because they do have all the statistics that TSR had. That gives them a good idea on what to bring out and what to leave in the past. Dark Sun does seem to a more popular one along with Greyhawk and Birthright. But Wizards strategy seems to be make up new campaigns and expand the current books that they have instead of using an existing campaign. It was nice, once again, for them to bring back Ravenloft...but why did they wait until 3.5?
- Wizards doesn't need to bring out Greyhawk - that setting exists already, it is intertwined into the Core rulebooks, and the assumed setting. They just haven't provided much else other than that. Note how in the MM3, there is the "normal" info for a creature, and then specifics for Faerun and Eberron, which modify information from the standard, ie: Greyhawk.
- Wizards did not bring back Ravenloft. Sword & Sorcery did (White-Wolf). Further, Ravenloft was brought back early in the 3.0 times, and then updated to 3.5 several months after that edition came out.
Note: Wizards did not bring back Dragonlance, in the same way they didn't bring back Ravenloft. Sovereign Press (Margaret Weis' company) did. Wizards did release the first book, because they realized the money that could be made by doing that.
Technically, they could do similar things for each of the settings - however they have been reluctant to (read: completely blocking any) provide such an option to other groups. People have tried to do such a thing with Dark Sun, and WotC has denied them. People with money, and a rather sizeable amount to offer in order to do this have been shut down.
Technically, they could do similar things for each of the settings - however they have been reluctant to (read: completely blocking any) provide such an option to other groups. People have tried to do such a thing with Dark Sun, and WotC has denied them. People with money, and a rather sizeable amount to offer in order to do this have been shut down.
Which makes it entirely likely that they are planning to do something with it in the future.
I would think if they were going to release it themselves they wouldnt have allowed the Paizo conversion.
Thanks
Welcome any time!
Which makes it entirely likely that they are planning to do something with it in the future.
Actually, if I remember correctly, the big hang-up was they were considering a TV series, or a movie, or something, and wanted to hold onto the full rights of the setting without another complany publishing the product. But that was a while ago.
Actually, if I remember correctly, the big hang-up was they were considering a TV series, or a movie, or something, and wanted to hold onto the full rights of the setting without another complany publishing the product. But that was a while ago.
Wow, that would be really wierd. 'Dark Sun, the Movie' a tale of way too much to explain to an attention deficet audience in an hour and a half or even two hours.
"I am the Sorcerer-King.. Kalak. I have tons of power and am evil and tyrranical, which I why I named my city: Tyr."
:hoppingma
"What the hell is going on Kalak is insane, we, the people of Tyr are upset and on the brink of revolt."
:fight!: "Never fear I will save in a very unbelieveable fashion by thrown this spear at the all powerful king."
"Oh no!, he's a dragon"
or dark sun is a victim of been a popular setting and wotc dont want it coming back and grabbing a slice of the market under a 3rd party publisher.
I would think if they were going to release it themselves they wouldnt have allowed the Paizo conversion.
True, but WotC's done pelenty dumb things before (Ghostwalk, Book of Exalted Deeds, etc.). I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to put it on hold indefinitely then come back in a year or two when they run out of ideas for new books and restart the Dark Sun line (probablely using the Paizo stuff as a basis
if they follow their pattern).Actually, if I remember correctly, the big hang-up was they were considering a TV series, or a movie, or something, and wanted to hold onto the full rights of the setting without another complany publishing the product. But that was a while ago.
:whimper: