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Dark Sun Campaign Book, a Dungeons & Dragons Game Book

by George Mueller

At GenCon Indy 2009, Wizards of the Coast had a big announcement regarding their flagship roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition. They announced that in 2010 the next campaign setting would be Dark Sun, the desert world of Athas. This was a very fan-pleasing decision as many gamers hoped that this, would in fact, be the next setting for D&D 4e to be released.

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.

There are many unique races in Dark Sun that are playable character races. Muls are half dwarf and half human hybrids. Thri-Kreen are mantis like creatures with multiple limbs. Half-Giants are considered a playable character race as well. In addition, there are also the 'standard' races such as Human, Elf, Dwarf, Half-Elf, and Halfling.

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.

For anyone not familiar with the Dark Sun setting, it may be good for them (especially the game master) to get leg up on learning the world. The Tribe of One is a short three book series by Simon Hawke that is a great starter series. Also, the Chronicles of Athas is a five book series with multiple authors, so you can get a variety of writing styles.

There are also other resources online that are available to those interested in studying the world of Dark Sun before it comes out. There is the Unofficial Dark Sun Wiki, the Official Dark Sun Discussion Forum, and an interactive Dark Sun Atlas for the World of Athas, and Official D&D 3.5e products released for Dark Sun. All of these provide great information for those that are interested and can't wait till the campaign guide comes out.

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.

About the Author:

George Mueller writes about Role Playing and the Dark Sun Campaign Setting.

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