Athas is a post-apocalyptic desert world with a red giant star. The use of magic in any form damages the environment further. Most individuals have some psionic abilities. The core races include tri-kreen (multi-limbed insect people), half giants and Mul (a half-dwarf slave race).
Athas is a post-apocalyptic desert world with a red giant star. The use of magic in any form damages the environment further. Most individuals have some psionic abilities. The core races include tri-kreen (multi-limbed insect people), half giants and Mul (a half-dwarf slave race).
I like the half giants, the perfect race for playing a lovable quirky big guy.
It would be cool to see Beamdog make Enhanced Editions of other DnD games. Dark Sun series Enhanced Edition. Spelljammer Enhanced Edition. That one Forgotten Realms strategy game set in a place called the Utter East, Enhanced Edition.
It would be cool to see Beamdog make Enhanced Editions of other DnD games. Dark Sun series Enhanced Edition. Spelljammer Enhanced Edition. That one Forgotten Realms strategy game set in a place called the Utter East, Enhanced Edition.
Athas is a post-apocalyptic desert world with a red giant star. The use of magic in any form damages the environment further. Most individuals have some psionic abilities. The core races include tri-kreen (multi-limbed insect people), half giants and Mul (a half-dwarf slave race).
I know of someone who ran a 5e Dark Sun campaign. I haven't managed to interrogate them on how they adapted the rules, but you could cannibalise the Mystic class quite easily into "psionics for everyone".
Dark Sun is a Fallout ripoff, just like Ravenloft is a Kult ripoff, just like Forgotten Realms is Tolkien ripoff, just like...
Which goes back to my earlier point*; why are most of you people SOOOO stuck up on DnD ruleset?
It is not even particularly good, I mean, Pillars of Eternity ruleset, Divinity: Original Sin ruleset, Paper Sorcerer ruleset etc etc etc are all MUCH more interesting and balanced and fun to play.
Everytime I enter this thread, I feel like I just entered some back room at the party, walking into an orgy with a fetischism theme so depraved your brain is struggling to comprehend what it just witnessed, so you just stand there and stutter, ironically making you seem like the odd one.
*That I might have made in this thread or some other thread and my ego is just such that I expect everyone to follow everything I say closely
Dark Sun is a Fallout ripoff, just like Ravenloft is a Kult ripoff, just like Forgotten Realms is Tolkien ripoff, just like...
Which goes back to my earlier point*; why are most of you people SOOOO stuck up on DnD ruleset?
It is not even particularly good, I mean, Pillars of Eternity ruleset, Divinity: Original Sin ruleset, Paper Sorcerer ruleset etc etc etc are all MUCH more interesting and balanced and fun to play.
Everytime I enter this thread, I feel like I just entered some back room at the party, walking into an orgy with a fetischism theme so depraved your brain is struggling to comprehend what it just witnessed, so you just stand there and stutter, ironically making you seem like the odd one.
*That I might have made in this thread or some other thread and my ego is just such that I expect everyone to follow everything I say closely
Dude, Dark Sun was a thing before Fallout, and It resembles more Conan and John Carter than a post-atomic setting with evil punks and leather jackets.
@DrakeICN - The first Ravenloft adventure module was published in 1983. Kult wasn't published until 1991. Unless time travel was involved, I don't see how Tracy and Laura Hickman ripped off Kult. Ravenloft is obviously based on gothic horror themes from works like Dracula, Frankenstein, etc..
Fallout is "Mad Max: The RPG". You can even get a leather jacket the looks like Max's in the game. Even if Fallout had come out first, it would be hard to claim that Dark Sun was a "ripoff" of Fallout, rather than a "Mad Max-like" setting applied to a D&D world.
Well, the point anyway, is that DnD is branching out like the McDonalds of roleplaying to cover as much fantasy / sci fi themes as they can. So, pick a theme, make a game. There are plenty of alternative game mechanics or fuck it just make one yourself (it generally seems to work out just fine, with the notable exception of Dragon Age). DnD is bogged down by arcane WOTC lore and mechanics that have to be followed strictly or no IP for you!!!
It is (or at least can be) a freedom for dungeon masters because well, they don't need to write any backstory or game mechanics themselves, just pick up and play and change whatever you don't like, it is not like WOTC will listen in on your board game with spy drones and then storm your front door with a cease and decist order if they hear something they don't like. For devs, however, THIS IS EXACTLY what would happen. If you have, like, a vision for a great adventure and a full team of ambitious storytellers then DnD instead becomes a limitation!!! Cut out the middle man, is all I am saying.
@DrakeICN - Bull-hockey. WotC has released D&D 3E and 5E under the Open Gaming License, which allows developers to create products based on the D&D ruleset without seeking WotC approval. They can copy and modify the ruleset and distribute games based on it (as long as their modifications are also released under the OGL). This is what makes games like Pathfinder, Dark Dungeons, and Mutants & Masterminds possible.
What you can't do under the OGL is use WotC "Product Identity" IP, e.g. logos, setting-based content (or imply WotC endorsement of your product). So, you can create your own game/supplement/adventure based on 3E or 5E rules, but you can't publish it if it is specifically set in Faerun, Greyhawk, Dark Sun, etc.. For that, you'd need explicit permission from WotC. That's no different than if you have an awesome idea for any other copyright-protected setting. If you try to publish and sell an unauthorized Star Wars book on Amazon, Disney will crush you with their army of lawyers.
Well, the point anyway, is that DnD is branching out like the McDonalds of roleplaying to cover as much fantasy / sci fi themes as they can.
Um... what? WotC has been incredibly narrow with what they allow.
Pathfinder (& Starfinder, since they're different Paizo products), Dark Dungeons, and Mutants & Masterminds ARE ALL their own unique systems that just happen to use a D20 system. The D20 system isn't unique to D&D.
Its not a scret that BG isn't strictly faithful to 2nd ed rules, so I don't think Devs are that straightjacketed to perfectly follow the rules, even for core products.
Wasn't Eberron pretty much like the only well established campaign setting which was created purely by WotC? Thus not inherited from TSR? I mean, sure, there were some books that introduced 'pilot' campaign settings. Like 3rd edition's Ghostwalk that kind of was like a mix between Dragonlance and Ravenloft. But none of them got more than one book published.
Dark Sun is a Fallout ripoff, just like Ravenloft is a Kult ripoff, just like Forgotten Realms is Tolkien ripoff, just like...
As pointed out, Dark Sun predates Fallout, and has other inspirations (although they do have Mad Max in common). I don't know what Kult is, but I suspect Ravenloft is also older (1983). Obviously, Ravenloft is based on Dracula (1897).
Which goes back to my earlier point*; why are most of you people SOOOO stuck up on DnD ruleset?
Because of PnP. I've been playing the PnP version since around 1981, so it is very very comfortably familiar.
It is not even particularly good, I mean, Pillars of Eternity ruleset, Divinity: Original Sin ruleset, Paper Sorcerer ruleset etc etc etc are all MUCH more interesting and balanced and fun to play.
Balanced is not the same as fun. PoE in particular is over-balanced, sucking the fun out, and making it counter-intuitive. So, big strong jocks are good at casting spells, and clever people make good barbarians now?!
Characters in fantasy fiction are not balanced. Bilbo Baggins is not the equal of Gandalf.
For what's worth, Wasteland (1988) predates both Dark Sun (1991) and Fallout (1997). So it's possible that one or two things were used by Gygax & Co. for their post-apocalyptic setting. But that should go even more for The Burning World (1964) and Mad Max (1979).
Kult (1991) on the other hand is a completely different beast than Ravenloft. Given it is contemporary horror rather than Ravenloft's gothic horror theme. If anything, I'd say it's more similar to World of Darkness (2004).
Comments
I'd be curious what could be done for Zakara. Its not very well utilized yet, so lots of freedom to write something really cool.
Which goes back to my earlier point*; why are most of you people SOOOO stuck up on DnD ruleset?
It is not even particularly good, I mean, Pillars of Eternity ruleset, Divinity: Original Sin ruleset, Paper Sorcerer ruleset etc etc etc are all MUCH more interesting and balanced and fun to play.
Everytime I enter this thread, I feel like I just entered some back room at the party, walking into an orgy with a fetischism theme so depraved your brain is struggling to comprehend what it just witnessed, so you just stand there and stutter, ironically making you seem like the odd one.
*That I might have made in this thread or some other thread and my ego is just such that I expect everyone to follow everything I say closely
Fallout is "Mad Max: The RPG". You can even get a leather jacket the looks like Max's in the game. Even if Fallout had come out first, it would be hard to claim that Dark Sun was a "ripoff" of Fallout, rather than a "Mad Max-like" setting applied to a D&D world.
It is (or at least can be) a freedom for dungeon masters because well, they don't need to write any backstory or game mechanics themselves, just pick up and play and change whatever you don't like, it is not like WOTC will listen in on your board game with spy drones and then storm your front door with a cease and decist order if they hear something they don't like. For devs, however, THIS IS EXACTLY what would happen. If you have, like, a vision for a great adventure and a full team of ambitious storytellers then DnD instead becomes a limitation!!! Cut out the middle man, is all I am saying.
What you can't do under the OGL is use WotC "Product Identity" IP, e.g. logos, setting-based content (or imply WotC endorsement of your product). So, you can create your own game/supplement/adventure based on 3E or 5E rules, but you can't publish it if it is specifically set in Faerun, Greyhawk, Dark Sun, etc.. For that, you'd need explicit permission from WotC. That's no different than if you have an awesome idea for any other copyright-protected setting. If you try to publish and sell an unauthorized Star Wars book on Amazon, Disney will crush you with their army of lawyers.
Pathfinder (& Starfinder, since they're different Paizo products), Dark Dungeons, and Mutants & Masterminds ARE ALL their own unique systems that just happen to use a D20 system. The D20 system isn't unique to D&D.
Balanced is not the same as fun. PoE in particular is over-balanced, sucking the fun out, and making it counter-intuitive. So, big strong jocks are good at casting spells, and clever people make good barbarians now?!
Characters in fantasy fiction are not balanced. Bilbo Baggins is not the equal of Gandalf.
Kult (1991) on the other hand is a completely different beast than Ravenloft. Given it is contemporary horror rather than Ravenloft's gothic horror theme. If anything, I'd say it's more similar to World of Darkness (2004).