Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Donfang Jul 21, 2011 16:54:14	After reading many of the posts here, I am finally understanding more about Darksun, not knowing very much beforehand. As said in my other post I'm going to Dm'ing a new Darksun game and would just like to know as much as I possibly can. Is there there a forum or page elsewhere where I can learn about all the characters of Darksun? Or could someone explain the "major" characters? I looked at the current list of SK's for 4e and saw there are only 7, when I heard before that Rajaat had 12 orginal. Are these supposed to be some of the original or different ones? Suppose I just have some confusion on the history of Darksun still. I know it is varied in many parts and doesn't exactly fit together because of different authors etc, but could someone help me out? Currently in DSCG it says we are in the "Desert Age" which is after the Red Age, which is after the Green Age. So it goes Blue-->Green-->Red-->Desert. I understand that the Brown Tide supposely drained the ocean and land, and that power was drained from the sun to stop it, changing it from Blue to Green. But what happened from Green to Red, and Red to Desert. Or is it for the DM to decide on their own. Confused, frustrated, feel like a noob, please help...
#2 Raddu76 Jul 21, 2011 17:10:14	One of the things that initially drew me to Athas was the lack of knowledge of the world's history.  No one really knew how many champions there were.  Any competeing theory could be correct because the sorceror-kings actively destoryed and maniuplated history for their own benefit. WIth 4th edition they wanted to go back to that a bit, in saying that the original and revised boxed sets along with the accompanying novels were just one way history could have happened and what could happen in the future. If you want to know what happened in the past either 1)make it up yourself, 2) use alternate histories on the web or 3) read the novels and use that as history (the novels and past game supplements describe what happened from the Blue age to the Desert Age) As for some details about the champions: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Sun And the timeline here: athas.org/events
#3 Pennarin Jul 21, 2011 18:25:21	2e and 3e: Blue Age - blue sun Green Age - yellow sun (halfing-created brown tide destroys the oceans, Pristine Tower drains the blue sun to unmake it) Cleansing Wars - thousands of years of an ever-reddenning sun (as Rajaat makes each of his Champions the sun turns a bit redder) Age of the Sorcerer-Kings - blood red sun (one final kick to the sun as the Champions help Borys become the Dragon) 4e: Cleansing Wars and Age of the Sorcerer-Kings seems to be a mix of Red Age and Desert Age P.S. Is it "redder" or "reder"?
#4 Kamelion Jul 21, 2011 18:36:33	Redder . Like Raddu says, much of DS' initial charm came from the sparse nature of its backstory.  The first boxed set said nothing about the history of the world, the nature of the sorcerer-kings and the Dragon.  Champions, Rajaat, Cleansing Wars etc etc - none of that featured in any of the game material until the revision.  It was all in the novels.  So if (like me) you hadn't read any of the novels at the time the revised boxed set came out, it was all a bit of a shock.  ("The halflings?  WTF?!") I'd almost say stick with the stuff that's in the DS4e campaign setting and make the rest up.  Heck, compared to the original 2e boxed set, the DS4e book is positively voluminous in its details, lol.  But if you really do want the canonical 2e backstory, you can find a decent summary in the revised 2e boxed set.  The Timeline linked to above has more details and that is an equally good resource for the big picture. Penn has outlined the procession of ages and how they compare to the names use in 4e.  But your question "Or is it for the DM to decide on their own" really sums it up.  That's the best way to approach it, imho.  Take inspiration from the multitude of sources and then make it your own. Also, much as I hate to recommend it (because it really is a steaming pile of kank turd), the Beyond the Prism Pentad 2e supplement gives a decent overview of the first novel series and also looks at the major NPCs of the setting left alive at the time.  Might be worth a look if you want more info on the characters.  Or if you're running low on toilet paper. :D
#5 naxel Jul 22, 2011 0:29:49	Really, I think the revised edition stuff was great - Dead Lands, Dregoth, some other stuff, Saragar, halflings and the Jagged Cliffs. Great stuff. It really expanded the setting in a good way (except for Rajaat being an emo ugly duckling). My contention is just that Beyond the Prism Pentad killed the original's charm and terror of the Sorcerer-kings. WotC really outdid themselves with 4e Dark Sun (I'm glad they put it out before they crashed and burned post-essentials) and it's very much a pick-and-choose presentation, which is exactly what the setting should be regardless of my aforementioned preferences
#6 Kamelion Jul 22, 2011 2:24:01	Yeah, some of the revised material was very imaginative.  Loved the Jagged Cliffs, Dregoth and Giustenal, the whole Scorched Plateau, and the Dead Lands were just fantastic.  I'd have liked to have seen more of the planned expansions - the supplement on the Silt Sea sounded super-cool. Also agree that WotC did a decent job with DS4e.  Crammed full of adventure hooks, so very handy even if you're not a 4e player.
#7 Donfang Jul 22, 2011 13:13:11	Sweet, well all the info is much appreciated, I think Ill just mix and match some now