How to Start Dark Sun - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

How to Start Dark Sun

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
DontEatRawHagis
Jul 28, 2011 12:30:03 I was wondering how most people hear have started their Dark Sun Campaigns. When I did my first DS campaign I started out in Alturuk(sp?) on way to Tyr. However I noticed that this was a very paper thin start to a campaign. The players saw it as a handwave to start the game and it didn't have much of an impact on how the players viewed the world.

I decided that I need to start my next one off differently. So I wanted to ask, how do other people start off their Dark Sun games?
#2
Raddu76
Jul 28, 2011 12:42:25 In my current campaign I had everyone start in Nibenay. As a requirment for the campaing every one had to have a reason why they would be in this Templar's household, either as a worker, a slave, an underling, or a family member. Either way they were under her control, so it gave everyone a common enemy.
#3
Alphastream
Jul 28, 2011 13:29:13 In Ashes of Athas, we started in Tyr, with PCs being members of the Veiled Alliance and having a rude surprise by their enemies. We wanted a start that would thrust players right into the thick of things, feel very brutal, and immediately create questions to which they wanted answers. You can order Chapter One through the link I provided.

In my home campaign I communicated my setting ideas up front (a small village in the foothills to the south of Dragon's Bowl). They came up with how they happened to be there, then found out they would all be in a "coming of age" ceremony to determine whether they would be chosen to go on a trek on behalf of the village to bring back an important resource. The first session was really about learning about each other and establishing the village. They went on the trek, then came back to find their village attacked, a relic taken and people enslaved, and choices of what to go after (relic went to Raam, slaves to Gulg). I liked this as a story-rich start with some sandbox options. This was a good way to start for a home campaign with very good role-players for whom combat is a nice part of the game but the rest is at least as important (we average one combat per 4 hour session).
#4
angelus_obscura
Jul 28, 2011 13:37:14 In the campaign I'm currently in, we started out in Raam. The city was being attacked by a huge army of undead and dray, which suddenly appeared out of nowhere from the east. People were panicking, looting, and fleeing. Our party got together when we hopped on a departing caravan, hired on the spot as guards. We even ran over civilians in our flight, LOL.
#5
Kamelion
Jul 28, 2011 16:53:26
In my current campaign I had everyone start in Nibenay. As a requirment for the campaing every one had to have a reason why they would be in this Templar's household, either as a worker, a slave, an underling, or a family member. Either way they were under her control, so it gave everyone a common enemy.

Last campaign started almost exactly like this, except the PCs were all members, servants, slaves or hangers-on of a Nibenese noble family. The head of the family was assassinated in the opening scene and away we went.

Previous campaigns have used the standard "A Little Knowledge" beginning, with the PCs being aboard the House Resherek caravan when it is attacked by the Jura-Dai. In one instance they were slaves, in another they were passengers.

Another campaign had the PCs all ending up in Shadow Square in Tyr at the same time. Shortly thereafter a dead cloud ray plummetted out of the sky right on top of the Drunken Giant wine shop. The building was flattened and the PCs had an immediate talking point to get the game rolling (not least what might have killed the cloud ray, lol.) Lots of fun, that campaign.
#6
Kurmudgeon
Jul 28, 2011 17:09:38 We started in Tyr two weeks after the death of Kalak. The character had all been slaves working on the ziggarut or gladiators. We went over the death of Kalak, the subsequent riots, looting and unrest (from which their starting gear and wealth came from). They woke up in a abandoned building, in which they had been squating for some time, their heads pounding, a hangover from yet another night of to much drinking and celebrating.

They have just come to the realization that they are now completely broke and must venture out into the world and survive.

#7
Prom
Jul 28, 2011 17:11:41 I ran the Blood Sand Arena adventure, but my players knocked that off track very quickly. They started as a starving tribe around the mountain foot-hills by Tyr. They simply had to find a job to feed the tribe.
#8
mijofo71
Aug 02, 2011 13:33:17 In my current campaign I did have the party as gladiatoral slaves in training in Kalidnay that hasnt been sucked into ravenloft have pulled it forward to just before Tyr becomes a free city, love messing about with timelines, ran some elements of Bloodsand Arena, one of the players started a revolt that led to their escape now they are in a slightly altered scenario at the back of the DSCG, am thinking of running them through 2nd edition Merchant House of Amketch with a minor alteration of Kalidnay being changed to Celic then after that erm ....?
#9
khorne37
Aug 02, 2011 15:39:51 I played freedom and had the PC's come up with reasons as to why they were in Tyr and thos ideas gave me many adventure paths in the coming adventures...
#10
fun_elemental
Aug 02, 2011 19:06:35 One of the problems with D&D parties and D&D players is that it is often the case that they tend not to cooperate at the character creation stage.

It usually results in the lame cliche of "you all met in the pub and decided to risk your lives together on the spot as a happy band of paladins, assassins, witches, and witch-hunters". On some level, things just tend to never really recover from a weak start.

If the players are not cooperating at character creation, the best bet is to have the first adventure be something that throws them together into a situation that forces them to work together, and you only need to have the players provide a reason why their character would be there at the start of the event that makes them need to work together to make it out alive. The first adventure can cement and fully explain WHY they are a party.

Dark Sun is a great setting because the major aspect of the setting is the struggle against the environment. The classic Dark Sun starting adventure is to have all the characters start out as slaves on a caravan that gets attacked in the middle of the desert, ultimately freeing them yet leaving them to die unless they band together and survive.

All the characters may come from a range of different backgrounds and would be dis-inclined to work together normally, but when placed into a 'work together or die' situation, then working together makes a lot of sense. Throwing people together like that is a Hollywood staple. Once they've clawed their way out of hell together, it makes a great deal of sense as to why strange bedfellows would be sticking together.

Also, this does double duty for Dark Sun, as starting out the first adventure with throwing the characters un-prepared and head first into the hell that is Athas and having them just barely escape with their lives underscores the setting. After all, they should be dis-inclined towards back-talking templars, and having a healthy fear of what lies beyond the city walls should impress upon the players how much their characters should be willing to hold their tounges over mere insults, injustice, and shakedowns.
#11
Raddu76
Aug 03, 2011 9:46:25
It usually results in the lame cliche of "you all met in the pub and decided to risk your lives together on the spot as a happy band of paladins, assassins, witches, and witch-hunters". On some level, things just tend to never really recover from a weak start.

This made me laugh and I can totally imagine a group of players wanting to play these in a party together...hahaha.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 DontEatRawHagis Jul 28, 2011 12:30:03	I was wondering how most people hear have started their Dark Sun Campaigns. When I did my first DS campaign I started out in Alturuk(sp?) on way to Tyr. However I noticed that this was a very paper thin start to a campaign. The players saw it as a handwave to start the game and it didn't have much of an impact on how the players viewed the world. I decided that I need to start my next one off differently. So I wanted to ask, how do other people start off their Dark Sun games?
#2 Raddu76 Jul 28, 2011 12:42:25	In my current campaign I had everyone start in Nibenay. As a requirment for the campaing every one had to have a reason why they would be in this Templar's household, either as a worker, a slave, an underling, or a family member. Either way they were under her control, so it gave everyone a common enemy.
#3 Alphastream Jul 28, 2011 13:29:13	In Ashes of Athas, we started in Tyr, with PCs being members of the Veiled Alliance and having a rude surprise by their enemies. We wanted a start that would thrust players right into the thick of things, feel very brutal, and immediately create questions to which they wanted answers. You can order Chapter One through the link I provided. In my home campaign I communicated my setting ideas up front (a small village in the foothills to the south of Dragon's Bowl). They came up with how they happened to be there, then found out they would all be in a "coming of age" ceremony to determine whether they would be chosen to go on a trek on behalf of the village to bring back an important resource. The first session was really about learning about each other and establishing the village. They went on the trek, then came back to find their village attacked, a relic taken and people enslaved, and choices of what to go after (relic went to Raam, slaves to Gulg). I liked this as a story-rich start with some sandbox options. This was a good way to start for a home campaign with very good role-players for whom combat is a nice part of the game but the rest is at least as important (we average one combat per 4 hour session).
#4 angelus_obscura Jul 28, 2011 13:37:14	In the campaign I'm currently in, we started out in Raam. The city was being attacked by a huge army of undead and dray, which suddenly appeared out of nowhere from the east. People were panicking, looting, and fleeing. Our party got together when we hopped on a departing caravan, hired on the spot as guards. We even ran over civilians in our flight, LOL.
#5 Kamelion Jul 28, 2011 16:53:26	In my current campaign I had everyone start in Nibenay. As a requirment for the campaing every one had to have a reason why they would be in this Templar's household, either as a worker, a slave, an underling, or a family member. Either way they were under her control, so it gave everyone a common enemy. Last campaign started almost exactly like this, except the PCs were all members, servants, slaves or hangers-on of a Nibenese noble family. The head of the family was assassinated in the opening scene and away we went. Previous campaigns have used the standard "A Little Knowledge" beginning, with the PCs being aboard the House Resherek caravan when it is attacked by the Jura-Dai. In one instance they were slaves, in another they were passengers. Another campaign had the PCs all ending up in Shadow Square in Tyr at the same time. Shortly thereafter a dead cloud ray plummetted out of the sky right on top of the Drunken Giant wine shop. The building was flattened and the PCs had an immediate talking point to get the game rolling (not least what might have killed the cloud ray, lol.) Lots of fun, that campaign.
#6 Kurmudgeon Jul 28, 2011 17:09:38	We started in Tyr two weeks after the death of Kalak. The character had all been slaves working on the ziggarut or gladiators. We went over the death of Kalak, the subsequent riots, looting and unrest (from which their starting gear and wealth came from). They woke up in a abandoned building, in which they had been squating for some time, their heads pounding, a hangover from yet another night of to much drinking and celebrating. They have just come to the realization that they are now completely broke and must venture out into the world and survive.
#7 Prom Jul 28, 2011 17:11:41	I ran the Blood Sand Arena adventure, but my players knocked that off track very quickly. They started as a starving tribe around the mountain foot-hills by Tyr. They simply had to find a job to feed the tribe.
#8 mijofo71 Aug 02, 2011 13:33:17	In my current campaign I did have the party as gladiatoral slaves in training in Kalidnay that hasnt been sucked into ravenloft have pulled it forward to just before Tyr becomes a free city, love messing about with timelines, ran some elements of Bloodsand Arena, one of the players started a revolt that led to their escape now they are in a slightly altered scenario at the back of the DSCG, am thinking of running them through 2nd edition Merchant House of Amketch with a minor alteration of Kalidnay being changed to Celic then after that erm ....?
#9 khorne37 Aug 02, 2011 15:39:51	I played freedom and had the PC's come up with reasons as to why they were in Tyr and thos ideas gave me many adventure paths in the coming adventures...
#10 fun_elemental Aug 02, 2011 19:06:35	One of the problems with D&D parties and D&D players is that it is often the case that they tend not to cooperate at the character creation stage. It usually results in the lame cliche of "you all met in the pub and decided to risk your lives together on the spot as a happy band of paladins, assassins, witches, and witch-hunters". On some level, things just tend to never really recover from a weak start. If the players are not cooperating at character creation, the best bet is to have the first adventure be something that throws them together into a situation that forces them to work together, and you only need to have the players provide a reason why their character would be there at the start of the event that makes them need to work together to make it out alive. The first adventure can cement and fully explain WHY they are a party. Dark Sun is a great setting because the major aspect of the setting is the struggle against the environment. The classic Dark Sun starting adventure is to have all the characters start out as slaves on a caravan that gets attacked in the middle of the desert, ultimately freeing them yet leaving them to die unless they band together and survive. All the characters may come from a range of different backgrounds and would be dis-inclined to work together normally, but when placed into a 'work together or die' situation, then working together makes a lot of sense. Throwing people together like that is a Hollywood staple. Once they've clawed their way out of hell together, it makes a great deal of sense as to why strange bedfellows would be sticking together. Also, this does double duty for Dark Sun, as starting out the first adventure with throwing the characters un-prepared and head first into the hell that is Athas and having them just barely escape with their lives underscores the setting. After all, they should be dis-inclined towards back-talking templars, and having a healthy fear of what lies beyond the city walls should impress upon the players how much their characters should be willing to hold their tounges over mere insults, injustice, and shakedowns.
#11 Raddu76 Aug 03, 2011 9:46:25	It usually results in the lame cliche of "you all met in the pub and decided to risk your lives together on the spot as a happy band of paladins, assassins, witches, and witch-hunters". On some level, things just tend to never really recover from a weak start. This made me laugh and I can totally imagine a group of players wanting to play these in a party together...hahaha.