Dark Sun Rising
I have nothing witty to say, just this: want.
This is not quite breaking news, but I’m a little late to the party on some things on account of missing Gen Con, which is precisely where Wizards of the Coast announced the next campaign setting that will be released for 4th Edition. Yes, it’s Dark Sun. Stop drooling, you’re going to need that moisture.
I hate to say I told you so…oh, whatever, I love to say I told you so! Especially when the reasons for relaunching Dark Sun given by James Wyatt mirror so closely the ones I suggested way back in April. I think this setting is really going to take advantage of the flexibility of 4E in ways that have only been hinted at so far.
I really want to see how far afield the system can be bent. 4E Modern? Sci-fi? I guess I don’t want to see the same thing that happened in 3rd edition, where every freaking book that came out for five years was D20 this and D20 that, but a superhero RPG using the 4E system of powers would be pretty neat.
September 17th, 2009 12:38 AM
Ok, SO being a noob to the whole settings in D&D thing, is this the dystopian one? Where everything is just all gone to hell? That could be good.
EDIT: Nice Edit system!
September 17th, 2009 1:59 AM
Better explanation than I can give:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Sun
September 17th, 2009 11:18 AM
I don’t know that I agree with your suggestion that a 4th ed style Superhero game would work… the best Superhero games that I’ve seen, going back to Champions, or more recently, Silver Age Sentinels and Mutants and Masterminds, are based on an effect-based mechanic (as opposed to dreck like Heroes Unlimited or, and this may be heresy, the Original marvel Comics RPG). I think that 4th ed is way to siloed around class\race combos to bend quite that far.
But I’d be really happy if I was proven wrong.
I like 4th ed, and I really like the way they’ve re-done Psions, so I think that Dark Sun has a LOT of flavor… especially if it leans more toward a Persian-esque feel, which is a genre of mythology and fantasy that I think never gets a fair shake. Al Quadim has a lot of political weight that make it too risky, but stuff like the Blackbloods from Target Games’ Chronopia setting were so flavorful you could HEAR the spices.
September 17th, 2009 11:26 AM
Nice turn of phrase there, Neph. Here’s how I think a superhero RPG based on 4E could work: Instead of classes, there are power trees. At character creation and level up, you get a number points to spend on powers. You can buy any power on any tree, anywhere on the tree, but if you have the powers leading up to it in the tree, there is a significant points discount. So you could, for example, start out with the biggest, baddest power on a tree, but it will use all your points. Or you could take a few powers here and there from many different trees, but again, it would cost a lot. Alternately, if you focus your hero on, say, the fire power tree, and work your way up it a power or two at a time, you’d have more, stronger powers at the cost of versatility.
Ok, I’m going to stop now, because I think I might have the makings of a full article here…
September 17th, 2009 3:04 PM
Hmmmm… interesting. so you wouldn’t be necessarily be tying progression along a tree to Experience level, but XP would in turn determine point value, much like in M&M and SAS.
Your Power Trees would be like Superhero Archetypes – Brawler, Brick, Mentalist, Blaster, Talented Normal – but you could jump around within a tree and across trees without limitation (besides point cost). That has potential…
You could also add some kind of advantage depending on which tree you choose as your “core” tree – like a Hero Point mechanic of some sort?
I would also suggest adopting the “wound-levels” damage tracking methodology that M&M uses. It loans itself quite well to really outrageous combats.
September 18th, 2009 1:26 AM
I’m going to work out a more detailed description of this and make it this coming Monday’s “Crash Test Magic.”
One thing I’m intrigued by is part of the system used in the Wild Talents game, in which sometimes you use a power to maximum effect, but it is uncontrolled. There’s that aspect of young heroes gaining control over their powers that underpins so many classic comic books that I think it needs to be part of any superhero RPG.
September 19th, 2009 11:13 AM
Yeah, I am excited. Colour me a fan! Next up on my wishlist are Spelljammer & Planescape…
September 19th, 2009 11:43 AM
Check out DMG2, mordicai – there’s a big section on Sigil, plus a Paragon level adventure that introduces the PCs to the City of Doors.
September 21st, 2009 1:56 AM
Part of me died a little when I heard the news that Dark Sun would be the next to fall to the WoTCMMOffRPG (Wizards of The Coast Merchandising Miniatures Offline Roll Playing Game).