Dark Sun

For other uses, see Dark Sun (disambiguation).

Dark Sun
DesignersTimothy B. Brown
Troy Denning
PublishersTSR, Inc.
Wizards of the Coast
PublicationOctober 1991 (2nd Edition)
August 2010 (4th Edition)
GenresPost-apocalyptic sword and sorcery[1]
SystemsAD&D 2nd Edition
D&D 4th Edition
Media typeGame accessories, novels, comics, role-playing video games
Websitewww.athas.org

Dark Sun is an original Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas.[1][2] Dark Sun featured an innovative metaplot, influential art work, dark themes, and a genre-bending take on traditional fantasy role-playing.[3] The product line began with the original Dark Sun Boxed Set released for D&D's 2nd edition in 1991,[4] originally ran until 1996, and was one of TSR's most successful releases.[3]

Dark Sun deviated from the feudalistic backdrops of its Tolkienesque pseudo-medieval contemporaries, such as Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms, in favor of a composite of dark fantasy, planetary romance, and the Dying Earth subgenre.[2][4][5][6] Dark Sun's designers presented a savage, magic-ravaged desert world where resources are scarce and survival is a daily struggle. The traditional fantasy races and character classes were altered or omitted to better suit the setting's darker themes.[1] Dark Sun differs further in that the game has no deities, arcane magic is reviled for causing the planet's current ecological fragility, and psionics are extremely common.[3] The artwork of Brom established a trend of game products produced under the direction of a single artist.[3][7] The setting was also the first TSR setting to come with an established metaplot out of the box.[3]

Dark Sun's popularity endured long after the setting was no longer supported, with a lively online community developing around it.[8] Only third-party material was produced for the third edition D&D rules,[3] but a new official edition of Dark Sun was released in 2010 for the fourth edition.[2][9]

Dark Sun has been mentioned by developers, most notably Mike Mearls, and appeared in psionics playtest materials for Dungeons & Dragons for the fifth edition of the game.[10][11][12][13][14]

  1. ^ a b c Witwer, Michael; Newman, Kyle; Peterson, Jonathan; Witwer, Sam; Manganiello, Joe (October 2018). Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: a visual history. Ten Speed Press. pp. 235, 238–240. ISBN 9780399580949. OCLC 1033548473.
  2. ^ a b c "Dark Sun: James Wyatt Spotlight Interview". Wizards of the Coast. August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Appelcline, Shannon. "Dark Sun Boxed Set (2e)". D&Dclassics.com. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "The History of TSR". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2005.
  5. ^ Appelcline, Shannon (June 6, 2014). "Beyond Feudalism: Part 2". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 16, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  6. ^ "You Got Science in My Fantasy!". Wizards of the Coast. May 28, 2015. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dragon #264 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Adducci, Robert. "Digital Dark Sun: History of Athas Online". athas.org. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference geekdad1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Awakened Mystic – Dungeons & Dragons". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  11. ^ Crawford, J.; Dillon, D.; Petrisor, B; Taymoor, R, and Schneider, F. (March 14, 2020). "Psionic Options Revisited". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Hoffer, Christian (April 18, 2010). "Dungeons & Dragons Teases Dark Sun". comicbook.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  13. ^ Adducci, Robert (August 8, 2018). "Bone, Stone, and Obsidian". misdirectedmark.com (Podcast). No. 14–16. Misdirected Mark Productions. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  14. ^ "Dark Sun When Does all this Psionics Talk Mean We're Finally Getting Athas 5e?". shambazzlegames.com. July 5, 2020. Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.