Dark Sun

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.