Dark Sun
 |
|
| Designer(s) |
Timothy B. Brown Troy Denning |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) |
TSR, Inc. Wizards of the Coast |
| Publication date | October 1991 (2nd Edition) August 2010 (4th Edition) |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| System(s) |
AD&D 2nd Edition D&D 4th Edition |
| Media type | Game accessories, novels, comics, role-playing video games |
| Website | http://www.athas.org/ |
Dark Sun is an original Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas.Dark Sun is notable for its innovative metaplot, influential art work, dark themes, and its genre bending take on traditional fantasy role-playing game. The product line began with the original Dark Sun Boxed Set released for AD&D in 1991, ran until 1996, and was one of TSR's most successful releases. In 2010, Wizards of the Coast released an updated version of the setting using the fourth edition rules.
Dark Sun deviated from the feudalistic backdrops of its contemporaries, such as Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms, in favor of a composite of dark fantasy, planetary romance, and the Dying Earth subgenre. Rather than create another pseudo-medieval,Tolkienesque fantasy world, 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. 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 due to a tie-in with the 1991 Complete Psionics Handbook.
The artwork of Brom inspired the direction of the content and established a trend of game products produced under the direction of a single artist. The second edition of the setting was supported by supplements as well as novels were closely tied into the game's metaplot. It was the first TSR setting to come with an established metaplot out of the box.
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