''Dark Sun Campaign Setting, Expanded and Revised'' is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the ''

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

, published in 1995.

This revised campaign set for the

Dark Sun ''Dark Sun'' is an original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas. ''Dark Sun'' featured an innovative metaplot, influential art work, dark themes, and a genre-bending take o ...

setting takes into account the extraordinary political and physical changes that the world of

Athas ''Dark Sun'' is an original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas. ''Dark Sun'' featured an innovative metaplot, influential art work, dark themes, and a genre-bending take ...

has undergone in the time since the release of the original ''

Dark Sun Boxed Set The original ''Dark Sun Boxed Set'' is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, published in 1991. It introduces the Dark Sun campaign setting for the game. Contents The package includes t ...

''. This set expanded the campaign area to eight times its original size. Included are three large, colorful maps which provide topographical and geographical details of Athas, one of which is a large-scale cloth map that details the central campaign area. Also included in the set are a referee's screen and four books: "Mystery of the Ancients" is a beginning adventure, "The Wanderer's Chronicle" is a description of the campaign world, and "The Age of Heroes" and "The Way of the Psionicist" are rule books. "The Way of the Psionicist" re-presents the

psionics In American science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as telepathy and psychok ...

rules contained in '' Player's Option: Skills & Powers''. Campaign time starts shortly after a number of sorcerer kings have been deposed. *1 large canvas foldout map *2 paper foldout maps *1 dungeon master screen *1 32-page book ''Mystery of the Ancients'' *1 96-page book ''The age of heroes'' *1 32-page book '' The Way of the Psionics'' *1 128-page book '' The wanderer's Chronicle''

Publication history

''Dark Sun Campaign Setting, Expanded and Revised'' was published by

TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...

in 1995.

Reception

Cliff Ramshaw reviewed the revised edition of ''Dark Sun'' for ''Arcane'' magazine, rating it a 7 out of 10 overall. He felt that the changes to the psionics rules made for "a much more logical set-up than was previously in use. It's a matter of taste, though, as to whether you think there's any need for spell-like psionic powers when the game already supports such a wide variety of magical styles. He commented that there is "plenty of atmosphere in Dark Sun and, despite the seeming uniformity of the geography, a great deal of imagination has gone into detailing the various regions". He considered the adventure to be "somewhat lacklustre" as it is "short and extremely linear, leaving players with little chance to alter the outcome". Ramshaw concluded the review by saying: "All the same, if blood in the sand is the bag you're into, you'll find plenty to enjoy under the Dark Sun."

Reviews

*''Shadis'' #24

References

Dark Sun supplements Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1995 {{D&D-stub