The Dark Sun Player Primer

[@Grungeon_Master]

I wanted to make this video to serve as a resource for the Dark Sun Community, so feel free to use this to prime your players on what to expect, without a big old lore dump/ document. It should be as spoiler-free and generic as possible, but be sure to vet it yourself if your campaign needs any of this stuff to be hidden. -Tom

[@theonetruedonut]

Could you make a primer for spelljammer?

[@TheScribe_TheScribe]

the tone of this video is lovely, depicting Athas as a strange and cruel place, which it is, and giving the watcher the sense of menace and danger that Athas should have. great job on a good player primer.

[@HuntersCanFly]

I am going to show this to two of my players in my group. While my whole group may not want to play this, I know two of them who would.

[@JediNiyte]

INCREDIBLE! Dark Sun is hands down my favorite setting. In fact, I've been collecting 4E materials to in the interest of introducing my table to DS at some point in the future. You just earned a subscriber, Buddy!

[@michaelflynn3970]

Good stuff! Wish this setting got more love! Thanks for sharing for others to learn about it!!

[@Serbobiv123]

Thrikreen show up after the fall Antboy to wreched elf dying of thirst on the coarse sands: "love what you've done to the place, mind if we move in?" Looks at the rest of the dying elf tribe: "anyone else gonna eat this? No? I'll help myself then!"

[@MenschWerdeWesentlich]

Great job!

[@TheNinjawithboots]

I need to correct you on one thing. You stated that on Athas there has never been a God. The gods did exist at one point, but abandoned the universe sometime during the green age. My source is the Prisim Penatad book series.

[@Grungeon_Master]

Huh, I knew there'd be something I missed, but didn't know It'd be that foundational! You're right, although I suppose the audience of this video doesn't really need to know the prehistory of Athas. Either way, good spot!

[@rlarkinson]

I also remember a vague reference from one of the 2nd edition materials that mentioned the worship of animal headed deities. It was unclear as if this was a fabricated pantheon as there were no others at that time (After the Green Age).. or that it was an actual pantheon of minor deities from somewhere. Because the reference is so vague, it could suggest there may have been a few minor deities got trapped on Athas and eventually died because of the grey plane severing the divine conduits that sustained them.

[@Caseyuptobat]

There's also the 4e lore: the gods lost the Dawn War, leaving the elemental Primordials and Primal Spirits as the primary spiritual intelligences "overseeing" Athas.

[@overlordofmidgard5876]

I'm actually running a Dark Sun campaign this weekend.

[@Asfragged]

Howd it go?

[@overlordofmidgard5876]

@@Asfragged One player and a NPC almost died from heat stroke, same player then barely escaped from a flash flood in a mountain gorge. Party then win a gnarly fight with a Braxat giant.

[@MrTwyres]

Good.

[@AS-qy1zl]

Everybody needs to bleakmax every now and then.

[@jgr7487]

isn't there a conspiracy theory that the playable area of Athas is an isolated part of the world?

[@MasterGhostf]

Its possible as the lands around athas are covered in fog, and fog means moisture and water. Those areas are well humid which could support life.

[@john-lenin]

Intense much?