It is a new age for Dungeons & Dragons, or at the least, that is the message that the sport and its father or mother firm, Wizards of the Coast, are pushing after the D&D Imaginative and prescient Keynote 2027 at this 12 months’s Gen Con. Among the many information and thrilling bulletins that may form the course of D&D for the following 12 months or extra, one stands out as essentially the most hardcore: D&D goes again to Darkish Solar, and no punches will probably be pulled. Among the many many marketing campaign settings created for D&D, Darkish Solar and its world of Athas are essentially the most controversial. To get an thought of the vibes, consider Mad Max or, for the old-school anime followers, Fist of the North Star. This can be a desolate, post-apocalyptic world the place evil has received and heroes largely combat for survival somewhat than salvation. Slavery can be rampant, which is probably going one of many the explanation why D&D has not returned to the setting since a 4th version sourcebook was launched in 2010. Many followers feared that, if the corporate ever determined to publish new official Darkish Solar merchandise, the gritty, darkish fantasy themes and parts of the setting would get sanded right down to cater to fashionable sensibilities. They had been incorrect.
A brief teaser trailer revealed throughout Gen Con begins with what might solely be described as a Mortal Kombat fatality. The abundance of gore, eviscerations, and ultra-violence make it clear that it is a product for adults — if the mature content material warning message wasn’t sufficient. The dialogue and art work that had been proven to followers additionally appear to verify that Athas has not modified. That is nonetheless a world devastated by a magical catastrophe, the place immortal sorcerer-kings rule with an iron fist over remoted metropolis states. Darkish Solar would be the centerpiece of D&D’s Season of Survival in 2027. Three books will probably be launched: the setting growth Fringe of Oblivion (a marketing campaign sourcebook aimed toward Dungeon Masters), the gameplay growth Blood and Energy (which can include a lot of the guidelines and player-focused content material), and a restricted version of the 5.5 version Participant’s Handbook that includes devoted Darkish Solar artwork. For those who thought that the artwork within the PHB was too fanciful to your tastes, then it is a nice probability to offer it a gritty improve. One of many massive new options will probably be a brand new character class, the Psion, which can deliver psionics again into the sport exterior of subclasses, particular feats, and some stray spells.
The D&D crew made it clear that one among their massive focuses for the long run is to be sure that the sport caters to all varieties of gamers. The return to Darkish Solar signifies that gamers’ requests for extra mature content material haven’t been ignored, and it will not finish with the world of Athas. At GenCon, actor and newly-appointed CEO of the D&D Icons line, Joe Manganiello, unveiled his homebrew marketing campaign setting, Demise Saves. That is now an official D&D product, impressed by Manganiello’s house marketing campaign and his line of clothes. The heavy metallic, darkish fantasy vibes are fairly evident.
There’s a lot to be enthusiastic about, however as a fan of the unique Darkish Solar merchandise, I hope that D&D will not merely deal with this as an ultra-violent gimmick. The origins of the setting truly harken again to environmental activism: Athas is a grim cautionary story concerning the risks of the unethical exploitation of pure sources and the disasters introduced by the unchecked accumulation of energy within the palms of the few.
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