🎲🐉Athas Unveiled: A Deep Dive into Dark Sun

In 1991, TSR took a bold step into uncharted territory with the release of Dark Sun, a Dungeons & Dragons setting unlike any other. This video delves into the savage world of Athas, a land of brutal survival, powerful psionics, and defiler magic.

Explore:

➡️ The flavorful setting of Dark Sun
➡️The iconic characters that inhabit Athas
➡️The groundbreaking rules and mechanics that set Dark Sun apart
➡️The artists and writers who helped the setting come to life
➡️The business environment of TSR that allowed the setting to be published
➡️The lasting impact of Dark Sun on Dungeons & Dragons

Join me and journey to the parched wastes of Athas to uncover the secrets of one of D&D's most daring and distinctive settings.

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*TIMESTAMPS*
0:00 Introduction
4:22 Sponsor
7:13 What Is Dark Sun?
19:18 Characters
35:55 Classes
52:11 Creators
1:14:11 Business Environment
1:39:54 My Dark Sun College Final
1:46:11 Legacy
1:49:37 Wrap-Up
1:51:21 Bonus Content

*MORE DADDY ROLLED A 1*

*EL PRESIDENTE*
This is my dad's recipe that he used for the barrel-aged version I drank in the video. You can make a fresh one as follows:

➡️1.5 oz White Rum (my dad used an aged Havana Club, however)
➡️0.75 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
➡️0.25 oz Orange Curaçao
➡️2 dashes Grenadine
➡️Lemon Peel Garnish

To Make:
1️⃣Add the first four ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled (~30 revolutions)
2️⃣Strain the cocktail into a stemmed cocktail glass
3️⃣Express the oils of the lemon peel over the drink and rub around the rim of the glass, then drop into the drink

Homemade Grenadine:
➡️2 cups pomegranate juice (either fresh, from about 2 pomegranates, or use something like POM Wonderful)
➡️2 cups granulated sugar
➡️2 oz pomegranate molasses
➡️1 tsp orange blossom water

1️⃣Heat the pomegranate juice until very warm (either on the stove or in the microwave)
2️⃣Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved
3️⃣Add the pomegranate molasses and orange blossom water and stir until incorporated
4️⃣Allow to cool, then strain into a bottle. Keep refrigerated and use in 1 month.
5️⃣Tip: You can add about an ounce of 100 Proof Vodka to the bottle to act as a preservative which will help the Grenadine last longer than 1 month if you don't plan to use it all right away.

*"SOMETHIN' ELSE" BY CANNONBALL ADDERLEY, 1958*

[ScottRoste]

Automatic thumbs up for Dark Sun. Read the first line of books. We gad the campaign set, but didn't get to use it too much. Such great twists on the use of elves, thri-kreen and others, as well as new ideas with Muls, Magic, etc. Really deserves a revival with OSR rules.

[oldgrognardsays]

Dark Sun in 2nd Edition was my first D&D setting. I played Dark Sun for a year or so before I ever got to play "regular" D&D. This experience influenced my thinking in regards to how I look at D&D as more of a game engine rather than being a game in and of itself.

[dungeondaddy]

Recently played a 5e conversion of Dark Sun....at first it seemed kind of alien to me but once I realized what it offered, I went full Mad Max with it and had one of the most memorable 24 session campaign ever! Great vid!

[Summalogicae]

I only played in one campaign in Dark Sun. 30+ years later it’s still such a fond, enjoyable memory.

[johronok]

Dark Sun is awesome. The Prism Pentad series is really good.

[bobert]

Pre watch algorithm comment: it's the most fascinating setting I've never played in! Always wanted to, hopefully soon.

[webchef]

Yes!! My all-time favorite DnD setting broken down by my favorite DnD soothsayer.. Thx Martin 👊

[TenositSergeich]

Dark Sun had a functional adaptation to 3e and even a small product line and magazine support in 4e, but going into the 2024 revision of 5e, WotC has basically refused officially touching it, despite writers being down to write some Dark Sun material. I get what areas may cause concern, but I think Dark Sun is a setting that can resonate very well with modern audiences. It does not shy away from calling people who destroyed the world and rule over its struggling ruin evil, does not shy away from calling their lackeys selfish and craven, does not shy away from having the players experience the cruelty of slavery. Fixing the world may be harder than ever before, but that is the road that you will have to take if you want Athas to see a better day.

[steved]

Nice. I surprised my group of players by throwing them into Dark Sun back in early 92. Today, still running a 30+ year sandbox campaign with the same players, and they still talk about our Dark Sun days. Absolutely fantastic.

[DanielNicolato-qswt]

that is a setting that always captured my imagination although I never played in it. thanks for the video!

[jackdunne]

As a business major myself, I'm impressed about that marketing packet.

[Frankhath]

You do the best deep dives on games and their history out of everyone I've seen on YouTube, and this is one I've been waiting for. My favorite setting ever, and very interesting behind the scenes as well.

[SuperHellfist]

Was one of the few settings I ran out the box and didn't change much, loved the psionics and the harshness and struggle of the setting.

[neutraljump]

Ah! I know what I'll be watching once I get home. This has got to be my favorite campaign setting I've never tried. I think I'll steal something from it for my game though.

[MitchellDowns]

Metal Hurlant is the original Heavy Metal magazine.

The Den origin story is in the Heavy Metal movie. His internal voice, quite hilariously, is provided by John Candy.

[FatalDevotee]

I am all out of bits, so this will have to do.

[TheValarClan]

You do realize videos like this are the reason why I don’t do, at least so far, videos on the history of D&D. Because you cover a lot.

[the_Mike_d]

I still have the copy I purchased back in 1991 - it really was something else when it came out, at least in terms of what I was playing at the time ( 1E and 2E AD&D and MERP, primarily). I think we only played it once or twice, but as a DM I really liked the setting and design, even if the players weren't into the theme.

[HumanoidCableDreads]

Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique was a big influence on the creators of Dark Sun as well.

[asteriskme]

Dark Sun was a setting that people either loved or hated. I found your college research project interesting. I went to school at one point for publishing and learned all about the control costs for paper stocks, inks, collating, binding, layout, etc. When I think about the maps alone and artwork in all of these boxed sets, not to mention the printed book material, the retail prices were beyond a bargain.