Dark Sun 2024
Tyr nears revolt as Kalak’s ziggurat nears completion—slaves whisper freedom, others fear sacrifice, and the city stands on the edge of uprising
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Monday - 12:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 2.5–3 hours
3 / 6 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
3/6
About the adventure
The world of Dark Sun is brutal. It is violent. It is a place where the worst of the worst has risen to the top, and it reflects that in almost everything. A rising tension grips the ancient city‑state of Tyr, where the sorcerer‑king Kalak has ruled for a thousand years through fear, slavery, and bloodshed. The elven warrens crumble, the slave pens overflow, and even the free citizens whisper that the city thirsts more for freedom than for water. Everywhere you walk, the air feels charged. Kalak’s colossal ziggurat now stands on the brink of completion. He promises a grand celebration and the most savage arena spectacle in Tyr’s brutal history, but rumors churn through the streets. Some believe the event will bring long‑awaited freedom; others fear it will unleash a catastrophe to fuel Kalak’s growing power. Hidden among the crowds are those who dare to dream of rebellion. This game will use the 2024 5th Edition of the Dungeons and Dragons rules. Dark Sun was originally released as a campaign setting for the 2nd Edition of Dungeons and Dragons, and we’ll need to make some adjustments to work with the most current version of the game. We'll use a subset of the standard species, classes, subclasses and backgrounds from the core 2024 Player’s Handbook. There will be some customization, but that will be minimal. My goal is to capture the harsh realities of a desert world, ruled by cruel tyrants, with danger everywhere, and where the land itself is more of a threat than a thief in the night. You are a hero in this world. It won’t be easy. It may seem like everyone and everything is against you. You’ll need to work with those you trust, and with their help, you can change the world.
Game style
Combat Heavy
Roleplay Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(22)
4 years on StartPlaying
236 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive
About me
In the ancient days before the coming of the internet, we would gather in dark, secluded places to roll rune carved stones as we shared stories of adventures. Time passed without meaning as the sun faded from the sky, at times, only to rise again before the telling of tales was complete. I'm Keith. Long time gamer, full time martial arts instructors and author. I played my first TTRPG game in 1983, and have been GMing games ever since. I've run my share of published adventure material, but my preference is to build a unique adventure for each group of players. How the story develops is based on the actions of the characters and the goals of the players. I believe the game table should be fun for everyone. We gather together to escape into a world of fantasy, mystery and adventure, and we should enjoy ourselves while we are doing it. If you want to see what my GM style is like, check out the actual play of our Urban Fantas/Horror game using the Cypher System rules at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLof6CEXyKymEcFdIUe0CYjTmrdij7pf3P
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
As soon as you join the game, you will get access to the Discord and Roll20 Servers. You’ll have access to my game set-up notes which may be sufficient for some players, but I am planning to work with each player, one on one, to get the best starting experience. I’ll work with you over Discord to create a first level character for the game. Some of you may be familiar with the 2nd Edition AD&D rules, the 4th Edition Rules, any of the dozens of Dark Sun home brew ports of the setting, and the recent apocalyptic character sub classes introduced in Unearthed Arcana on DnDBeyond. We won’t be using any of that. Should WOTC release an official Dark Sun source book, we’ll definitely use that as well as material from other official 2024 sources although not everything published will be used. It has to fit the tone and theme of the setting. We will use point buy for starting attributes. Character sheets will be maintained on Roll20.
We are just getting started. The characters will be first level to begin.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You’ll need a free Discord and Roll20 account. Connect to the Discord server as soon as you can, and I’ll help you get everything set up.
What Keith brings to the table
I’ll provide everything that you need to play the game. All you need to bring is your imagination, your willingness to play as part of a team, and a desire for your character to be a hero. Mechanically, that means I’ll set up the Roll20 VTT so that you have access to the 2024 D&D rules. If there is any customization of the characters that need to be done, I’ll take care of it for you. I’ll convert the original DS1 Freedom module to the Roll20 environment. I’ll provide music, and I’ll provide help with the rules and settings so that you can enjoy the game without getting trapped in the tools.
Homebrew rules
We'll be using some homebrew rules, and I'll provide a full list as part of session zero. Here are a couple: * There are no truly long-lived races. A few species like elves and dwarves might live past 100, others are going to be closer to 80, and that would be considered extreme old age. Life expectancy for many is between 30 and 40 years. * Darkvision is not an inherent ability in any species. * Arcane magic is hated, feared, and even outlawed. Openly using arcane magic is a quick path to being killed by the locals.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Keith creates a safe table
We go over Lines and Veils prior to and part of session 0. We will use an X card during game play. At the end of each session we'll review what worked and what didn't. Dark Sun takes place in a brutal setting. There are lots of bad things that can happen. The characters are the good that will offset the bad.
Content warnings
Safety tools used