☀️ SURVIVE THE DYING WORLD | Dark Sun | New Player Friendly ☀️
You're in chains being escorted to Tyr for a fate worse than death... then things just get even worse.
$27.00
/ Session
Details
2 players following this game
Weekly / Saturday - 6:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 2.5–3 hours
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
You begin the campaign in chains. Bound in the back of a slave caravan crossing the endless deserts of Athas, you’re headed toward a fate worse than death. Then everything gets worse. Raiders attack. The caravan burns. Your captors die. And suddenly you’re free… stranded hundreds of miles from civilization with almost no food, almost no water, and no guarantee you’ll survive even a day. Welcome to Athas! This a world where water is worth more than gold. Where sorcerer-kings rule through fear. Where magic has devastated the planet. Where just the mere act of survival is an accomplishment. The question isn’t whether you’ll become heroes. The question is whether you’ll live long enough to matter. What Makes Dark Sun Different? Most fantasy worlds ask, “How do you save the world?” Dark Sun asks, “What are you willing to sacrifice?” In Athas: Water is precious and survival is never guaranteed Metal is very rare and steel weapons are treasures worth killing for Psionic powers are common and those who harness it are feared Magic can drain life from the world itself Every major choice leaves lasting scars on the setting This is a brutal survival sandbox where your decisions shape the future of the region. This game is for you if… You enjoy meaningful choices and real consequences You want a campaign where your actions genuinely matter You like survival, exploration, and discovering a dangerous world You enjoy roleplay that goes beyond simple good-vs-evil stories You’ve always wanted to experience one of D&D’s most legendary and controversial settings This game is Probably NOT for you if… You want a low-stakes power fantasy You dislike character death and permanent consequences You prefer heavily scripted stories You want every problem to have a clean, heroic solution Athas is harsh. Success must be earned. Power comes at a price. If that sounds exciting, join this campaign today!
Game style
Combat Heavy
Hexcrawl / Exploration
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Sandbox / Open World
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(12)
2 years on StartPlaying
19 games hosted
Highly rated for: Beginner Friendly, Creativity, Knows the Rules
Average response time: 2 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Hi. I’m David aka Evil Penguin. When I was 11 years old, an older neighbor kid told me how cool this book he was reading was called Lord of the Rings. So, I read it myself. At that age, this was the first adult novel I had ever read. By the time I finished the series, I knew that all I wanted to do in life was tell stories half as good as that story. That same neighbor kid and I started playing D&D together and I’ve not looked back since. I went on to study creative writing in college before eventually ending up working professionally in the film industry (that’s my day job). So, a lot of what I bring to the table comes from years of thinking about storytelling, pacing, character moments, when to build and release tension, and creating memorable experiences for an audience. As a GM, my focus is simple: I want everyone to have fun and feel like they were an active part of an incredible story. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please let me know. Try out a session. Players of all experience levels are welcome at my table. I run an inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly table where respect for everyone is mandatory. It’s good to know that apparently I’m doing something right because most of my players end up coming back for future campaigns and I’ve had many IRL tables that have run for years with the same players. And if you’d like to get a better sense of my GMing style, worldbuilding, and approach to tabletop RPGs, you can also check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@EvilPenguinRPG
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
You can go to the player facing portal to explore species, classes, and backgrounds that are unique to Dark Sun, which we will be using for character creation. Please go to the character creation section of the portal to start getting ideas of what you want to do for your character: https://app.legendkeeper.com/a/worlds/cmkrmnil08azv0jo1hax26vuq/rxxtpovc/ As a group, we will create our characters together during session 0
What to expect
Preparing for the session
🐧 Internet access and a supported web browser (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Safari) 🐧 A decent microphone 🐧 Webcam is nice, but not required 🐧 A free discord account
What EvilPenguin brings to the table
⚔️ A 24/7 player portal for session notes, maps, character references, and etc. ⚔️ Unique tokens for each player ⚔️ Character portraits ⚔️ Very own discord channel for the campaign ⚔️ Access to my DNDBeyond and roll20 library ⚔️ Voice acting roleplay ⚔️ Amazing visuals for roleplay moments for better immersion ⚔️ High quality maps (sometimes animated) ⚔️ Curated music throughout to further help set the mood
Homebrew rules
House Rules: 🐧 Potions are a bonus action if using it for yourself, per 2024 rules, however, each character may only have two potions equipped at a time. Every other potion is considered "stored" and takes a full action to dig out of your bag and use. 🐧 Death saves are private rolls 🐧 Once per combat, one party member may examine a creature as a free action. Your roll will determine what information you know about the creature and how to fight it.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How EvilPenguin creates a safe table
Safety is my number one concern, especially with a setting such as this. Dark Sun is an intentionally harsh setting and this adventure includes themes that may be uncomfortable for some players, including: * slavery * violence * starvation and dehydration * body horror * imprisonment * torture implications * morally gray factions * fantasy racism/species prejudice * environmental collapse * death and survival pressure None of these themes are included for shock value. They are part of the setting and will be handled seriously and respectfully. That being said, characters are expected to fight against this system of oppression and never be aligned with it. That's not the game I want to run. We will implement several safety measures: • Session 0, we'll go over all the themes of Dark Sun • I have an open door policy. You can bring up ANY concerns you have at any time, in private or publicly in the group. • I'll be sending out a campaign start form that where you will be able to tell me your lines and veils, privately. • During sessions, you can use X, N, & O's either in private or public chat or verbally to notify me of boundaries. I will either stop the scene so we can discuss or fade to black.
Content warnings
Safety tools used