October 2000

After only five games, I've gone ahead and done it... I'm shifting over to the new 3rd edition rules set. When the new edition of the Player's Handbook was initially release, I resisted the change. Why? Well, I'm a stubborn bastard, for one. For two, I knew it would take a lot of work to convert existing 2nd edition Dark Sun material into something that could be used with the 3rd edition rules. I might've started earlier, but the lack of the new DMG and MM made me hold off until they'd both been released.

So here I am on the eve of November, and I've got all the 3rd edition books in my hot little hands. I'm sticking with the important stuff, mainly: race and class conversions, monster conversions, and psionics. I'm not going to bother writing up flavor text for these things, since most of the folks who'll want to see them already have the old books. If they don't have the books now, I suppose they'll be able to get them cheaply (or, perhaps, for free) on the WOTC web site.

I don't know how well-received these Dark Sun conversions will be. The hard-core Dark Sun players and DMs out there are probably one of three different types. The first type is unwavering in his dedication to Dark Sun, and he'll be damned if he switches over to 3rd edition. The second type has most likely embraced 3rd edition wholeheartedly, has already done all the conversion work himself, and has probably been running his Dark Sun games since the new PH was released in August. The third type, for whom these conversions are intended, are the players and DMs who either can't or don't wish to spend all their time converting statistics. Perhaps these fellows will continue to play Dark Sun using 2nd edition AD&D, until they actually find some 3rd edition conversions that work.

At present, I'm not sure when I'll be prepared to post my converted Dark Sun material. Like as not, I'll do it bit by bit. It'll likely be technical, related mostly to the game mechanics. They'll be largely untested, though I will, slowly and surely, work out the bugs as I continue my own 3rd edition Dark Sun campaign.

Why did I change my mind? Well... the more I read the 3rd edition rules, the more I began to hate 2nd edition. D&D 3rd edition is still weak in several of the same areas that AD&D 2nd edition was, and it's not entirely suited for Dark Sun right out of the box. Of course, that's my opinion entirely.

So, once again, sit back, relax, and check out the conversions (as they pop up). Read the campaign materials, peruse the new conversions, and check out the maps (as we get them up -- I've got Campaign Cartographer 2 now!). Please let us know what you think. We're only an email away.

Gary Astleford
penangallan@cox.net

August 2000

Welcome back! I know it's been some time, but I grew sick and tired of AD&D and needed to branch out into other genres for a while.

For those of you just joining us (as well as any old-timers), this page is dedicated to supporting my current Dark Sun campaign, Tales from the Lucky Feylaar (formerly, Living in Tyr on Five Bits a Day). This game is being run for a new group of players. As of this writing, the first game hasn't occurred, but characters have been created and I'm doing last-minute brain-storming. The first game will start sometime on the evening of 8/23/00.

This page is meant to be a resource for my game's players, as well as an entertaining diversion for those of you out there who like to see what other groups are doing and playing. I expect at least a couple of my players will write character histories and stories, perhaps draw a picture or two, and these items will (I hope) be made available here.

In addition to the character information presented, I've also taken the liberty to include the house rules we use. Most of these rules are guidelines, and one or two have yet to be tested in the actual game. However, I'm confident that they work, and I invite you to try them out in your own games. We'll also be updating the page on a regular basis, including anything else that we feel merits your attention. These updates will include original Dark Sun-related articles written by myself and my players.

Some folks may be wondering what happened with Living in Tyr ... The short answer would be, "It ended." The somewhat longer answer is to say that the PCs completed their quest for the Citadel of Fire, freeing it from the creatures that had infested it. Their journey even took them to the Elemental Plane of Fire, where they rescued Harlan (a fire cleric) from Imix's dungeons. In the end, the characters were given a choice between remaining on Athas, or being transported to the hub of all things in the universe (ie, Sigil). Two characters (Unok and Ephraim) accepted his offer, and their fate is unknown. The rest remained behind, in service to the Citadel.

There is one minor detail I didn't mention: Innath, always the reluctant crusader, didn't go on the final leg of Kaylene's quest. For whatever reason (which will probably be detailed in his journal), he headed back to Tyr to seek his fortune away from clerics of Fire and their religious zeal. That, my friends, is where this game picks up -- Innath arriving home to Tyr, penniless and alone but for the halfling guide the group had hired to take them up the mountains to the Forest Ridge.

You might also be wondering what happened to Hamide's game. For those of you who aren't aware of it, I was running Hamide via AOL's Instant Messenger with my friend Lynn. As things turned out, Lynn's a pretty busy gal, and we only ever managed to squeeze three games in before the most frightening monster of all, Real Life, came crashing down to smite us both. We were intending to hook up at GenCon this year and play Hamide's fourth game in the flesh, but that didn't happen. Once I get this new campaign up and running, I'll send a few letters her way and see if she's interested in picking up where we left off.

One more topic I'd like to touch on before I go is that of D&D 3rd Edition. The new Player's Handbook has been available to the public for about a week at the time of this writing, and I have a copy tucked safely into my ubiquitous gaming satchel so that I can thumb through it at work. Overall, some interesting changes have been made to the system, many of which I find to be insightful and of benefit to the game as a whole. Some of the other changes, however...

Suffice it to say that I'm not 100% satisfied with 3rd Edition just yet. While the system itself has seen some interesting changes, it is still, at the core, Dungeons and Dragons, though with more of a slant towards what might be called power-gaming. Some of you may know, I've never been a big fan of "standard" fantasy, which is why Dark Sun is, to me, such a quantum leap forward.

I'm more than willing to try D&D 3rd Edition out in the near future, but I won't be using it for this Dark Sun campaign. My primary reason for not using it is that I'm unable to take the time I'd require to convert the vast quantity of Dark Sun material to a usable 3rd Edition format. Secondary reasons are many, and I won't bore you with details.

In the meantime, though, sit back, relax, and check out the site. It might be a little bare at first, but after a couple of months this place should be teeming with new stuff. I have a great group of new players, and I'm more than a little anxious to see what they can do.

Gary Astleford
penangallan@cox.net