The Origins of Anathema
Dark Sun was not part of my childhood, but I wish that it had been. A low-fantasy post apocalyptic world where magic has drained the life force from the land. I was introduced to the setting by a podcast put together by the Penny Arcade guys. It was love at first listen. They ride in a cart that's the shell of a giant bug. How could I not love it?
Like many of the worlds created by TSR fans have carried the torch of Dark Sun ever since. Released in '91 for 2nd ed, WotC released a campaign setting in 2010 for 4th. Fan conversions exist for every ruleset since. There are rumors we'll see an update to 5E, but there will always be such rumors. There's good money in such rumors, and some people can't leave a $20 bill on the ground.
The original Dark Sun box set can be had from DriveThruRPG for a pittance. It's $9.99 as of the moment that I'm writing this. It's a pure rich loam where ideas may sprout. The price of admission is too low for the value it contains.
I'm not here to talk about updating the Dark Sun ruleset for modern D&D. Smarter people than I have already done that work, and it's a short Google away. I'm here to talk about Anathema. "But wait, weren't you talking about Exalted last week?" Yes. I was. If you happen to be the one other fan of both Dark Sun and Exalted I bet you already see where I'm going.
Both games feature themes of elemental alignment. Priests in the Dark Sun setting draw their power from the elemental planes. Priests of fire. Priests of water. Priests of the vaguely unsettling sensation you're being watched.
Exalted draws its map from elemental poles. It vests elemental power in the Terrestrial Exalted, the Dragon-Blooded. In both cases, these elementally-aligned nobles serve the role of enforcer. They maintain the existing power structure.
The main antagonists of Dark Sun are either "everything" or "everyone." It's not a friendly setting. For the sake of argument, I'm going to limit it to the Big Bads. The nine sorceror-kings who use the "drains life force" kind of magic to secure their immortal rule. Exalted has several different antagonists of varying status. None stand out in my mind more than the Deathlords. Once the good guys, twisted in death, now doing the dark work of darker masters in vengeance.
These are the two main inspirations for Anathema.
My world map leans on Exalted's with elemental poles in each direction. I've given each of my Big Bads a dedicated elemental alignment. No longer the domain of the enforcers of order, elementalism is a cornerstone of the setting.
In the elemental direction of wood is the wood-type bad guy and his wood-type enforcers. Dark Sun takes place on a burned desert world. Elements of that setting are woven into my elemental direction of fire. One benefit of elemental alignment is that the regions are clear and distinct. A campaign set near the pole of water will be very unlike one set near the pole of wind. Each direction has its own bad guy who matches its theme and vibe.
I've left most of this map unpopulated for two reasons.
For one, players love leaving their mark on the world. The map will always be more interesting for having responded to the actions of the PCs.
For two, it's possible to be over-prepared. Many GMs love worldbuilding, and end up with a summer home on Overpreparation Island.
Worldbuilding is like cooking. I've prepared a list of ingredients. My mise are very much "en place." I'm ready to glue them together as needed, live on national television, to tell the best story I can imagine. Collaboratively, with the players.
GM notes are always important, but this technique doubles down on that. Both having good notes of the pieces that could happen, but also tracking what actually did. If the players discover a piece of information, it's important to note that for later, or the thread may get lost.
Inventing characters and locations can be easy if you think of it as mashing up ideas you already have. Remembering which television character that merchant spoke like? That's much more challenging.
Next week? A conversation about class(es).
Hey, Check This Out!
TTRPGs & Zines
You know how the 80s were like, totally tubular and rad? And like. Awesome? Like. But also what if also there was magic? That'd be like. Totally Magical Highschool and stuff.
Adventure Snack is offering clever ideas in small packages. And they're free! Well, free minus the cost of handing over your email address. But that's a better deal than most mailing lists.
Solo games are landing big this year. All the fun of a TTRPG, without having to share the Cheetos. Tell Dune-inspired desert stories with Glide. Run missions for your Guild House. No word on controlling the spice.
Speaking of solo games, Skyworthy puts in you the role of an airship. Journal through the life of a discovery vessel. Use a standard deck of cards to determine your ship's fate.
Some of the most interesting things I find end up being for the Mothership Horror RPG. That should tell me something about Mothership. Maybe that I should get it. This isn't about Mothership, though. This is about The Bloodfields at Blackstar Station. It's a battle royale hexcrawl! In a former tourist trap! Turned nightmare! Murder your way to freedom for the entertainment of others!
Programming Notes
How's Tuesday working out for everyone? Comments? Questions? Post them below!