The first campaign setting of D&D 4E is a blockbuster affair of intriguing mystery and ferocious combat. You won’t believe what lies ahead – well, that is if you survive long enough to see it.

Gen Con attendees got a real treat when Rodney Thompson and Rich Baker (anyone happen to know his Twitter address?) of Wotc R&D sat down with convention go-ers to reveal the ravaged world that is Dark Sun. Listen to this podcast before you crack those books open.

Ben’s RPG Pile played the upcoming World Wide Game Day module, The Lost Cistern of Aravek, which is coming to a game store near you on 8/21. If you plan on attending, it might be best to hold off on our Dark Sun review due to spoilers. If you can’t go, give our own video podcast of the game a try.

Enjoy our first Dark Sun impressions:

- Game Changer: There are enough differences in the regular 4E to make you stop and think. Ben was worried about creating confusion as he’s just starting to understand regular 4E but it’s a minor risk worth taking.

- Monsters Rule: The baddies from the Creature Catalog are vicious. Our fourth level party of five fought a level 6 solo skirmisher that could max its damage at 56 in a single round (along with some other nasty effects). Pretty brutal considering our characters averaged about 45 hp.

- Intensity Level: The battle tactics, unique terrain, and monster strength kept Ben on his toes – literally. If you ain’t standing around your table for much of Dark Sun, you’re really not playing (or are dead already).

- Classy Characters: The character sheets were immaculate. The artwork, the layout, the new abilities were all easy to spot and use. Get ready to read though – these classes are stuffed with options.

- New Terrain: Ben can turn his game board into a 3-D dungeon in a snap but a desert? Well, that’s a different story. DMs will need time to ramp up. Of course, Ben welcomes this new challenge.

Best of all, we recorded our Dark Sun initiation as part of our ongoing Friday Night Strike series. You can download all eight parts of our video podcast on iTunes. Consider it a helpful test drive.

Bottom line – Dark Sun is a sensational new 4E setting. You will absolutely love it. Well, what are you waiting for? Get down to your local game store, buy the books and try it firsthand. By the way, do you have any water to spare?

Questions to Ponder: Will you play Dark Sun? Why or why not? Would you run a Dark Sun campaign and a regular D&D 4E campaign simultaneously? What campaign setting do you want to see next?

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