152 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
152 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
=========================
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Results: Dark Sun Ratings
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=========================
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Compiled by: brooks@odie.ee.wits.ac.za (Goth)
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[Note: This file is one section of the ratings posted on December 22, 1994
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to rec.games.frp.dnd; it is included in order to make the publically
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available ratings as complete as possible.]
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==============
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Points Ratings
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==============
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In order for a product to appear on the points rating table, it must
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have at least five votes. Products are listed in points order, from
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highest to lowest.
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/-------------------------------------------------------\
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| - Key - |
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| Score = the product's average rating |
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| Low = the lowest rating anyone gave this product |
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| High = the highest rating anyone gave this product |
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| Voters = the number of people who rated the product |
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\-------------------------------------------------------/
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Product Score Low High Voters
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------- ----- --- ---- ------
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DSS2: Earth, Air, Fire & Water 9.0 7 10 5
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The Will and the Way: Psionicists of Athas 8.4 6 10 5
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MC12: Dark Sun 7.1 4 10 7
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Dragon Kings 6.3 5 8 7
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CGR2: Complete Gladiator's Handbook 6.3 4 8 6
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Dark Sun Boxed Set 6.0 0 10 23
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========
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Comments
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========
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This next bit is a selection of comments people have sent in. I've
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removed some remarks which were very similar, especially for products
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which provoked large quantities of comment and I've done some minor
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editing for grammar and spelling. Other than that, this is how they
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were sent in.
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Dark Sun Boxed Set and General Comments
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---------------------------------------
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In general, I think all the supplements are very good -- I've not
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cared for the few modules I've purchased (exept Black Spine). I hated
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the "flip book" format; while it was a good idea, it simply made the
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supplements too expensive. Some of them (e.g., Dragon Kings) are
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great, but not all that playable (at least to those of use who never
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run 20+ level PCs).
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Dark Sun was the best (in my opinon) version of an alien world in
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AD&D. Everything was pretty cool, and clean. Except a couple of
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things -- the way the world was introduced, for example. I know
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storyline is important, but it doesn't need to get mixed up in the
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refrence details. Another thing was that you have to buy all the
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later boxed sets to understand more about the world, (i.e. Cites, the
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Silt Sea, etc.) I know this gives the DM a lot of freedom, but why
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buy a boxed set, if you have to make up everything your self? (I only
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use these sets if I don't want to spend the time making up my own
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world.) Another big turn-off was that you had to go out and buy the
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Psionics Handbook, first. Dark Sun would have been much cooler if it
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contained more stuff... in my opinion, (that doesn't stop it from
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being a cool game though).
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Dark Sun (the boxed set), was a very good, well-made game. The only
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thing that I found wrong with it was that it didn't have enough
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stuff! When I go out and buy a boxed set, I'd like it so it wasn't
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so "iffy" in many areas. So many places are so uncharted. Hey, if I
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wanted to make all this stuff up, I would go out and make my own set!
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But I know that this was TSR's ploy to make me go out and buy more
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stuff, which kind of worked. Otherwise, the ideas and the background
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were just fine.
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I thought it was a good world but I didn't think I would be running
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it anytime soon. I liked the harshness of the world, but must agree
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with current critics who pen it "an enviro feel-good munchkin land".
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Dark Sun is all I play, although I do have Planescape, which I only
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purchased as an extention to my Dark Sun campaign.
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Dark Sun is still my favourite setting. So call me a munchkin, I'll
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just sic my thri-kreen gladiator on you... I like the "differentness"
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of it all. The new PC races, harsh setting, very strange creatures
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all over the place. It's just weird enough to appeal to me.
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Dark Sun would be cool, but it wasn't thought out enuff.
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The Dark Sun Boxed Set is one of the two best products I have
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bought from 2nd edition stuff -- I'd give it a 10 if the mini-module
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it contains wasn't so damn horrible. It is also a deal at $20.
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Not much to say. I liked, but don't play it much.
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Supplements
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-----------
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City by the Silt Sea, while limited in its use, is well thought out
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and well presented. Overall it is one of the best of available
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adventures. The creatures in MC12 are great for the world of Athas,
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but most are of limited use elsewhere.
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Dragon Kings seems not to be very well thought out and could have
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been much better. It is also not worth having a full hardback book
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for. The Gladiator's Handbook is okay, but a little bit unnecessary.
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City-State of Tyr is extremely good in its depth. Earth, Air, Fire &
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Water is an important and necessary resource for any DS campaign if
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there are any clerics involved whatsoever.
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Earth, Air, Fire and Water is by far the best accessory TSR has
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published that I have read. It really gives depth and colour to the
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new Dark Sun cleric. The Will and the Way isn't quite as good but is
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very important because of the new psionic powers inside.
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City State of Tyr is good. I actually need and use it a lot because
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I mainly play City adventures.
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When I first flipped through Dragon Kings, it looked beautiful. I was
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awed. There were so many cool things (that I thought) were pushed
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into it. Then when I bought it, I found out I didn't like it at all.
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I guess it was another one of TSR's ploys to make me buy more of
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their junk. It's good if you like playing past the 20th level, but I
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don't. I can't stand DMing a game past othe 20th level, the players
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get WAY to powerful, and are hard to control, and change. You find
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that you have to meddle with higher beings and things just get out of
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hand. Even in a Dark Sun campaign. Once I had to put the Dragon of
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Tyr against a group of 17-19th level characters. And guess what? They
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kicked his ass! After you get to a level that is that high, you lose
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a lot of fun in the game. And the DM/GM loses the most fun,
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especially when you have dragons, elementals, and what-not which can
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blow up the whole freaken place.
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The Gladiators Handbook was all right. Part of it was a "joke" as I
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would call it though.
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Dragon's Crown was not playtested enough. We found numerous weak
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points, resulting in an overall poor rating.
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It is a great pity that the best Dark Sun product so far has been
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Valley of Dust and Fire, as this was the single place the PCs have
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the least probability of ever visiting. It is an even greatest pity
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that TSR killed Borys, therefore rendering the whole supplement
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(Valley) useless. Who said the guys have brains in their heads?
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=======
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The End
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=======
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