I bought the second Dark Sun appendix for the same reason I bought the third Ravenloft appendix: I was sure I could use it to surprise and bewilder my players in much the same way the Mystara appendix did. Just like Ravenloft, I completely failed to integrate any of these monsters into my games.

Dark Sun is tough. Much of its appeal comes from its brilliant, aesthetically driven campaign setting – one part dark fantasy, one part Mad Max movie – driven largely by the artwork of Baxa and Brom. The things that make it so aesthetically appealing, though, are exactly what makes it so hard to pilfer it for a homebrew game: the monsters especially are tied so specifically to the harsh environments of Athas.

It’s a gorgeous book, though, if you’re a Baxa fan (I…sort of am, as I explained last week, particularly in full color). There’s some devious critters in here, too. Maybe someday I’ll figure out a way to use them…