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Article Summary
- Dark Sun co-creator Timothy Brown has launched Dragon Kings, a brutal post-apocalyptic fantasy setting funding now on BackerKit.
- Set on the dying desert world of Khitus, the sourcebook is designed for D&D 5.5E while providing conversion rules for AD&D 2nd Edition.
- The book also features contributions from TSR designers Troy Denning, Bill Slavicsek and Rich Baker, plus new work from artist Brom.
- The BackerKit was funded in less than an hour and runs from now until November 5, 2026.
If you cut your roleplaying teeth on the sun-baked wastes of Athas in the 1990s, you know that few settings have ever matched the raw, unsparing brutality of TSR’s classic Dark Sun. Now, the minds who forged that legendary era of grim survival, gladiator pits and defiler sorcery are getting the band back together.
Publisher Strange Owl Games has officially launched the crowdfunding campaign for Dragon Kings, a massive, standalone fantasy setting designed for the new D&D 5.5E rules, but containing full backwards compatibility and conversion guidelines for AD&D 2E. Notably, the book also features contributions from Dark Sun co-creator Troy Denning along with work from veteran TSR designers Bill Slavicsek and Rich Baker. In addition, it includes new illustrations from artist Brom, who was instrumental in creating the original look of Athas.
The news comes hot on the heels of the official Dark Sun setting returning to Wizards of the Coast in early 2027, although there is concern among fans that it may be a watered-down version of the iconic setting. Brown’s Dragon Kings setting is being billed as a more authentic version that leans heavily into the original Dark Sun materials in terms of tone and themes.
Below, we survey the sands, uncover the awakening psionic powers, and examine everything on offer.
What is the Dragon Kings 5.5E setting about?
Dragon Kings transports players to Khitus, an arid world sliding inexorably into dust, ruin and resource depletion. Long ago, the enigmatic and godlike Dragon Kings ruled the land, keeping it lush and fertile. When the Dragon Kings vanished, however, the rains disappeared with them. In the ensuing Age of Despots, city-states clash over dwindling springs, basic metal is virtually nonexistent and warriors wage war equipped with weapons carved from bone, stone, and giant insect chitin.
Unlike conventional high fantasy where magic is commonplace and dependable, sorcery on Khitus is a sentient, hostile arcane consciousness that actively resents mortal meddling. Instead, the setting places psionics front and center, including a range of mental disciplines and wild psionic talents.
If all that sounds familiar, it’s because Khitus bears a striking resemblance to the world of Athas (although with a few subtle differences). The setting will be published in a single supplement that includes:
- Complete rules for survival, resource scarcity and psionic powers designed natively for modern D&D 5.5E, alongside AD&D 2E conversion guidelines for old-school purists.
- Six distinct human desert cultures and unique non-human species, including the arboreal, prehensile-tailed Penmai and the reptilian Cold Skins.
- A comprehensive gazetteer covering the Broken Plains, the Pock and the New Dune Wasteland.
- 30 original monster stat blocks and dozens of new spells, psionic disciplines, feats backgrounds, and gear.
- Over 60 pieces of original, human-created artwork, including new illustrations from original Dark Sun artist Brom.
Accompanying the core book is The Agendas of Khitus, an adventure compendium structured around the four competing forces vying for dominance over the ruins of civilization: Coin, Faith, Magic and Mind.
Who is the creative team on Dragon Kings?
The project is led by Timothy Brown, the award-winning game designer and former TSR director who co-created the original Dark Sun setting, and who also oversaw the creation of popular D&D game lines including Ravenloft and Planescape. Notably, Brown actually produced an official D&D Dark Sun product called Dragon Kings back in 1992.
For this new project, Brown has also assembled what can only be described as a dream team of Dark Sun alumni, including:
- Troy Denning: Legendary D&D novelist, designer and co-creator of Dark Sun.
- Brom: The award-winning dark fantasy artist who produced a number of iconic pieces for the original Dark Sun setting.
- Bill Slavicsek: Former TSR and Wizards of the Coast design director, lead developer on the revised Dark Sun Campaign Setting and co-creator of West End Games’ Star Wars RPG.
- Rich Baker: Acclaimed fantasy author and veteran game designer who served as a core architect of D&D 3rd Edition and penned numerous expansions for Dark Sun and the Forgotten Realms.
What are the backer options for Dragon Kings?
While the primary draw of the BackerKit campaign is the sourcebook, like other major crowdfunders, the project also includes a number of bonus accessories. Key backer options include:
- PDF Only ($35 USD): Includes the complete Dragon Kings 5.5E core setting and rules PDF, plus character sheets and pre-generated characters.
- Templar ($70 USD): The standard hardcover of Dragon Kings for 5.5E, bundled with the matching PDF, digital character sheets, pre-gens, and the unabridged Dragon Kings audiobook.
- Digital Bundle ($79 USD): A PDF of the core rules and Agendas of Khitus adventure collection, plus a Digital Maps package, audiobook and character sheets.
- Dragon Knight ($110 USD): The standard hardcover core book, the physical Dragon Kings Map Book, a GM Screen, a custom Dragon Kings dice set, plus all of the PDFs.
- Dragon Lord ($200 USD): A the foil-stamped Dragon Kings Collector’s Cover hardcover, the Agendas of Khitus adventure books, the Dragon Kings Map Book, cloth overland map, GM screen, dice tray, dice bag, custom dice set and all corresponding digital files.
- Marauder Chieftain ($260 USD): Everything in the Dragon Lord tier, upgraded with an exclusive, hand-crafted ceramic Collector’s Dice Set.
- Marauder Chieftain Signed and Numbered ($360 USD): Extremely limited tier featuring all Marauder Chieftain rewards, with the Collector’s Edition hardcover personally signed and numbered by author Timothy Brown.
- Dragon King ($520 USD): The pinnacle backer experience (limited to 5 backers). Includes the signed and numbered Collector’s Edition hardcover, all previous deluxe rewards and an exclusive seat in an in-person Dragon Kings game session run directly by Timothy Brown at Gen Con 2027.
Final Thoughts
While Dark Sun is officially returning to Dungeons & Dragons, there’s something definitely appealing about seeing the original creators bring the setting back to life. It remains to be seen, however, if fans will embrace this alternate 5.5E version of the world of Athas.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this campaign in the days ahead. In the meantime, you can support the project from now until November 5th, 2026 on BackerKit.
Below is also a YouTube from the campaign, showing more about the project.