There's a certain class of nerd that frequently complains about how, as various franchises have sought a broader appeal, that they've lost some of their grit.
I tend to be very wary of such nerds, because there's often an underlying (or, in the past decade or so, pretty overt) element of that that is some combination of racist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, or in some other way being upset that people who aren't like them are able to enjoy something.
That being said, I do think it's true that in a more corporatized media landscape, there is a lot of sanding down of the edges on things. Many words have been written about how the current state of Hollywood seems afraid to portray any kind of sex or sexiness.
There is a lot of nuance, though, to how something like a Trigger Warning is supposed to work - it's not censorship, but just a heads-up for audiences that might have experienced related traumas. I think that there's a place for all subject matters to be dealt with in art, though the freedom to approach certain themes or ideas in the manner you wish to doesn't mean people don't have the right to complain about it (Freedom of Speech goes both ways).
All this is to say: the animated trailer for D&D's new Dark Sun two-book set is clearly meant to send the message: we're going brutal with this.
Now, the prospect of a Dark Sun book has long been rumored, and when we got such things as a Warlock Patron "Sorcerer King," it was basically confirmed that we'd have something set on the bleak world of Athas.
The trailer depicts violence in an utterly gruesome matter - and not, really, that much else. Warriors on some wasteland battlefield tear one another apart. The first shot is someone falling to the ground, presumably just felled (and for his sake, I hope he's dead by the time he hits the ground) before another warrior literally rips the skull and spinal cord from his body (Mortal Kombat-style,) rendered in unflinching detail.
The message, to my mind, is that the big tent approach D&D is taking is also making a space for the edgelords.
And... I actually think I'm fine with that.
Dark Sun has a lot of themes that are seen as radioactive in today's nerd culture, like slavery, for example. I think that these subjects can be explored in nuanced and interesting ways - it just means being careful.
Basically, just make such subject matter opt-in. The use of safety tools in TTRPGs isn't about banning anything that might be disturbing or dark, but it's about finding what is actually fun for your players. And while you might be very comfortable with lots of dark subjects, it's important to remember that the people you play with might not be.
But more likely than a binary "everything goes" versus "nothing that's rated above PG" it's more likely that there's going to be some nuance to it. For example, I know a lot of people (myself included) who are far more ok with sexual content than hyper-violent content (the logic being that sex is something normal people do all the time, and deadly violence is something I think we all would prefer to avoid in our lives). But you might also be more interested in slavery as a thematic element if it's about uprisings and rebellions, fighting for freedom, and not focusing on the brutal torture and abuses suffered by those bound by chains.
Every D&D group is going to have different perspectives and opinions, and while I think players signing on to play, say, Storm King's Thunder, are unlikely to encounter things that make it too uncomfortable to play, the same general "just be a compassionate person" guidance is really the key to approaching a setting like Dark Sun.
But the point is, by talking about it, you might also find that your players are all super into the hyper-violent brutality of the setting, and that gives you a big old green light.
Anyway, in terms of details about it, we don't really have much, other than that it'll be a two-book set. One book will be more player-facing, with subclasses and the like, and almost certainly, this will include the Psion class, the first full new class to be added to the game since the Artificer.
I have high hopes for the Psion, based on its UA playtest, and especially if we get some new spells for it.
The other book is, I believe, more of a setting book, though I'm not sure if there will be "a big adventure" or if it will be more akin to the 5.5 setting books where you get lightly-sketched adventures that could be done in a session or two.
I'm also curious to see if some of the gameplay restrictions from earlier editions will hold true in this. For example, I think metal is supposed to be very precious, with metal weapons (I heard) being as rare as a +1 weapon. I'm not sure I love the idea of nerfing martials that way, though if there are also consequences for spellcasting because of the warped way magic works there, maybe it'll balance?
I think this one is slated for "late 2027," which means we probably have about a year before we get our hands on it.
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