Dark Sun: Tyr

(City-State of Tyr, by Walter M. Baas, 1993) One of the recurring ideas in D&D is the urban adventure.  Having the characters adventure in a teeming metropolis that is both cosmopolitan as well as dangerous.  Tyr is one of many products that fits well into that mold.

Tyr does a good job of describing a cosmopolitan city in Dark Sun terms.  There is lots to see and do in Tyr.  The supplement also updates Tyr from the original Dark Sun boxed set as Tyr was directly affected by a series of adventures based on a series of 5 novels by Troy Denning.  Hopefully without giving away too much, Tyr has undergone a regime change and that is described.

I think that Dark Sun is a lot like Spelljammer (a campaign setting with rules for D&D in outer space).  Either people really like it or really dislike it.  Dark Sun is D&D in a harsh desert environment with strange monsters that more closely resembles ancient Sumeria and Babylon than it does medieval Europe.  One area where the supplement excels is detailing the economy of Tyr.  It seems like sometimes urban areas in D&D are just there without any good reason given for their existence.  Tyr goes into detail about the local iron mines and slavery.  Like any good classic urban center, Tyr has a marketplace where “anything” can be bought or sold for the right price.  Also like any good urban D&D area, there are underground secret areas for the characters to discover.

Lots of important detail, lots of adventure ideas.  I would give Tyr 5 out 5 stars.  It is an excellent product.