Greetings,

Long has it been since I walked these hallowed halls of
storytelling, and long may it be until I once more depart them. I
propose, dear friends, a new adventure. As we have done in the past,
we'll begin with a setting - the world of Krynn from the Dragonlance
setting. The question, as always, is what age we should begin in?
Here are the options I am presenting:

Option 1: Pre-Cataclysm
This is the 'old world', so to speak - and by far the longest age
available for Dragonlance. The Knights of Solamnia (the original
organized knighthood in the Dragonlance setting) were founded in
this age and prospered and grew for nearly 3,000 years before the
Cataclysm. Magic was widespread and powerful, and great battles
ravaged the face of the world. Dragons are disappearing from the
world the closer to the Cataclysm we draw, but they exist in great
numbers when we go really far back in time.

Option 2: The Reign of Istar (still Pre-Cataclysm)
Istar is the name of a nation known to all creatures on Krynn from a
period of time several centuries before the Cataclysm up to present
day. On Ansalon, that is. The nation of Istar was as powerful as
they come and ruled under the god-like Kingpriest who dictated even
what people could think. The most powerful clerics to walk the face
of Krynn were alive in Istar during this time.

Option 3: The Cataclysm
The Kingpriest of Istar sought to become a god for the good of the
world, but chose the path of arrogance for his ascent and was
subsequently denied and punished. The gods sent, by all accounts,
a 'mountain of fire' from the heavens that not only decimated the
city and nation of Istar, but sank it and much of the surrounding
lands, creating an eternal whirlpool in what is known as the Blood
Sea. The entire planet shook under this force and was forever
changed.

Option 4: The Aftermath
In the years following the Cataclysm, the world descended into a
dark age where survival was paramount. Food was scarce, commerce was
nearly non-existent, and opportunists took advantage of everybody's
poor fortune. The knights fell from grace as they were blamed for
the Cataclysm; some began fighting amongst themselves while others
left the knighthood and turned to a life of thievery. Law and order
fled the lands. It was a dark age, indeed, for those who remained
innocent and fearful of the newly-spawned creatures in the night.

Option 5: Recovery and the War of the Lance
The age most of us are familiar with. Following some 300 years of
growth and development after the Cataclysm, the cities of Ansalon
are once again thriving. A dark army arises during the absence of
the Knights of Solamnia, and the Heroes of the Lance begin their
fateful quest that will eventually re-enstate the Knights of
Solamnia, unite the goodly people of Ansalon, and defeat the plans
of the Queen of the evil gods, Takhisis. The dragons are
rediscovered and once again roam the skies.

Option 6: The Chaos War
An idyllic decade or two exist between the War of the Lance and the
Chaos War during which the forces of good become entrenched and the
forces of evil learn from their mistakes and grow stronger. The
Irda, a race of people who gave rise to the ogres and long thought
extinct, capture an enormously powerful artifact called the Graygem
that houses the soul of the Creator himself, Chaos, who ruled over
all the other gods. Long story short, Chaos is mad and tries to
destroy the world, is stopped by the next generation of heroes, and
finally concludes with his defeat. The gods of Krynn 'depart',
leaving the world to fend for itself; magic disappears with them.

Option 7: Post-War
After the retreat of the gods and of magic, many people are lost and
are looking for meaning in their lives. It is a period of soul-
searching and disbelief. Rare individuals begin to realize that
magic does still exist, only in a different form, and this the hunt
for magical relics ensues. The great dragon overlords arrive from
other worlds and other planes and begin the great Dragon Purge
wherein they destroy other dragons and absorb their strength and
power. The citizens and creatures of the world cower in their
shadows while small groups of heroes band together to stop the
dragon's advances.

Option 8: The War of Souls
Takhisis returns and again attempts to take over the world. The
other gods intercept her, and a decision is made to remove her
godhood forever. Since the balance of good and evil must be
maintained, Paladine, highest god of good, sacrifices his godhood.
Both walk the planet in mortal form.

Option 9: Post-War of Souls
Honestly, I don't know much about this age. From what I understand,
the minotaurs have become major players and there is a vampire cult
being influenced by the mortal form of Takhisis.

Option 10: Taladas
We've discussed this one before - the second super-continent of
Krynn, Taladas. There has been almost no material regarding this
mysterious continent in the Dragonlance novels, but there is a great
deal of information in the roleplaying materials.

I think that about covers it. I'm a bit rusty on my Dragonlance lore
these days so I'm open to further input on the ages I've discussed.
I know there was a lot more happening in each age, but I'm just
going for the generalities. Please post your comments and
suggestions on which age we should play in.

My vote, for what it's worth, is in the old-world, Pre-Cataclysmic
setting. It is a little more traditional and quite a bit less well-
developed as the other ages. Plus, look at the time span we have to
work with! Thousands of years during which any great adventure could
have occurred.

Now it's up to you.

Cheers,
Raist