I was expecting a bit more out of this one. The tiles themselves are beautiful and sturdy (hence the 3 stars) but the 3D terrain disappoints (-1), especially for the retail price (-1). It really works for a desert location, but as other reviewers pointed out, isn't quite Athas (not that that bothers me).

There's better to be found out there though.

Because, apparently, every drop of water in the Dark Sun setting is on these tiles. Forget relics and artifacts; all that's missing is a tile that shows a twenty-foot wide block of iron and these tiles might represent the most prized treasures in the entire Dark Sun setting.

They're great tiles, with great art (okay, the 3-D wagon looks a lot like a 1950's American pickup truck), and if you're setting a game on either a sun-baked, barren plain or on a lake they're going to be fine. But for Athas? Not so sure about that.

This is not Athas. It is much more like Dune after Muad'Dib.

On the other hand, if it was called 'Geb, dry colony', it would be perfect.

And since I bought it for use on my PFRPG Legacy of Fire campaign that I shifted to Geb, it is absolutely perfect!

But it isn't Athas. :)

So, here's the 2nd tileset from WotC that incorporates 3d elements. It's more focused than the first such set, Harrowing Halls, and therefore less universally useful. Of course, that's the nature of a product focused on a specific terrain type. What might not be so typical of desert terrain is the amount of "real estate" devoted to water, but upon further consideration, the back of a desert tile is a pretty good place for a water tile, as you're unlikely to need both at once.

Otherwise, this is pretty much more of the same given the last set. You still get a 2:1 mix of 2D and 3D tiles, and still at a higher price than previous sets. The 3D terrains is changed up a little this time, with fewer square platforms and a few longer, narrower ones. But no door? ARGH!

Fair value for $12, but not the great value these sets represented at $10. My days of buying multiple sets of each release are over. Can someone please explain to WotC the difference between maximizing revenue and maximizing profit?

Pros
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* First desert Dungeon Tiles

Cons
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* Price ($12 instead of $10)
* Still a mix of 3d and 2d

Note: This is probably a four-star set if you have Dire Tombs, which matches perfectly. (***--)

Oooookay. "Desert of Athas." There is a tile here that is entirely water. There are several shore tiles. There are two 3D DOCKS in here. And a bizarre kind of 3D wagon thing.

This isn't a bad tile set. It isn't Athas, though. Unless Athas has changed quite a bit since my day.

I did like the adobe building and the little kiosk, though. More of these would be good.

Not complaining but there's an awful lot of water. Some good rock and sand tiles but quite a few shore, desert stream, and open water tiles too. And a little sailboat! 3D object include: long and short dock/bridges (stone on the reverse), a adobe brick/plaster building, a adobe/plaster stairway, a wagon, a market stall, a sarcophagus, and an extra little piece to go under a table (probably to make up for the one that was "missing" from the last set). All-in-all, nice stuff. I like the 3D but this set might be a wee bit heavy on 3D and light on desert tiles. With the little building, I'm kinda' hoping the upcoming city pack will have several 3D buildings.

Just got this Tile set and it's beautiful. The tile art is super crisp, clean and looks great. The 3-D terrain is great too, I'll be using this quite a bit in the future.
The only issue I had with this is that it doesn't seem to really be "Athas" themed. There are quite a few water/shoreline tiles. While I wasn't anticipating a whole set of plain desert tiles, I was hoping that it would be predominately desert-ish. It won't stop me from enjoying and using the tiles, I just don't see using most of these tiles when running a Dark Sun game. Unless they've added in a few more oceans in the 4E version. :p