rainbow@ihuxe.UUCP (01/08/85)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: How do you write a dungeon? >Here's a good one for the group: As a DM, when you are putting together a >dungeon, how do you do it? I'm starting work on a dungeon of my own >(whether I run it or turn it into a book is still undecided) and I'm >interested in how people actually build the dungeon, balance it for a >particular level of character, how much detail is worked out ahead of >schedule (and how much you do on the fly) and basically how to take a good >idea and turn it into something cohesive, workable, and fun for both the DM >and the players. 1)do not put together a dungeon randomly. Consider it a piece of art. Use your imagination and cleverness in building it(consider everything at your disposal, ie chasms, rivers, lakes, etc.). 2)Make sure your dungeon has a theme. Before beginning construction, list all the ideas you would like to use to support the theme. By theme, I mean the actual structure, why it is there, and what is supposedly still there. 3)A number of smaller dungeons is better than one large one. Each can be more difficult in nature. 4)Set up some special encounters on each level that are out of the ordinary. ie not just some monsters that must be defeated to gain its treasure. These encounters should balance between good, neutral, and bad for the party. Perhaps based on the party's intelligence in handling the situation. 5)Make sure you are developing your theme with clues and encounters(different from number 4). 6)Do not randomize treasure and magic. Decide what amount should be on the level. Then parcel it out between the encounters as you see fit. Never randomize magic. Choose carefully what you would like the party to have at any time. Always keep their appetite hungry for more. Make sure they are motivated by your economic/social structure to obtain wealth and power. 7)Usually detail is lost in the heat of the moment. Your efforts are usually wasted in these areas. Don't bother with details where you are only placing monsters. Have some standard set of scenerios and use them where appropriate(bedroom, dining area, storage, even empty, etc). Mostly work on the fly(quickly) when neccessary. Save the detail effort for the special encounters. Don't overdo it though. Make sure the player characters don't realize you've gone into extra planning for any one room. 8)always have all the information you need for an encounter quickly at hand on paper in front of you. Be prepared for the situation when the party comes to it. IF the DM is slow and unsure, things bog down. Anticipate. 9)Never set up an encounter that you as a party member would think too tough or unfair. Never set up anything where death to one or more members of the party is not unexpected. Death should only occur due to stupidity or considerable misfortune or bad luck. However don't bother with anything too easy either. The party should be tested at all times. But not frustrated. Don't "pimp" the players either. 10)use common sense and don't be unrealistic. Be open to the players innovatation but don't be a push over. Make sure you always have control. What you ultimately say must go and you should be able to justify why. Keep the players happy(not overly though). >A secondary question that comes to mind is that first dungeon? What was it >like being a DM the first time? what mistakes did you make that you would >warn others about? Any traps and pitfalls the novice DM needs to worry >about? See above. Hope my ideas were of some use. Robert
rick@uwmacc.UUCP (the absurdist) (01/11/85)
I've always found it useful to have a REAL place/thing to build my
out of. I've lost track of the # of times that parties have fought
thru the corridors of my parent's 2-story house, with my Uncle's
1-story house used for the cellar. I always know how far away
rooms are, hearing ranges, etc.
The inside of a school might be a native longhouse; a VW Beetle
makes a lovely hut for a goblin (who in my game are very migratory
and very low-tech...).
University buildings often make fine castles. The U. of Illinois
Psychology building, with its 8-story atrium makes a fine site for
superhero battles, especially if you have flying characters. (I like
this site so much, I'll include a floor plan; it is simple, but
there is a lot of variety. Generally I use this for a hi-tech
corporate lab/office setup with super-villains burglarizing it;
it would make a nice superhero team HQ also. :
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X x X
X 1 x Lobby with chairs X
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X x x X
X H x x H X
X a x Atrium (glassed in) x a X
X l x with trees in a x l X
X l x large planter x l X
X x x X
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X x x X
X x Elevators x 2 X
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Building exteriors are all white stone, glass and aluminum, very plain.
"1" is a stairway, spiraled with a gap in the center large enough to
climb in/have flying characters go up ropes, etc.
"2" is also a stairway, but there is no navigable center portion
of the stairway.
There are 8 floors; the others have offices, etc filling in the areas
marked "hall" "elevators" and "lobby".
Since none of the areas communicate very well, there is a great deal
of room for independent battles if your villains manage to split
the superhero team.
Note that offices have windows into the atrium area; non-flyers on the
upper floors can do neat dangerous things if there is an aerial battle
in the atrium.
A
This is a simple setup, but
--
"When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean --
neither more nor less" -- Humpty Dumpty, the noted linguist
Rick Keir -- MicroComputer Information Center, MACC
1210 West Dayton St/U Wisconsin Madison/Mad WI 53706
{allegra, ihnp4, seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!rickstassen@spp2.UUCP (01/12/85)
[] A friend of mine came up with a rather neat kind of dungeon planning. Unfortunately, you really can't use it for all of the dungeons in a campaign. Problem: in order to pose neat and intriguing puzzles to the party, you often have to break the puzzles up into pieces and scatter the pieces throughout the dungeon. There are always items you want the party to find, or monsters that you want the party to encounter before some other encounter. However, this method is almost always doomed to failure, as the party will never visit the right places in the right order. Of course, a *really* well- planned dungeon will not have these problems, but *really* well-planned dungeons are difficult for a lot of people to make. Solution: "the dungeon of predestination". With the exceptions of a few alcoves and special rooms, this dungeon was carefully designed so that all rooms were approximately the same size. Then, the DM wrote out the descriptions for the first room the party should get to, the second room the party should visit, and so on. The DM *did not*, however, assign specific places for the rooms on the map. Then, no matter where the party travelled, or which doors they opened, they would always get to the "right" room next. Of course, once a door was opened, that room becomes "assigned," and will always be there if the party returns in the future. I know it sounds like the DM is taking away all of the "free will" of the party, but I can tell you from experience that it was one of the most fun dungeons that we have ever explored; and we didn't notice the "predestination" at all -- the DM admitted it at the end of the game. -- Chris
chip@t4test.UUCP (Chip Rosenthal) (02/09/85)
> From: rainbow@ihuxe.UUCP > Date: 8 Jan 85 18:37:30 GMT > > 7)Usually detail is lost in the heat of the moment. Your efforts are usually > wasted in these areas. Don't bother with details where you are only placing > monsters. If your goal of embellishment is to create a fantastic, realistic dungeon then yes, I agree. But as you point out details can give away an awful lot about your dungeon. ("How come every room has been basic dungeon wall and two chairs, but this one has an amazingly ornate fireplace?") Maybe it would be good to detail as many unexceptional rooms as you do exceptional ones. From chuqui@nsc: > >A secondary question that comes to mind is that first dungeon? What was it > >like being a DM the first time? what mistakes did you make that you would > >warn others about? Any traps and pitfalls the novice DM needs to worry > >about? Becoming a slave to tables and rules. Improvision and discresion is the better part of DM'ing. -- Chip Rosenthal, Intel/Santa Clara {cbosgd,idi,intelca,icalqa,kremvax,qubix,ucscc} ! {t4test,t12tst} ! {chip,news}