Tuesday, December 18, 2018

North-West Marches - Maps and Sketches

So, I've been slack on my session reports. Nominally, this is because I've been leaving them open for players to complete for experience. In practice... yeah. At any rate, Grendel, the Gnomish Barbarian Pacifist, has been producing these lovely sketches during the sessions, which are quite an achievement. I'll leave them up to interpretation.







In addition, the map as it currently stands. They've travelled a long way!


Sunday, December 16, 2018

New project - Crowdsourced 1d6x3d20 dungeon designer, 293 results to go!

If you have a list of 100 rooms, then your randomly generated dungeon has (obviously) a hundred different results. This might seem like a lot, but once you've gone through thirteen rooms, the chance of having a duplicate result is over 50%. On the other hand, consider a 2d20 spark table. That's four hundred potential results, with two-fifths the work of the d100 table!

We can do better.

Down we go. Credit Grady Frederick

1d6x3d20 GYGAXIAN DUNGEON


EDIT: Is complete! In addition, there is a 3d20 table of for the original dungeon purpose, current usage and weird entrances/overall features. Go forth and... generate?

EDIT 2: In classic style, I've gone and changed the design spec just as everything was all wrapped up neatly...

That's 48 000 different rooms. Structurally, the tables are laid out in a similar manner to some other microdungeons I've made. There are six tables, selected with a d6 for each new room you explore - 1. Encounter, 2. Empty, 3. Trap, 4. Trick, 5. Travel, 6. Treasure.

1. Encounter

Things you are likely to talk to, fight, eat or run away from. Ideally, there should be some possibility of each of the previous options. The three tables are: Mindset (current behaviour/activity), Monster (evident) and [Secret] Goal (possibly not secret at all, but long-term)

2. Empty

Except not really. The sights, smells and sounds of the dungeon. In addition, there are a list of Events that are related to time passing within the dungeon.

3. Trap

Composed of a Disguise, a Trigger and an Effect. Make them suffer for exploring in a haphazard manner, or running away from a monster.

4. Trick

Things to fuck around with. Is it loot? Is it a trap? Can you tell the difference? Composed of three random tables, mostly passive but dangerous in their own right.

5. Travel

By default, there are 1-4 exits from each room you enter (the way you came in, and then one exit for each odd d20 roll). However, like all good dungeons, this one is going to be Jaquayed to shit. This result is for all the hidden paths, locked doors and staircases crisscrossing the various levels. Three tables - the Method, the Destination and a Complication.

6. Treasure

What we are all here for. Weird and bizarre and highly valuable under certain niche conditions. Two tables of loot, and one set of Complications. What, did you think it would be easy?


There's also a supplementary set of lists for the original purpose of the complex, the current usage, and a set of interesting dungeon entrances, features and layouts. Commenting is open on the Google Doc, but leave ideas here, send me comments on G+, Discord, via pigeon, on the walls of bathrooms, through dreams, whichever method of divinatory cloud manipulation you prefer etc. etc. If everyone reading this donates a single entry, we would be one entry closer to completion!