Getting lost in the design

N

o, I did not stop designing the dungeon. No, I did not go into witness protection. I have not been in the best health and have not had the energy to do much but sleep and recuperate. When I do have energy, the last thing I want to do is sit down for extended periods at the computer. That is why #dungeon23 always appealed to me. It is a good use of time and energy to develop something. As you can see, a lot has been worked on.

The dungeon is progressing nicely. The first actual level of the dungeon is done, and it ties nicely into the theme of the above keep. The level is a secret library and scriptorium; everything here ties into this. Though the level is small, it is perfect for what I needed to have. However, I need to expand it more when polishing this project.

With January over, February has brought a new level, and this one will be the last one tied to the keep and library. Like any stronghold or important building, a crypt devoted to the dead is needed, which is what this level will be. Since the keep above is so old, the crypts must accommodate sarcophagi, tombs devoted to significant figures, a few treasure vaults, and undead threats and traps.

There is another feature I need to account for, and that is water. This water is due to the moat that surrounds the keep. This moat is fed by a fissure that brings the moat's water to the surface. How deep this feature goes, I am still determining. All I know is that it appears bottomless, and part of the dungeon lies close to it, allowing dampness to seep in. 

That is where we stand now. I still enjoy this project. I still find it creatively stimulating. I also find it calming.

Work continues

M

iss me? I thought so. It has been about a week, and that is due to the fact I have been sick. I am still sick, but that is beside the point. I have been able to keep up with The Temple of the Lost Flame. I find the whole #Dungeon23 cathartic. Especially when you do not have the energy to do anything but sleep.

As you see below, a lot of work has taken place. However, as you notice, only some rooms are numbered, thus leaving a few empty rooms. As I mentioned before, I do not believe in having every room in a dungeon numbered and filled. It makes no sense, and it really disrupts the theme of your dungeon.

Why two maps? I knew you were going to ask that. Here is the reason. While working on the dungeon, inspiration struck. The theme of the dungeon deals with the return of a lost god. This god will return via a prison that lies deep within the dungeon. Unbeknownst to the players, the cult dedicated to this god is working below on doing just that.

With that in mind, I realized that imprisoning something would cause some form of geographic upheaval. This upheaval would lead to the structure of the dungeon shifting. With this in mind, I decided that the first level of the dungeon would be shifted. What was once a level structure is now gone. This shift has seen one part of the dungeon drop thirty feet.

The shift takes place between the two round rooms. Once they make their way to Room 12, they reach Room 13 through a very vertical shaft that is difficult to move through. Once through, they enter the room and then the rest of the dungeon.

Unlike the first half, this half will have more rooms of interest, and each room ties into the theme of this level and the structure above. In addition, this level will have a few tunnels that lead to the outside and offer new ways into the dungeon.

I am using this section to set up the secondary plot I have been slowly building since I began the project. What is this plot? I have yet to nail it down. However, I know it will involve three groups that have been in. conflict for a while. These three groups offer the PCs a chance to choose a side and end the conflict.

That is where we stand now. The work could be faster, and the haphazard way the project started is currently focused. From here on out, it is just working toward the goal.

Entering the dungeon for real. Honest. Yeah, I mean it.

J

anuary is now in the rearview mirror, and I survived the first month of #Dungeon23 is over. Truth be told, I did not accomplish as much as I hoped I would. I immediately blew up what I had done within the first week of January, so much of the work went to waste. However, this did have an upside. It allowed me to rethink what I wanted, leading to a shift in focus for my first level. So what did I accomplish? Here is the rundown.

• A new plot sets the overall theme of the project.
• The creation of a keep that serves a few roles.
• The base for a group of bandits plaguing the area.
• A mystery that links to what lies below.
• A piece of plot that will have ramifications for the plot.
• An entry point into the dungeon.
• Creating the village Elias' Spring which serves a few roles.
• Homebase for the player's characters.
• A location for the various groups to have agents hidden in.
• Developing four major factions that will play essential roles in the plot.
• A rough idea, at least for me, of the area outside Elias' Spring and the dungeon.

Looking at the list, I realize I have accomplished a lot. Although, at the time, it did not seem that way.

Now that I am three days into February, I have entered the dungeon. As shown in the picture, I have mapped out the first 10 rooms. Yes, I know, there are a lot of empty ones. Why? One of the stumbling blocks in creating a dungeon is trying to fill every room with something. This leads to a menagerie. Every room has something that does not fit the dungeon's theme. That is why when I design a dungeon--ok, it has been ages since I have done this--I always leave rooms empty. I do this so I have spots I can fill on the fly. Numbered spaces, for me, become set encounters, and these encounters trigger when the characters enter them. My empty rooms come into play when the players need a jolt or if I get struck with inspiration. I will create a table allowing the empty rooms to be randomly filled with something fitting that level's theme.

What happens when I reach February 12? The round room to the left of Room 10 has a set of stairs that takes you down a few feet into the rest of level 2. Yes, level 2 drops down a few feet and then continues. Why? I do not know yet; the idea came to me. When I get to 2/12 and 2/13, I will figure it out.

A new direction leads to a better dungeon

L

 ast week, I wrote about how I blew up my progress and restarted my work. It was a decision I did not take lightly. Honestly, it was something I did not want to do. However, the more I worked on the dungeon, the more I truly hated what I was creating. So I pulled the trigger and blew the whole thing up.

While standing in the ruins, I rethought the whole thing and worked out the project's overall theme. Then, with the theme in mind, the background came into focus. To be honest, I had a rough idea of what the background is. After all, the title of this project is The Temple of the Lost Flame, so it gives you an idea of what we are in for.

Once all of the rethinking was over, everything clicked, and the work was fun and on track. The first thing I created was a small keep that served as a base for a group of bandits. These bandits have no clue what lies below them. In addition, one of the rooms in the keep is only accessed via a room in the lower levels of the dungeons. This has been part of my plans since the start, and I have now made it better.

Over the next few days, my next task will be fleshing out the small village of Elias' Spring. This village is going to serve two purposes. The first is the most obvious. It will be a home base for the players while they explore and deal with the threat the dungeon is. The second purpose is how it ties into my overall plot. 

Sure, a home base is essential, but equally important is having locations outside of the dungeon that serves the plot. For example, the village will have people spying on things for those working on their nefarious plot. In addition, there are bandits in the area, and a town is a crucial tie-in.

The last thing on my list is a rough map of the general area. This will help me figure out critical locations outside the dungeon that serves as other ways in and out. Also, I need a general idea of the surrounding area for the bandits to work.

So why is there no dungeon level this month? There is.

I have always considered the area outside of the dungeon as being Level 1. It is here that the players get the feel of things. Think of it as their warmup for the main event. Once the 1st level is "done," the players are ready to descend into the danger below.

Looking at where things stand now, everything above ground will be finished by the end of the month. Then I can deal with the fun stuff.

That is where we are this week. Next week might have a few posts dealing with other topics.

From the ruins

I

 mentioned last week how I hated what I had created and how it affected my not being happy with my work. Instead of giving up, I changed course and rethought the first level. By doing this, I created something I like better. 

Sitting down and thinking about what I wanted to do before I did it, I realized that the first level of any dungeon needs to be the hook that sucks you in. Without that first level, you lack a clear idea of where you want things to go. Just randomly starting with a 10x10 square room and putting something in there does not give you an exciting dungeon.

My work on this project has one important rule:

Do not look at the past.

It looks pretty funny coming from the one who created Colonial Gothic. Yet I needed to set this in stone and keep it in mind. There are many, many, many, many, many megadungeons out there. The temptation exists to look at them and study the structure of the whole thing. This is dangerous.

Why? 

Simple, they influence you when designing. I've played and run The Temple of Elemental Evil a few times. I am going to need help remembering what I know. However, if I went back to reread it, I knew it would subconsciously affect my design.

Where does my project stand with all of that out of the way? Since blowing everything up, the first level begins in a keep held by bandits. Slowly developing, these bandits have tied some way into the plot surrounding the dungeon.

One surprising thing that surprised me is another group that is active in the dungeon appeared that I should have accounted for. I jotted down the notes for the three factions and knew they would be a significant subplot for the jail.

The third day inside the dungeon

One of the rules I have set for myself is that I will only spend a little time on this project. I have things requiring my full attention, and I do not need a distraction. That does not mean I am not going to do a dungeon room a day -- or something related to it -- it means I am not going to blog about my progress daily.

Why?

Mainly, it is tedious. Day after day, sharing a room with the brief notes I have, is dull. I would not want to read something like that, and I assume neither would you.

Another reason for this is I just do not have it in me.

Still, I know people enjoy seeing progress, so I plan to share what happens every few days. That way, you can see that I am working, and it forces me to not go silent while working on this.

With that out of the way, here is what I have so far.

The first thing you notice is simple: I suck at maps.

Only some people are as talented as Dyson, and I will not attempt to mimic that style. Sure I can use one of the few dungeon map generators out there, but that takes the fun out of doing this. The charm of dungeons is taking a pencil and letting your imagination wander. Allowing the computer to generate one randomly for you kills the fun. I loved taking pencil to graph paper as a kid and letting my imagination run wild. So that is what I am doing here.

One last thing; tools. As a follow-up to my previous post, I have assembled the rest of my tools. So, if you want to know what I use, here they are.

Picture one is a To Do list and the first of three notebooks I will use. As you see from the title, this one covers any notes I want to jot down. I am also a nerd, and I indicate the date I started it and number it to keep things organized.

Pictures two and three show you the other two notebooks. They also have the start date and book number indicated on the cover.

Picture four is my writing pouch and my writing tools.

Picture five is everything together. The leather cover is one of my favorite things. It has three elastic strings, which allow for one book each. It has enough room to keep my planner and a pad of sticky notes. The elastic band provides for everything to be secured in one spot.

That is the three-day summary, and three rooms are done so far.

Will I continue creating the dungeon?

Will I continue blogging about it?

Will I go make myself a cup of coffee?

Tune in next time for the answers to this and all questions.

Preplanning this whole damn thing

 Going into this, I will take my approach to this seriously. 

What do I mean?

I am not planning ahead regarding the number of rooms per level. Nor am I preplanning what certain rooms will be.

I am treating this as I do with everything I design. First, write a few bullet points of what I want, and then from there, I start writing. I also write a To-Do list to list things I want to cover or add. This To-Do list grows over time as more ideas come to me.

Another thing I do is create lists. These lists encompass persons, places, and things. Every time a name comes to me, I write it down. The same for locations magic items. I create lists for spell ideas, poisons, monsters, traps, and encounters. All this helps create content because I look at the lists if I need help.

The last thing I do is come up with an elevator pitch. This is crucial; in everything I design, this is the first thing I do. Why is this crucial? It keeps me focused, and if what I create does not match this pitch, I scrap it.

Here is the elevator pitch for The Temple of the Lost Flame:

Hidden within the flames is an evil long forgotten. The gate soon shall be open, and the fire of retribution will return.

Admittedly the rise is weak, but it is enough to keep me focused.

Building from this is what the dungeon is going to be like. I know lava is going to play a prominent role. This will be the home of the forgotten evil. I also see the truth of the dungeon will only be known as the players explore. Further, people must learn what lies below in the first two levels.

As for structure, I have one idea that I want to work into my creation: sub-levels. Why? It allows for movement up and down, allowing players to access regions they cannot access liner. Case in point Level 2A is only accessible via stairs from Level 5. Likewise, Level 10A is only accessible via a portal found on Level 1. I like this because it takes the maze concept of dungeons and forces them vertically and horizontally. As a result, it allows for a more exciting flow and limits the sprawling nature that megadungeons tend to have. 

The other benefit of this is it will keep me engaged,

Finally, the last thing on my To-Do List is creating a location where the dungeon is based. I want a village that serves as a home base. I also want to set this in a larger region that offers more adventure hooks. Why? Because I love creating. I also recognize that I will need a break from creating this dungeon for 365 days. I want to work on both the outside and inside. 

In the end, this preplanning will make my spontaneous creation easier but enjoyable. 

Time to get it into gear

Two years.

That is how long I have had this writer's block.

It has been crippling. No matter what I do, what I try, or how I act, this damn block has not gone away.

Sure, I have tried, but I still fail.

I am changing that right now.

How?

#dungeon23

What exactly is this?

Design a mega-dungeon in one year, one room per day, 12 levels. Yes, you are reading this right. Every day I add something that slowly sees the growth of a mega-dungeon. This process will continue every day of each month. At the end of each month, I will have one dungeon level. Then on 12/31/23, with the creation of the last room, I will have a 12-level dungeon.

The impetus of this project started with a tweet from Sean McCoy, designer of the SciFi horror RPG Mothership. Then like most things, the idea took off.

So why am I doing this? First, I need something to spur my creativity. Second, I am looking at this as the spark to get my butt moving on the projects I have stalled on.

I do not know what this project is going to become. But I know it will surprise me as much as it surprises you.