Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!tektronix!hplabs!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cepu!ucla-cs!srt From: srt@ucla-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: How do you write a dungeon? Message-ID: <3146@ucla-cs.ARPA> Date: Thu, 10-Jan-85 12:56:44 EST Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.3146 Posted: Thu Jan 10 12:56:44 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 14-Jan-85 03:24:38 EST References: <2173@nsc.UUCP> <190@dspo.UUCP> Reply-To: srt@ucla-cs.UUCP (Scott Turner) Distribution: net Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 38 Summary: Balancing a dungeon is tough. Gygax's original idea - having the dungeon increase in toughness and rewards as one descends - actually works out rather well, surprise, surprise. For a long time I balanced my scenarios by using a variant of the Monstermark system published some time ago by White Dwarf. The idea is to come up with a numerical rating for every monster (or character) based on their expected battle toughness (i.e., average points damage times rounds to be killed by a 1st level fighter armed with a long sword). This becomes very difficult to calculate for high-level characters/monsters, but it is certainly a good starting point. One thing it took me a while to learn was to keep my dungeons small. I usually don't put more than ten rooms on a level. Bigger dungeons end up boring the players (or so I find). Even if the level has some movitivation or theme, it is difficult to concentrate on that for very long. Typically I divide my "dungeons" into two groups. The first type is a small, consistent adventure, basically one-shot with a strong history/theme/purpose. The second type is the archetypical dungeon - a large, rambling structure that requires a fair suspension of disbelief. I much prefer the first type - both as a DM and as a player - but the second type has its uses, particularly in a long running campaign. Then the dungeon is ready whenever somebody has a whim to go delving, needs money, or if the DM simply hasn't had time to prepare anything more specific. As far as populating dungeons go, I lean toward enigmatic devices and curious situations. One of my dungeons had in it a statue that answered the first question put to it by a character. The players spent two years trying to figure out why the statue only answered some questions (high character turnover had something to do with that). More on this subject later. Scott R. Turner UCLA Computer Science Department 3531 Boelter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90024 ARPA: srt@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA UUCP: ...!{cepu,ihnp4,trwspp,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!srt