Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 (Tek) 9/28/84 based on 9/17/84; site daemon.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!tektronix!daemon!richl From: richl@daemon.UUCP (Rick Lindsley) Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: How do you write a dungeon? Message-ID: <273@daemon.UUCP> Date: Mon, 14-Jan-85 04:06:01 EST Article-I.D.: daemon.273 Posted: Mon Jan 14 04:06:01 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 16-Jan-85 04:49:39 EST References: <2173@nsc.UUCP> <190@dspo.UUCP><233@calmasd.UUCP> Reply-To: richl@daemon.UUCP (Rick Lindsley) Distribution: net Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR Lines: 29 Summary: I've found that the right mixture of puzzles and hacking can be the most fun. The puzzles should not be so tough as to cause the party to come to a standstill to figure it out before they proceed. They should be more of the type where all of a sudden one character will go "HEY! I've seen that symbol before!" So I try to think of a central theme ("why should these adventurers WANT to do this??") and balance it out with sufficiently tough monsters to warrant what they may find. Occasionally it is useful to add an element they CANNOT defeat without great loss; give them experience points for recognizing that and not trying! I've found that while a map of the dungeon is a must, all a DM need beyond that is a general idea of the story he wants to tell. Because as DM that's precisely what you are. Remember stories where everybody gets killed and stories where everybody gets rich are boring. If you had written down that there should be 3 trolls in this room but the party has diminished to 3 through unfortunate attrition, it doesn't really have to be 3 trolls. 3 orcs, or 1 troll, or something suitable. I made one definite mistake in my first dungeon, and that was planning TOO MUCH! As somebody else has pointed out, your plans will always go astray. I sent a mother bear and two cubs after a party; the party killed the bear and tamed one of the cubs! I boobytrapped a chest with 3 or 4 different traps and filled it with 20000 gold pieces. They (unwittingly!) bypassed the traps and made off with the gold! (Boy were THEY happy!) Rick Lindsley ...!{ihnp4,decvax,allegra}!tektronix!richl