tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post2015567371458749270..comments2023-06-15T11:59:39.572-04:00Comments on DYVERS: The Dynamic Dungeon, Burning Dungeon Masters Out Since 1977Dyvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06032957275132817602noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-46298869976550999792015-02-26T11:16:19.283-05:002015-02-26T11:16:19.283-05:00Who is to say the location of creatures in static ...Who is to say the location of creatures in static dungeons is a snap shot of when the PCs entered the complex? I think each room is a snap shot of when the PCs enter that room, and I don't know what was in the room earlier. So when the PCs are making noise clearing out room 4, the ogre in the next room (5) is not standing around, the ogre is not in that room it is wandering down the hall Thiles Targonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02928790313150694394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-48849232294559960732014-10-11T21:25:44.916-04:002014-10-11T21:25:44.916-04:00OK, that's it. Look what you've gone and d...OK, that's it. Look what you've gone and done. Now I need to do a post on this subject myself.<br /><br />Gonna quote a huge section outta the middle of this post, and title my entry, "Who does that?" <br /><br />Seriously, I love ya man, but you make the Dynamic Dungeon (or its genre equivalent) sound like so much work.<br /><br />I'll freely admit that I tend to think of Adam Dicksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840144928096089178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-10072391162355077542014-10-10T20:35:36.393-04:002014-10-10T20:35:36.393-04:00"Rules heavy" or not, you don't need..."Rules heavy" or not, you don't need full stat-blocks for 90+% of the stuff you run into in a dungeon. Most need only an ID (name or something like "Orc #7), whatever you use (Level/HD/...) to find the right row on the hit & save tables, AC, spec att/def, & hit points. you can mostly combine groups of monsters and just note differences. You only need to fully detail thetomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06653459162258850269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-67422498198896966332014-10-10T20:24:24.770-04:002014-10-10T20:24:24.770-04:00Here is an interesting exercise in dungeon & c...Here is an interesting exercise in dungeon & campaign design, assuming that you have 144 hours to "waste" over the course of the next several weeks/months: Watch the entire tv series Buffy the Vampire Slayer from beginning to end. During/After each episode, reverse engineer what you just saw into and adventure module for your hypothetical BtVS RPG. (There are several real ones, but tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06653459162258850269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-54690468332368879372014-10-10T19:23:41.816-04:002014-10-10T19:23:41.816-04:00The Ruined Moathouse in the "Village of Homml...The Ruined Moathouse in the "Village of Hommlet" could be an example. <br /><br />I've played in it. The DM seemed to make it "dynamic" for us players. Years later, after buying the module and reading it for myself, I was amazed at its complexity. I was a little surprised we didn't all die (just my character). <br /><br />But now that I think about it: perhaps its moreStelios V. Perdioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05466676702515521939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-26196513389030333472014-10-10T19:05:09.885-04:002014-10-10T19:05:09.885-04:00I also think its better to design your own scenari...I also think its better to design your own scenarios--yet if want to go for a completely "dynamic dungeon," just use what's already out there. Make it your own. Save yourself time generating all of those maps, NPCs, monsters, encounters, etc. and put that prep time into making the dungeon dynamic if you so choose. <br /><br />The goal is to avoid DM burn out--so you can keep DMing Stelios V. Perdioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05466676702515521939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-44744660558460004652014-10-10T16:23:40.253-04:002014-10-10T16:23:40.253-04:00If you use published modules, you still have signi...If you use published modules, you still have significant prep time. You should at least read it thoroughly enough to know what is the purpose of every encounter & trap and what magic items and treasure you are introducing into your campaign. You need to put a bit of thought into what you will do when your players inevitably fail ot follow the author's expectations. I would also strongly tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06653459162258850269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-82472701052681707292014-10-10T16:07:26.587-04:002014-10-10T16:07:26.587-04:00For managing a Dynamic Dungeon, I would think the ...For managing a Dynamic Dungeon, I would think the easiest way would be to make it logical. What I mean is, in early adventures, there was a sense of illogical placement of monsters. Why on Faerun would there be an Otyugh in one room, and two orcs in the next?<br /><br />Say you're dungeon is actually the underground ruins of an abandoned temple complex that has been taken over by a tribe ofTom Doolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03451129317759266295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-90788837382827723212014-10-10T14:44:36.226-04:002014-10-10T14:44:36.226-04:00Definitely a good solution Stelios!Definitely a good solution Stelios!Dyvershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06032957275132817602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-52340418873107921392014-10-10T14:44:11.734-04:002014-10-10T14:44:11.734-04:00I think that is definitely a problem. Sometimes I ...I think that is definitely a problem. Sometimes I think that the biggest problem for this hobby is that so often our first examples in how to play the game are from people learning how to play it themselves. So there's misinformation, false expectations established, and a terrible lack of a realistic understanding of what the game is actually capable of doing. People like Monte Cook and ChrisDyvershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06032957275132817602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-19940700039114387772014-10-10T14:27:50.173-04:002014-10-10T14:27:50.173-04:00How many really good dynamic dungeon examples have...How many really good dynamic dungeon examples have most DMs actually seen or played in themselves? JDJarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07691101939920824546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124770754805827894.post-31301929875052061932014-10-10T13:32:44.261-04:002014-10-10T13:32:44.261-04:00Here's a middle ground solution: If you really...Here's a middle ground solution: If you really want to make a dungeon dynamic--use a published dungeon but add your own favor, and cater to the tastes of your players. That way you don't have to build one completely from scratch, hence risking DM burn out. Stelios V. Perdioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05466676702515521939noreply@blogger.com