Is there more to D&D then Dungeon Crawling?

Goddess FallenAngel · Dec 23, 2003

Is the D&D system focused far more on dungeon crawling then on above-ground travel/encounters?

Just wondering how many of us "statistical aberrations" who enjoy above-ground campaigns there are out there....

(Continued from discussion here: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1282864#post1282864)

MerricB · Dec 23, 2003

In 3E, I would say the rules were aimed at Dungeon crawling as a major pastime, with role-playing (in towns, dungeons, etc.) as a secondary aspect. Wilderness got very little attention.

With 3.5E, the balance has moved a lot more towards the Wilderness, although Dungeons still gain the main focus of the books.

I was recently running an above-ground adventure in a desert, and the additional rules for weather, climate and encounters in the DMG really helped me make it memorable.

I think more can be done - perhaps a good supplement that looks at wilderness encounters - but it's much better than it was.

Cheers!

Mista Collins · Dec 23, 2003

I enjoy a good mixture of both types, but I do not see the core rules leaning towards a certain direction. I see it all as the DM's preference. If the DM likes to run his campaign as a "dungeon crawl" or a "above-ground crawl" he is going to use all the rules to his fixing.

Gnarlo · Dec 23, 2003

I don't see a lot of emphasis on any particular style of adventure if you look at just the SRD with all the flavor text removed.

And as far as life beyond the dungeon, of course it's expected; you got to come up to visit Ye Olde Magick Shoppe, spend the loot on ale and whores, toss gnomes, bait elves, harrass peasants, and a world of other benefits for being heroes.

clark411 · Dec 23, 2003

There's definitely more to DND than Dungeon Crawling. Whether or not this is the case from campaign to campaign is simply a matter of DM and PC preference. There are many monsters, rules, and weapons that are more in line with above ground combat than dungeons (You're in a 10x10 room... your longbow can shoot things 300 feet away at a -4 penalty thanks to far shot.).

Grazzt · Dec 23, 2003

The game is called Dungeons & Dragons.

Mystery Man · Dec 23, 2003

I would say there's more to D&D than dungeon crawling.

Thresher · Dec 23, 2003

Most of our stuff these days for our group has little to do with dungeons and seems to involve a lot of puzzle solving and things which are shaping the world into something else.

After over a decade of playing together and doing...
'Kick in the door, kill the orc, rob him blind' (Good aligned games)
'Kick in the door, sell AMWAY to the orc, rob him blind' (Neutral aligned games)
'kick in the door, violate the orc with a carrot, rob him blind' (Evil aligned games)
...primer to home invasion.
We're all pretty much jack of dungeons. I like plots, I like puzzles and I like to have to think my way out of the sh@t. In the past Ive made jokes that all D&D is the above dungeon bashing descriptions but the more retarded tended to miss the humour and think I was encouraging a stereotype.
D&D is simple both in the game system and its moral enforcement with alignment, but you can twiddle it to the point where it dosnt have to have a dungeon crawl.

Desdichado · Dec 23, 2003

Which is the real question? I'd say the rules are definately aimed towards dungeon-crawling, in fact that was a stated design philosophy of the new ruleset. However, I certainly don't play that way; dungeoncrawls make me break out in a rash, get chills and sweats and otherwise show signs of extreme rejection of that playstyle. I also don't think D&D as a whole is dungeoncrawling, as I know more people who play without dungeons than with.

JoeGKushner · Dec 23, 2003

This topic has gotten a few threads recently. Must be like that old taste great less filling bits.

The current edition of D&D, at least in my experiences, works well for almost any type of campaign. Sure, it's aimed at xp for fighting, but that can happen land, sea, mountain, or, yup, dungeon.