Published persistent mega-dungeons

[Bullgrit]

If I were to try to boil the "defining characteristics" to the bare minimum, I'd say...

1. It's got to be big. Duh. But the size should be expansive. It is too big to be "conquered." There is always somewhere new to go and explore. The players getting lost should be a real danger, as should running out of supplies (esp. food and light sources).

2. There should be a clear dividing line between "dungeon" and "rest of the world." There can be (and probably should be) multiple passages between "dungeon" and "rest of the world," but it should generally be fairly clear to the players that they are making that passage.

3. There should be distinct levels - layers or regions of the "dungeon" - by which the players can choose their difficulty and mark their progress. There should be multiple methods of traversing from level to level and there should be occasional means by which the players can involuntarily wind up on levels beyond their aim, so long as it become obvious fairly immediately that they've done so. ("Oh my God! We've wandered down to the 6th level!!!")

I can get behind this definition. (I can't get the xp window to open for you, for some reason.)

Bullgrit

 

[Odhanan]

At first, I put Temple of Elemental Evil in this category, but thinking more about it, it's probably more like the G series -- meant for a one time through (even if completion requires many assaults).

Untrue, in my experience, and most others I've known who played the module, at least. There's a whole sandbox around the Temple. If you make allies of some of the cultists of the Temple, or fool them into hiring you, or go back and forth between Verbobonc and Hommlet on some mission or another, or have the PCs call Hommlet home once and for all, there's a lot more that can happen than just assault the Temple and be done with it. As a matter of fact, I have a cousin who is still playing a ToEE campaign with First Ed AD&D right now, and he's been going at it for 20+ years now through original PCs, hirelings-promoted-PCs, children, etc.

T1-4 is one of those modules that is best read "between the lines". It's a whole campaign in a book. Much more than the sum of its written parts.

 

[Reynard]

T1-4 is one of those modules that is best read "between the lines". It's a whole campaign in a book. Much more than the sum of its written parts.

Right, but that doesn't make the dungeon of the temple a Megadungeon as it is being described here. it is still a lair, if a huge and complex one.

 

[IronWolf]

T1-4 is one of those modules that is best read "between the lines". It's a whole campaign in a book. Much more than the sum of its written parts.

I do agree with this - whether it is considered a mega-dungeon or not. T1-4 is one of those modules/campaigns that really does have a fair amount going on in and around it. I think it can be used as an in-and-out type module if that is what the DM needs, but I also think if a DM wants he could have a group in that area for quite sometime by filling out some of the background of the groups and organizations gathered around the Temple and such.

 

[Grimstaff]

Two New Megadungeons:

Stonehell

Castle of the Mad Archmage

plus JM is working on publishing his Megadungeon:

Dwimmermount

And Monte Cook's subscription model Mega:

Dragon's Delve

 

[Beginning of the End]

I think the upper levels (especially) of a campaign-style dungeon are the ones that see the most exploration and play, and need to be expansive and offer empty space and breathing room, as well as many caches of low-level treasure to support multiple groups and PC attrition (i.e. "wasted" or "lost" XP points due to PC deaths).

RA worked for me because it presented different solutions to the same problem: Rather than "breathing room" it provided activity. There was sufficient "pressure" from the lower levels that the upper levels would be rapidly reinforced and repopulated (as opposed to the slower repopulation I've experienced in larger megadungeons). So there was familiar territory and a few familiar faces that could never be completely rooted out, but it was being rapidly repopulated.

I found that replacing expansive levels with multiple, tightly interwoven smaller complexes also assisted with this approach. And created some really meaningful contrast to some of the expansive levels that opened up lower in the complex.

Fair point about not supporting 1st-level play, though. It was a campaign where we were rolling 3rd-level characters.

 

[Lord Xtheth]

I know its a campaign, but Night Below in my mind is one of the biggest, most intimidating dungeons I ever had the pleasure of playing through. (If you count the whole thing as one big dungeon... which it felt like).

The entirety of the underdark almost counts as one big dungeon to me and my players.

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

megadungeon

I'd agree that Rappan Athuk qualifies. And it ties in with Tomb of Absynthor...run them in parallel (with the PCs finding ToA first) and you've definitetly got a megadungeon. That's what I did.

I just subscribed to Monte Cook's DungeonADay.com. He's got 9 levels detailed so far and it looks pretty good; I'm thinking about using it in a Ptolus campaign.

Ken

 

[Lanefan]

How about Ruins of Myth Drannor as a megadungeon? The main differences between it and most of the others mentioned are that instead of descending levels there's lots and lots of little adventures and encounters connected mostly via outdoors (the city streets), and gobs of space to lob in your own ideas and expansions to what is given in the box.

I also think of Rappan Athuk as a mega, but (oddly enough, for me) I've only ever seen the 3e version. I didn't know until reading here that there was ever a 1e version.

And another one to lob in, though it kinda straddles the line between megadungeon and mini-setting: City State of the Invincible Overlord.

Lan-"I can't speak for Night Below as I'm currently playing in it"-efan

 

[Psion]

I also think of Rappan Athuk as a mega, but (oddly enough, for me) I've only ever seen the 3e version. I didn't know until reading here that there was ever a 1e version.

The 1e version wasn't published, so not so unusual.

Lan-"I can't speak for Night Below as I'm currently playing in it"-efan

Night Below is more to the tune of G1-3.