Video Game Dungeons

Fauchard1520 · Feb 6, 2019

Have you ever seen a DM steal from a video game when designing a dungeon? I'm of mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it's usually worth a laugh to have to jump lava pits and dodge falling block traps only to realize you're fighting Bowser at the end. On the other, it's tough to do without descending into parody and breaking immersion.

Have you ever seen this trope done well?

Comic for reference.

iserith · Feb 6, 2019

I can't achieve "immersion" without parody. To wit:

Mario Does D&D
Joust

Tales and Chronicles · Feb 6, 2019

Well, I ran the old Icewind Dale video game as a campaign for a table some time ago, so I guess that counts. I also love to steal from platformers or the Legend of Zelda games when designing thematic dungeons: I'm known for my poisonous water that must be crossed by jumping on lilypads.

DQDesign · Feb 6, 2019

I GMed a 40 hours long game powered by Dungeon World rules with a single player using Link as a character. The game was conceived as spiritual successor of Link's Awakening, with strong influeces from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. About half the hours were spent in dungeons with maps realized by pixel art.
A lot of fun!

Mr. Wilson · Feb 6, 2019

Raid bosses are great monsters to steal.

I've used Yogg-Saron, Leo the Blind, Argus the Unmaker, Ignis the Furnace Master, and XT-002.

I'm sure I'll use others.

Ralif Redhammer · Feb 6, 2019

I’ve borrowed aesthetics and nasty tricks that particularly impress me, but I’ve never lifted the whole thing from a videogame.

If I ever encounter Bleak Falls Barrow from Skyrim in a tabletop game, I think I’ll go mad, though. I’ve gone through that one way too many times to count.

Many years ago, I did play in games run by a DM/GM that everything was lifted from pop culture. We’d adventure through something from the Curse of the Azure Bonds PC game, something from the Shannara series, Robocop 2, and so on. We had fun, but after a while it got old.

Paul Farquhar · Feb 7, 2019

Fauchard1520 said:
Have you ever seen a DM steal from a video game when designing a dungeon? I'm of mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it's usually worth a laugh to have to jump lava pits and dodge falling block traps only to realize you're fighting Bowser at the end. On the other, it's tough to do without descending into parody and breaking immersion.

Have you ever seen this trope done well?

Comic for reference.

I've made quite extensive use of background material from Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale CRPGs, but I guess that's not quite what you mean?

Count_Zero · Feb 7, 2019

I think it probably works best to take concepts from games in the same genre (like taking dungeons from fantasy RPGs) - with some exceptions, like retooling a Hitman level for an adventure where the party has to make their way through a populated area to kill someone without getting caught. Hell - G1 is basically a Hitman level anyway.

Satyrn · Feb 7, 2019

Fauchard1520 said:
Have you ever seen a DM steal from a video game when designing a dungeon? I'm of mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it's usually worth a laugh to have to jump lava pits and dodge falling block traps only to realize you're fighting Bowser at the end. On the other, it's tough to do without descending into parody and breaking immersion.

Have you ever seen this trope done well?

Comic for reference.

I'm using several of the maps from Borderlands 2 as the caverns of an abandoned Dwarven city (creatively named Moria).

If you've ever played Borderlands, you'll know there's lots of buildings that you can't actually enter, but now my players can!