D&D General Dungeon23 Companion thread - Discussion

[Reynard]

I thought it might be worthwhile to have a separate thread for discussion about the process, philosophy, intent, and trials and tribulations of #dungeon23 so as to keep this thread easy to navigate to follow fellow posters' work.

I have noticed a couple different styles at play. For example, I am writing a first draft of a full product, while others are sketching (often literally). I am staying away from concrete mechanics, as well.

 

[Reynard]

Here's a good post from Sean McCoy about not letting the hype overwhelm you.

I think he is very likely right about the hype going quiet by February and the field being very thin by August. I hope to see it through -- one of the reasons I decided to do it is that I usually get a wild idea and go hard at it for a couple weeks. if I am lucky I have enough to use. Usually, though, it goes in the graveyard of half baked ideas. I want to learn sustained enthusiasm when possible, and shutting up and doing the work anyway when not.

 

[overgeeked]

Here's a good post from Sean McCoy about not letting the hype overwhelm you.

I think he is very likely right about the hype going quiet by February and the field being very thin by August. I hope to see it through -- one of the reasons I decided to do it is that I usually get a wild idea and go hard at it for a couple weeks. if I am lucky I have enough to use. Usually, though, it goes in the graveyard of half baked ideas. I want to learn sustained enthusiasm when possible, and shutting up and doing the work anyway when not.

Setting low but regular goals is a must for endurance. If one room a day is too much, do one room every other day. Consistency is the important part.

 

[Reynard]

Setting low but regular goals is a must for endurance. If one room a day is too much, do one room every other day. Consistency is the important part.

I think"30% of rooms are empty" is going to be a life saver at times.

 

[overgeeked]

I think"30% of rooms are empty" is going to be a life saver at times.

And random generation. People can have sparks of inspiration…but 365, in a row…get some dice and charts handy.

 

[Reynard]

And random generation. People can have sparks of inspiration…but 365, in a row…get some dice and charts handy.

I am going to aim for all brain sauce, but we'll see what happens.

 

[Reynard]

When in doubt, put something weird in.

 

[overgeeked]

When in doubt, put something weird in.

Works for the OSR. The weirder the better.

 

[hedgeknight]

I can't remember where I found this, but I'm going to use this alternative schedule for #Dungeon23:

• Monday - Room description.
• Tuesday - Item description. Magic item, alien tech, something players will interact with.
• Wednesday - Room description.
• Thursday - Inhabitant description. Flesh out an NPC from a previous room.
• Friday - Room description.
• Saturday - Faction detail. Create a new one or write a brief element for an existing one. Create connections between factions.
• Sunday - Rumor about something you've written in the past week.

This schedule will result in 150 rooms, 50 items, 50 NPCs, and 50 rumors.
I may tweak it a bit for my dungeon and do 25 NPC's and 25 Monsters, and only a few rumors, using the other Sundays to flesh out rooms and inhabitants, write up some more detailed room descriptions, create some traps, etc.

 

[Charlaquin]

Here's a good post from Sean McCoy about not letting the hype overwhelm you.

I think he is very likely right about the hype going quiet by February and the field being very thin by August. I hope to see it through -- one of the reasons I decided to do it is that I usually get a wild idea and go hard at it for a couple weeks. if I am lucky I have enough to use. Usually, though, it goes in the graveyard of half baked ideas. I want to learn sustained enthusiasm when possible, and shutting up and doing the work anyway when not.

Same here. That’s why I’m taking the advice to not overplan and let the thing emerge organically.