Cooperative Dungeons Feedback Requested.

[Shallown]

Recently while working on CD-03 I started to wonder what people actually thought of the work put into the Cooperative Dungeons. Then Mark of CMG posted the downloads which indicated their should be lots of people who could tell me what they thought.

If your not familiar with the Copperative Dungeons here are the threads for each.

CD1: Terror and Blasphemy
CD2: Halls of Anarchy
CD3: Crypt of Damnation


Download for free Cooperative Dungeon adventures at RPG now:
Cooperative Dungeon I: Terror & Blasphemy
Cooperative Dungeon II: Halls of Anarchy


With these threads and the free downloads you should be able to get to know the work put forth by ENworld members and the Cooperative dungeon crew who pull it all together.

I guess what I want to know is;

Have you used the Dungeons?

What did you think in general?

What is one or two good points about the CDs?

What are one or two bad Points about the CDs?



And an update on CD-03.
It is in the nextto final stages meaning it should be out in anyweher from 2 weeks to a lifetime...

Seriously we took the summer off (as volunteers we can get away with that) and are now back hard at work on CD-03. CD-04 should follow fairly soon after.

Later

and thanks.

 

[der_kluge]

I ran a highly modified CD1 for my players. I cut out some rooms completely, and altered some of the contents of some of the rooms. Mostly because I changed it from a demon's fortress to that of a vampire's fortress, but he had demonic ties, so it was all good.

I think, for what I paid for it ($0), it was an excellent resource! And I say that with all sincerity. Some of the rooms were clever, and in general, it saved me a lot of work. Obviously, not everyone will need a CR 14 dungeon, but I happened to need one, and it worked out great for me.

Some comments - I think the CDs have come a long way, and current contributors are purposefully working with each other now to create synergies and tie rooms together. This has the effect of creating a much more "alive" dungeon.

Some negatives: The dungeons themselves are kind of boring. Trainz has usually put them together, and they are all traditional, two-dimensional things with square/rectangular rooms. I realize this can be used with Trainz's Interactive dungeon program while, while neat, is really limited.

I prefer my dungeons to be far more complex affairs, with multiple levels, and odd-shaped rooms and corridors. That said, I'd like to see the next CDs to be much more elaborate - an ice cave, a volcanic fortress, or a limestone cavern complex. Those would all be far more interesting than just yet another dungeon.

 

[Shallown]

Thanks Die_Kluge

 

[pogre]

I too use them as a resource. I do not use them as adventures, but steal a room from here and there. Good stuff - thanks for everbody's efforts!

 

[Arnwyn]

I have not used them, and I haven't had time to yet read them thoroughly.

However, from my skim of them, I was suitably impressed. I'll likely run my players through them with few or no changes.

To be honest, I thought the quality was a little high (yes, I said high) for the price I was paying... ($0)!

 

[Trainz]

Thanks for the feedback so far; keep it coming !

Die-Kluge:

I appreciate your input. I will try to make something more interesting for the next one, while still using ID. I have made cave networks in my own campaigns with ID.

We'll see...

 

[KB9JMQ]

I havent played thru one yet, but what I have read of the one I downloaded (second one) it looks pretty good to me.

 

[ruemere]

requested feedback...

[...]

I guess what I want to know is;

Have you used the Dungeons?

What did you think in general?

What is one or two good points about the CDs?

What are one or two bad Points about the CDs?

[...]

Cooperative dungeons are a very fine idea. Bringing strangers together and working over a single project is a rare occurrence... well, may be not that rare but still worth a lot appraisal in itself.
Kudos to all involved.

However, I am rather unwilling to use Dungeons (most of them, anyway) due to reasons pertaining to my gaming style - an underground complex without privies, ventillation shafts and other elements allowing for complicated ecology is not my cup of tea.

In other words, as a collection of encounters (aka Book of Challenges) the series shines.

In an effort to add more value to my criticism, allow me to suggest this:
- appoint screen writer and director,
- screen writer (or writers) devise general plot and major twists,
- screen writer (or writers) devise linking elements, required for the above to be interlinked in a more dynamic way,
- director breaks it down into encounters, also ensuring that some items must be present

For example, if there is an pixie impostor king to be overthrown from a forest throne, the plot may call for a EL6 encounter with dying pixie courtier (vital information here) and EL7 encounter (bloodthirsty thugs in impostor service) which should occur if the PCs dally too long with EL6.

Regards,
Ruemere

 

[der_kluge]

Thanks for the feedback so far; keep it coming !

Die-Kluge:

I appreciate your input. I will try to make something more interesting for the next one, while still using ID. I have made cave networks in my own campaigns with ID.

We'll see...

Trainz, can it do multi-level dungeons?
Does it have to be created using ID? Why can't we just create something more freeform?

That said, can I make the next dungeon?

 

[Gilladian]

I've really liked the first three interactive dungeons. I used some of the second one in designing my own theives' guild. I REALLY enjoyed following along the discussions, as it is interesting seeing how people work.

My only complaint is that the "tighter" the plot is, and the more closely integrated things become, the harder it is to pull pieces out and use them individually!