D&D 5E Do You Delve?

[Charlaquin]

I'd argue the spatial linkage into a smaller geographic area is important to be defined as a delve. A hexcrawl has procedural similarities to a dungeon delve (map-and-key, DM-defined locations), but still has thematic and mechanical differences.

Then I don’t think “delve” is a useful categorization. There’s nothing special or about this type of play that necessitates tying it to a small geographic area, so I don’t see it as a meaningful distinction.

 

[TwoSix]

Then I don’t think “delve” is a useful categorization. There’s nothing special or about this type of play that necessitates tying it to a small geographic area, so I don’t see it as a meaningful distinction.

We'll have to agree to disagree then. I see a big distinction between Castle Ravenloft and a forest hexcrawl.

 

[Charlaquin]

We'll have to agree to disagree then. I see a big distinction between Castle Ravenloft and a forest hexcrawl.

I mean, they’re different in that one is a castle and the other is a forest. But in terms of play procedures, there’s nothing inherent to either location that demands it be run and played differently than the other. You can do the forest “room-by-room,” even if the “rooms” are areas many kilometers square, and you can run a castle like a hexcrawl, even if the “hexes” are small segments of the castle.

 

[Marc_C]

removed by user.

 

[Sithlord]

I do a lot of urban and wilderness adventures. And very much the hexcrawl. That’s why I don’t understand this scene based stuff. It’s like you are hand waving the distance and time between locations. I’m checking for random encounters. And I still use them very similar to ad&d and the ravenloft tables for some, modifier for the adventure of course.

 

[The-Magic-Sword]

I started out in 4e being very delve neutral, leaning toward very short dungeons of 2-4 encounters, literally an entrance encounter, something to set the tone, and then a boss or bosses. Most interesting was my second ever, which featured three dragons in a standoff over "wyrmbirth cavern" and are too scared of the others to make a move, but want to use the PCs to break the stalemate. But most of the game was outside a dungeon context for us. Even my college underdark game wasn't actually dungeon structured.

But now? I'm obsessed with them: jacquayed structures, treasure hunting instead of plot drive, less linearity, mythic atmosphere, puzzles in the zelda tradition, secret passages, environmental storytelling, plenty of fun combat, character driven stories pressured by the dungeon, meaningful problem solving differences between character builds.

Ive been all about learning to make real, high quality dungeons lately.

 

[Charlaquin]

I do a lot of urban and wilderness adventures. And very much the hexcrawl. That’s why I don’t understand this scene based stuff. It’s like you are hand waving the distance and time between locations. I’m checking for random encounters. And I still use them very similar to ad&d and the ravenloft tables for some, modifier for the adventure of course.

A random encounter is 100% a scene. I love random encounters, use them all the time in delves and whatever other kind of adventures I run.