D&D 5E Do you like dungeon crawls?

[Azzy]

I enjoy a good dungeon crawl, but I don't think I'd want a diet of nothing but dungeon crawls.

I feel the same way. The occasional dungeon crawl is nice, but I'd get sick of them real quick if they were the norm.

 

[Tony Vargas]

except now a wormy creature has evolved just to "get" characters who listen at doors

Ha! Pernicious slander! There's no such thing in D&D!

...the Ear Seeker is an insect, not a worm...

One exception. Eyes of the Stone Thief, for 13th Age.

An excellent book.
The 13A 'living dungeon' concept, in general, is a clever take on the weirdness of old-school dungeons.

 

[generic]

I feel the same way. The occasional dungeon crawl is nice, but I'd get sick of them real quick if they were the norm.

Never play in a megadungeon campaign.

 

[Azzy]

Never play in a megadungeon campaign.

I have, that's what drove me to my opinions on this.

 

[Doug McCrae]

how is a sprawling city really any different, though?

1) Cities make sense, D&D dungeons don't.
2) In a city the GM can fast forward to the interesting parts, the pace can be quick. In D&D dungeons every action is described, location is tracked to the nearest 10 feet, the pace is always slow.
3) Cities are much more focused on interaction with NPCs, dungeons have more combat and interaction with inanimate objects.
4) Cities don't need to be mapped.
5) Cities require very little book keeping. D&D dungeons require keeping track of time, lantern oil or torches, rations, and ammunition.

 

[Fenris-77]

I love me a good dungeon crawl. I really don't like mega dungeons. I vastly prefer a city settings for a sprawling adventure, which can, of course, contain some dungeon-y bits anyway.

 

[Burnside]

I like variety. I would probably not enjoy a campaign that consisted solely of dungeon crawls, but I also might not like one that had zero dungeon crawls.

I very much prefer dungeon crawls that have a good story.

 

[DND_Reborn]

1) Cities make sense, D&D dungeons don't.
2) In a city the GM can fast forward to the interesting parts, the pace can be quick. In D&D dungeons every action is described, location is tracked to the nearest 10 feet, the pace is always slow.
3) Cities are much more focused on interaction with NPCs, dungeons have more combat and interaction with inanimate objects.
4) Cities don't need to be mapped.
5) Cities require very little book keeping. D&D dungeons require keeping track of time, lantern oil or torches, rations, and ammunition.

Now, you are specifying "D&D" dungeons, which we all know are riddled with faults, but otherwise...

1) Medieval cities were horrible mazes! Look at Rome, London, Paris, or any major city that has been around for hundreds of years--most of them hardly make any sense. Dungeons can make perfect sense if they are made (and played) properly--or at least as much sense as a city. Many "dungeons" are underground dwellings, after all.

2. Pace can be set in any environment you are exploring. Setting has nothing to do with it.

3. Combat and interaction can be as involved or sparse as the DM and party want. You should try playing some dungeons that aren't hack-n-slash.

4. LOL! Sure they don't. Do you know how many people get lost in cities??? With all the streets, allies, and other passageways they are worse than most caverns. There is a nice trick for being in most dungeons, you put a hand on either the left or right wall, and walk forward, keeping your hand there, and you will usually find your way out.

5. Again, tracking and bookkeeping can be just as consuming in cities or out in the wilderness as in dungeons.

So, if you are playing in a game where cities are that much easier to navigate, your DM is being kind or you are getting a guide, map, or something. In cities you still have to track time, food, light (especially at night), and so forth.

Again, how much you want to put into tracking resources is about preference--not setting.

 

[Umbran]

Ha! Pernicious slander! There's no such thing in D&D!

...the Ear Seeker is an insect, not a worm...

Um... rot grubs, which are often found in doors of rotting wood...

 

[Blue]

When I was young (and used to routinely do 10-14 hours sessions), I loved dungeon crawls. The puzzles, the tactics, do I cast now or save the spell, clever thinking, working around problems in unexpected ways, and all the rest. Ever use Stone to Flesh to clear a created wall that was blocking an underground river and flooding a complex? I have. Eeeeew. Back then I also enjoyed a lot of Battletech, Star Fleet Battles, and other game that really pushed you tactically. Mud Sorcerers tombs, you named it.

Now I find that I don't have patience for six encounters themed together in a location, much less what we used to go through. When I run, if I'm doing dungeons it's more along the line of Five Room dungeons, which isn't even five encounters. (Thought: maybe that's one of the reasons I dislike the recommended 6-8 encounters per day - I never want to push for that many as that's likely 3-5 sessions.)

So yeah, I recognize there is a ton of fun to be found in dungeons. I also recognize that my personal gaming style has changed over time and while I used to experience it, that's not what I'm looking for anymore.