Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Dungeon layout, map flow and old school game design
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Melan" data-source="post: 2963512" data-attributes="member: 1713"><p>Sure.</p><p></p><p></p><p>That's not a bad method of hiding some secret places. It is put to good use in <strong>Palace of the Silver Princess</strong>, for example, where you can see it in a completely elemental form - not a bad thing for a module aimed at beginners. That said, I don't map on gridded paper anymore, for entirely personal reasosn. First, I don't usually have grid paper on hand when designing adventures, whereas clean printer paper is always in a steady supply. Second, when I use grid paper, I start to get anal about corridor width, angles and similar things, so in the end the map lacks that special organic feel. Of course, some dungeon designers like Gary Gygax and Bob Bledsaw (in Tegel Manor, which is basically a "completely filled space" kind of module) didn't have a problem like that - they designed great maps with the features you describe.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Most of them aren't very good for precisely the reason you bring up. This is just personal experience (and thus anecdotal evidence), but I could never make hedge maze style structures work properly. Now things like rooms closely resembling each other, corridors "leaving" one edge of the paper and "entering" from the other, the "M. C. Escher memorial stairs" (which go down forever, forming an endless loop), etc., are fun in a whimsical way when used sparingly (probably as features of a thematic "maze" dungeon level). Classical mazes, not really. Or I just don't know how to make fun out of them. Also note that things like the small room maze or the "whirlpool" in B1 don't belong to this category.</p><p></p><p></p><p>There is no conclusive answer to this but I will take a shot anyway. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> Generally, it is no big deal if the structure in question is small. If it is larger, it is fun to insert something like that, <em>especially</em> to break up the monotony. Most real buildings aren't really that fun - they are built for utility, not adventuring. Severs, in particular, are rectangular grids. Nobody likes to explore such a place because it is no fun after a while. In a game, enjoyable play is the most important reason for a thing being the way it is. If we emulate reality, we should emulate its quirky manifestations like castles built by eccentrics and people who thought it would be a good idea to have a secret passage going from their drawing room to the garden.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Melan, post: 2963512, member: 1713"] Sure. That's not a bad method of hiding some secret places. It is put to good use in [B]Palace of the Silver Princess[/B], for example, where you can see it in a completely elemental form - not a bad thing for a module aimed at beginners. That said, I don't map on gridded paper anymore, for entirely personal reasosn. First, I don't usually have grid paper on hand when designing adventures, whereas clean printer paper is always in a steady supply. Second, when I use grid paper, I start to get anal about corridor width, angles and similar things, so in the end the map lacks that special organic feel. Of course, some dungeon designers like Gary Gygax and Bob Bledsaw (in Tegel Manor, which is basically a "completely filled space" kind of module) didn't have a problem like that - they designed great maps with the features you describe. Most of them aren't very good for precisely the reason you bring up. This is just personal experience (and thus anecdotal evidence), but I could never make hedge maze style structures work properly. Now things like rooms closely resembling each other, corridors "leaving" one edge of the paper and "entering" from the other, the "M. C. Escher memorial stairs" (which go down forever, forming an endless loop), etc., are fun in a whimsical way when used sparingly (probably as features of a thematic "maze" dungeon level). Classical mazes, not really. Or I just don't know how to make fun out of them. Also note that things like the small room maze or the "whirlpool" in B1 don't belong to this category. There is no conclusive answer to this but I will take a shot anyway. ;) Generally, it is no big deal if the structure in question is small. If it is larger, it is fun to insert something like that, [I]especially[/I] to break up the monotony. Most real buildings aren't really that fun - they are built for utility, not adventuring. Severs, in particular, are rectangular grids. Nobody likes to explore such a place because it is no fun after a while. In a game, enjoyable play is the most important reason for a thing being the way it is. If we emulate reality, we should emulate its quirky manifestations like castles built by eccentrics and people who thought it would be a good idea to have a secret passage going from their drawing room to the garden. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Dungeon layout, map flow and old school game design
Top