Dungeons?

[DM Howard]

I voted 0-10. The more I think about it, the more I think it might be why I can never seem to get a handle on being a DM. I always want to enact grand stories out in the world instead of maybe just devising some sort of reason for a lengthy dungeon experience. Maybe then I'd be more comfortable with the role and be able to accomplish some of the campaign ideas I have without feeling burnt out after the first session.

 

[Celebrim]

Assuming your typical campaign... what percentage of encounters take place in a dungeon/cavern environment?

Define dungeon? Is dungeon defined by a particular environment, or is it defined by functioning like a dungeon - a map, an encounter key, traps, treasure, and monsters?

Is an ruins a dungeon?
Is a foundry a dungeon?
Is a haunted house a dungeon? What if the haunted house is still inhabited?
Is a palace or mansion a dungeon?
Is a sunken ship a dungeon?

 

[Ahnehnois]

Certainly the first answer. To me, the archetypical D&D setting is outdoor wilderness, with urban intrigue being the most obvious alternative. The concept of a dungeon is an anachronism. At most, I'll make an occasional nod to the idea, which is more than most DMs I've played with.

 

[Mistwell]

I voted 0-10. The more I think about it, the more I think it might be why I can never seem to get a handle on being a DM. I always want to enact grand stories out in the world instead of maybe just devising some sort of reason for a lengthy dungeon experience. Maybe then I'd be more comfortable with the role and be able to accomplish some of the campaign ideas I have without feeling burnt out after the first session.

Try a sandbox. Ditch the stories, grand or not. Just create a setting, and ask the players what they want to do. Wing it depending on what they want. Don't try to nudge them a particular way, don't try to guide them into some complex plan, just let them go where they will and adjudicate how it goes from there.

 

[Mistwell]

Certainly the first answer. To me, the archetypical D&D setting is outdoor wilderness, with urban intrigue being the most obvious alternative. The concept of a dungeon is an anachronism. At most, I'll make an occasional nod to the idea, which is more than most DMs I've played with.

So to you dungeons are anachronisms in Dungeons and dragons? Weird...but very 2e.

It's worth noting a lot of the rules are built around the assumption of a dungeon environment existing fairly frequently.

 

[sheadunne]

Normally about 25% in an average game. I'm going to run an AD&D dungeon crawl in a week or so though and that will be 99% dungeon.

 

[Lanefan]

Normally about 25% in an average game. I'm going to run an AD&D dungeon crawl in a week or so though and that will be 99% dungeon.

And 1% crawl?



Lanefan

 

[Blackbrrd]

After running RttToEE I really got my fill of dungeons. I am currently playing the first 4e modules and I think they stink because of railroady dungeons. Blergh.

I am currently running Reavers of Harkenworld, and will then run Madness at Gardmoore Abbey. Both features dungeons, but neither are dungeon crawls. I would say 21-30% dungeons probably fits.

 

[gamerprinter]

Overall dungeons and caverns in my settings are rather minimal. I tend not to include an entire underdark. Certainly there are extensive cavern systems throughout the world, but they don't necessarily connect. Many ruined sites and occupied fortified locations include dungeons as part of their existence. So dungeons and caverns aren't absent and are certainly included among the possible locations visited by adventure parties in games I run. That said, far more time is spent in urban situations, traveling on the road or time spent in surface wilderness - mountains, forests, deserts, swamps, ocean, then specifically dungeons and cavern systems. Although I selected 10 - 20% on the poll, its probably at lot closer to 10%. I thought 0 - 10% was too low specifically, though I could have picked that just as well. 10% is around the amount I use.

 

[Jacob Marley]

Define dungeon? Is dungeon defined by a particular environment, or is it defined by functioning like a dungeon - a map, an encounter key, traps, treasure, and monsters?

My AD&D and 3.x Dungeon Master's Guides breakdown adventures into three types: dungeon, urban, and wilderness. I am using dungeon as how they are generally defined in those books.

Try a sandbox.

+1

It's worth noting a lot of the rules are built around the assumption of a dungeon environment existing fairly frequently.

This is what I was thinking about when I posted the query.