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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 6757584" data-attributes="member: 6801286">Dungeon design is something I spend a whole list on in our "<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?468721-Dungeon-Mastering-Don-ts" target="_blank">Dungeon Master don'ts</a>" topic, which got ported over from the old WotC forum.The dungeon is filled with empty spaceThis is clearly a problem your castle suffers from. There's a lot of areas where there is nothing to do. In a well designed space, such areas do not exist. If there's nothing there, you might as well remove it, or put something there. Too many DM's create these long corridors full of nothing, with dead ends that lead to nothing, and doors that lead to rooms with nothing in them. A waste of time for both the DM and the players. Fortunately, there are easy ways to fix this.Dungeon loops back on itselfRather than having a passage lead to a dead end, connect the passage to an area of interest. Multiple passages can lead to the same area, to increase the likely hood of the players visiting it.Cut the empty roomsDon't force yourself to fill up a castle template. Maybe that entire redundant section has collapsed? Maybe the tower that has nothing in it, lies in ruins? Maybe the empty corridor has a collapsed ceiling, thus blocking it off. Fill the empty rooms with minor encountersNot all encounters involve combat, or traps. The empty courtyard could have a skeleton next to the well, that the players could examine. There may be tracks on the ground from recent visitors. Or maybe there's some dung from an unknown animal, which foreshadows a monster encounter further on in the castle? The trick is to fill each room with interesting details that do not feel like a waste of time. Perhaps all the details form a collective story of the history of the castle?If the players examine the corpse of some soldier in the courtyard, that is an encounter. The players may find some loot on his person, or perhaps the corpse is an undead? The body could also be trapped, or perhaps he carries a note? The wounds on the body could also foreshadow a threat further on in the castle.It is not a lot of work to put something of interest in each room.Symmetry is boringDungeons and castles are very boring if it feels like the designer just clone-stamped everything. If the castle has 4 towers, then they should not all look the same. One could have a large hole in it from a catapult hit. Another could be leaning slightly. Another might have crumbled into a pile of rubble. Break symmetry whenever you can, to make the environment look exciting. Maybe the castle has only 3 towers, and the shape of the castle defies what you'd expect. Rather than making it a perfect square, make it shaped like a triangle instead.Real world castles do use symmetry of course. But we're designing an environment for a game, and so each area should have purpose, and should be exciting. If there are just 4 empty towers, then there is no reason to explore them,  which makes them wasted space from a gaming point of view. It also makes the castle look very bland. This is a fantasy game, and so a castle is allowed to look fantastic. Design it in a way so that it defies symmetry, and is interesting to look at from every angle.Play with height differencesWalls, towers and the gatehouse aren't the only height differences in a castle. It could have inner and outer walls, multiple levels, and bridges. Take a look at the lay out of Helm's Deep from Lord of the Rings, and you'll notice there are winding paths, and walkways. [ATTACH]71838[/ATTACH]Another example is the castle of Tyr Asleen from the movie Willow, which is an old dilapidated castle that has plenty of wooden walkways and bridges.[ATTACH]71836[/ATTACH][ATTACH]71837[/ATTACH][video=youtube;Hrb4n-x7CJ4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrb4n-x7CJ4[/video]Another great example is the castle Skyhold from Dragon Age 3, but I could not find a proper image that does justice to the design of it. Skyhold has multiple staircases, walkways and platforms, that all provide different ways to the same area. The main courtyard for example has a staircase up to the wall, but a bridge also connects the throne room to the main battlements as well. By designing your castle this way, it is not only more interesting to explore, but also to defend or attack. In the case of Tyr Asleen, the walkways offer a clear height advantage against enemies in the courtyard, but the place is infested by trolls that can scale walls and ceilings to reach the walkways. Your environment should have a story to tellTry to think of each space as a separate "moment" or encounter. In level design, I often refer to this as "level moments". The players enter a new space, and there is something there. For example:The players enter through the gatehouse, and notice the murder holes in the ceiling. A skeletal arm is dangling through one of the holes, encouraging the players to climb up there and explore.The players enter the courtyard, and notice that the largest tower of the castle has a large gaping hole in it, and a signal fire at the top, which isn't lit. There are also two smaller towers, one of which has crumbled into a pile of rubble and covers part of the courtyard. There is a well with a corpse hanging over the edge. There's a stone bridge that crosses part of the courtyard, and connects the upper level of the gatehouse, with the main hall. The doors to the main hall look smashed open. Part of the stone bridge has collapsed, but the gap can be jumped across. It is the only way up to the upper level of the gatehouse. Across the courtyard are some stables, and some barracks. The smell of death emanates from the stables, and the door to the barracks is ajar. There are several arrows lodged in the wood of the door to the barracks. The arrows look very old. Some footprints lead away from the courtyard towards the upper levels of the courtyard. The players could try to follow the trail if they want.In conclusionSo that is just an example of filling each section of the castle with story and detail. Each area is of interest, and encourages further exploration. No space should be empty. What if one  of the towers has a ballista on it? That immediately makes the tower a  location of interest to the players. If you as a DM do not take an interest in the rooms, then why should your players?</blockquote>

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