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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RedShirtNo5.1" data-source="post: 7124023" data-attributes="member: 80037">I'm currently running a sandbox with a megadungeon tentpole.  We're about 6 sessions in, and it's been one of the most enjoyable play experiences in years, although that may be due in part to switching to 5e, which seems to fit our group well.   Here are some random thoughts, in no particular order.  1.  I wanted an game that could be run West Marches style, i.e., easy for players to drop in and out.  A megadungeon below an urban center addresses this - for absent players their PCs are simply doing something else in the city at that time.  2.  I hadn't run a megadungeon before.  I've done mostly serial adventures with plot-driven encounters, and wanted to try something different.  3.  The dungeon, and particularly the megadungeon, has an aura of mystery, unpredictability and weirdness.  And there's a mythic quality about venturing into a cave/underground area.  I think of the piece by Dave Trampier in the 1e PHB of the dwarves and the magic mouth.  That's the feeling I would like to evoke.4.  A good megadungeon has a variety of environments and encounter types, along with puzzles, tricks, and creatures to interact with.  This keeps the dungeon fresh and interesting; one room of humanoids after another I think would be a very boring megadungeon.  The megadungeon should have secrets and a history for players to uncover.  5.  In that light, in terms of <a href="http://dustin.wikidot.com/player-types" target="_blank">player types</a>, I think the megadungeon appeals most to the Explorer and Thinker, followed by the  Instigator, Power Gamer and Slayer.  Storyteller and Actor would probably get the least out of a megadungeon.6.  On the DM side, personally what I probably enjoy most about DMing is the world creation aspect.  So it doesn't matter that much if I generate material that isn't used, it just adds to the realm of possible avenues for the players to investigate.  7.  It was actually liberating to not have to worry about plot, or making encounters that are balanced to the party.  I just worry about making areas that are interesting with a variety of degrees of challenge, and let the players decide where to go.  A great deal of enjoyment is just seeing what happens. Here was my pitch:On the western shore of the Crescent Sea lies the city of Idalus, home to perhaps twenty-five thousand people.  This city-state is the main point of trade between the proud Kingdom of Anuire to the north and the stern Emorian Autarchy to the south.  Stretching out to the west of Idalus is a region called the Lost Lands.  This area has been inhabited by a series of failed civilizations, and has now reverted to unclaimed wilderness.  Moreover, under Idalus lies a vast subterranean complex filled with danger and wealth.  Thus, the deep water port of Idalus  is the destination of explorers, scoundrels, mercenaries and heroes alike, seeking to uncover both secrets and treasure when adventuring In Search of the Unknown.In part, either that pitch appeals to you or it doesn't.</blockquote>

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