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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 5236529" data-attributes="member: 467">For many, the dungeon *was* the campaign setting -- it's where the action happened. Towns and wilderness areas were incidental, providing either respite from the dungeon or trouble (by random roll).Moreover, dungeons were/are not meant to be static things, where once the orcs are killed in room 1.12a there will never again be anything in room 1.12a. The dungeon is a microcosm, with an ecology and sociology all its own. It's supposed to be big enough than no particular group of adventurers is likely to ransack the whole thing, and dangerous enough that those that try are likely to end up refilling treasure hordes (if you catch my drift).The biggest difference (IMO) is that the dungeon was there for its own sake and the characters explore it because it is there. A dungeon may have but doesn't require a BBEG at the bottom. It doesn't require a bottom at all and it may have a half dozen BBEGs inside, all vying with one another as well as vexing the PCs. Exploration and treasure hunting were the name of the game, not saving the world or otherwise engaging a "plot", so the dungeon could exist for generations of characters.</blockquote>