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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Thunderfoot" data-source="post: 3363468" data-attributes="member: 34175">When I first started DMing, I used to draw dungeons of epic proportions, no reasons, just scrawls of tunnels and rooms filled with monsters and treasures.  That was fun when I was younger, but as I and the folks I played with got older, one question kept popping up, why is this thing here?During my "sophmore" years as a DM, I concentrated more on the outdoor adentures with dungeons playing a smaller role.  It gave the players freedom to move around and let them decide the course for adventure, it was great for them... and a headaches for me.  I would always try to guess every eventuality and come to the table with notebooks full (and I'm not exagerating) of monsters, treasures and outcomes to practicaly any path they might take.Then I got a book that sort of turned my life around on dungeon design; the 2ED&D "Dungeon Builder's Guidebook".  It explained things like continuity, ecology and what not, as well as fantastic locales.  I began writing dungeons again.  When 3E came around, there were a set of articles on several websites about Dungeoncraft, more good information.  So when I started my most recent campaign, the entire first half was devoted to a large tunnel complex that was originally an old dwarven stronghold.  The party I'm running (with the aid of another) took three years and some change to finally get through it and there are still sections they haven't explored.I can't wait to get a copy of Dungeonscape, I've perused its pages in the bookstore and can't wait until I get my taxreturn (come on IRS , don;t let me down).  From what I've seen, it carries on a great tradition of creating really cool holes in the ground that has been the basis of this hobby for decades.  My advice for new dungeon builders is make sure everything fits and have a plausible explination.  One area that seems to get away from new dungeon builder is trap making.  There was a Netbook of traps that had hundreds of hude, expensive traps that frankly, were just plain stupid.  Rooms made of gold (who funded that), the 'eternal slide' (slides miles in length), and other such nonsence.  Traps are meant to be deadly (as in kill someone), devestating to morale (that injure and maim not kill), or confound (confuse and seperate the party in order to make them easier to kill).  Puzzels are not traps, but traps can contain puzzels.  Monsters need food, a thousand year old tomb that contains guardian monsters that are not undead, will just be a thousand year old tomb full of old monster bones.I'm not perfect, and there are DM who run games much better than I, but as far as detail in design, I must say there are things that even the best blow it on.  If at any time a player can ask why and you don;t have a plausible answer, you have just blown the suspension of disbelief and lost that player for at least that session if not longer.  DMs have a responsibility to make it fun, which means more work for us.  It should be an honor, not a chore.  If you approach it with these few tips in mind, it can be most rewarding when the players have that 'Oh Crap!' moment.  They will remeber it fondly in years to come and so will you.</blockquote>

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