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Message: <blockquote data-quote="KidSnide" data-source="post: 5713498" data-attributes="member: 54710">Secret chambers are just part of what you can learn about a dungeon.  Some of the most interesting secrets are how the residents of a dungeon will react to the PCs.  Adventures need clues about that too.Any exploration adventure needs to have a meta-encounter "explore the dungeon / keep / level" that is explicitly designed to provide a framework for the rest of the exploration.  It's not enough to know what the rooms are and what monsters are in them.  You need to know how monsters move around the dungeon, how they will respond to intrusion, what areas (or secrets) they will guard and what clues are available so the PCs can learn this information and take advantage of it.I think the 15-minute adventuring day is a symptom of static, context-less dungeons where monsters sit around waiting to be killed.  Whether or not to take an extended rest is a meaningless question if there is no downside to retreat.  Instead, there should be a risk of reinforcement, counter-attack or monsters fleeing with their loot, and the adventure should give the PCs the ability to learn enough about these risks that they can make interesting strategic decisions (instead of just tactical decisions).-KS</blockquote>