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<blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 7900052" data-attributes="member: 6801286"><p>Well like I said, this is my personal taste. It is by no means an absolute rule. And I agree that some empty rooms can serve a purpose. But more commonly, they tend to dominate bad maps, where empty rooms and corridors are all over the map. I believe that a map that is more densely packed with things of interest, make for a better dungeon crawling experience. This doesn't mean that every room must be stuffed with monsters, items, traps and puzzles. But I think it makes for a better experience if there's something to see and do in nearly every space of the dungeon, even if it's something trivial.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Of course a dungeon can have modifications that weren't part of the original fictional design. When I talk about designing with a purpose however, I mean the purpose that the DM has in mind for an area (and not the fictional person who originally created the dungeon). A collapsed corridor or tunnel of a burrowing creature is a purposeful area. There is a reason it is there. But more often than not you'll see a lot of rooms and corridors that don't seem to serve any narrative purpose at all. This doesn't mean that every room MUST have a purpose. But in my experience, when you think about the purpose of some of the areas, you end up with a better result.</p><p></p><p>For example, if you're designing the lay out of a castle, how far would the kitchen logically be from the food supplies or the dining area? How far would the servant quarters be from the location where they do their job? When you think about these sorts of things, you gain an understanding that these areas should logically be closely connected to one another.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Don't get me wrong. There's no taboo on rectangular rooms. There are plenty of situations where square rooms make the most sense. But I think a DM should always look at their map critically, and ask himself if rectangular rooms are perhaps a bit too abundant. And if so, the right thing to do would be to mix it up a bit here and there.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>That's what I meant when I said that it could be done deliberately. But I feel it is often done on accident. I think a lot of DM's simply don't give it a whole lot of thought. This could mean that as a DM you're designing a whole lot of rooms that will never be explored. Having '<em>some</em>' optional rooms is fine. But if the players take a right turn instead of a left, and end up skipping half the dungeon, then there's surely something wrong in the design.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I think there are plenty of reasons why a dungeon might have only one way in. Especially if the dungeon is supposed to be some kind of cave or tomb. But I agree that it is a thing that DM's should give more thought. Plus there might be alternative entry points that weren't part of the original fictional design. When a dungeon has more than one entrance/exit it gives the players a strategic option to consider. I would however suggest then that it should be a meaningful choice. The entry/exit points should be notably different, and have their own advantages/disadvantages. As a DM I also like to include an obvious route and a not so obvious route (for example, an underwater passage that allows for a more stealthy approach). A DM should also be cautious not to overdo it. If the players have too many choices, their point of entry may feel irrelevant.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I think that would have done wonders for the map. There's also an excellent opportunity here for the DM to have pit traps that drop the players to a lower level of the dungeon.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Imaculata, post: 7900052, member: 6801286"] Well like I said, this is my personal taste. It is by no means an absolute rule. And I agree that some empty rooms can serve a purpose. But more commonly, they tend to dominate bad maps, where empty rooms and corridors are all over the map. I believe that a map that is more densely packed with things of interest, make for a better dungeon crawling experience. This doesn't mean that every room must be stuffed with monsters, items, traps and puzzles. But I think it makes for a better experience if there's something to see and do in nearly every space of the dungeon, even if it's something trivial. Of course a dungeon can have modifications that weren't part of the original fictional design. When I talk about designing with a purpose however, I mean the purpose that the DM has in mind for an area (and not the fictional person who originally created the dungeon). A collapsed corridor or tunnel of a burrowing creature is a purposeful area. There is a reason it is there. But more often than not you'll see a lot of rooms and corridors that don't seem to serve any narrative purpose at all. This doesn't mean that every room MUST have a purpose. But in my experience, when you think about the purpose of some of the areas, you end up with a better result. For example, if you're designing the lay out of a castle, how far would the kitchen logically be from the food supplies or the dining area? How far would the servant quarters be from the location where they do their job? When you think about these sorts of things, you gain an understanding that these areas should logically be closely connected to one another. Don't get me wrong. There's no taboo on rectangular rooms. There are plenty of situations where square rooms make the most sense. But I think a DM should always look at their map critically, and ask himself if rectangular rooms are perhaps a bit too abundant. And if so, the right thing to do would be to mix it up a bit here and there. That's what I meant when I said that it could be done deliberately. But I feel it is often done on accident. I think a lot of DM's simply don't give it a whole lot of thought. This could mean that as a DM you're designing a whole lot of rooms that will never be explored. Having '[I]some[/I]' optional rooms is fine. But if the players take a right turn instead of a left, and end up skipping half the dungeon, then there's surely something wrong in the design. I think there are plenty of reasons why a dungeon might have only one way in. Especially if the dungeon is supposed to be some kind of cave or tomb. But I agree that it is a thing that DM's should give more thought. Plus there might be alternative entry points that weren't part of the original fictional design. When a dungeon has more than one entrance/exit it gives the players a strategic option to consider. I would however suggest then that it should be a meaningful choice. The entry/exit points should be notably different, and have their own advantages/disadvantages. As a DM I also like to include an obvious route and a not so obvious route (for example, an underwater passage that allows for a more stealthy approach). A DM should also be cautious not to overdo it. If the players have too many choices, their point of entry may feel irrelevant. I think that would have done wonders for the map. There's also an excellent opportunity here for the DM to have pit traps that drop the players to a lower level of the dungeon. [/QUOTE]
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