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<blockquote data-quote="rmcoen" data-source="post: 8982844" data-attributes="member: 6692404">First:&nbsp; I consider any fixed location with several (or more) encounters to be a &quot;dungeon&quot;.&nbsp; The orc keep, the dwarven mine, the ruined temple, the ore processing plant, the Ancient sealed tower...Second:&nbsp; Having said that, last night I literally provided a dungeon exploration for my players.&nbsp; My campaign tends to be heavy on overland travel and wilderness encounters.&nbsp; In this case, they traveled through magically-fogged poisonous swamp trailing a lost noble, and found a ladder into the depths of a castle so ruined they barely recognized the broken wall next to them as a construction.&nbsp; Underneath, nine rooms to explore, with broken passages, submerged tunnels, hostile fungus, giant crocodiles, an underwater section, a gelatinous cube (map built before I saw the movie, just saying!), a dragon skeleton, and an &quot;interesting terrain&quot; feature.&nbsp; Plus the underwater section led to another mini-dungeon.They defeated the crocs, the cube, and most of the fungus; they ignored the underwater section, and retreated from the &quot;interesting terrain&quot; room.&nbsp; &quot;Screw this, the noble ain't here.&quot;&nbsp; And they left.&nbsp; [For the record, they are 8th level, and the strongest two encounters were a pair of CR 5s.]So, while I like the opportunity to challenge them with a series of encounters that test and erode their strength... they like to come at everything fresh, healthy, and able to nova.&nbsp; This dungeon can be retreated from and assailed again the next day - it's sat unmolested for centuries after all.&nbsp; But most dungeons can and should change in response to the characters' actions, and that sets up a level of tension and stress in my players - and myself, when I play! - that I think goes against our desire at this point to have a fun evening with friends, away from jobs, kids, and other stressors.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="rmcoen, post: 8982844, member: 6692404"] First: I consider any fixed location with several (or more) encounters to be a "dungeon". The orc keep, the dwarven mine, the ruined temple, the ore processing plant, the Ancient sealed tower... Second: Having said that, last night I literally provided a dungeon exploration for my players. My campaign tends to be heavy on overland travel and wilderness encounters. In this case, they traveled through magically-fogged poisonous swamp trailing a lost noble, and found a ladder into the depths of a castle so ruined they barely recognized the broken wall next to them as a construction. Underneath, nine rooms to explore, with broken passages, submerged tunnels, hostile fungus, giant crocodiles, an underwater section, a gelatinous cube (map built before I saw the movie, just saying!), a dragon skeleton, and an "interesting terrain" feature. Plus the underwater section led to another mini-dungeon. They defeated the crocs, the cube, and most of the fungus; they ignored the underwater section, and retreated from the "interesting terrain" room. "Screw this, the noble ain't here." And they left. [For the record, they are 8th level, and the strongest two encounters were a pair of CR 5s.] So, while I like the opportunity to challenge them with a series of encounters that test and erode their strength... they like to come at everything fresh, healthy, and able to nova. [I]This[/I] dungeon can be retreated from and assailed again the next day - it's sat unmolested for centuries after all. But most dungeons can and should change in response to the characters' actions, and that sets up a level of tension and stress in my players - and myself, when I play! - that I think goes against our desire at this point to have a fun evening with friends, away from jobs, kids, and other stressors. [/QUOTE]

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