Back by popular demand (no one demanded this), here
is the internationally acclaimed Wizard Dad (I am only known for one article)
here to refresh one of the most classic forms of Role Playing, the Mega Dungeon
Delve.
You will need a few things to get this underway. Naturally you will need the
Mythic GM Emulator (which is why this is a Mythic Mash-ups article). You also
will needs some version of The
Adventure Crafter, or better yet access to the Mythic
Magazine article, "Random Dungeon Crawl Generation”, MM Vol. 3, pg. 12 (also
found in MM
Compilation 1). You will also want to get your mitts on “Handling
Long Journeys In Solo Play”, MM Vol. 25, pg. 10 (also found in MM
Compilation 5).
With these tools, and a wee bit of prep, you will be able to have fun,
startling, dangerous dungeons, with virtually no foreknowledge
of what you are getting into.
(I highly suggest you skim both articles now. I will wait.)
Ok, now let’s get onto a quick explanation of how this works. What you are
developing is a large area, that is made up of smaller areas. I am using
dungeons as the example but it could be the exploration of a jungle rumored to
have a lost city, the ruins of an ancient lost city (perhaps in a jungle), a
section of the local underworld (maybe found in a lost city, that maybe in a
jungle), or even a massive abandoned space construct, (that you were teleported
to from a random event, while exploring a mysterious portion of the local
underworld). The possibilities are literally endless.
The vastness of the "dungeon" is reflected by two types of areas.
Nodes (generated by Location Crafter rules) where interesting things happen,
and Spaces (controlled by the Long Journey rules), which are theoretically
unoccupied zones between Nodes (where interesting things may happen).
The first step to your mega dungeon crawl experience, and
honestly the only really "homework" portion of this technique, is to
use the procedure laid out in the article to generate a list of locations,
encounters, and objects, until you hit the Complete result. Do this for all the
Nodes you want to explore for the next session. You may be tempted to use the "Large
Locations" column, but I suggest you use small dungeons, because
these will be your nodes and a mega dungeon is a series of linked nodes, each
with their own unique qualities.
Here is where we are going to start to break away from the article as written.
Instead of making lists of completed rooms, you will instead make 3 separate
lists of Locations, Encounters, and Objects. When you enter (or spy out before entering) a new chamber roll on each chart for the composition of that chamber. If you should roll Complete, just skip over that back to the top of the list. Complete represents the end of the dungeon and you don't want to run into that before you have had a chance to loot explore the spaces.
Should the room be a Known elements (Location,
Object, or Encounter) it should be unique and match up to your expectations of the dungeon. For example, if you are exploring a derelict wizard tower, you will have "Known" rooms like a laboratory, a study/library, and perhaps personal quarters of the former master of the tower, but if you are exploring an ancient temple complex, there will be a main worship space, housing for acolytes, perhaps a simple guard tower, and the private dwellings of more important priests. You can feel free to make a list of Known elements for the dungeon prior to exploring, or you can just jot down 3-4 such places on the spot as a mini table and roll on it to see what Known element you have encountered.
Know elements aren't restricted to structures. You can have unique monsters or NPCs, and special objects that may be the very treasures you are hoping to find (Oh look a Holy Avenger, I have been needing one of those).
This actually leads us to the other pre play step, and that is Context. Whether you stumble on a dungeon in the course of some other exploration, or you intend to go delving, you will need to know what kind of dungeon it is, and if you had a chance to do some research, what you are getting into. If your campaign hasn't provided the necessary context to answer these questions, then use the tables in MM Vol. 3, pg. 16 and 17.
Random and Special elements (Locations, Objects, and Encounters) are the curve
balls of the Dungeon. You will have a number of such rooms, so go ahead and roll
for your word pairs for these dungeon features on the appropriate charts, but
don't pin down what those mean until such time as you encounter them. Again, the context as a whole will put the spin on the word pair at the time you stumble into it (or spy it out because sneaky adventurers are ones who are still breathing at the end of the day).
After you have these lists, number the components separately,
and use either a random number generator (Chromes has if you ask nicely)
or just grab the die that has the closest total to the number of elements you
have. Don't worry if it isn't a tight fit, because as you explore the dungeon and discover rooms you will mark them off of your lists, and before long the die will fit the dungeon.
After you have located a Location, encountered its Encounters, and objectified its Objects, mark those elements off your list. Should you re-roll that slot just skip down to the next element on the list. There is one exception, as we have already mentioned. Should you roll Completed in the Locations list, just skip back to the top of the list and have the Location in that position. Completed should be the last element you explore.
When you hit a Complete result you have come to the end of that Node, and will be
moving into Spaces, where we will jump to the second article, "Handling Long Journeys...".
"Handling Long Journeys in Solo Play" comes into play when you are
traversing (theoretically) empty stretches
of dungeon between nodes. The basic procedure in the article is to pick a
number of expected empty Segments, (or roll randomly if you like) called Spaces for the sake of the Megadungeon exploration. These
can cosmetically be whatever fits into the context of your dungeon. It may be
just a few cobweb filled rooms on the way to the next node, a long segments of
the Underworld which could take days to progress, or even segments of astral
void you need to float through before you come to the next Node. As with most
things Mythic context is king.
For each Space decide what the chances of a Random Event are and
simply ask the Mythic GME whether you have a Random Event whilst traversing the
Space. If the answer is "No", just tick off the food and lighting you
consumed and head to the next Space. If you the answer is "Yes"
generate a Random Event as per usual with Mythic using the current context so
that it makes sense within the Mega Dungeon (I suggest a custom list of NPC and
Threads that fit the context of being cut off from the outside world, unless your
game is very gonzo). An Extreme Yes, means roll for two random events happening in the same scene, and an Extreme No indicates that none of the Spaces have Random Events.
Once you have traversed all of the determined Spaces you come to the next Node. At that Node you roll on your list of
Locations, Encounters, and Object, for that Node, apply the appropriate
context, and keep playing. (I suggest for a real old school feel of
exploration, randomize which Node comes up next, and increase the danger level,
probably through an increase in Chaos Factor, the deeper you go.)
Don’t be afraid to add unplanned elements like chasms, bottomless pits,
or difficult looking forks to your narrative. These will provide either an
immediate reward in the form diversifying your map, or they will be fodder for
future adventures.
A couple of tips. You will get a lot of Expected results and a few None results. Sometimes, and for god reason a Location, though it will probably have a description, maybe actually expected to be empty. If you are just leaving the lair of a juvenile dragon, there is probably no one lurking in the next room. The Expected Encounter no Encounter. In a similar vein an answer of None, doesn't have to mean it is a void. There may just be nothing that is dangerous or useful around. You can always ask the Fate Chart if there is a mural on the wall, or a shattered statue on the ground, or pick a couple of word pairs to give you a snap shot of the space. None means no object or no encounter, but it doesn't mean nothing interesting. (This is especially useful if you want to play this megadungeon as an endless abyss. Those Expected or None answers shouldn't preclude a crude chimney or a dank dark pit.)
(Speaking of pits, most megadungeons are labyrinthine with many forks, pits, slide traps and stair wells. These rules I am laying out today are very basic. Look to the next few installments to add features like forks, multiple exits, and tricks and traps that move you around the dungeon and in the process expand the dungeon out. If you do have more passages than prepared Nodes, just block them up for now, so your character can come back with the appropriate skeleton key (aka dynamite) to open that space up after you have a few more Nodes prepared)
Lets talk mapping for a second. I hate mapping, so I use a simple line drawing with nodes marked as
circles and discoveries (like that seemingly bottomless pit you don’t have the
rope for) as triangles. You don’t need a detailed map to play a megadungeon. Just
a little visual reference that explains where you went and what you found, and
possible more importantly, where you didn’t explore.
All good things come to an end, and so does your dungeon (unless
it is an Underworld exploration, which usually end in brutal death or running
low on supplies, take your pick). After you have exhausted your prepared
Nodes, had a climatic encounter, or are just tired, draw the dungeon to a
conclusion. I suggest using a Fate chart check to query whether you have any
encounters on the way out (essentially just treating the whole backtrack as one Space), but feel free to set the odds as low as you like. It
is never as fun to trod the ground you have already covered than it is to make
a new discoveries. I usually just make one roll at average odds and be done
with it.
Don't feel just because you delved to an end of a Mega dungeon,
the fun must be over. There are probably other Nodes waiting down passages you
skipped, shafts you avoided, or secret doors you couldn't open, and who knows
what dark forces will fill the power vacuum you leave behind. Mega dungeons can
be endless adventures on their own, but maybe you will be satisfied with all
the gold you can stuff in your bag of holding and head off for greener
pastures. Either way adventure awaits.
(If you enjoyed this article, check out the Blog Index for more content that may entertain or inspire)
