Mythic Locations 1: Mad Libs Locations For Location Crafter RPG supplement, part 1 the Dungeon.

World Mill Press, makers of the Mythic Game Master Emulator, has another fun product called Location Crafter ( Location Crafter $4.95 ), but in the Mythic Magazine game supplements you find variations on the Location Crafter to fit more specific genres. 

Three of these, Dungeons, Forests, and Starships, are the subject of  the next few blog posts. To use the material below you may want both the core book, Location Crafter, and the appropriate magazine, though the base book isn't strictly necessary. It does have good game theory and a broader explanation of how to use the product, which I found both interesting and entertaining. None of these products in PDF form will break the bank, but there is a bit of an upfront investment.  

You will find the first article we are using here, Random Dungeon Crawl Generation” MM Vol. 3, pg. 12 ($4.95). 

This first article, and two to follow, will have both the random location, and an in play example of its use. This isn't a tutorial. The magazine and core book do better than I every could in explaining the process. This is going to be a collection of outputs, for you to just snatch up and drop into your game. Lets get this ball rolling!

The first thing the article suggests is coming up with the dungeon type. For this generic dungeon we are  going to use Ancient Dungeons. For the sake of completeness the  other options are: Cavern Dungeons and Palatial Dungeons. When you use these generic dungeon templates one of the few details I will fill in is the type of Dungeon or Forest. 

The next decision is Dungeon Story. If you know this going in because of the context of your game you can skip this part. If not pick from the lists or randomly determine it. You could even do it at the game table when you are ready to jump in.

I believe that the Dungeon Descriptors chart is good to roll on as you proceed into the dungeon, just to give you that first layer of surprise. If the results are too wild or gonzo for what your context suggests, just pick a couple descriptors from the list. These will give you a general idea of what the feel of the dungeon will be like, so you don't have to roll for every room about generic scenery. It ties the whole into a more unified theme. I would still advise you to use your pre-existing context if it already answers the question of the feel of the dungeon, or split the difference using your context for one descriptor and rolling 1 random one for surprise. The point is to take this little dungeon and make it part of your story.

On the note of this being your story you will want to make a few quick lists of things you know or suspect to be in the dungeon. This isn't mandatory. Perhaps you just stumbled onto a cave during a hex crawl or have a vague treasure map that leads to an old castle and have no idea what is in it, but if you know any Locations, Objects, or Encounters that are going to be there use the free form below (or a notebook) to jot down your known elements before you kick in the front door ( Randomized Location Crafter Worksheet ). 

Small Ancient Dungeon Template

1. Room, Exits: 1 Leads directly to another Area (2)
1. Random Location ( Tranquil/Positive)
   
2. Encounters Expected
3. Objects Random ( Travel/Modern)
2. Room, Exits: 1 Leads directly to another Area (3)
1. Expected Location
2. Encounter Known, or Random (Positive/Dangerous)
3. Objects Random ( Unusual/Prized)
3. Room, Exits: 2 Leads directly to another Area (4) and Well or hole in the floor (6)
1. Location Expected
2. Encounter Expected
3. Object Expected
4. Room, Exits: 1 Leads Directly to another area (5), but has a small attached room (7)
1. Location Expected
2. Encounter Known, or Random (Generous Ambush)
3. Object Known, or Special (Lethal Fuel)
5. Room, Exits: 0 (just opening to 4)
1. Location Complete
2. Encounter Expected (Boss?)
3. Object None or Expected (McGuffin/Treasure)
6. Room, Exits: 0 (just the shaft that leads to 3)
1. Location Random (Unsteady/Protection)
2. Encounter Expected
3. Object Expected
7. Room, Exits: 0 (just an opening to area 4)
1. Location Expected 
2. Encounters None
3. Objects Random (Hard/Average)

In the next post I will play this dungeon out and show you how to take abstraction and make it into a realized adventure. If you don't feel patient, just copy and paste this template into your favorite word processor and jump into playing, but if you feel an example would help I will have one out in a few days.

W.D.

P.S.
The actual playing out of this adventure has been shelved for a little bit so I can come in with fresh eyes. Expect to see the actual play next week. I will add links to both articles so that they may be viewed side by side.