|
Post by grym247 on Nov 25, 2013 8:12:55 GMT
i think its safe to add as many rooms / type. I actully did a Bigger Dungeon and made it 5x5 usuing this concept was 5 levels with each level 5-6 encounters, i try to add a RP aspect as an encounter, something for them to interact with like a library or Den, nothing to fight but Rp explore.
The Bigger Dungeon i did was set up like this each had its own 5 rooms/encounters
1/ Outside / hold 2/ Cave system 3/ Dungeon entrance Level 4/ Dungeaon Level two (i dubbed this hell level as was mostly traps, the Black lotus garden i made was here) 5/ Boss Level
|
|
|
Post by ashrothedm on Nov 27, 2013 17:42:21 GMT
My 4-5 encounters are often very similar, but rather than thinking of it as 5 rooms in a dungeon, I make it more abstract and work through as 5 encounters that could span the globe or adventure.
I think some people may see dungeon advice and think it only applies to one facility, but each "room" need not be geographically or temporally adjacent. "Room 2" might be the next night in the inn as they travel to "Room 3." There are so many guides and good bits of information out there, but some people let the idea of a "dungeon" box them into a single place.
Good dungeons and good stories share common structures. You can look to one for inspiration and direction for the other.
|
|
|
Post by onethatwas on Nov 27, 2013 18:14:15 GMT
Indeed. I personally dislike dungeon crawls and would rather do adventuring afeild. Whether I GM or play in a game, thats my preference.
|
|
|
Post by thedmg on Nov 27, 2013 21:57:26 GMT
We play an 8 hour session once a fortnight. In that we can often nock over 12-15 encounters of varying sizes in a level. My prep time is the 10-20 minutes before we play. I lay out the dungeon as you see in my videos and on Facebook. Write down the stuff in the rooms (Just point form). There is a meta plot that runs through everything and a session specific plot, but the rest is all made up and randomly generated as we play. We've been doing it this way for 10 years. Many characters have died, been corrupted or lost... and sometimes abandonned. The game world is pretty well fleshed out and everyone knows the areas, politics and major players. I think the key is creating systems to streamline play. I also insist that players determine their next move prior to their turn. Otherwise they waste time thinking during their turn. Levelling is now a 5 minute pause as players predeterminen what they want. I am also thinking of having players screens similar to DM screens with all the processes laid out. I have a characeter generation and levelling book I put together to streamline character and NPC generation as well as what happens at each level for each class (3.5e) as the PHB and DMG (no relation) are laid out like a dogs breakfast.
|
|
|
Post by drathirbarrastudios on Nov 28, 2013 21:34:42 GMT
I'm not playing with a group right now, and it will probably be a while till I am able to be a part of a group. For right now its just my husband and myself. I don't plan any different when its just the two of us then I do when I am planning for a group.
We enjoy a very RP heavy game and when there is combat we like it very cinematic and it has to have a reason.
When planning I usually come up with an overall story arc and decide how many sessions I want it to take to get from beginning to end.
I figure out any important things that have to happen in steps (1 is meet an npc, 2 is find this item (or be clued in to item and on way to get) ).
The next thing I do is figure how my PC(s) factor into the world, what are the players goals for this character and how can I incorporate that into the game.
Then I collect any stats for NPCs/Monsters (mark pages in a book to keep for reference, print them out, whatever).
And that is pretty much all the prep I do. I prefer to present options and let the story unfold as it will. Normally I have a few goals per game session that pretty much need to be met. If they want to stop and explore those ancient ruins on the way to a far off city, then go for it, as long as they get to that city.
Since my husband and I tend to be spontaneous as to when we play (with kids and his job its very much a case of Carpe Diem) I usually just write down a few notes in my binder that say: #1 Alyosha, Scott PineTree, Midnight Syndicate #2 Sword of Dagoth, City of Vance, Magi Munthrex etc.
At the end of each game a note on here we left off and make any changes to the story that play may have impacted (or a killer idea that evolved during play).
I used to do *a lot* of prep, flavor text, npc dialog, all that. But as my Gming style began to develop I found it was too restrictive for my players and for myself. I got hung on on making the details happen instead of letting the details happen.
|
|
|
Post by grym247 on Nov 29, 2013 2:03:21 GMT
Indeed. I personally dislike dungeon crawls and would rather do adventuring afeild. Whether I GM or play in a game, thats my preference. I agree, most of my games are in the world as apposed to Dungeons, i use Dungeons as a Story hook, there is always a reason they are there and it will take quite a bit of gaming to even reach them. For example - the Paladin in my game is searching for a relic of his family from when his great grandfather served in a war in a foriegn land, he knows the location of a mass burial crypt but not what he will find. This he has known for a long time and they are no where near it still, (i think the other players are keeping him away lol) so the dungeon isnt fleshed out yet due to me not knowing what level they will be when they get there but since it has taken many adventures to get there i will increase the reward value. Its Prob going to be a holy Avenger. any way i rant..... i Suppose what im saying is if you create some hooks for your players it can lead to many adventures, and I write my story on what the players do its very reactive so that they are the ones creating it as we go, they are the Heroes after all.
|
|
|
Post by 1999robur on Dec 24, 2013 16:18:22 GMT
I generally pick a theme I want first and then figure out how it would fit in the story and then I think of the type of dungeon and encounters and then make a plan
|
|
|
Post by wilmanric on Dec 28, 2013 5:46:49 GMT
I'm a big fan of the emergent narrative. I have no plotline in place. I like random events to suggest connections between themselves and they set up situations to be resolved in the future. I print out a multi-page spreadsheet that randomizes traps, names, wandering monsters, tricks, colors, NPCs, symbols, etc. It's a bunch of stuff to use as inspiration; I hate a blank page. Before each session, I would go out and grab a bite to eat and look at the pages. Make notes. Draw lines. Circle the tricks/traps I particularly liked. Then, I would turn the PCs loose in the megadungeon or city. We'll see where they go and I'll improvise. I used to make detailed plans, but the players just went in different directions anyway. I wanted to tell stories, but inevitably they would do something to change my story into theirs. Now, I just let the characters' interactions with the world and the random events build a story. Here's a link to some posts about my latest campaign: carjackedseraphim.blogspot.com/search/label/cotma
|
|