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First off, because this work is to support DCC, I want it to
have a strong Appendix N flavour. To that
end, I randomly determined three Appendix N authors to use as “strong
influences” on each main level of the dungeon.
I did this for six dungeon levels and three “upper works” levels. At this point, I had no idea what these
levels would represent.
A Sense of Scale
One thing I noticed pretty quickly is that every dungeon
area would have a real sense of scale.
Creeping around in narrow rooms and tunnels does occur in Appendix N
fiction, of course, but vast expanses – even vast underground expanses – are also
pretty common. So, many regions should
include some impressively large areas.
For instance, it became clear that one area would have thermal vents that
created a hothouse jungle environment, and that it should probably have some
form of “sun” to that it is always lit – even if only from the reflections of
deep earth lights upon the high cavern ceiling.
When viewed in this way, it becomes clear that a dungeon “level”
is going to be a complex three-dimensional area which may contain many smaller
levels or sublevels. Some of these might
exhibit strong influences of other Appendix N authors, so that an area which is
similar to the Africa of Edgar Rice
Burroughs and Robert E. Howard
might also contain a temple not unlike those that Leigh Brackett placed in her planetary romances.
Connectivity
In any OSR megadungeon, connectivity is important, because
it is desirable that players can choose their level of challenge. In a DCC megadungeon, I find that this is
even more true. The gonzo nature of DCC
encourages players to take risks, and the play structure must do the same. Also, as each area will have its distinct
features, the players gain an ability to “choose their own adventure”, whether
facing the ape-men and dinosaurs of the hothouse level, or seeking lost
knowledge among the courts of the shadow elves.
Both obvious and hidden connectivity must exist, and
discovering hidden connectivity must be a reward unto itself….it must confer an
advantage upon the PCs who discover it.
Cool Monsters
Creating some “standard monsters” for each area is desirable,
and is probably necessary to run a large and complex area. However, these monsters should be
non-standard creatures, for the most part, created to match the needs of the
dungeon area. In this way, learning
about the inhabitants is a benefit to the players, and is a bonus for
long-term play.
Nonetheless, each area also need cool and unique monsters
and NPCs that are one-of-a-kind, and these need not always be adversaries. Or, rather, some may be potential allies and
potential adversaries, based upon circumstances. La of Opar, in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan novels comes immediately to mind.
NPCs must exist which can become allies, adversaries, love interests, mortal patrons, and rivals.
NPCs must exist which can become allies, adversaries, love interests, mortal patrons, and rivals.
Quest For It
Sometimes, the players will just want to kick in a few
doors, kill a few monsters, and take their stuff. This sort of play must be supported. But Dungeon Crawl Classics is a game
built to allow players to “quest for” extras, and there must be cool things in
the dungeon that can be objects of those quests. Not only are there unique objects to be
found, and unique patrons for wizards and elves, but there are places where
spells may be learned, martial training may occur, stats can be boosted, corruption
can be undone, and so on. Even a
Fountain of Youth might be of value if some of the characters are elderly.
Not every treasure in DCC comes in the form of gold and
gems. In fact, the most valuable
treasures do not.
A Unifying Force
Finally, because of all the gonzo directions in which such a
dungeon can go, there must be a unifying force or conflict that affects most,
if not all, of the dungeon areas. This
conflict or force should exist on a grand scale, so that it cannot be resolved
in a few sessions of play. Best of all
are conflicts that cannot be resolved outside of years of play, and that
resolution should change the nature of the region forever – perhaps even
destroy it. Read Michael Moorcock, A. Merritt,
Poul Anderson, and Fred Saberhagen for ideas regarding
overarching conflicts, and how resolving them can change everything.
Nonetheless, players should be given plenty of opportunities
to have their characters meddle early on, and their meddling should have consequences,
both for them and for the environment. A
unifying force or conflict creates the unity that makes the megadungeon more
than just a random collection of sites.
Being able to take sides, and to influence that conflict, makes the game
meaningful and fun.
More later.
