1 Page Dungeon Monstrosity - The Dwarven Hall

My 1 page dungeon monstrosity

I have noticed that other are posting their 1 page dungeons, so I will follow suit. I was going to wait until after the competition was done, but it since other are posting I am going to go ahead and post mine.

As one can tell, I squished a lot into this 1 page dungeon. As one is looking through it, note the color coded locks, which I think is one of the more interesting features of this dungeon. And of course it has a dragon as the final encounter, which I thought was appropriate!

Enjoy!

The PDF version is a little easier to read, so if anyone wants the PDF, just send me an email, and I will send it off to you.

As a final note, Chatty has posted the complete list of everyone who entered, and folks are adding their websites with their 1 -page entries. I am looking forward to reading through all the entries!

Dungeon Contest - Submitted!

Now I can say that it is complete, and it has been mailed in!

Dungeon Contest - Done!

…Well almost done.

I am going to sleep on it and take one more read through to make to catch any lingering items, and then I will submit it tomorrow. Once the deadline has passed, I will be posting it on my blog. The current title is “The Dwarven Tomb,” which I may change to “The Dwarven Hall,” as there are no crypts in it, although I was originally planning on having 2 crypt areas. I designed it using excel and power point, and I am happy with the overall dungeon layout. I was able to do just about everything I wanted to. Even though it is basically one level, I was able to create vertical separation in the level, which I think adds an extra element to a dungeon level. I was also able to add a color key concept that would create a bit of a puzzle for the players. The challenge with a one page limitation is that the designer has to keep the design tight, especially considering that the dungeon layout takes up a significant bit of real estate on the page. I suspect that tomorrow I will try to add some last minute content into an already full page.

I will be the first to say that this is a hard dungeon, and is probably a bit harder than I was initially thinking. My gut feel says that this is for 10th -12th level characters. There is a wide range of encounters, with some easy ones and some very challenging levels, which I am very happy with. Also, as a bonus I added a wandering demon grue into the mix, which the GM can have some fun with. As I am writing this, I think I will add another comment in my write up on this as it is just too fun not to.

Looking back on the contest, I had fun creating it, and we shall see what the judges think. I am very interested to see what everyone else is creating as I imagine there will be some very creative designs. My thanks go out to Chatty and team for creating the contest. My personal thought is that this is exactly the type of thing that WotC should be running to generate interest in the game. Paizo doing something a little different as they are running their RPG Superstar contest which is a great way for them to find new talent for their own in house projects. For a design house that needs to stay lean, they need to makes sure that they have a steady pool of designers to tap into. This one page contest is perfect for the fans to get involved in, as it is fairly easy to create. I suspect that this is the first of a number of contests that will in the offering as summer comes along, which I think is great.

Dungeon Contest - Update

This weekend is a 5 day weekend in China. My goal is to finish up my 1 page dungeon. At this point it is basically done. I have it mapped out and I have made my first pass through all the rooms. I do want to have another review before I submit.

Tomorrow I will post a longer blog.

Decent into the Dungeon (part 2)

In Dante’s Inferno, Dante's journey starts with him being pursued in a dark wood that would lead directly to the gates of hell. One could argue that this represents the ultimate dungeon experience, as it is not just a cave that Dante is entering but it is actually a portal to another place. In essence, the entrance represents a transition from the real to that which is supernatural. I find this imagery particularly interesting.

When I played my first game, the dungeon entry way was a portal into another world, in which all things were possible. Outside the dungeon was a fictional historical European environment. In that first campaign, we did not spend a lot of time exploring outside the dungeon. The game existence was the dungeon for all practical purposes.

This leads to an idea that outside the dungeon is rather, dare I say, dull and routine, and perhaps even a bit of a grind. The monsters, magic, treasure and other out of the ordinary experiences all existed inside the dungeon. It is this concept of transition from normal to supernatural that exists in the entry way of a dungeon that I find to be very powerful imagery. Once we pass from outside to inside, we leave the natural behind, and anything can happen once we have past the threshhold. It is the wardrobe of the game that separates the rather dull to the exciting.

That was in the old days. In the current times, this has been dropped, as we have turned to world building in which even the outside of the dungeons have become fantasy worlds where the supernatural also exists. I often wonder in our attempt to create a world, are we losing this powerful symbolism of the dungeon entrance?

I think there is a natural urge to world build and give our creations context for existence. Once could argue that when one steps into the game as a whole, one is escaping the current reality and entering a world that offers something exciting. Gaming should be fun, and should offer a entertainment right from the start, and I agree with all that. However, with this methodology, we lose that stark contrast that the dungeon mouth represents. As the treasure hunting adventurers enter the dungeon, they are entering into a place that is far more dangerous and exciting than exists back in the home town.

I suspect that my initial experience in D&D is similar to that of others that began around 1980. The adventures centered around the dungeon, and the goal was to get there as fast as possible, as that was really the point of the game. As time went by, the experience rapidly moved away from the dungeon and expanded like a genesis device to populate an entire area and eventually the entire world.

This goes back to my comment yesterday about magic. Initially, magic was only found in the dungeon. Now, the concept of a magic shop is a fairly well used idea, and can be found in almost every adventure that has a significant sized town. With magic becoming widely available, I would argue that it has lost some of its magic and become a bit mundane. If one has enough gold, why even bother going to the dungeon at all? Just go to the local store, grab a cart and start shopping. I think we are losing something here.

Now I realize that the ship may have left this pier many years ago, and I think in some ways some of the magic has also left. The unknown isn’t really unknown any more. Where once someone may have thought the drow were cool and mysterious because no one really knew much about them, contrast that to now where they mainstream and very well known, even by non-players.

I think this is one of the major reasons why I love the dungeons. There is still a bit of uncertainty about what lies in them. There is still excitement walking down a long hallway, wondering what traps lie up ahead. Finding that room in which an ancient tomes hint at something powerful is waiting a few levels down. Knowing that character survival is a precious thing and that luck favors the well prepared.

But, it is that dungeon entrance, that portal into darkness that symbolizes the transition from the dull real world to that which is magically supernatural, that holds special interest for me.

Descent into the Dungeon

After a full week of conf calls until 1am, I am ready for the weekend.

Earlier in the week, I was flipping through FFG’s website and I noticed a new release of their excellent Descent game. They plan to publish a Quest Compendium, which will be a collection of scenarios written by some well known names in the industry, including Monte Cook and Keith Baker.

I am a fan of the game, but I realize that it is a bit limited in that the characters are pre-made and there is limited growth opportunity. It plays a bit like a miniature game as a result. With all that said, it is still a fun game that provides an evening of dungeon crawling, and can serve as an introduction to more complex games.

In thinking about Descent, I have come to realize that of all the D&D adventures out there, I really like the big dungeons. The murder mysteries are fun, and the outdoor quests are interesting, and the small side dungeons or a ruined building are kinda neat, but what I like is the big multi-level dungeons with a castle ruin sitting on top. I like playing them, I like reading them, and I like refereeing them. There is just something about a big dungeon that resonates well with me. I remember the first time I played, and I was exploring a dungeon. It was the excitement of exploring knowing that something cool was right around the corner.

This brings me to the topic of magic. I am not a big fan of the well stocked magic store. The dungeon should be well stocked, but not the store. The idea that one can go into a store and buy all sorts of magic items, takes a bit of the mystique away. Dungeons should have a good assortment of magic items that are found frequent enough to keep the players engaged and wanting more. Magic serves as the ultimate reward for exploration. By putting magic in a shop, or allowing characters to create magic, takes some of the luster away. The magic does not glitter like magic should. The dungeon should be the place to find the magic, as it represents a descent into a realm where anything is possible, with luck finding favor with the well prepared.

I have a couple of additional ideas on this theme that I think I will post tomorrow.

One Page Dungeon Update

The map is done, and I have basically completed all the formatting. It came in at 37 encounter areas, and I am working on populating the dungeon. This will be a packed one pager. I will post my dungeon on the blog as soon as the contest is over.

Working on my 1 page dungeon

Light blogging today. I am working on my one page dungeon, and I am hoping to have the graphing done this weekend, then I can spend some time on the rooms. I am about half done with the graphing at this moment.

For the weekend, I will update Chordille Keep and also squeeze in a product review.

The Dungeon Contest is Live!

After a bit of a false start over the weekend, I see that Chgowiz has posted the details of the contest.

Time to get after it!

Adding the link to Chatty's Blog, which has all the details.

Dungeon Contest -Coming soon!

I have been asked to pull this announcement until the sponsors are ready. Hopefully I will be able to repost this very soon!

Dungeon-a-day - Update

A short note from Monte on his Dungeon-a-Day project:

Remember, the Charter Membership offer ends April 10 (this Friday), so spread the word, post it on your blogs, and tell your friends.

Basically two days left to take advantage of this offer.

Review: Dungeon-a-Day.com (Part 2)

Continued from yesterday
----------------

Final thoughts

Dungeon-a-day is a very interesting idea. My overall thought is that the website is very slick, and I suspect that Monte will continue to make improvements over time, which means it will get better. We spend a lot of time debating the merits of one rule set over another, or discussing some optional rule set, and discussing game philosophy. It is good to see someone put all that rhetoric aside and actually start working on an ambitious project, which this is. I have to give kudos to Monte for this.

Now I do recognize that there is a bit of criticism about the subscription model. There is a feeling that what one is really getting is just fancy blog, and with the multitude of blogs out there, why would one want to pay for it. This goes back to my discussion on value, and does one consider this as valuable as a magazine subscription. With any internet subscription model, that is the basic question that one has to answer. If one is not interested in an electronic magazine subscription, then this is not for you.

There has also been a bit of discussion on whether or not this is really an old school mega-dungeon. The level maps are a bit small (38 encounter areas on the first level and 24 on the second) and the room entries are a bit long. So I do agree that the map levels are a bit on the small side, but I am ok with this, as I actually like to see more vertical orientated dungeons with half levels in between the main levels. When I am doing my design work on large dungeons, I try to incorporate as many small side levels, as I find that a bit more interesting than just one large flat dungeon. I do recognize this as my preference, and not everyone would agree with me. I think offering vertical choices are more interesting than just a standard horizontal choice.

With regards to the long room descriptions, I think that is the nature of the subscription model beast. If I am going to pay for content, then I want to see content. To put a number on it, if I am going to subscribe to something that promises daily content, then I want to see ~1K of word content. Now this does not mean that I want to see dungeon rooms come in at 1000 words, but rather I want to see a total of ~1000 words between the different articles. Different folks may have a different number in mind, but that is my threshold. Thus far, Monte’s room write ups range between 300 words to up over 1500 words. I fully agree that he could tighten up the descriptions on some of the rooms. However, he is using a room template that while easy to read and use, and does stretch out the room descriptions a bit. Also, the 3rd ed monster write ups can become very bloated, and thus far, Monte has tried to keep the monster stat blocks to an absolute minimum, which I appreciate.

One of the things I really like is the interconnectedness of the dungeon so far. There is an overall dungeon plot to it, and it is not just a collection of rooms. I think that this is truly the key to making a great mega-dungeon. It is relatively easy to create a series of maps and populate them monsters and such. However, it is quite another thing to create a tight interconnected dungeon plot that links rooms and levels together. As a player, it is more interesting to play through a dungeon, if it has a plot, and there are deeper things to discover. This concept of a dungeon plot turns into a puzzle for the players, and I think that this helps stimulate good game play, and keeps the interest going. Levels which are quite independent and divorced from one another may be interesting at first, but I think greater interest comes from dungeon plot that gets revealed as one travels through the dungeon. This is not to say that dungeon should be an adventure path, but rather the plot should be a bit of a puzzle that the players can figure out, and I believe that this leads to better game play.

The last point I do want to mention is Monte’s use of Dwarven Forge miniature terrain. I really like the pictures of dungeon with the Dwarven Forge terrain. When I first started playing D&D, I always wanted to create a 3D dungeon. I will be the first one to say that Dwarven Forge terrain is very stunning when set up. It definitely gives the game a bit eye candy at the table. I personally do not owe any, but I am giving it considerable thought. To run a mega-dungeon using Dwarven Forge terrain (or something similar) would be really cool.

Overall, I do give this product a thumbs up. I think Monte has made good start, and I am hoping that he continues to improve the site. With that said, I realize that this is not for everyone. The subscription model may not work for everyone’s budget. If one is not planning on playing through it, if may not have a high value proposition. However, if one is creating a mega-dungeon, this site has a number of good ideas that are ripe for using. With each room getting its own detailed description, there are plenty of ideas that can be used in one’s own mega-dungeon.

Rating: 4 Dragons (on a scale of 5)

Review: Dungeon-a-Day.com (Part 1)

Dungeon-a-Day, by designer Monte Cook, has been now live for about three weeks or so, and there has been quite of bit of discussion on it. A number of bloggers have posted their comments, and some of the more commonly known features have been discussed and debated at length. But none the less, I will give my assessment of what has been done so far, and provide some additional insights that have come from what we have seen over the past three weeks, that perhaps were not as well known earlier. This review will be split into two parts, the first one being the more objective overview, and the second part will include more subjective analysis as well as a bit of commentary on mega-dungeons in general

As a disclaimer, I am a fan of Monte’s work. That is not to say that I like everything he has done, but I do think he is a very talented writer, and has a good understanding of the mechanics of the game, that comes from designing games for TSR and for developing the 3rd edition version. His list of published works is impressive, both in terms of quantity and quality. I do not own everything that he has published, but I do own a number of them. In this review, I will try to maintain an objective eye at the whole thing. With that said, let’s get into the actual review

Concept

The overall concept is very straight forward, as it’s a web based subscription model that is based on providing content five days a week. The content comes in terms of a room and usually something else, which has included blog entries, pod casts, maps, handouts, bonus encounters, new monsters, and glossary updates. There are hyperlinks throughout the website that allow quick access to addition information. For visitors to the site that are not members, there are a number of areas that can be accessed to help one determine if this is something that they want to sign up for. Monte has a number of subscription plans available, and signing up for a year subscription is clearly the best dollar value, which equates to about $7/month, or a little more than a subscription to a magazine. I am estimating the current price of a year magazine subscription to be at about $5/month for a year, and this does depend on the magazine as some maybe a bit cheaper than this, but there are some that are more than $7/month. I bring this up, as I think this becomes a good bench mark in determining if this something that one wants to sign up for.

The Good

There are a number of features that I think are very solid:

1. Maps done by Ed Bourelle. Ed is the owner for SkeletonKey Games, which specializes in maps and tiles for gaming. Ed’s cartography is very solid work.

2. The main map now has the function in which one can click on a room and be taken directly to that room.

3. Pictures of the rooms created with Dwarvenforge to give a 3-D feel for what the room looks like, in addition to the standard map. I personally really like this.

4. Interesting room ideas. Monte has clearly put some thought in the room design, and there are plenty of good ideas that have been written into the dungeon.

5. The website is focused on the dungeon, and everything is built around this concept.

6. Monte has an expanding list of sponsors, and I suspect that this will grow over time. Paizo just signed up this past week, with Jason Bulmahn agreeing to write a monthly blog to support Monte. I actually think this is very cool, as Monte was acting as a consultant for Jason for the creation of the Pathfinder rules, and with this move, Jason is returning the favor. Very classy.

7. There is an active forum in which subscribers can provide feedback to Monte, and he has taken action on the suggestions that have been made.

8. An overall dungeon plot, with foreshadowing, hints and clues to what exists below.

The objections

These are some of the items that have thus far received the most criticism:

1. Cost. The cost is more than a magazine subscription.

2. Monte is using the 3rd ed rule set as the basis with which to write this, and some folks may no longer be using this rule set.

3. The content is being provided one room at a time, and there is no updates being made over the weekend.

4. At the moment, there is no compilation as the levels are finished. This may change, but right now there are no plans.

5. I personally do have a minor quibble about the site organization, specifically with regards to the key reference materials. I would like to see the navigation menu beefed up a bit more, but I do suspect that this will be improved. My general thought is that one should be able to get to a key reference page in one click, and it should be very intuitive as to where it is.

For tomorrow, I will post part two, which will include my final thoughts on Dungeon-a-Day.

Playin' with the kids

Not much of an update today. My son and his friends want to play, so I will be running them through Monte's Mega-dungeon. I have stockade ruins that I will use as the surface level, and then use Monte's first level. I will post an after action report tomorrow.

The March Mad Mega-Dungeon Month

March.

Signs of spring. One can feel it in the air. March is the month for March Madness and the college basketball NACC Final Four Tournament. It’s the season where everyone puts together their brackets and after two rounds, it looks like a complete disaster. And it’s also the month of mega-dungeon madness. I had no idea, but apparently this is true.

As a self admitted dungeon addict, this is all good stuff. Why should I have to eek by with just one mega dungeon, when I can have 2 or 3 or even 5? Who cares that I might not run any of them! I am the type that will look at a small dungeon and say, “size matters.” That was probably harsh say about all the small dungeons out there. But I am really sorry you are small. Like’em big! Really big! I think the Texas mentality is starting to really set in, as I feel comfortable saying that.

So let’s bring it on.

In my mind, the biggest issue with mega-dungeon campaigns is how to keep them fresh and exciting for long periods at time. If we say that the average campaign goes about 18 months, then there has to be enough interesting stuff to keep the interest there, and not turn it into a meat grinder. Going back to the 18 month concept, if one meets 1/month that means 18 sessions of about 10 encounters each, which would be about 180 total encounters. If a group meets 2/month, that number clearly doubles, and at 4x/month the number doubles again. For the purposes of this discussion, let’s go with 2x/month, so roughly 360 individual encounters total. And, yes, I have a tendency to get wrapped around the numbers, as I am a numbers guy (but not a bean counter).

360 encounters..let’s think about that some more.

Assuming that not much action happens in the town, which means the 360 encounters happen either near the dungeon area, or in the dungeon. If we say that a level has 36 encounter areas, then that would be 10 full levels. Now in a mega-dungeon environment, there will be a number of rooms and encounters that the party never sees, so that could add another 50 encounters, if we assume another 5 encounter areas per level that the characters never get to. Now let’s suppose that there are some hidden levels, or it is possible to skip levels, then that would mean another 2-3 levels that would have to be designed also. This puts us near 500 total encounters for a 13 level dungeon that the players would hit 360 encounters or about 2/3 of the total encounters would be discovered.

So where am I going with all this? Good question.

If we take it at face value that we are going to need to design 500 encounters, they had better be interesting, or the players will not make it to #25. That is the challenge for the designer. How to make 500 encounters interesting to support a campaign that meets 2x/month for 18 months.

Last December I wrote a bit about mega-dungeons, and I covered some design tips to think about when creating them, and I stand by what I wrote. I do want to hit on a couple of additional items about mega-dungeon design that I like that helps keep 500 encounters interesting.

I like interconnected details. I appreciate the work that my fellow bloggers have done in terms of creating summary pages that allow for quick creation of mega dungeons. There are a number of my peers that will spout the virtues of randomness, and there is nothing wrong with this. However, I like a bit of extra detail thrown in. There has to be a plan to the madness. With that, let me begin my list:

1. Keys – I like keys that go to rooms that are located on different levels

2. Maps – I like to find maps to secret areas

3. Unique magic items – I like to find special unique magic items, especially when it comes to magic swords. Magic swords that have a special ability are the best! They just rock. Talking swords are even better. I am not sure why I like talking magic swords, but I just do. As a GM, obnoxious talking swords provide me with hours of entertainment at the party’s expense, especially when they are cynical and sarcastic. But I digress…

4. Special magic items – Items that provide a foreshadowing of things to come are awesome too.

5. Notes – Notes that provide insight and impart knowledge, especially when combined to form bigger notes. This works well with maps too.

6. Castle ruins on top – Castles with dungeons just ooze classic game play.

7. NPC’s in the dungeon – Chances to interact with the players is a must, otherwise it turns into a hack-n-slash fest

8. The hidden stalker – These guys are great to set the mood, and they do not even have to actually engage the party. It’s the footsteps in the dark.

9. Walls with eyes – related to number 8 above, there should be a feeling that the bad guys are always nearby.

10. The treasure horde – There has to be some massive treasure haul at the end to make 18 months of slogging through the dungeon meaningful.

More thoughts on mega-dungeons to come.

Dungeon-a-day - First look

This is just a quick post to say that Monte's Dungeon-a-day is up and running, and it is impressive. I encourage everyone to just take a peek at what he has done, regardless of whether one is planning on subscribing or not. It is definitely a one of a kind web site that he has put together. There are a couple of things that I find interesting about what he is doing:

1) He has put together a website that has all sorts of built in links to tie everything together

2) He has multiple sections to page through

3) He has pictures of what the dungeon looks like using Dwarven Forge terrain

4) He has both a blog and a forum

5) Lots of art work

All in all it is very cool. Now some folks may not find it that useful, and that is fine. I am sure that numerous reviews will pop up all over the net over the next week or two. After I have used it for a week or so, I will post more thoughts and a more formal review.

Anyway, take a look, and feel free to post your impressions here. I am curious to see what everyone thinks of it

Mega-Dungeons!

One of the things that writing your own blog does is give you an appreciation of the other blogs out on the net. It seems every day I find a new blog to look at.

Mega Dungeons!

There are different types of dungeons:
1. The lair - These are really just small caves with only a couple of encounter areas.

2. Tournament dungeons - There are designed for 4-6 hour time blocks. Roughly 12 encounter areas.

3. Standard dungeons - these are mostly 2 (although can be 3 if they are small) level dungeons that are found in the standard module.

4. Big dungeons - These are 4-6 levels range, with well over 50 encounter areas.

5. Mega-dungeon - These are monstrous things that know no bounds, and can be as deep as the abyss itself. Now this is what I am talking about!

During the past several months I have taken up an interesting in these behemoths. I have been scowering the internet looking for blogs and forum threads about them. These are the beasts that no one really every completes. A lot of folks start them, but they are hard to finish. Everyone has their favorite mega-dungeon. Undermountain, D series, RARE, World's Largest Dungeon, Castle Whiterock. They are an institution in this hobby. The name says it all. Just the idea of a mega-dungeon has an old school ring to it.

As I have been thinking this over, I have come to realize that the creation of a mega-dungeon is part science and part art form. While the concept of a mega-dungeon is very exciting, the execution of it is often lacking. How do you hold interest through 100+ encounter areas? How do you keep room number 101 different than the previous 100? After scanning through numerous blogs and forum threads, I will offer my ideas on mega-dungeons:

1. Keep the levels short. When I first started designing dungeons, my first 3 level monster, was just that, it was a giant maze of rooms and passages with each level filling up the entire sheet of graph paper. I think the three levels combined, were well over 300 encounters, and may have been closer to 500. Since then, I have realized that smaller levels are better. They are easier to design, they give the players a sense of accomplishment, levels can be used to align with sessions, etc...

2. Each level needs to have its own theme. While gnolls are great, and orcs are outrageous, and trolls are terrible, if they are all repeated for each level, it becomes a bit boring. Each level needs to have its own character. Variety is the spice of life, and it applies to dungeons too.

3. Dungeons need themes and plots. I think this one goes hand in hand with #2. Its about differentiating the levels, and at the same time, provide a bit of a thread that ties them all together.

4. Sometimes silly stuff is ok. On this item, I will preach moderation, as too much silly stuff is way too much. A little goes along way.

5. Go vertical. It is very obvious that dungeons are vertical, but I think levels need to be vertical too. This adds a bit more to the mundane tunnel connecting 1 room to another.

6. Secret levels and secret areas. I think this is a must have. There should be sub levels that are only accessible via secret doors. If you are designing your own dungeon, I am not sure that one would want to design an entire level that would probably not be found. However, there is something special knowing that there are places that still exist, unexplored, waiting to be found.

7. The BBEG at the bottom. This is probably as old school as it gets. The boss monster is at the bottom. Moria is a great example of this. I loved the entire Mines of Moria section in Lord of the Rings. I could read that section and watch the movie 100 hundred times and not be bored with it. The entrance was special, complete with a magic door. The guardian sealed them in. Plenty of empty rooms with all sorts of stuff, including interesting diaries detailing the final moment of a dying race. There were orcs and trolls, and that was good...err..evil. But then, then comes the Balrog, the very definition of BBEG, that sends the fellowship running. What I found to be really cool was that the BBEG went after the fellowships, it did not sit still. Great stuff, with a dash of horror (the stoppable evil) thrown in!

8. Special doors. Gotta have'em. Nuff' said.

9. Tricks, Traps & Puzzles. I am combining several things in this category. Traps are easy to over use. You need them to keep the party on their toes, but you do not want to over do it. Now I agree that the rogue and the dwarf need something to do, and traps are a great way to keep things interesting. Puzzles are encounters that allow everyone to contribute, and they can challenge both the player and the character. I think the best puzzles challenge both.

10. Statues. I love statues. There is just something about them. They can just be a plain statue, they can be a gargoyle in disguise, they can be some sort of other type of guardian, they can be magic, they can be trapped, they can hide secret doors. In my opinion, you can not have too many. One of the great aspects of the first edition Players Handbook is the statue on the front cover. Awesome stuff.

11. Make the map interesting. This one sometimes gets over looked, but this is the cornerstone of good design. Linear flow is very basic, but the complex maze can be just frustrating. It’s the levels that have multiple off shoots, underground rivers, lava pits, dead ends, obstacles that make for interesting play. The map should challenge both the player and the character. Old school is about challenging the player, but I think there is something to be said for challenging the characters as well. (I could not resist going to 11)

Comments are welcome from folks with other ideas!