Rob Kuntz's Pied Piper Publishing is getting ready to publish a new product line called Dungeon Sets, the first two examples of which will be available on November 15. The products are, according to their description, "un-keyed, color maps with integration notes and a comprehensive legend that are presented as a contiguous, and exacting, dungeon setting." Basically, they're a series of maps to aid referees in creating their own megadungeons and designed with that purpose in mind. I'll admit that sounds intriguing to me, since I hate making my own maps -- and lack the skill to do so anyway -- and I regularly swipe maps from a variety of sources to use as inspiration for my own efforts.
Much more intriguing, though, is Kuntz's mention that future product in the line will be "a treatise—an in depth essay—on dungeon-crafting in its many facets should be of interest, so we are gathering notes to add to my already 10,000+ word MS which describes the creation of Greyhawk™ Castle, Castle El Raja Key and Maure Castle™. This historical and instructive treatise will cover the beginnings of this honored endeavor and track some of the changes that have taken effect with the modernization of the game." That sounds almost like the kind of product that could answer some of the problems I noted in my Schrödinger's Dungeon post. A lot will depend, of course, on just how the treatise is structured and what it contains, but, in principle, I like the idea of such a product. It's that one I'll be keeping my eye on.
I too was intrigued.
ReplyDeleteI'm wagering that allot of this will be targeted at the Neophyte who has tons of great ideas but doesn't know how to lay it out on paper. How to configure a dungeon, setup it's ecology, and outlying principles for the DM to draw off on.
ReplyDeleteOverall I'm pegging it as a nice form to use when designing a MegaDungeon but not something that those of us who've been DM'n for ages upon ages will necessarily have to have on Day 1.
Of course it's all speculation so I could be wrong on all accounts. Who knows!
I can see the allure of this for the seasoned veteran. Many of us who have been at this for decades are now at a point in our life when we don't have as much time to devote to our hobby. Sometimes it's nice to cut some corners and get to the meat of the adventure. And as Mr. M mentioned above, there's a lot of people who just don't like mapping. I myself love it, but something like this may be a boon for those who hate the mapping process.
ReplyDeleteI hate mapping with a passion. I find that it's 10x easier to just take a random dungeon and then change a few spots here and there. The hard work is already done for me, I just need to add the crunchy bits to make it whole.
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