This one also goes out to you guys 🙂
Yes, this is related to the move I posted yesterday… 😉
Originally shared by Kasper Brohus Allerslev
I’m currently working on a side project about a labyrinth in a fantasy universe. I need some help here, not to actually craft it, not about how it should be designed or anything about its layout, but rather about clarifying what a proper labyrinth is.
So, in that regard what is their to say about…
… the feel of a labyrinth?
… the environment?
… the features?
… the inhabitants (if any)?
… the general ecology?
… what’s important in a labyrinth?
… the kind of treasure?
Before I post anything myself, I’d like to read other peoples’ thought on the matter, if only to get some unbiased opinions. I’m convinced that the most important thing about labyrinths is aesthetics, that the people running around inside it should feel like being trapped in a maze.
For that matter, what kind of (non-magical) equipment should the adventurers bring along, and what kind of nefarious traps can be found down there?
Keep in mind that this isn’t about actual design or map-making, just about the characteristics of a fantasy labyrinth environment.
Hey! After your post yesterday Joshua Bailey and I decided to compile our ideas into something pretty cool. Just thought I’d say thanks for the inspiration, might send some scribbles your way if you’re interested.
Do it! Do it NAOUGHW!
The core aesthetic of a labyrinth for me is the feeling of being lost, and being at a loss sat to how to reach your destination. Knowing its just there but being unable to reach it.
Whether its twists and turns, a room you seem to re-enter whenever you exit, a featureless desert where you keep crossing your own footprints, or a house where every room is a puzzle or riddle, confusion is key.
See I take the opposite view from Adrian Thoen a labyrinth has certain religious and symbolic metaphors. IE medieval labyrinths in church. it is a place of wonder of meditation and as one leaves the spiral path after traversing the center or heart a place of transformation. Even for Theseus the labyrinth is the transformative moment he takes a lover and cements himself as the true king to come
I think it is important to show the claustrophobia, the sense of being lost, both physically and mentally; confusion and fear and loss of control. This leads to revelation – I’ve been here before, I’ve found a new feature, there’s something here with me – glimpses of escape are always fun. And of course, the heart of the labyrinth should reflect the true meaning of the maze – is it to reveal, or to hide? Only the builder knows.
Traps – should always be misleading, redirecting, and hiding. Trapdoors, sliding walls, rotating passages, etc… Pit traps would be okay, but are a little out of the general way, unless of course they’re the only real way out! Mirrors are also good. Trompe-l’oiel scenes that fool you into thinking you’re somewhere you’ve already been.
Chalk, ropes, spikes, nets, poles, plenty of torches, balls of string of course, are all useful for dealing with labyrinths.