There was a recent discussion on megadungeons that got me thinking about how they would work in DW. Let’s take a setting like Sword Art Online or Etrian Odyssey: the only attraction is a relatively vertical megadungeon, which the PCs must explore and loot. The dungeon has checkpoints that take you from the entrance to lower levels, but is there another way to do this with the DW rules? Specifically, I’d like to repurpose UPJ to something like: “When you journey to a lower level of the dungeon…” How could this work?
Title
Title
I think ultimately this, for me, would be a ‘So I’d like to run a setting in a world with one dungeon, which works like this: What do you guys think, could you answer questions during character creation with that in mind?’
Steadings would be relatively simple, i think: There wouldnt be many unless you want to put the dungeon underneath a huge city… then you could just make the steadings as districts in the city, like London has Boroughs…
I kinda like the idea of repurposing UaPJ, and this is likely how i’d do it:
When you journey into an unexplored region of the dungeon, designate one party member to be the Researcher, the Surveyer, and the Sentry, then everyone with a role rolls +WIS. On a 10+, The GM tells the Researcher one fact that is true about the surroundings (in addition to the two from a 7+), the Surveyer discovers something hidden of use or value, and the Sentry gains an advantage over any foes that could lie within. On a 7+, the GM tells the Researcher one true thing and one false thing about the surroundings- but does not say which is which, the Surveyer leads the party into a structurally sound area, and the Sentry does not gain a disadvantage against any foes that could lie within. On a miss, each role misses a crucial fact related to their job.
Peter J, I’m picturing something like…
When you travel a known path through the dungeon, name your destination and roll….
And the roll (however it’s done) determines what happens on the trip? (Make good/bad time, use up less/more resources, discover something interesting, have to overcome a challenge, etc.)
And you’d use this move to get to the door of the dangerous/unexplored areas. But once there, you’d use the conversation/GM moves/what-do-you-do structure.
Is that what you had in mind?
Rebel Wulf Steadings could also be areas of the dungeon inhabited or controlled by different factions. It just depends on how big the whole thing is, and the length of time or difficulties required to travel between them.
Well, so in my head when you say Megadungeon I don’t actually think Sword Art: I think Dungeon Meshi, which the 1st level has now been converted into an adventurer town and lower down has a little theif-guild style tavern, another level is where the Orcs villages originally were…
I have this move I adjusted from a move Jason Cordova created.
Dungeon Crawl
When you spend your time trying to make your way through a dungeon, maze or other labyrinthine structure, describe how you do it and roll +STAT. On a 12+ gain 2 hold. On a 10-11 gain 1 hold. On a 7-9 gain one hold, but you also encounter one of the dungeon’s dangers. On a 6- lose 1 hold and you encounter a danger. You may spend 3 hold at any time to find what you are looking for in the dungeon. You may also spend 1 hold at any time to discover one of the dungeon’s treasures. Describe the room you find it in when you do.
What you are looking for could be the door to the next floor. Or the “Boss Room” if that’s what you are going for.
Jeremy Strandberg Yes, that was what I was looking for.
Cool. Here’s one way you might do that.
When you travel a known path through the dungeon, name your destination and ask the GM what it will take (time, uses of adventuring gear, rations, etc.). Then, whoever leads the way rolls +nothing. Add…
+1 if you’ve taken the path many times
+1 if everyone moves quietly and with care
+1 if you don’t need to carry a light source
On a 7-9, you reach your destination without incident and it cost no more than what the GM told you it would. On a 10+, pick 1:
* It takes less time and/or resources to make it there
* You make a Discovery along the way
On a 6-, your journey is interrupted; the GM will tell you how.
Variations on this could be:
* The leader rolling +INT or +WIS instead of a fiction-based modifier.
* Letting the GM also include more than just time/resources in their requirements… maybe the route to the Yellow Door requires that you cross the rickety bridge over Hel’s Maw (and there’s a custom move for that? or just a Defy Danger).
You could also pretty easily change my Chart a Course move to handle underground paths.
https://goo.gl/DV5akZ
On a semi-related note, I’ve always wanted to take part in a dungeon environment created inside a dragon so large it swallows towns whole, where the players conclude, or are told, that the way to defeat the dungeon is to pierce the heart, but the dragon’s structure, and several internal organs are made of some of the harder gemstones.