Dungeon23 Gross Content Process

 This is the Gross Process for generating the first tranche of content for each Cluster. It’s largely procedural. Dice are rolled, tables are consulted, notes are taken. What I’m trying to get to at the end of this process is a skeleton to flesh out, to move from an entirely blank canvass to a sketch of a picture. Or some other such analogy. I roll some dice to I have a “HERE” to look at when I start thinking “but what goes here?”

I’ll talk more about the tables I’m using in a later post.

 

Gross Layout

I roll for a Gross Layout for my Cluster from a table which I'll post and discuss once I work out how to convert pdf's to pictures or how shared drives work.

 

Which is based on this blog post

And then roll for orientation of the cluster, flipping or rotating it and its position relative to the last created cluster, north or south or south-east, and up a bit, or down a bit or directly above.

I also roll for the Cluster Connector, it’s type, location, size and where it goes.

Then I roll for the vertical qualities of the Cluster, does it change height, in what direction and how steeply and how suddenly.

Finer Layout

I roll randomly for the size and shape of each room. A Large Square Room or a Tiny Circular Room or  Huge Irregular Room.  

I roll randomly for the size, type and qualities of the Links between the Rooms. These might take the form of a corridor or tunnel or they might be just a door, or the fact that Room 1 opens directly in Room 3.

I’m experimenting with some more thematic tables for this so that different areas can have different look and feel driven by a different demographic in the table. So, the base table might have more medium Rooms than any other type and define a medium Room as X square feet and a large Room as 2X square feet and have Links that tend to be short corridors with doors. A different area might favour large Rooms and define a large Room as 3X square feet and have Links that tend to be longer and more open. This area would feel more expansive and open and bigger.

 

Gross Content

Then I roll for gross or generic content. Again, based on this blog I’m giving each room a 2/6 chance of a Keyed Encounter, a 1/6 chance of a Trap, a 3/6 chance of Treasure and a 1/6 chance of a Special.

I also have the concept of a False Content. If the roll is 1 less than the roll required to place actual content I will try and place content that looks like it might be real content but turns out not to be. A False Keyed Encounter might be a noise that sounds like a monster. A False Trap might be a set of dangerously corroded pipes that contain hot but not scalding water. The idea here is to create opportunities for foreshadowing or clues and also to keep the PC’s in a state of meta-uncertainty.

What I’m finding half a dozen Clusters in is that this is giving my quite a broad range of density or interactions. Some Clusters have lots of stuff in them, some have less stuff. Some have multiple Traps. Some have Rooms with Traps, Treasure and Keyed Encounters all layered on top of each other. I’m okay with that outcome. The Clusters will be randomly located next to each other so overall a larger population of Rooms will average out to about the classic proportions of content. Different densities of content give the opportunity for different pacing of exploration and for PC’s to make some choices about how hard they engage with the content at any one time.

I follow the rule that procedurally generated content is a starting point and guide. If the procedurally generated content is borked in some way, I change it. If I need to adjust it in order to make the theme or the flow work a bit better, I change it. I’ll be revising each Cluster about 3 times over the course of the project. Once when I review each level of its Jacquay qualities and its fit to a cyclical generic dungeon. Again if future content creates back links to the current Cluster. Again, once the whole thing is finished and is ready to be edited and polished.  

Template for Creative Activity

That process gives me a rough map of the next area to be populated and the sorts of content that need to go in to it. I also have an idea of where the Cluster fits physically in to the bigger picture.

Now it’s time to come up with some interesting content.

Glossary, Terms and Definitions

Room – a keyed location in the mega-dungeon. Named, referenced by a) date of release and b) Cluster and Room Number Code. Rooms are not necessarily rooms. They are locations for keyed content. They might be a room, or a cave or a  forest glade or the branch of a tree, a hovel in a village, a bookstack in a large library. They might be a smaller part of a larger space which is keyed because something interesting is happening in it.

Link – a link between two Rooms, referenced by Cluster and Link Letter Code.

So Rooms C2R3 and C2R4 and Rooms 2 and 3 in Cluster 2. They are linked by Link C2LD.

Connector – a special Link that leads from one Cluster to another Cluster, either in the same or different Levels, or even to the outside. Referenced by the  Cluster it was generated in, so  C2C1 would be the first Connector generated in Cluster 2.

Cluster – a group of 6 rooms plus connectors developed in one generation session. Rooms in Clusters are likely to be thematically linked in some way.

Level – a collection of 3-5 Clusters which make up a classic dungeon level i.e Level 1 is easier than Level 2 which is easier than  Level 3 and generally speaking PC’s need to progress through Levels 1 and 2 to reach Level 3.

Keyed Encounter – an entity, something that can be role played by the GM, which initially is more or less tied to specific location on the map. An entity that has an agenda and which can  be interacted with, spoken to, negotiated with, tricked, fought, intimidated, charmed or which might do the same to the PC’s.

Trap – a dangerous piece of content, it might be deliberately created and placed by NPC’s in order to harm intruders like a spiked pit, it could be a naturally occurring hazard like unstable rocky slopes or a machine which is broken or just dangerous to be around. Operates mechanically in game terms; is not role played by the GM.

Treasure – something of value, either monetary value, a useful tool or weapon, valuable information or very useful adventuring supplies.

Roster Encounter – an entity that is based in or near the current cluster and moves around it or dynamically responds to PC actions, such as guards patrolling and responding to the noise of a fight.

Random Encounter – a random encounter from a random encounter table.

Special – none, some or all of the above.