View Single Post
Old 07-01-2019, 09:49 AM   #10
The Colonel
 
The Colonel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Default Re: Pros and cons of dungeons for hack and slash roleplaying

As far as I can tell dungeons are only really gameable if they are heavily factionalised and lightly occupied (and some of Gygax's original dungeon generators give you a lot of empty rooms...).
Dungeons also don't work at the middle to upper levels of the power curve where PCs are apt to disintegrate, earthglide and otherwise bypass their way through the dungeon in a way that removes its utility as a streaming device. Yes, there are ways of countering this but it tends to make the players feel trolled.
Always wondered about a Dungeonpunk setting where dungeon crawling is, essentially, a bloodsport - somewhere between gladiatorial combat and a gameshow and PCs are going room to room on not-TV. Would justify any manner of zoo-stocking and weird Gygaxian puzzle rooms.
The Colonel is offline   Reply With Quote