Some Inspiration for 3x5 Geomorphs

After an initial flurry of folks making 3x5 geomorphs, there has been a dearth of creativity (though it does look like Gordon of Applied Phantasticality is going to make them a weekly feature!).

Thus, I offer these tables as a catalyst for naming landmarks around which a 3x5 geomorph might be made. Roll a d12 on each table and choose one of the descriptors from the three options from each roll to come up with a name:

1. The [Altar, Dias, Table] of
2. The [Arrows, Hands, Hooks] of
3. The [Chasm, Defile, Rift] of
4. The [Coffin, Ossuary, Urn] of
5. The [Column, Pillar, Statue] of
6. The [Dome, Rotunda, Vault] of
7. The [Egress, Gate, Portal] of
8. The [Elevator, Ladder, Stairs] of
9. The [Forge, Furnace, Hearth] of
10. The [Fountain, Reservoir, Well] of
11. The [Pyramid, Tomb, Ziggurat] of
12. The [Runes, Symbols, Writings] of

1. Ambition, Dreams, Sleep
2. Anger, Rage, Wrath
3. Annihilation, Death, Destruction
4. Awareness, Consciousness, Knowledge
5. Bronze, Copper, Tin
6. Chance, Fate, Fortune
7. the [Crown, King, Star]
8. Delusion, Illusion, Nightmares
9. the [Elders, Forgotten Ones, Old Ones]
10. the [Mage, Necromancer, Warlock]
11. Mystery, Puzzle, Riddles
12. Offering, Sacrifice, Slaughter

For example, if one rolled a ‘2’ and a ‘9’ here are some of the options one could come up with:

• The Hands of the Forgotten Ones
• The Hooks of the Old Ones
• The Arrows of the Elders

Finally, how could I not be inspired to, at least, produce one geomorph based upon one of these randomized landmarks?

I hope this inspires those who have not dipped their toe in the 3x5 pool to give it a try...

Why 3x5 Geomorphs?

Andrew of Fictive Fantasies, who has coined the phrase Prokopian, has commented:

I think these geomorphs are cool (obviously, as I'm making some.) I want to note, however, I don't have a problem with the regular geomorphs. I look at this map I did with the Dungeonmorph Dice fonts, for example. I did some in Word and Photoshop to touch it up, but the end result was evocative and cool. My players enjoyed it.

http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/plusevian-plaza-map.jpg?w=436&h=500

The said file is, indeed, very cool. Like Andrew, I love geomorphs. All one has to do is go over to Dave's Mapper and click on FrDave to see how much effort I have put into the concept, and how cool the outcome can be.

However, as someone who has regularly run game sessions with players who like to wander all over the place and as someone who has attempted to put together a module for general consumption, I sometimes struggle with making those geomorphs make sense. I also say this in context of the whole "the first level of a megadungeon is boring" meme.

When I was writing The Slave Pits of Abhoth, I really struggled to come up with a map that spoke to me. I used several methods to try and generate that creative spark and nothing really satisfied. I then happened upon the idea of the 3x5 geomorph and it unlocked all that creative potential that was the initial idea of the Slave Pits.

Since then, I have found the whole concept to be truly liberating in terms of adventure writing. When I get to play around like this:

I can't help myself, the creative juices just begin to flow and the dungeons that this process produces are just better than the ones I used to produce using other methods. Therefore, I am trying to share my enthusiasm in hopes that my success will lead to others having success at overcoming the whole "megadungeons are boring" thing.

As such, here are four of my most recent 3x5s:

A Growing Collection of 3x5 Geomorphs

This is simply a post where I will collect all of the links to 3x5 geomorphs that I become aware of:

Matt Jackson, Lapsus Calumni

Micromap
Micromap II
Micromap III - Goblin Bridge Crossing
Micromap IV - Firderk's Hovel
Micromap V - Firderk's Quarters
Micromap VI - The Big Chamber

Gordon Cooper, Applied Phantasicality:

Specific 3x5 Geomorphs 1-4
Generic 3x5 Geomorphs 5-8
Generic 3x5 Geomorphs 1-4

Andrew Shields, Fictive Fanatsies

Prokopian 3x5 Geomorph - Drowning Shrine
The Grand Stair

FrDave, Blood of Prokopius

A 3x5 Map Experiment
Why 3x5 Geomorphs?
Some Inspiration for 3x5 Geomorphs

Consider this to be an open thread to let me know about others as they get posted. Thanks to everyone who has participated in this experiment!

More 3x5 Geomorphs

Just a heads up that Gordon Cooper of Applied Phantasticality has taken up my challenge to make some 3x5 geomorphs here and here. Gordon complains that these are a bit rough; however, one of the very reasons that I so like the 3x5 format is that they produce a dungeon that feels organic in a way that graph paper-made and computer generated dungeons do not. Indeed, if one looks at extant underground structures, like the catacombs of Rome, they look nothing like the clean-lined, finished looking dungeons that have dominated the hobby for years:

Freeing oneself of the grid allows the geomorph to mimic the way a dungeon would naturally come to be: a little rough regardless of the skill of those who made it.

Gordon says he has more on the way (with named landmarks, no less). I, for one, look forward to seeing them. I also hope that Gordon is not the only one who takes up the challenge.

Dwimmermount, 3x5 Geomorphs, The Tome of Adventure Design & Boring Adventure Design

There has been a confluence of events and ideas lately that are all peripherally related and I wanted to chew on them all in hopes of putting them all together in a way that will give every one a means of meditating upon the megadungeon/dungeon adventure if not a tool with which to make one.

Let me first break my silence about the Dwimmermount project by Mr. Maliszewski. There has been a great deal of disappointment when it comes to this project, not the least of which is the dead lock the project is in due to personal circumstances. I have four things to say:

1. In my line of work, I deal with disease and death on a regular, if not daily, basis. It can be emotionally debilitating and (especially in a culture that does its best to avoid the issue at almost all cost) the grieving process is a long and difficult road. And I am not even talking about what happens to the people I council and help through this process. When it happens to one of your own (as it has with me on more than one occasion) it is devastating. As such I am more than willing to give James as much room as he needs to get through this time of his life. Speculating about if and when the project will be done is not helpful and may very well make the process of grieving that much more difficult.
2. I am a backer of the project. I took a capital risk in order to get a glimpse into a world and campaign that I have been following for years. Even if the rest of the project never sees the light of day, I have gotten my money’s worth with what has been released to backers. It is easily one of the most comprehensive and well crafted megadungeons ever to be shared with this community and I am very much looking forward to playing it one day. The material I have in hand is, frankly, exactly what I was expecting and what I paid for.
3. I consider Dwimmermount, even in its current state, to be a major success. As an experiment with OD&D as written with the basic assumption that it is not wrong, we have all had to seriously wrestle with the concept of the dungeon and the megadungeon. One meme that is making the rounds is that the first levels are “boring.” The most insightful of these meditations is by Roger of Roles, Rules & Rolls. 
4. Patience is a virtue everyone desperately needs to reacquaint themselves with.

Personally, I have only recently started to read all the material available to Dwimmermount backers, and in context of what is available I do not see the first level boring at all, but (again) I got what I was looking for. However, I do appreciate the conundrum, especially since my own attempts at a megadungeon in my Lost Colonies campaign met with mixed results.

To that end, let me call attention to a number of my older posts and bring them into the context of the long shadow of Dwimmermount:

• I did a review of Matt Finch’s Demonspore. I highly praised its modularity — it was specifically designed to be placed into an extant dungeon and not a complete dungeon in and of itself. This modularity made it possible for it to be utilized as part of my megadungeon and ended up being a highly entertaining episode in my long-running campaign. My challenge to adventure writers and publishers to duplicate this modularity has thus far fell on deaf ears.
• In my own forays into improving my craft as an adventure designer and maker of megadungeons, I came up with the idea of the 3x5 geomorph. As a concept, it duplicated the modularity found in Demonspore on a smaller scale. Each 3x5 card has more room and flexibility than a normal geomorph and each can contain its own function and backstory. The dungeon maps that I made for The Slave Pits of Abhoth used this method. I challenged folks to start working on 3x5 geomorphs, but that, too, has thus far fallen on deaf ears.
• I recently purchased another of Matt Finch’s publications, The Tome of Adventure Design. In it, with the use of dozens of tables and a lot of sound advice, Matt lays out a formalized way to utilize the very modularity that I found in his adventure Demonspore and I tried to create with my 3x5 geomorphs. You can roll on a series of tables to determine the characteristics and size of a particular section of a dungeon, including what it looks like, how many rooms, what size those rooms are and how they are arranged. There are also tables for coming up with various kinds of landmarks that differentiate this particular section of dungeon from every other part of a dungeon. In essence, the results of each of these series of die rolls is something that could theoretically fit on a 3x5 geomorph. String a bunch of these together in various patterns and one can come up with several fantastic-looking dungeons that have a suggested history and use because of all the various landmarks that dot each section of the map. Not only is it a gratifying way to build a dungeon, I believe that the end result is much better than some of the more traditional ways of putting together a dungeon.

This brings me to my current project, my re-imagined version of The Caves of Chaos from B2: The Keep on the Borderland. I used The Tome of Adventure Design heavily as I constructed my vision of the caves and the result was a series of small dungeon sections which I pieced together to come up with what I feel is and rather exciting 1st level adventure with the potential to become a megadungeon should anyone want to take it that far. No boring here.

A huge reason that I feel this way about the dungeon is the fact that simply looking at a section of the map, with a title taken from a landmark derived from a random table is truly evocative. I could run this adventure on the fly simply from looking at these maps. For example:

This map is just brimming with possibilities and could be used in all kinds of different contexts. Indeed, it is specifically designed to do exactly that.

Thus, I challenge everyone, instead of whinging about how your latest Kickstarter is behind schedule get out a pack of 3x5’s, draw some maps, label them with evocative landmarks and titles, put them out there for people to use and let us see the fruit of this re-examination of the megadungeon that Dwimmermount has so successfully and beautifully done. I pray this challenge does not fall on deaf ears.

Finally, I need to acknowledge that both James and Matt have made me a better player and a better dungeon designer. I’d like to take the time to thank them both.

Slave Pits: Sea Cave Map and a Question

Work on my re-imagined version of the Slave Pits of the Undercity progresses slowly. Let me first share my most recent map using the 3x5 index card method:

It is here that I have to make a confession. When constructing a dungeon for my own use, I rarely  spend much time stocking the dungeon — it is my least favorite part of the whole process.

In part, this is because I tend to be a more improvisational Referee through the use of Wandering Monster Tables. I like to be surprised. The other is that I just don't like writing room descriptions. When I occasionally do run a module, I find that these descriptions actually get in the way of game play. In fact, I have often gotten  critical pieces of information wrong that have affected entire sessions (not that there is anything wrong with that, but it can be frustrating from my side of the screen).

I do have some exciting ideas bubbling up as I continue to mediate upon this adventure; however, I am not excited about putting them down on paper. I don't want to just do this like every other adventure is done and therefore follow a path that frustrates me while I am at the table.

Personally, I prefer a quick reference sheet for my dungeons at the table. Monster stats, treasure, short trap descriptions and a short description of the use of the room (but not of the room itself). However, I am beginning to see that there are some over-arching themes and issues that go well beyond this particular method.

For my own purposes, the quick reference would be enough — I know what the over-arching themes are and can easily improv their impact on any given room or encounter; however, the end user would not.

Therefore, I have a few questions: if I were to produce a .pdf, what would be your preferred method of room descriptions? What would be the most useful way for me to describe these over-arching issues? Do you have an extant example of a module that is easy to use at the table?

Slave Pits: Another 3x5 Map

I must say that this whole experiment with 3x5 index cards to create dungeon maps has been very liberating for me. Especially in context of re-imagining the Slave Pits of the Undercity, being able to pay homage to the original material and yet transform it into something new has been far easier and far more satisfying that I ever expected.

I was able to take those elements that I really like about the original map of the sewers underneath the temple in A1 and place them on individual 3x5 index cards. Then, I added those elements that I wanted to include on other 3x5 cards and began to fiddle, arrange and rearrange.

For comparison, here is the original map of the sewers:

And here is the dungeon I came up with using 3x5 cards:

BTW: If you want to see yet another application of this 3x5 index card idea that rocks, check out what Telecanter is doing here.

On Dungeon Building with 3x5 Index Cards

Over the weekend I was fiddling with my 3x5 index card map idea when my children started to take a keen interest in what dad was doing. When I explained the concept, all three got super excited and insisted on helping. To my pleasant surprise, the three of them are well on their way to becoming creative dungeon masters. I am not ashamed to say that I swiped some of their ideas and cleaned them up.

At this point, I have to make an admission. I have been struggling with making a map for the dungeon underneath Hucwind Castle for my re-imagined Slave Pits of the Undercity. Random generation, geomorphs and just doodling were not giving me the results I wanted. Not that I didn’t get good maps, they just weren’t evoking the kind of atmosphere that I wanted.

When my kids came to me with some of their sketches and ideas, I realized that some of them would make great additions to the very dungeon I was struggling with. It then dawned on me how powerful 3x5 index cards can be at making dungeon maps.

Imagine wanting a dungeon level with the following features:

• A Throne Room
• Catacombs
• Alchemist Lab
• Giant Hornet Lair

Draw each feature on separate 3x5 card. Grab some of your favorite geomorphs, draw a couple other generic 3x5 cards plus a few “dead end” 3x5 cards (that have only one exit) and then start fiddling. Rather than having to re-draw a map every time you don’t like it, all you have to do is rearrange some 3x5 cards. The result is almost like a mini-game of dungeon building. The end result is far more organic (and therefore makes more sense) than simply drawing a map. It is also, at least for me, really satisfying.

As an example, here is one of my favorite incarnations of the dungeon that resulted from using this technique (and including some of my kid’s ideas):

I still have some fiddling to do, but this is vastly superior to anything I had come up with before.

A 3x5 Map Experiment

Those who have read my blog know that I am a big fan of geomorphs. They are a fantastic tool for coming up with dungeons on the fly — especially those with a distinctly old-school flair. There are those, however, that balk at the seeming "uniformity" of maps generated by such a method. Since essentially all of the geomorphs over at Dave's Mapper are 100' x 100' all of the maps tend to be the same overall shape, even though the interiors might be radically different.

Enter the map I stitched together of maps drawn by Dyson. There have been a lot of positive comments about it. One that jumped out at me was that it seems more organic than other types of maps (the blocky nature of geomorphs, for example). This got me thinking of another way to implement the geomorph concept while getting a more organic outcome.

Most of the maps I used to generate this map were originally on 3x5 index cards. What if mappers out there produced a slew of 3x5 map areas with one or more ways to connect their map to other 3x5 maps. Here's the kicker: don't use a graph grid and don't worry how or where the connection happens. The result will be that the 3x5 card can connect, but not necessarily in a block — it creates a greater possibility to produce organic looking maps.

So, I quickly drew some up myself:

I then placed them together in order to create this:

Though not as organic as my inspiration, I don't think anyone could accuse it of being blocky. This being my first attempt, one thing I would do in the future is avoid getting too close to the edge of the card save for one or two rooms.

Anybody out there willing to take up the challenge?