tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post5108500297972541340..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: Dungeon Descriptions/NotesAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-68152571900060524052014-10-10T15:34:15.231-06:002014-10-10T15:34:15.231-06:00Perhaps it is my theatre experience, JB. One prep...Perhaps it is my theatre experience, JB. One prepares, rehearses, perhaps memorizes the script, but one performs on the spur of the moment. As I am a dungeon master, and there is no blocking nor exchanged dialogue with others, rehearsal is unnecessary - preparation and presentation are paramount.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-22556488161417578562014-10-10T15:17:51.207-06:002014-10-10T15:17:51.207-06:00@ Alexis:
Wow...your method of "dungeon desi...@ Alexis:<br /><br />Wow...your method of "dungeon design" pretty accurately describes my last few times out as a DM (well, except that I don't use a hex grid for combat). And here I've been beating myself up for NOT "pedantically writing down the details ahead of time."<br /><br />I suddenly feel surprisingly better.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-32922440567897384872014-10-10T14:06:58.173-06:002014-10-10T14:06:58.173-06:00I would never willingly run a one-off adventure. Y...I would never willingly run a one-off adventure. You might just as well ask if I would suit up to play one inning of baseball.<br /><br />Typically, I have some idea the party might step into a dungeon with the next session. As I have planned articles, papers, essays and projects, I design the dungeon in my mind over a period of three or four days, during moments of relaxation. I tend to lay about for an hour or so at a time, just thinking, as I find this can be very freeing creatively. Usually something interesting occurs to me, I build upon it and when the session begins, I start fleshing it out in front of the players.<br /><br />Thus, I'm not 'winging' it for the campaign, but I'm not spending a lot of time pedantically writing down the details ahead of time. With practice, I am able to hold these things in my memory until I'm ready to disgorge them.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-33874662982872550292014-10-10T13:57:57.567-06:002014-10-10T13:57:57.567-06:00Thanks for taking the time to post this. It is ex...Thanks for taking the time to post this. It is exactly what I was wondering. Because your world is so open and driven by player choice, do you have several prepared dungeons that have sat idle simply because no one has taken the time to discover and explore them, or is everything kept as very broad strokes until it seems there is a good chance that a party will be visiting them?<br /><br />I know you enjoy putting together your world map and details, so I guess that question is mostly aimed at discovering if you have the same desire to dream up and drill down into the detail of actual adventure sites.<br /><br />Another hypothetical question, if you were going to run a one off adventure in your world, would you treat it as any other running, or would you have a specific goal for the players to accomplish?<br /><br />Hope you do not mind so many questions, just trying to discover more details about how and what you prepare for your sessions.Stacktracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05778633676064958982noreply@blogger.com