TSR Having multiple dungeons available to the players

[Reynard]

What is the goal of offering the choice? Is it just variety, or is there a in-play reason there are X dungeons that need to be explored? On that note: are the dungeons there to be explored, or cleared?

 

[Jahydin]

What is the goal of offering the choice? Is it just variety, or is there a in-play reason there are X dungeons that need to be explored? On that note: are the dungeons there to be explored, or cleared?

Aside from making the campaign feel more like an open world, I run my OSR games this way because mechanically it allows players to decide on the "difficulty". A Lv 5 group storming a Lv 1 dungeon is nice change of pace from time to time.

Mostly for me though, his style of play is especially handy if PC death is common, and/or a "stable of characters" is used, and/or a mega-dungeon is used; all of which are usually true in my own games.

Some other personal tidbits:
Don't "scale up" the dungeons. Having different areas at different difficulties is key to an interesting world.
Only use one mega-dungeon. This could be either the "main" goal of the campaign or just an extra challenge players can take on as they feel fit.
Don't just drop them on the map and let players choose "Mega Man" style. Make them interact with NPCs and/or explore on their own to find them.

 

[Jahydin]

@DarkCrisis
Have you heard of Forbidden Lands?

I've never seen a game quite like it when it comes to sandbox play. The major locations, NPCs (and their goals), and rare artifacts are pre-defined thanks to the campaign setting being baked into the rules. For less-important locations (towns, random dungeons, etc.), there are tables to help you generate them as needed and stickers to place their locations on the included map. Too cool!

Also, the lore of the game is vastly different from most other "D&D like" games and is kept hidden until the PCs discover it on their own.

 

[DarkCrisis]

What is the goal of offering the choice? Is it just variety, or is there a in-play reason there are X dungeons that need to be explored? On that note: are the dungeons there to be explored, or cleared?

Variety. Sandbox. A chance to get more level 1 treasure and XP. Do they risk level 2 or go hit level 1 in dungeon B?

 

[Reynard]

Variety. Sandbox. A chance to get more level 1 treasure and XP. Do they risk level 2 or go hit level 1 in dungeon B?

In that case I would make them pretty different. Maybe the tier 1 dungeon is very dynamic with constantly shifting internal factions so it is fun and worthwhile for the PCs to revisit it. But maybe the tier 2 dungeon is a death trap known to be full of really valuable treasure. Do they dare, especially when they are really hard up for cash? And the tier 3 can be something like Dragon Mountain with a powerful figure in charge and maybe the PCs go there early to beseech it and go there later to kill it.

 

[Mannahnin]

In my last old school game I had a single (mini) megadungeon which was explored over the course of more than a year, by two different groups, and lots of smaller dungeons sized to be completed in 1-5 sessions, each with its own distinct reason for being, plot threads, etc.

 

[DarkCrisis]

How is Castle of the Mad Archmage OSR version? How many players? I cannot find any info in the doc or online as # of recommened players

Edit: Didn't read closely enough. 4-6 players

 

[John R Davis]

I quite like the OP idea of having 5 or 6 " active" dungeons on the go at once

 

[Blue]

This is an interesting variation on the classic sandbox. For the next campaign I'm running I've proposed a few ideas, and one of them has something akin to this, along with an Adventurer's Guild with rival groups who are also delving, bounties and quests, and laws against "claim jumping" when another adventuring party has "reserved" a dungeon for a set period. There's an overall theme why these dungeons are so important to be explored, and secrets to be found in them that connect to the whole theme.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

This whole damn discussion makes me want to play.

And actually read the Lost City….

I think active things that are going on simultaneously with choice is just brilliant.

Being too linear gets old….