korgoth
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 323
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Post by korgoth on Dec 23, 2007 19:11:12 GMT -6
It just occurred to me, and it probably occurred to everyone else a long time ago, that in addition to setting published modules in the campaign environs (as locations available for adventuring outside of the megadungeon), adventures modules could be set 'inside' the megadungeon as well.
This can be accomplished with the use of portals or other dimension-twisting methods. A door from the megadungeon could literally open right into a module, such as smack into Castle Amber of something of that sort. It could even open into another megadungeon!
I plan on having one of the doors in mine open onto X1. I haven't yet decided whether it will open into a ruined building (avoided by the natives) or even simply straight onto the beach (that would be bizarre).
There: a little bit of Narnia for the Christmas season.
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Post by ffilz on Dec 23, 2007 20:17:18 GMT -6
Oh definitely. I forget where it was in the past few days I brought this up (might have been over at Dragonsfoot). What I like about this idea is it allows you to use the modules while allowing the players to decide if the risk is what they want right now (by placing the portal to the module on the appropriate level). For some modules, it may be appropriate to have multiple links into them.
The only modules I wouldn't do this for are ones that rely too much on a plot or timeline or anything like this. They have to primarily be things that the players can explore the same way they explore the rest of the dungeon (where is is just fine to have localized things that are a little bit plotted etc.).
Wilderness modules that feature a trek would not work well for my idea, though if one was more open to "forcing" module play, they could still be linked by portals.
Frank
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Post by crimhthanthegreat on Dec 23, 2007 21:33:20 GMT -6
If I were to use a wilderness module, I could see going through a door in a dungeon and only after they were though the door would it become apparent that they were outdoors, with no clue to their location or how they got there. They could be close to something they know or they could be a long ways away.
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Post by dwayanu on Dec 23, 2007 23:15:39 GMT -6
Heh, I thought that was why they were called "dungeon modules."  A proper (or "mega" in today's parlance) dungeon is not a mere hole in the ground but an Underworld that can encompass countless worlds. Adding a module to the dungeon allows the scenario to be readily available without a lot of "setup" or leading of the players. In the course of their customary exploration, they come across a new doorway. What adventures lie beyond? I think it's fair on occasion to make the way back hard to find, even to have an element of time pressure. One way to look at the dungeon is as a device that allows exploration of all sorts of situations, like the Enterprise in "Star Trek" or the gate in "Stargate SG-1." |
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Post by dicebro on Jan 13, 2022 15:07:42 GMT -6
Heh, I thought that was why they were called "dungeon modules."  A proper (or "mega" in today's parlance) dungeon is not a mere hole in the ground but an Underworld that can encompass countless worlds. Adding a module to the dungeon allows the scenario to be readily available without a lot of "setup" or leading of the players. In the course of their customary exploration, they come across a new doorway. What adventures lie beyond? I think it's fair on occasion to make the way back hard to find, even to have an element of time pressure. One way to look at the dungeon is as a device that allows exploration of all sorts of situations, like the Enterprise in "Star Trek" or the gate in "Stargate SG-1." “A proper (or "mega" in today's parlance) dungeon is not a mere hole in the ground but an Underworld that can encompass countless worlds.” I really like the above quote. The Underworld is completely different than the dungeon below a Lord’s castle or ordinary dwarf caves. The UW is its own plane of existence, with its own laws of physics, and with unique entrances scattered about the Referee’s world. Your UW contains paths to all the modules you so desire! |
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Post by captainjapan on Feb 11, 2022 11:48:30 GMT -6
Was the first use of the word, "module", in the sample dungeon key in U&WA (area 7, the nexus)? Is there an earlier appearance of the word that, maybe, presages it's use as the name for the pre-published AD&D adventures?
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Post by Zenopus on Feb 11, 2022 14:44:20 GMT -6
My guess would be prior usage in wargames. Here's one example: Blitzkrieg Module System (BMS), "1969 rules set for modifying Avalon Hill’s Blitzkrieg game" |
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Post by howandwhy99 on Feb 11, 2022 22:13:20 GMT -6
Squad Leader, precursor to Advanced, came out in '77. And it had "Modules". Or "Scenarios". These are wargame terms.
I think originally entire dungeon levels could be thought of as modules. Or perhaps a collection of them. Like "the goblin quadrants" over 2-3 levels.
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Post by captainjapan on Feb 11, 2022 23:44:01 GMT -6
Squad Leader, precursor to Advanced, came out in '77. And it had "Modules". Or "Scenarios"... Would you believe, "Gamettes"?. Now, there's a term that's not likely to re-enter the vernacular. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2022 7:59:33 GMT -6
There's an entire region of my game world that operates on the assumptions in the OP. It's basically a gaping maw in the desert where some ill-defined mythical apocalypse occurred in the past, and it goes down forever with many branching side passages leading to other worlds, other times, etc. It's my excuse to dump a random module or put players on Barsoom or Cloud City sometimes. Just because it's D&D and it was always on the table for things to get weird.
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