New Game, New Megadungeon...

[Deleted]

I am starting a new campaign of AD&D on the 23rd of January.

The group will meet once a month of Friday afternoon.

So far as players I have:

1.) Dave - (41) - been playing since '79ish. Not much of a role-player; each of his PCs have his own personality. He is a good player rule wise.

2.) Carol - (43) - always has liked AD&D, but has not played all that much.

3.) Michael - (18) - Carol's son. Has never played, but has wanted to since his mother told him old war stories of past games.

4.) Greg - (43) - Has played for 25+ years. New player to me.

Auxiliary Players?

5.) Kyle - (10) - My oldest son. Has been bugging me to play "the dungeon game" for several years. I'm not sure if he is old enough yet.

6.) Jared - (7) - My youngest son. Wants to play too.

7.) Michele - (39) - My wife. Has played Top Secret once. Wants to try AD&D.

8.) Robert - (42) - The guy who got me into D&D in '78. My former DM. Very savvy player, but has a tendency to distrust other players.

9.) Josh - I know almost nothing of this guy. Runs an AD&D2e campaign in the local area. Has asked to play in my AD&D campaign.

Here's my plan. A small walled city. Nearby are some old Stonehenge-type ruins of a hilltop. Around the hill and general area are several entrances to an underground complex. Eventually, if the played delve deep enough, they will come to a partially abandoned dwarven city and mine complex. The upper levels are inhabited by a tribe of goblins. There are also some wilderness areas to explore on the surface and other underground areas that may of may not connect to the main dungeon area. The nearby city allows the PCs a safe place to rest and rearm at. Plus players can come and go as they please from the adventure area(s) and the possibility of some solo adventures.

Thought and or advice is welcome.

[kenmeister]

Whenever you create a dungeon, it is always good practise to work out some of the secrets ahead of time. Why was Stonehenge built? Why did the dwarves abandon their city? What connection is there between the nearby human settlement and the underground complex, if any?

[premmy]

You said the hill with the dungeon entrances is nearby. How close is "nearby"? It matters.

I would advise to put at least a good half a day's march between the town and the dungeon, or preferably more - I myself wouldn't hesitate to make it a two day march or more. Why?

One, logistics provide the players with challenges, and you want that. Evacuating the wounded, pulling back, or hauling home that huge mound of coins suddenly becomes a serious undertaking that they need to give thought to. Have the dungeon within easy strolling distance, and you've just robbed yourself - and your players - of all those interesting situations.

Two, a certain modicum of realism. (BOO! HISS! NEWSCHOOL!) At one point, you'll probably want to surprise the players by turning the tables and having the monsters come up and attack the town. Now, if the town is really close then either the PCs won't have time to organize any sort of meaningful defense, or you'll have to artificially turn the monsters into bumbling incompetent buffoons to give the town a chance. Either way, you've shortchanged both yourself and the players. Have some space between the two locations so that similar scenarios, should they crop up in the future, can be played out meaningfully.

Also, your players won't start asking uncomfortable questions. "Say, if this place is really this close and this dangerous, why haven't the townsfolk asked the king to send down some troops and clear it out, sometime... oh, anytime in the last 200 years?" One of yours players is a newbie, and so are some "auxiliaries". They deserve to see some coherency in the game which they can grasp onto. Sticking too close to the "HURR!!! Don't need to make no sense! Grognard!" line might very well spoil their experiences and turn them off for good, or for a very, very long time.

[Deleted]

Good points. I have no problem placing the dungeon further from the town.

[coffee]

Another reason to place the dungeon a bit away from town is so you can have encounters on the way to/from the dungeon. Not necessarily to whittle down the party -- they may well encounter another adventuring party returning! If they sit down and talk, they may gain some useful information. Or, if they offend, they may gain new enemies...