The allure of the mega-dungeon - why?
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 1:46 am
The mega-dungeon has become such a staple of the D&D game - from Castle Greyhawk to the the Ruins of Undermountain and beyond, every edition and every setting seems to feature one. So - what exactly is the allure of the mega-dungeon? I've actually known players who (overall) were not that find of dungeon crawls - preferring city or wilderness adventures - but who, when they caught wind of the fact that we'd be using a mega-dungeon, would get all excited and anxious to play. There must be something about mega-dungeons that makes them so popular.
I'm sure some reasons for their popularity will be common amongst many of us, and some reasons more particular to just a few people. For me, the allure comes from several angles.
First, who as a kid did not like to explore abandoned areas? I remember old factories that were closed down when I was a kid, and we would go exploring there. Sometimes we'd find left-behind paperwork or tools or other insignificant items. Sometimes we found empty rooms. Other times we'd run into rodents or even other people who were likewise sneaking around exploring. At night, we'd often see shadows that, in our minds, became a lot more than what they likely actually were. But it was the fun of discovery, of exploring an alien environment filled with mystery. The attics of old houses held the same fascination, but the basements (of both houses and factories) always had a special allure unique to them. We would be entering the earth, going underground, to a hidden realm. I think that feeling is what carries over to mega-dungeons for me.
Second, the promise of great treasure. Look, we all know that both Castle Greyhawk and Undermountain hold unbelievable amounts of magic items and other treasure. Undermountain easily contains more treasure (both regular and magical) than any dozen dragons combines have ever managed to hoard! Where better to explore in the search for treasure and magic items?
Third, secrets are always buried deep beneath the earth. Always. Any properly run mega-dungeon is going to offer an uncountable number of secrets for the PCs to discover. Ancient mysteries. Forgotten lore. Secret passages. Secret rooms. Secret treasure. You name it. There is always something interesting in a mega-dungeon.
Fourth, the possibility of unique monsters. When my players first dared set foot in Undermountain, they soon encountered scaladar and watchghosts and slithermorphs. Monsters none of them had ever encountered before. Mega-dungeons offer so much new material when it comes to monsters. For Ruins of Undermountain III: The Deadly Levels, I created no less than 3 dozen new monsters, many specific to the dungeon. And I'm not talking about mere variants of exiting monsters.
Fifth, the mega-dungeon is its own world. It's an underground labyrinth that could in some cases (such as Undermountain) be far more extensive in size than even the largest above-ground cities. It offers an almost unlimited amount of adventure. Vast numbers of unique and interesting locations (levels, rooms, caverns, etc). It can (again, as in the case of Undermountain), essentially be considered a specific ecosystem. The mega-dungeon can be used as (virtually) its own setting.
So I think those are the main reasons (for me, and I'm going to assume plenty of other people) why the mega-dungeon is so alluring.
I'm sure some reasons for their popularity will be common amongst many of us, and some reasons more particular to just a few people. For me, the allure comes from several angles.
First, who as a kid did not like to explore abandoned areas? I remember old factories that were closed down when I was a kid, and we would go exploring there. Sometimes we'd find left-behind paperwork or tools or other insignificant items. Sometimes we found empty rooms. Other times we'd run into rodents or even other people who were likewise sneaking around exploring. At night, we'd often see shadows that, in our minds, became a lot more than what they likely actually were. But it was the fun of discovery, of exploring an alien environment filled with mystery. The attics of old houses held the same fascination, but the basements (of both houses and factories) always had a special allure unique to them. We would be entering the earth, going underground, to a hidden realm. I think that feeling is what carries over to mega-dungeons for me.
Second, the promise of great treasure. Look, we all know that both Castle Greyhawk and Undermountain hold unbelievable amounts of magic items and other treasure. Undermountain easily contains more treasure (both regular and magical) than any dozen dragons combines have ever managed to hoard! Where better to explore in the search for treasure and magic items?
Third, secrets are always buried deep beneath the earth. Always. Any properly run mega-dungeon is going to offer an uncountable number of secrets for the PCs to discover. Ancient mysteries. Forgotten lore. Secret passages. Secret rooms. Secret treasure. You name it. There is always something interesting in a mega-dungeon.
Fourth, the possibility of unique monsters. When my players first dared set foot in Undermountain, they soon encountered scaladar and watchghosts and slithermorphs. Monsters none of them had ever encountered before. Mega-dungeons offer so much new material when it comes to monsters. For Ruins of Undermountain III: The Deadly Levels, I created no less than 3 dozen new monsters, many specific to the dungeon. And I'm not talking about mere variants of exiting monsters.
Fifth, the mega-dungeon is its own world. It's an underground labyrinth that could in some cases (such as Undermountain) be far more extensive in size than even the largest above-ground cities. It offers an almost unlimited amount of adventure. Vast numbers of unique and interesting locations (levels, rooms, caverns, etc). It can (again, as in the case of Undermountain), essentially be considered a specific ecosystem. The mega-dungeon can be used as (virtually) its own setting.
So I think those are the main reasons (for me, and I'm going to assume plenty of other people) why the mega-dungeon is so alluring.