Category: Dungeon23

Perhaps the biggest struggle I’ve had with the #Dungeon23 challenge thus far has been simply deciding on what system I want to use for the game.  It shouldn’t be that difficult, but for whatever reason I’ve struggled to commit to a particular system to use as a base for building up the adventure.  Moving into the fourth month of this project and so far I’ve got a very generalized description of monsters and loot throughout the levels I’ve done so far, leaving a lot of room for improvements later on.  Yet, I’m quickly realizing that I need to settle on something sooner rather than later if I want to scale these dungeon levels appropriately.

 

Multiple Systems

Of course, the ultimate goal would be to make this megadungeon project compatible with multiple systems, with encounters and loot geared toward each one.  That is certainly on the radar, but very much at the fringe of the screen at this point.  I would eventually like to have the dungeon and setting made for some type of d20 system as the primary game, the reason being that is where most of my TTRPG experience has been (I started off with the Fuzion Dragonball Z system back in the day, moved to AD&D 2nd Edition, and then in 2000, my group fully jumped board the D&D 3rd Edition / d20 System train and rode it off the rails until 5th Edition launched…then went back to Pathfinder 1e for several years more after we didn’t like 5E).  I’ve experimented with other systems throughout the years, but always seem to gravitate back to some form of the d20 System in the end.  It’s just how I’m wired, I guess.

 

The Post-Apocalyptic Feel

Whatever system I choose, it needs to have the proper post-apocalyptic feel to it.  I wouldn’t want to make this system out for something like Mutants & Masterminds, for example, though a post-apocalyptic superhero setting has appeal of its own.  I also wouldn’t necessarily want to spend time learning a new system, either, hence the draw for something d20-based.

The setting for the I-89 Megadungeon is intended to be something like the Fallout series (pre-Bethesda, anyway, not counting New Vegas), but instead of an Atomic Age feel, I’m going for more of an 80s post-apocalyptic feel, like what would have happened if it was the height of the 1980s, you’re living on a post-magic fantasy world, and then the entire thing comes to a screeching halt as somehow, magic is suddenly rediscovered and mixed with nuclear weapons that obliterate the known world.  So basically all those fun 80s post-apocalypse movies.

With that in mind, what systems have I used in the past that not only play well, but would allow the gritty feel of the setting without having the players running around like superheroes? (Looking at you, 5E, now GTFO, and let the door hit you on the way out!)  Let’s have a look, shall we?

D20 Modern

Always a great choice in the d20 system space, D20 Modern has a lot going for it.  It has its own apocalypse setting book for one, and for two, I’ve played or ran multiple games with the system.  I’ve spent quite a bit of time developing homebrew content using the game, too, as I was heavily involved in a Resident Evil game for it back when the Wizards of the Coast website had forums, and ones that didn’t entirely suck at that.  Heck, it even has its own Fallout game with the serial numbers filed off in the form of Exodus.

While a good choice, Modern has some problems.  Namely, it doesn’t feel quite modern anymore, given that it’s built off of the original 3rd edition / d20 system rules.  The system could definitely use some polish, at least to advance it up to 3.5/Pathfinder standards (skills, grappling rules, that kind of thing), and the existing content is rather dated (sidenote:  anyone else remember when the FN 5.7 pistol was the most OP handgun you could get?  Interestingly, the 5.7mm is having a bit of a resurgence now, but it was nowhere near as powerful as the game made it out to be…anyway, back on track…), but that doesn’t really matter in terms of an 80s style post-apocalyptic setting, does it?  I’m just thinking about building characters and monsters in the 3rd edition era and how long it took to do, usually due to skill point distribution, and I really don’t want to go back to those days.

Star Wars Saga Edition

I enjoyed the hell out of the Star Wars Saga Edition system, and still do for the most part.  At the time it came out, I thought it was an amazing game, and felt like a proper evolution of the original d20 System.  I liked how the classes were talent-based, and you could have a crew full of soldiers, and none of them would be the same.  The way they handled the Force, while somewhat flawed, was fun and seemed like a great basis for a magic system that could be further expanded upon.  Combat was usually pretty fast (until higher levels, but that is one flaw that you just can’t get away from with the d20 system) and enjoyable.  There was just so much going for it, and the fact that it was developed as a precursor to D&D 4th edition got me excited for where the system would go.

And then it was pretty much forgotten, as 4th edition went off in ways I didn’t care for (in fact, as far as I know, there were only one or two campaigns of 4E ran by my group, though I never played a single one; my first look at the core books had me going to Pathfinder, as did the rest of the crew).  There was an attempt to crowdfund an E20 universal system based off the game that was ultimately a failure, and that was pretty much the end of it.

I actually ran two Fallout campaigns using the Saga Edition rules, and it worked well.  It was still pretty gritty given the lack of Force powers for speeding up healing, the combats were fun, and it didn’t take me nearly as long to build up monsters and NPCs due to the way the skill system worked.  There are still issues certainly, but at its core, I think there are some great elements here.

Savage Worlds

I’ve also used Savage Worlds a few times, a couple games of Deadlands, and then a short-lived Fallout campaign.  I’m not nearly as experienced with Savage Worlds as I am with the d20 systems, but I did enjoy my time with it as a game master.  There was plenty of fan-made Fallout content available at the time that I modified for my own use, and adding in some elements from the Deadlands books made for a great Fallout game set around New Vegas and larger expanse of the western United States.  Savage Worlds biggest advantage is its speed, as it’s amazingly quick to build out NPCs and monsters, and gameplay can be deadly, just as it should be. 

While I’m not opposed to using Savage Worlds for this dungeon, the system just never felt quite crunchy enough for me, like I just couldn’t quite get as deep into building a character as I’d like in something like d20.  That’s just me having stayed in that wheelhouse for so long, and I’d likely feel differently if I just had more time with the game.

The Homebrew Hack

Last year, before the whole OGL thing broke loose in January, and before I was dealing with some medical issues that stopped me from working on the game for a while, I was in the midst of developing my own homebrew system and a campaign setting to go along with it, primarily for my sci-fantasy setting and my own replacement for Star Wars (thanks Disney, for ruining that for me, btw).  The post-apocalyptic 80s setting where this megadungeon is located was meant to be the test bed for the game, and I even went so far as to run a single session using the initial system.

What was this system?  Well, at its core was the Saga Edition rules with a few modifications, namely no Force powers or Jedi, and some modifications to the Skill Focus feat to help mitigate how unbalancing it could potentially be, making armor act as Damage Reduction instead of making you harder to hit, and with a sprinkle of Savage Worlds/Deadlands thrown in (specifically the fate pot and drawing cards for initiative).  I’d made a few notes about feedback from the players (specifically the need for improved ways to heal given the intensity of the combat, made more intense by the absolutely horrible dice rolls they suffered that night), but have yet to return to working on the game.

 

A New System?

Since I got fired up in January after the Great OGL Debacle of January 2023 (because let’s be honest, WotC hasn’t finished screwing up yet, and there’s a lot of time left for them to do worse things), I’ve been doing a lot more RPG-related projects, and the idea of developing my own custom system is still there beneath it all.  I still like the Saga Edition system gameplay, and elements of its design, and since you can’t copyright game mechanics, well, it’s ripe for plunder.

Since the start of the year, I’ve been researching other games, some in the OSR like Castles & Crusades, but have specifically been diving heavily into Pathfinder 2nd edition.  I’ve just recently started up an Abomination Vaults campaign and am getting ready to try it out from a player’s side in an Age of Ashes game.  There is a lot I like about PF2e already, but until I’ve spent more time with it, I can’t say for sure if we’ll be sticking with it. 

What I can say is that it has brought back thoughts of developing my own system and has given me some new inspirations.  PF2e has a lot of elements that remind me of the Saga Edition system, and apparently has a lot of 4th edition D&D in it as well, which I’m more open to these days.  I’m wondering how the Three-Action system of PF2e would work with Saga Edition (as it was basically this already, but with more restrictions, specifically having standard, move, and swift actions), and in my head, I’m not seeing a lot of negatives.  The skill system of Saga Edition is very much a precursor to the way PF2e does its skills.  I’m thinking various elements would mesh fairly well, so it may be something I explore more in depth soon.

That’s about all I’ve got to say on the matter right now, though.  I’d be curious to hear of any suggestions you may have for systems to look at that does the post-apocalyptic setting well, as well as any thoughts you might have on my idea for combining gameplay elements into a custom system. 

Feel free to reach out to me on that Twitter thing what I made! 

Till next time!

The I-89 Tunnel System

Located southeast of Paradise City in the Western Wastes, the Interstate 89 tunnel provides the most direct route between the Paradise City trade hub and the smaller settlements east of the Jagged Peaks, running in a generally east-west direction.  Before the Great War sent the world into chaos, the I-89 Mega Tunnel was a fifty mile tunnel, the longest and largest in the world at the time of its construction, consisting of eight traffic lanes and a massive support system that would provide emergency shelter and services should a severe accident occur.  During peak usage, this tunnel saw perhaps a hundred thousand or more vehicles a day.

Every mile within the tunnel was a small emergency services and safety station, where traffic officers would monitor the flow of traffic and assist should minor accidents occur.  These stations also served as the entrances to the emergency tunnels that ran parallel to the main tunnel, along the full length, on either side, and exiting at both ends.  These tunnels, in the event of a catastrophic emergency (such as a massive pile up resulting in a severe fire event) would allow travelers to safely escape the tunnel, and provided temporary emergency shelter and supplies. 

There were multiple ‘police boxes’ in the tunnel, one on either side of the road, placed every five miles along the tunnel.  These served as the stations for Tunnel Traffic Corps to remain on duty and deploy in the event of speeders or other violators, with their main base of operations being at the center of the tunnel in the area known as the Fuel n’ Fun Zone.  These were connected via additional tunnels out of sight of normal traffic flow, and typically had half a dozen patrol cars each, with a dozen officers on duty at any given time.  Thanks to the impressive camera monitoring system built within the tunnel, their job was usually an easy one.

 

After the Great War

After the Great War, the tunnel was generally impassable for several years.  When the bombs started falling, the massive traffic flow turned into a chaotic mess as blast waves from the magically-infused nuclear bombs rolled through the tunnel at both ends, causing massive pileups of vehicles, which, due to intense heat from the blasts and the subsequent fires that filled the tunnel, would fuse together into an impassable quagmire of burnt steel.  The support systems within the tunnel failed almost immediately as they were overwhelmed, and those lucky enough to have survived deeper into the tunnel became panicked in the mass confusion, fighting wildly to escape through the emergency tunnels, which were likewise compromised by the blasts and flooded with radioactive fire and suffering multiple collapses  throughout their lengths.

Only once thing started to settle down and a new kind of society began to take shape did anyone attempt to navigate through the tunnel system.  Most who tried were never seen again, resulting in most trade caravans and travelers taking the much longer route leading them through the Jagged Peaks, turning what had once been an hour’s drive into a week-long journey.  It was after Paradise City was officially formed that a concerted effort was made to reopen the tunnel for travel; by this time the worst of the radiation had faded to manageable levels, and new groups had formed to deal with the mutants and abominations that had grown common within the wastes. 

The newly reformed Tunnel Traffic Corps, a group of former soldiers, mercenaries, wasteland survivalists, engineers, and resourceful independents, with the support of the various factions controlling Paradise City, were tasked with blazing a trail through the tunnel.  Taking several months and costing dozens, if not hundreds, of lives, the TTC were nonetheless successful in cutting a path through the wreckage and collapses within the tunnel, creating the first traversable, if not entirely safe, route through the I-89 tunnel since before the war.  From then on, or at least, as funding and raiders from the wastes would allow, the TTC would strive to keep the route open and as free of mutants as possible. 

With the tunnel route opened, trade caravans can generally expect a two-day journey to and from Paradise City, though it can take longer depending on the nature of the caravan, whether they’ll need to maneuver by another group traveling in the opposite direction, and general mutant activity.  Hiring on additional guards is always recommended, and freelance mercenaries are always able to find work at either end of the tunnel.  

 

The Fuel n’ Fun Zone

Located in the very center of the I-89 Tunnel is a former tourist trap known as the Fuel n’ Fun Zone, built within a massive natural cavern.  This location once offered fuel, food, a place to rest, medical services, and even a small amusement park to entertain travelers.  For a time, it was one of the most visited places in the country.  There was even another smaller cavern system beneath the park, known as the Firefly Caverns, which had unusual crystalline formations that glowed faintly all on their own, winking in and out like fireflies.  

This area is generally considered to be about as safe as anywhere else in the tunnel, with most surviving buildings having been pilfered and looted already, though some treasures may still be found if one is brave enough.  Though mutant creatures still show up here from time to time, coming from somewhere beneath the area, the most pressing danger are the Parkers, a group of cannibals who have claimed the amusement park for themselves.  They tend to keep to themselves, and won’t usually attack larger groups, but will eagerly go after individuals or smaller parties that venture too close to their domain.  There have been stories about them keeping their victims alive as long as possible, cutting off bits and pieces at a time, and storing their mutilated victims in makeshift cages attached to the Ferris wheel at the rear of the park.  Some rumors even persist that they maintain their numbers through strange magic, converting those victims they deem worthy into new family members, should they survive. 

The Fuel n’ Fun Zone makes up the first level of the I-89 megadungeon, and will be detailed in the next article in this series. 

Keep your eyes open for the next entry, and thanks for reading!

Till next time, stay safe out there!  Over and out!

 

 

The #Dungeon23 Challenge

So what is this thing, and what have I been doing with it?

The Dungeon23 Challenge was first proposed by Sean McCoy over on the Win Conditions Substack; the original post can be found here.

Basically, the idea is to create a megadungeon over the course of the entire year of 2023, with twelve floors (one for each month), and 365 rooms, with a new room getting created each day.  Sounds pretty simple, right?

 

My Dungeon23 Project

I started this project back when it first began making the rounds throughout the Tabletop RPG sphere on Youtube at the start of the year.  At first, this was simply something I wanted to do for fun, but after the Great OGL Debacle of January 2023, it became something a little bit more…ambitious, I suppose.  I actually want to try to finish this thing and eventually might even publish it.

I’ll be honest, I’ve not really kept up with anyone else’s progress on their megadungeons, so I have no real idea what is out there.  Everything that I’ve developed so far has been created with a post-apocalyptic future setting in mind.  This particular setting is still very much in its early phase development, so a lot of my entries for the dungeon aren’t especially specific when it comes to things like monsters, loot, and specific game mechanics.  That will come later on, as I grow and develop my game design skills now that I’m seriously working on my own system, settings, and adventures.

 

The Original I-89 Concept

The original idea for this wasn’t actually a megadungeon.  It started off as a much smaller “dungeon” of sorts for a post-apocalyptic setting I had been (very) slowly developing for my local gaming group, originally just as a testbed for the (still) in-progress homebrew redesign of the Star Wars Saga Edition system.  The setting itself was, and I suppose still is, meant to invoke the feel of those 1980s post-apocalyptic films and stories.  In fact, the original intent of the setting was to be Fallout-like, but instead of leaning on the atomic age aesthetics, it would lean more into the 80s style, with lots of neon lights, floppy disks, cassette tapes, and the like, but with a fantasy twist to it. Think a fantasy world, with classic fantasy races, but having gone through modern development, magic has waned to a point of insignificance, and it is the height of the 80s, then the Cold War turns hot and the world comes to an end.

Further, the specific idea for this area came from the first Vampire Hunter D movie, and a rather short scene just before D encounters the Midwich Medusas, where he’s walking through an old tunnel where you can see a handful of ancient vehicles that have basically rusted away to fragile shells that turn to dust at a touch.  A similar idea was seen in 28 Days Later, that car-clogged tunnel filled with zombies that the protagonists had to navigate.

Originally, the I-89 Tunnel was conceived as a fifty-mile tunnel built underneath a range of mountains separating two rather large areas, with the regional hub, Paradise City, located on one side, making it a dangerous, yet vital route that trade caravans had to brave in order for the post-apocalyptic society to function (well, that, or take a much longer and perhaps just as dangerous route through the mountains).  During the pre-war times, this tunnel was something of a tourist trap as well, with a large underground mini-city existing at the halfway point, called the Fuel n’ Fun Zone, featuring shops, a fuel station, diner, hotel, clinic, and even an amusement park and a natural cavern system known as the Firefly Caverns.  It was dangerous, there was no light, and it was filled with dangerous mutants.  But armed escort jobs would pay very well if a caravan was successfully navigated through it.

 

The I-89 Megadungeon Evolution

I hadn’t worked on this idea for a few months; I didn’t do a huge amount for several months last year due to issues with my eyes, to the point I had to have surgery on one of them.  However, after that, I’ve been seeing some pretty good improvements, and have been getting back in the swing of both writing and RPG development.  The Dungeon23 challenge was announced, and my mind immediately went back to the I-89 Tunnel, and the undeniable potential for expansion.  There was an entire mountain range above the Fuel n/ Fun Zone, after all, not to mention an untold number of underground areas possible below the Firefly Caverns.  

And thus the I-89 Megadungeon evolution began!

Level 0 – The Original I-89 Tunnel

Technically, my megadungeon does have a 13th level, though it is a much more generalized “wilderness” area in terms of how I’m handling it.  This Level 0 consists of the 25 mile stretch of tunnel on either side of the Fuel n’ Fun Zone, which is an 8-lane highway through the mountain, filled with derelict vehicles, wandering mutants, remains of old caravans and hapless travelers, and the occasional emergency shelter and mini emergency responder stations throughout its length.  This could easily be something akin to a hexcrawl, with each five-mile section of the tunnel being its own hex/encounter area, with a chance of coming across a hostile monster, other travelers, or some new obstruction from a collapsed ceiling.  Heck, it could even develop into a PC-led initiative to clear the tunnel, shore up its structure, and turn it into a somewhat safe area to traverse. 

That’s practically a whole campaign concept right there.

At the halfway point, the players could explore the remains of the Fuel n’ Fun Zone, and even venture into the Firefly Caverns if they wanted to risk encountering mutants and other radioactive horrors.  This was intended to be the extent of this area, with more focus on the surrounding wasteland areas and a proper hexcrawl exploration style campaign.  

The New I-89 Megadungeon

The expanded megadungeon concept changed the original concept significantly.  The entirety of the original Fuel n’ Fun Zone is now going to be the first actual level of the dungeon, featuring multiple areas to explore, and even some antagonists in the form of the Parkers, a bunch of cannibalistic raiders who have taken over the amusement park as their home.  The party can try to avoid them, but if they want to explore the Firefly Caverns, they’ll need to go through the Parkers’ domain…unless they find an alternate route…

The new megadungeon concept has been expanded into the requisite twelve ‘floors’, though given that this isn’t a classic fantasy setting, I’ve taken some liberties with the concept of ‘rooms’ in some cases.  Like the buildings for the Fuel n’ Fun Zone being combined together.  This will likely be fixed once the whole project is wrapped up and revised; I’ve already found certain things I want to change, but I’d rather just get the groundwork done before going deep into revisions.

For now, I will simply list the areas I have planned for the megadungeon, and in later posts, I will detail the areas I have finished and provide some (rather poorly drawn) maps for them.  

The Many Layers of the I-89 Megadungeon

  1. Fuel n’ Fun Zone
  2. Firefly Caverns
  3. Utility / Drainage Tunnels
  4. The Old Mine
  5. Research Facility
  6. Barracks
  7. Experimental Research Facility
  8. Crawler Warrens
  9. Irradiated Tunnels
  10. The Ancient City
  11. Fiery Pits
  12. Hell Hole

As it stands right now, I’ve got the first two areas finished, and have started into the third.  I may decide to change up some of the floors, or change the names as I go, but for now, this is what I’m running with.

Systems of Entertainment

The big question looming over everything at the moment is…what system am I going to use for this megadungeon?  

As I’d mentioned previously, I had originally been developing the setting for use with my homebrew hack of the Star Wars Saga Edition rules, which I had previously used to run a short Fallout campaign a few years ago.  I’ve also used the Savage Worlds system for another Fallout game, which is always a good option for basically anything you want.

Given the awakening that I experienced during the OGL thing at the start of the year, I am looking at other systems now as well.  I could try an OSR style game, or maybe, once I have more experience with it, a modification of Pathfinder 2e.  Chances are I’ve got another game somewhere in one of the many PDFs I purchased as part of a non-OGL gaming bundle or two that will fit the bill as well.  I’ll just have to wing things with generalities as I go for now, until I’ve settled on what it is that I’d like to use.

Another Project?!

Well, yes, actually.  There’s always another project.  If you’re familiar with my literary endeavors over the years, there is no shortage of inspiration, only time and available willpower.  I do have another RPG project in development, with several pages of notes so far.  

But that is going to have to wait.  I’ll give you the details on that one next time.

Oh, okay, here’s a hint:

Make of that what you will.

Till next time!

 

Feel free to hit me up over on my Discord server or even follow me on that Twitter thing what I made.