Creating Rooms 1: A Room is not a Room

What’s a room?

Space within a building separated by walls according to dictionary. And if you peruse a few popular  dungeons you’ll find plenty of these. But then, sometimes you get something interesting like caverns, rocky tunnels, or courtyards. Typically, they’re still referred to as ‘dungeon rooms’.

What we really need to know is: from a meta, dungeon-designey perspective, what is a room?

In Rules 1 & 2 we defined doors, not as the typically wooden and openable partitions, but as signals for players to alert them to their options for moving through the dungeon space. From there we translated that definition into one that works in an outdoor dungeon. Here, we’re going to do the same thing for rooms. But first, we’re going to a go on a little tangent. Rather I should say, you’re going to go on a little tangent. Click here.

What you just experienced is Zork, one of the precursor’s to many of the video game rpgs you’re probably familiar with. Taking obvious inspiration from D&D, the game was actually going to be called ‘Dungeon’ until TSR shut that down. If you didn’t get the chance to play it a bit, Zork is a text adventure game. They were usually played in a command prompt, wherein the system would tell you in a short paragraph what was around you, and you would enter in what your character did in response using a verb and noun. Not too far off of from ttrpgs, huh?

Zork holds the key to breaking down rooms into their true meta abstract form. See, Zork is situated as a grid of areas, or rooms, and using north, east, west, and south, you move from room to room. Eventually, you’ll probably run into something interesting. Something you can interact with. But you only get the prompt that there’s something to interact with when you’re in the right room to do so, the right room to see the interesting thing. In a nutshell, that’s what dungeon rooms are.

Rooms are devices that tell your players what they can interact with at a given point in time.

The versatility of rooms is that they communicate this info for both the present room, where players are, and all previous rooms through object permanence.

Room A with the red carpet holds a bookcase and a desk containing a bloody knife. Room B with the blue carpet holds a dead body. The players are in Room B. They know that the dead body is in front of them, and they can interact with it. If they want to interact with the bloody knife, they know they need to go back to the red carpet room. Room A.

Really, dungeon rooms are glorified rpg menus.

 

                                                     Anyone remember point and click adventure games?

And if that’s the case, what’s stopping you from having a ‘menu’ of options in an outdoor space instead of an enclosed area?

Well... a few things. In the next couple of posts, we’ll go into what those things are, and how I solve them.

A Reference Map: Outdoor Dungeon Sample Path

Hahaha wow has it been 3 months?

The good news is this 'project' is still alive (laboriously breathing) and kicking (giving out final, spasmodic death rattles). I even sort of have an excuse? I realized early on that being able to present what I'm thinking in a concise manner would require well-created maps, mainly because people won't be used to running traditional dungeon-crawling in the outdoors.

The problem?

I am no artist. Really, the last 3 months of stalling have been for this reason alone. But I may have finally found a solution. Let's hear it for...

*drumroll*

Dungeondraft! Here for all your rpg map needs! Outdoor maps! Indoor maps! And especially, dungeon maps!

Okay, enough shilling, they ain't paying me. Let's jump right into what I've been working on. 

~

Take a look at this section of hallway.

 

Think about how you'd run it in a dungeon-crawl. And I mean one of those real dungeon-crawls, where you're tracking turns and everything. You'd probably narrate the first straight section and tell the players the hallway turns up right up ahead. Then if they proceed and turn to the right, you'd narrate the next section and the left turn. In the next hallway there's an obvious pit trap, so you'd say there's a trap once the party is in a position to see it (depending on light, etc.). After they've navigated the trap, you'd probably pick up narration of the rest of the hallway and how it turns right, followed by right again. A little tedious if you're not used to this type of dungeon-crawl, but necessary because hallways are no different from rooms, containing traps, encounters, and various interesting things. 

Alight, now I'm about to show you essentially the same map. 

This is what I've been calling 'The Winding Path,' one of the earliest room concepts I've been toying with. Squint and tilt your head at the right angle and it is essentially no different from the map before, at least in terms of how you'd run it at the table. Upon entering at the bottom, you say the path runs straight then turns right around a bend up ahead. Another straight section and turn, then you get to the bit with the log bridge over the gorge, zooming in on that because it's a little more involved than walking down a straight path (also because there's an 'encounter' of sorts there). 

Let's see it again, this time labeling some of the concepts I've gone over in previous posts. 

Here we have the bends as doors, places where the path ahead disappears out of sight, thus inviting player interaction whether they want to 'step through' to the unknown. The log also a door, this one inviting player interaction more along the lines of how they want to interact with it. The gorge is an example of a hidden door, more specifically an implied door. It's not the obvious way forward. But maybe it gets your players thinking, 'Where'd this gorge come from?' 'Where does it lead?' It hints at the possibility that maybe they can follow it to interesting content. I'm setting up the first series of rooms as a sort of 'teaching dungeon' for players, aiming to demonstrate some of the ways they can move through an outside environment that they may not be used to. So, to double down on this, in the dungeon this gorge will also contain animal tracks leading one way, noticeable to anyone who sOmEHow ends up in the gorge. The log totally doesn't have a random chance of collapsing. Nope, not at all. 

So there you have it. This is basically another repeat of Rules 1 & 2, this time with visual examples. But I think understanding these concepts is key to running your outdoors as dungeon-crawls, and not having them inadvertently end up being point- or hex-crawls. 

But we can't dwell on the past forever. And eventually, if we're going to talk dungeons, we need to talk dungeon rooms. Yep, outdoor dungeons have them too, in certain senses. But there's quite a few things we're going to have to take into account to make them work. So that's what we'll be discussing next time. 

Apologies to previous readers, I really need to figure out how to get blogger to tell me when someone comments. So I don't go and disappear again, I'll say it now: next post by August 22.

A Reference Sheet: On Creating (Outdoor) Dungeon Doors

This is your creating (outdoor) dungeon doors reference page.

For the sake of easy readability and understanding, I’ll be occasionally referring to what I called ‘doors’ as ‘paths’ when used in the context of the outdoors. But in general, assume that throughout this series, doors = paths = doors. 

Let’s start off with normal, easy to find doors and paths. When constructing paths for an outdoor dungeon, keep in mind the main purposes doors serve in typical dungeons. If I had to take a stab at it, I’d say doors in dungeons are generally doing the following things simultaneously.

Why do dungeons have doors?

Doors break the larger dungeon into discrete sections that players can interact with;
Doors serve as a decision point for players to move from one discrete section to the next; and
Doors entice the players to move to connected sections, and therefore deeper into the dungeon.

Break the larger dungeon into sections.

When designing for this goal, what we want to keep in mind is how can we got our players and ourselves to think of a space as ‘over here’ and ‘over there.’ The room we’re in right now is over here. If we want to interact with things in the other room over there, we need to say we’re going though the door to get there. So we want

Something that divides. Think of a change or break in landscape. It’s hard to break up a featureless field, but slice a river through it and suddenly you have one side of the river and the other, and possibly the river itself.

Something traversible. The point of them is to be traversible. You wouldn’t want something like the gorge between two cliffs, but a small, jumpable ravine would work.

Serve as a decision point for players.

Players need to be able to choose to use your doors to navigate the dungeon. With that in mind, we need

Something you can describe. Players can only choose things you describe to them.

Something that reads as an option for moving forward. Necessary for non-implied doors. Players will probably ignore a massive, steep cliff if they didn’t bring climbing gear, but a 20ft high crag is doable.

Something noteworthy. Enough to remember, so that even if the play conversation leaves the topic of doors, they can come back to it and say ‘ok let’s see what’s on the other side of that tangle of vines.’ (They may need a reminder, but that’s okay.)

Entice the players to go deeper.

I rate this as least important, because it’s something you don’t necessarily need to design for. Players generally have reasons outside the design of the dungeon to move through it (gold, quest, glory). With that in mind, think about

Something that moves them towards their goal. This can be as simple as making sure they know that the options presented lead them deeper into the forest’s center, or further west towards the end of the world.

Something that looks like it leads to more content. This one’s tricky, especially because players probably won’t be used to going through the outdoors as a dungeon. It’s hard enough to get players to read elevation changes as options in normal dungeons. I’d say keep this in mind but focus on all the above.

Something interesting, unique, different. This has a lot of overlap with the next section, but think about adding something different. Something out of place. Weird, arcane, mystical, beautiful. Your players will probably wanna check it out. Something glowing within a large tree with roots so giant they just might act as a ramp.

d10 Types of 'Doors' for Outdoor Dungeons

1. An obscuring of the way forward, like a bend in the road, dense foliage, or simply darkness.

2. One path suddenly parting to become two, forcing a decision.

3. Manmade ways through the wilds that one can choose to follow; roads, bridges, signs.

4. A literal door or openway formed by nature, as into a cave, or a pathway through briars.

5. A sudden change in elevation, drastic or not.

6. A light differential; into the shadow of foliage, or into a sunlit glade.

7. A change in terrain marking the demarcation between two areas, as stepping from a copse of tree into a field of flowers.

8. A notable landmark within sight, poking up over treetops or visible down in a valley.

9. A stretch of difficult terrain cutting off the way forward. A rushing river through a field, a rocky, thorn-covered incline. Nature interposing itself.

10. Two of the above, combined in an interesting way.

Hidden Doors

So on further contemplation on how I can better explain and demonstrate Implied Doors, I decided to change them to Hidden Doors, of which Implied Doors are a subsection along with Secret Doors. With, again, the caveat that we very much want players to find them.

The 'Secret Door' Approach

You already know what secret doors are, they’re in regular dungeons. Here they’re similar in concept, we’ll use similar ways to communicate knowledge of them, but they’ll be wildly different in execution. Remember, ‘door’ is figurative. These aren’t actual doors, these are player tempting devices. We’re tempting players to take a path, but the temptation is hidden, and it’s a lot less hidden than a normal dungeon where you have a 1 in 6 chance of noticing… IDK a crack in the wall or something. We’re not doing those kinds of lame secret doors. Caverns of Thracia has a great secret door on the very first level that consists of a patch of wall covered by plaster. Anyone who thinks, ‘I wonder what that plaster’s covering’ will find it. So with all that in mind, here’s some ways to think about ‘secret doors.’

Logic

Some doors are found through logic, or really, player skill. The players connect dots, poke around, and maybe they find a door. Examples for your outdoor dungeon might look like a draping of vines on a rock face, pulling them back reveals a cave.

Shared Knowledge

Some doors or pathways are known to certain people and not to others. Think of the players getting pre-knowledge from their village elder to take a turn when you see the brook, then go straight to the large willow tree. Or, negotiating with the outdoor dungeon residents to tell you where things are.

Luck

Sometimes it’s luck, or another way, think of the players having the right perspective at the right time. Something visible from a certain point of view, like the top of a seemingly random rock one of your players decided to climb. Or, the moon-flowers light a path to the forest guardian, but only under the ‘light’ of the new moon.

Specialized Skill

Outdoor dungeons can be a chance to let your rangers and druids to shine. Only the druid recognizes the signs pointing to the nearby druid circle. The ranger’s the first to pick up on subtle tracks or animal game trails.

d9 Secret Doors

1. The remains of an ancient path, noticed not by what’s there but by what’s missing in vegetation.

2. A waypoint, indicating to anyone in the know to travel due east once you arrive at the oasis.

3. A flash of color through the brush, standing out from the greens and browns of the forest, noticeable only from the midst of the old Standing Stones of Ononeau.

4. The road ahead strikes a sharp right, and a signpost with a solitary sign nailed to it points due east to ‘Wailahlia’ along the only path. Examining the sign reveals a discoloring and excess nail beneath the Wailahlia sign, hinting at the existence of another road once branching from this point.

5. The curious remains of a fallen tree shaped like a dragon’s head emerging from the ground, maw open. Those brave (or foolish) enough to investigate the open maw will find the entrance to an underground lair. Perhaps this is what the old saying meant, ‘Through the crucible of fire lies treasure unknown.’

6. “Follow the spiders, Harry.”

7. Anyeone knowledgeable of the Wanders of Placidity, religious philosophy of the ancient Wicoshi civiliziation, knows that the existence of three carved figures standing in a row signifies a library nearby.

8. Nothing is revealed in the material world, but anyone in-tune with the arcane notices the strong tide of mana, flowing southwest as if into a vaccuum.

9. Only during low-tide is the entrance to the Coral Caverns revealed.

The 'Implied Door' Approach

Implied Doors are probably the hardest to think about both conceptually and practically. They’re the most separated from what an actual door is, and they often aren’t expilcitly used and designed for in regular dungeons. So we're going to switch to the word 'path.'

To boil Implied Paths down to their basic concept, it’s this. There’s a room (area, zone, a place with things existing in it) over there. This isn’t some quantum or random generation thing, this is a pre-made dungeon. The room has established things in it. Those established things might have some effect on the room you’re in, or at least, because the rooms are next to each other or connected somehow there might be some signs of what’s in the next room, in your room. So, if there’s rushing water in the next room, you hear it. If the next room is a monster lair and the monster leaves spoor in adjacent rooms, you see it.

Following those signs can lead you to a room you previously did not know existed. Not because the way to the room is hidden like in a traditional dungeon (though this would be a great way to start introducing hidden rooms in your regular dungeons). Rather, because in an outdoor dungeon where you could go anywhere, this directs you towards the interesting places, as determined by the person picking up the signs. If you think the sign is interesting, you go towards where the sign is coming from and possibly get more of it. This loops back to the whole enticement thing.

So, Implied Doors refer to signs, symptoms, or traces of a different room, acting as a ‘door’ or 'path' by alerting to the room’s presence.

One of the best ways I’m finding to create Implied Doors is to engage the five senses, particularly senses beyond sight. Also, don’t forget to think magical, otherworldly, wonder. This is D&D after all.

Sight - Something in the other room you can see from where you are, like smoke signals, or something from the other room left in or coming into your room, like a herd of animals all running from one direction.

Smell - A pungent scent that seems to grow stronger traveling in one direction.

Sound - The sound of something in another room, rushing water, talking voicees, etc.

Touch - This one’s hard admittedly. Maybe the ground shuddering from seismic activity below or a giant’s approach.

Taste - …Yeah I’ve got nothing. First person to come up with one and post it in the comments wins.

d10 Implied Paths

1. A set of conspicuous tracks that lead off the wilderness trail.

2. Past the distant hill, a thin trail of smoke seen rising towards the sky.

3. The sound of music barely heard from behind the roaring waterfall.

4. You catch the faint scent of a woman’s perfume. In the middle of a forest.

5. A creature, running forward and then pausing to look back, as if beckoning you to follow.

6. The ringing sound of combat just out of sigh to your left.

7. That subtle, eerie feeling you get when something inside you senses that your life is in danger. It grows stronger in that direction.

8. A voice, calling the group over from a certain direction. Only one character hears it.

9. While fording a river, a wispy orb of light floats by, coming from upstream. Minutes later another. And another.

10. Any interesting landscape feature that makes a player wonder ‘what’s over there.’ A multitude of mossgrown rocks, a copse of trees everyone knows to avoid, or something glittering deep within a cave.

 

~

 

Hopefully all this clarified the word vomit  from the past few posts. This post somewhat delayed because I got a bit caught in the weeds of the outdoor dungeon I'm whipping up alongside this series. Cautiously excited about it, but right now I'm trying to figure out how people design such great-looking dungeon maps. Ah well. Next topic we'll probably be looking at the actual 'rooms' for outdoor dungeons.

Creating Doors 2: Every Door is Equal, but Some Doors are Implied to be More Equal Than Others

 Alternate title was The Implication. 

So we have our doors. Decision points players can use to traverse our outdoor dungeon. They can choose to cross that bridge, and so move to the next discrete area or ‘room’ of the space. They can choose to turn one way or another down a split path. They can choose to hop over that log, or step through the patch of dense foliage to see what lies on the other side. But we can do better.

In an earlier post I briefly mentioned paths, and how players will be predisposed to follow them. Indeed, most of the easiest ways to imagine doors have to deal with paths, or the man-made ways to navigate wilderness. But that’s not where the beauty of the outdoor dungeon lies.

The allure of the outdoor dungeon lies in stepping off the path and into the wilds. But more than that, it’s about being enticed to step off the path by something wild and captivating and strange. Something that lies outside the realm of man and order and law. 

 

If doors are what allow you to run the outdoors as dungeon, these… enticements bring them to life. Like doors in some ways, as they will provide players with the choice to follow them. But not as obvious as doors, not so explicitly presented as an option for moving forward the way doors are. Almost like easter eggs, but we very much want players to find them. In my head I’ve been calling them Implied Doors.

Implied Doors denote a choice players can make to enter a new ‘room,’ just like doors. But whereas doors are clearly stated, “The way opens up to a small meadow ahead, and a second path branches off deeper into the forest,” implied doors are well, implied. “Also, you hear the sound of running water to your left.” Here, you can view the meadow as one room, the deep forest trail as another. But, there’s also a waterfall room that players will only find if they choose to investigate the sound of water.

If you’re up and up on the way the osr likes to handle investigation or trap-finding, this will start to sound familiar.

I don’t want to get too hung up on definitions. There’s probably a lot of bleed between ‘doors’ and ‘implied doors,’ but the important thing here is being intentional about including both types of doors in every ‘room’ (I know we haven’t really defined room yet) of your outdoor dungeon.

So let’s jump right into the examples.

The forest path continues straight into the distance, and at the edge of your vision it turns around a bend. The light from above is fuzzy and green-tinged, and you hear the sound of running water and rustling leaves as you walk along.

The tracks you’re following continue along the ridge, but beyond the valley and over the next hill, you see a thin smoke trail snaking up into the sky.

As you go along your way, a rabbit emerges from the brush. It regards you for a few moments, before continuing on its way. Investigating where it goes, or anyone with a survival skill or background reveals a narrow game trail through the wilds.

 

So, doors pique players’ interest and tell them what their options are for going forward in an interesting direction (ie towards more content iiee towards other ‘rooms’), and implied doors do the same thing without outright stating itself as an option, and may require poking or investigation to find or realize.

Next post we’ll look at tips for creating both doors and implied doors, go in-depth on a few examples, and end with some tables for reference.