I stumbled across this article on Aeons & Augauries regarding random dungeon generation that got me thinking. Typically what I find is listed information on stocking but very little on generation, and what especially caught my eye was this line:
I’ve been messing about a lot lately with programming my own generation tools and having a lot of fun with different methods. I’m getting decent results combining a 40 or so year old method of generating a text-based maze…
Now I searched this blog for anything regarding his methodology and have no luck as to finding anything near it so I wanted to ask everyone regarding their experience with it: have you done text-based/focused dungeon design? How do you go about generation and what do you think about it or do you prefer a more graphical representation? I’m absolutely terrible at drawing dungeons and am dying for more information about text-based generation procedure.
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I’m pretty basic but I love both the generation methods found within the Dungeon Master’s Guide for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, as well as the methods in Central Casting: Dungeons.
Some other methods over the years include the rubik’s cube method in 5 Torches Deep, the material from the second edition of Freebooters on the Frontier, various geomorph cards and dice, and plenty of die drop mechanisms.
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I have devised my set of tables to procedurally generate the dungeon as I play solo B/X. Here it is: Procedural Dungeon Generator for B/X
I also use it as impromptu dungeon generator when absolutely necessary, when playing with others. Otherwise, I just get a pencil and a sheet of graph paper, and draw randomly. (that’s the most random way, I think.) As a I draw on, (or maybe later on) I come up with the theme, and then sections, function of each room, etc.
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Thanks for this, I’ll have to try this out!
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