Where to Wander?
John M. Stater
I write hex crawls. Hex crawls need dungeons. Therein lies the problem.
I have a complicated relationship with the One Page Dungeon. On the one hand, I love the form and simplicity, and personally would just as soon never run another dungeon that wasn’t in the One Page format (or something very close to it). After all, it gives you the most (assuming you have an imagination, and I do) for the least. This year’s compilation would probably last most gaming groups several years, assuming they meet about once or twice a month.
When it comes to writing a One Page Dungeon, however, I’m just no good. I did submit a one pager to the first contest, and found the process of writing it frustrating. I’m just too verbose – when running a One Page Dungeon, I have no problem inserting the description myself, but when writing a One Page Dungeon, I have a real problem with leaving out the descriptive bits.
Now, from the preceding paragraph, one might take it that I’m saying the winning One Page Dungeons lack description. Far from it – and that makes it all the more frustrating for a wordy guy like me. Reading through the entries, I’m in awe of the folks producing these things. The best of them are like Hemingway novels for gamers – few words invoking so much wonder!
So, I’m a failure at One Page Dungeons, but I love the things. I really want to learn how to write them well, because I think they’re the perfect complement to the hex crawls I spend most of my time writing. Dungeons are, of course, an important part of any adventuring landscape, and every good hex crawl should have at least three or four of them, with one being fairly large and capable of sustaining a lengthy campaign. Now, most of my hex crawls run anywhere from 40 to 60 pages as it is (don’t even get me started on the One Page Hex Crawl – if I couldn’t load my crawls up with saffron, porphyry and hepatizon, I don’t know what I’d do), so stuffing three or four decent sized dungeons running between 15 to 30 pages each is just not economical, and even for the someone as productive as me would be quite a feat. Three or four one-page dungeons, on the other hand, would work beautifully as inserts, even if they had multiple levels.
In short, this is why I think the art and science of One Page Dungeons is an important one to nurture and encourage. In a world of busy people and precious resources, getting the most for the least makes sense. In addition, the design of a One Page Dungeon forces one to think about everything they put in the dungeon, eliminating the chaff and concentrating on the fundamentals of clever design.
I’ll keep working on condensing my prose and shooting for the day I can join the elite One Page Dungeon Writers. In the meantime, I’ll just enjoy this excellent new venue for old school dungeon design.
Dihercen