2015-11-16

Geomorphs and Giants

Ever notice how the dungeon designs for Gygax's Against the Giants adventure series (modules G1-3) respectively match the same styles as in his Dungeon Geomorphs products?

Geomorphs and giants dungeon styles

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4 comments:

  1. Grumpy Old ManNovember 16, 2015 at 12:00 PM

    Not really related, but I thought I'd pass along this anecdote about Gary and his maps. The Troll Lords used to run a convention in Lake Geneva. One year, I took a bus tour of the old TSR sites, including where Gary lived when it all started, etc... Gary was not only narrating over the bus PA, but was giving the bus driver directions. We went down alleys, took big loops around the area coming back to where we had already passed (he was going in chronological order), and as a whole was very convoluted. Later, I caught up to him and told him I was on the tour. I told him that after all the twists and turns, his maps made a lot more sense to me. He got a good laugh out of it, and I spent the next 90 minutes chatting him about everything but D&D.

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  2. ZenopusNovember 16, 2015 at 12:02 PM

    Interesting, I hadn't noticed that before. I'd guess those were Gygax's three styles of dungeon mapping. The style of the "Basic Dungeon" geomorph levels is similar to the "binder map" of the first level of Castle Greyhawk. And the idea of caverns below the "Basic Dungeon" levels shows up in the cross-sections in U&WA, Holmes Basic, Moldvay Basic and the module B4 The Lost City.

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  3. Sean Robert MeaneyNovember 17, 2015 at 5:17 AM

    You want to see how their brains work? Don't look at the maps, look at the network of connectivity.

    http://valianttheywere.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/dungeon-mastery-hacking-b2-keep-on.html

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