"What makes a megadungeon?" Topic

"There's been a lot of chatter in my own little corner of the OSR web lately about megadungeons, and this is a thing that I both enjoy and encourage. For obvious reasons, I've got quite a few opinions about the megadungeon concept and execution, and I'm not afraid to share.

But I think in order to properly frame the discussion, we need to get a bit of definition around what, exactly, a megadungeon is.

Quite a few people subscribe to the "mythic underworld" interpretation of the megadungeon, where it represents a place where the normal rules of the world no longer apply, and wherein fantastical and abnormal things can be encountered. Indeed, Philotomy's Musings (a well-traveled booklet in certain circles) gives a length discourse on the megadungeon as mythic underworld, and in addition provides the following criteria for the mythic underworld/megadungeon (which he significantly uses interchangeably…"

Main page
link

Amicalement
Armand

So a 'megadungeon' is a dungeon that lacks a single 'boss', can't be cleared by players, and constantly grows in size and scope?

I'd argue that, in an FRPG campaign, then every dungeon is ultimately a megadungeon… because even a 'cleared' dungeon can be reoccupied, repurposed, expanded.

So it seems a useless distinction to me.

I feel like megadungeon is a misnomer. Better named a living dungeon.

I think another distinction is how quickly it changes and re-populates. Whereas the old wizards keep lays empty for decades before bandits take up residence, kobolds make a warren next Tuesday after the old Myconid caverns get wasted by adventures in the living dungeon (megadungeon).

It's got enough of a food chain and economy going that it fills in rapidly. I think a sprawling city could also host these living dungeons in non dungeon form such as a sprawling market or bazaar.

I think a requirement for the living dungeon is there needs to be nuetral zones or no mans lands that are transition zones between several other areas or lairs of monsters. Nuetral zones can still offer plenty of danger with natural pitfalls, non intelligent monster predators, and wandering monster encounters who are denizens of the living dungeon.

The map in Tangos post does not fit that requirement very well in my mind.

I've found a more useful term is "Campaign Dungeon". One you keep coming back to, as some of EGG's play descriptions indicated. That such are also frequently Living Dungeons that evolve between visits is part of the charm.

Mega dungeon= really big dungeon.
Everything else is a matter of taste.

The concept of a mythic underworld is a solid concept, but of course in FRPGs it would not be "mythic" and would require a way to logically exist within the framework/laws of phyziks of the fantasy world in question… Doable, but I remember that even when designing smaller dungeons the test of "now leave it alone for several years and see if what happens" often did not produce a believable setting….

VERY interesting article about Gygax's megadungeons, focusing on, not the "realism" of a megadungeon, but how it was suited for episodic play, as opposed to campaign play like RPGs are today. Bit of a shame, since episodic play is much better suited for busier gamers, many of them RPG'ers who don't have time for RPGs -- unless they knew how Gygax originally played them.

link