5 Room Dungeon Design REVERSED!
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- Опубликовано: 2 июл 2024
- We talk about how design dungeons in reverse by modifying the 5 Room Dungeon Technique! We also talk about overcoming Art Block with Something Old, Something New, Something Barrowed, Something Blue!
Twitter: @kylelatino
Old Roads Map Zine: fantasyfuncouncil.itch.io/old...
5 Room Dungeon Article: www.roleplayingtips.com/5-roo...
My Jaquaying the Dungeon Video: • Jaquaysing the Dungeon
The Map from this Video: drive.google.com/file/d/1fRzl...
Music by KOBOLD: heimatderkatastrophe.bandcamp...
Download the isometric grids I use: drive.google.com/drive/folder... 
Хобби
I've always thought of the 5RD as "5 areas to include", rather than a literal list of the specific rooms in a dungeon that cannot be exceeded or visited in different orders. So I think you're doing it just right! ...and if not, I think it's more fun this way anyway.
Yeah, I think you are right, that is the spirit of where it started, but it has become stronger formula for design in the intervening years. Still, what ever gets the juices flowing, and helps folks have fun with friends is okay by me!
That was my take on the 5RD technique, too. I find it odd that people take it literally. One could apply the 5RD technique to each level of a dungeon, with increasing difficulty and rewards the deeper it goes.
The number of rooms set the rough length of exploring a place. 5-12 rooms means it can be explored in one go. By limiting myself this way I mostly make it be a manageable chunk.
The "Thinky -Room" is exactly what I've been looking for!
I've been working on a series of connected "dungeons" based on chasing a fugitive NPC. A gnome vivisectionist/necromancer - Slicin' Higlee - who's involved with several other bad guys throughout the land. But I've struggled with how to let the PCs know they're all related. Having a "Thinky-Room" in every dungeon with clues relating to the others is just what my thinky-thing (brain) needed!
Plus, looking at the dungeons in reverse makes it all so much easier. Thank you!
'"Something Blue," making something sad I think is a perfect mood setter for the dungeon, I think the term though could also be used as a catch all for "Use of color." Meaning, that depending on the tone of your adventure "Something blue" could be a term that adds some tonal flavor.
A deer + birb is a Peryton, which is a monster I never see anybody use, so that feels a lot more original than a dragon. Why are some monsters so neglected, the ones YOU never see would be cool topics for your "Build Better Monsters" drawings. (Personally I lean away from "non-playable" Humanoids)
Thank you!! I didn’t know it had a name!
I want to do more building better episodes, but the ones on the juiciest topics take more effort and research. So when I get more time.
Came to comments to make sure the Peryton was mentioned. The heart-eating monsters would make a great boss.
Beautiful technique, stealing this for my inspiration notebook! :)
After looking up the original poem I realized that the final line is super helpful as well: "...something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe."
As someone who often forgets to add hidden treasure, NPCs or other boons to reward exploration, that line is a good reminder to do that!
This is great! I’m glad you explicitly said you weren’t criticizing the initial five room dungeon design method, but I never thought that way. I always like the way you give credit to people who have done excellent work, and then you share how you add different tips and techniques and ways to implement them. Again, thanks for taking your time to share with us.
I really appreciate how you hand-write the outlines of your videos. It's a terrific pedagogical technique that perfectly suits the style/theme of the channel.
Thank you! I am an illustration instructor as well!!
I like your non-linear thought process.
okay that's it. I'm buying isometric grid paper and a pencil.
your videos are pure gold, thank you. really appreciate your sensibilities and outlook, plus the artistry of your maps is exquisite.
Big fan of the wedding mnemonic. I thought you might have meant blue as in blue language - something to make the players swear! (In fact, that's how my version will work haha)
Brilliantly simple.... love it!
The "something old/history of the place" alone seems so obvious, yet, it is a game changer
Thank you for your time.
Your content is absolutely fantastic, really awesome practical and theoretical tips that have not only improved how I look at maps, but being a game master in general. Always a delight to watch!
Thank you!! This is so encouraging, gosh!! That means a lot to me!!
I found this very helpful. It reminds me of when I took tests. If I got stuck, I would flip to the end. I needed a change in perspective. Your tips do this very elegantly.
Oh I am starting my intro session in less than four hours. But this just launched me over the mental hurdles I've been banging my head against for the last month. Ty ty ty ty ty tysm
Designing in reverse is probably one of the best techniques in general. Start with the BBEG, their goals and motivations, their powers, followers, resources, etc. Then their lair, the surrounding rooms and hallways, entrances, guards, guests, traps, and so on. It helps to start with the purpose of the "dungeon" -- the how and why -- rather than creating a space then trying to fit a story into it.
Beautiful dragon design, very reminiscent of the peryton. Great video!
just found you. love it. subscribed
I agree with you designing in reverse order, makes sure that you foreshadow future elements and builds cohesion through your dungeon!
i LOVE your art style!! wow!!! and great tips of building dungeons. i don't even actively play dnd but this was very interesting! and that concept of old/new/borrowed/blue is a great idea that i'll definitely be testing out next time i'm working on an art project!
So glad I found your channel! Legit the best rpg channel I've seen in a while. You deserve so many more subs
Thank you so much!! I really enjoy sharing these with folks!!
I needed this so much, not for dungeon design, but for writers block
Right on! Happy to help!! Cheers!!
This is great stuff. The algorhythm needs to pick this content up!
Thank you!! Me too!!
Just discover this channel, this is great !
Good advice to pimp my dungeon !
your content is helping me out a ton! looking forward to becoming a patreon myself!
I'm so glad I found this channel, there are other RUclipsrs out there who provide DM assistance the same as you, but the way you present your content in an almost academia like way gives you an air of legitimacy that those other guys just don't have. It's almost like comparing hobbyists (them) to you, a PhD DM.
Thank you so much! Gonna share this with my DM
Finally took the time to watch this one. Your videos are so awesome, Kyle, you deserve all praising.
Thank you so much!! You are awesome!!
"...a cross between an eagle and a deer," you mean a Peryton? Hahaha. The image looks great. I understand what you were going for, of course, but when I saw the image, then you said an eagle and deer, well, I couldn't resist.
Haha! Yep, never heard of that before I did this video! Haha
I just found your channel through this video and I think I'm going to be watching a lot more of these videos. 😄 This was very inspiring and I can't wait to see what else you have! Thank you for putting these out there!
Thank you for watching!!
Love the videos you make! Your artwork and maps are great for inspiration. *COugh* (stealing your ideas) :)
loved your method, and your art style is amazing! wery well done mate
Thank you so much!! Cheers!!
This kicks so much ass. I feel bad but I hope your channel stays small so I can steal everything and my players won't ever know... xD
Excellent video really enjoyed it.
Thank you!! That’s wonderful to hear!!
Beautiful.
Stealing this one for my new campaign! :) I'm trying to seed a region with mini-dungeons Skyrim-style and this is just the sort of thing I'm looking for.
Where do you get your graph paper? The other isometric options online are so busy but this one is incredible.
I print out my own! You can download it here drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BGgDU1YFdeI7t0Z_sh-6IMNafW0KJT__
@@mapcrow I was just about to ask the same thing. This might be a good way to show people they are interacting with a 3d world and just a 2d landscape, as some of my player's have been struggling to comprehend... Which is weird, because you would think 3d would be easy to comprehend with the world we live in being 3d; we aren't upscaling to 4d here... But regardless, this is a cool tool to keep in your back pocket.
@@mapcrow you should set up an Amazon direct print to sell your isometric paper
@@dontyodelsohard2456 I for one am guilty of thinking in 2D, because I always am thinking about combat on a grid. So every room I make I am thinking "if a fight breaks out here, is this terrain conducive to combat in my game system?"
It's a downside to playing a grid-based combat system.
@@tradtke101 Yeah, that's true... The actual 3d models seem to also alleviate that but those are pretty difficult to get into, at least in my experience.
A good series I'm reading highlights just three points to be wary about when assaulting a villain's stronghold (or a dungeon): "a trial, a monster and the pivot". The promise of treasure can be implied, it doesn't need to reach paper save for checking your balance and separating the entrance or gauntlet from possibly making those host of the monster or trial is limiting.
In my more realistic dungeon designs, which are essentially dungeons only in spirit (a house or palace, an overrun town, a mostly linear tunnel), I often bother just to draw the locations hosting these points of interest and perhaps one arena or two, if there are terrain features I want to include to restrict or exploit. Traps which are not practical are excluded, as it is most practical to maintain just the two major roadblocks, while other wards and hidden paths are just a way to see if the players remember they own the key to them and be rewarded with goodies or avoiding minor encounters.
The way you hold a pencil makes my hand hurt by proxy.
Hiperty hoperty my subscription is now your property
Your vids are really nice and making me want to work in isometry
Loved the video! Only thing, you spelled it "barrow" as in wheelbarrow, not borrow, as in to ask someone to lend you something. Just thought I'd let you know, hope it's ok! I subscribed, really hoping to see more!
A barrow is also a burial mound (where the Hobbits got their knives from Tom B). That might work too, conceptually.
Great video to watch as a follow up (only 7 min 38 secs long):
ruclips.net/video/biVZRIZereI/видео.html
It teaches how to build elegant story telling via just the set pieces encountered in the dungeon.
ive beeb wondering, do you use your isometric maps as more of a visual reference or do you use them as tactical maps also?
I use them as gm reference mostly.
When I'm stuck I like to use my large collection of story cubes to get me thinking down random paths I'd not thought of. Any tips for using these?
I have to admit, I thought that "barrow" on the list was going to be a clever pun about, you know, the grave-mound kind of barrows, instead of just a misspelling of "borrow." Oh well, maybe next time.
Hi, how would you go about creating classes for a new ttrpg?
I’m all for useful neologisms, but how is “alinear” different from “nonlinear”? Are you capturing a subtle nuance I’m missing?
maybe it just feels nicer to say?
It drives me insane as someone who can not draw, that artists can doodle things I wish I could draw.
Do what brings you joy, my friend. If you focus on the joy, that’s what you get. If you focus on the shortfall, it will spoil the joy.
Something about the way he speaks reminds me of TangoTek over on the Hermitcraft server
What if we used a deferent interpretation of the phrase something borrowed, and instead interpreting it as the artist(gm or dm) borrowing creatively (which you can do that to) what if we interpreted it as meaning something of narrative significance such as a roll in a ritual or a mysterious power or maybe just a title that is established not to rightfully belong to the player but they must Cary the torch anyway.
Are these just for your reference or do you show the players these when they enter the dungeon?
where do you get this paper?
I added the link to download the grids I use so you can print them out yourself! Cheers!!
Could you like, show the entire thing?
Artist's Block is when you want to do an art but don't know what to art. Burnout is when you (or your body!!) don't want to do an art.
Brother I love your stuff, however I want to challenge you to attempt to make your next piece "less busy" while I like stuff your stuff as a designer there is almost too much going on and I get lost in the render. I'd almost like to see a larger map with really honed In specific areas while your contending with negative space. I don't know where my eyes are supposed to focus because there is so much detail
Right on! For the time being, I'm focused on 10x8 maps for the Map Zine I'm working on, though this wasn't part of that project. I'll keep this in mind for projects with different creative constraints in the future! A major goal of mine is draw the stuff that is harder to think of and plan, and empty space, while it might make for a nicer composition, isn't gameable. But this is a really intriguing point, and I'm happy you brought it up!
Non english native speaker here : i don't understand "barrowed" and i don't find something that fits on internet, can someone help me pls ?
Should be borrowed. Sorry for the misspellings
@@mapcrow ooow ok, thank you for your answer :)
why don't you sharpen your pencil
I want a thicker line weight for some lines.