Should Moongose Publish an MRQ2 Megadungeon?

[mallard]

Megadungeons are all the rage right now in the D&D world. Why not publish one for MRQ2?

Snake Pipe Hollow is the closest that RQ gets to a megadungeon but it isn't large enough to be called mega.

 

[danbuter]

Maybe eventually, but I would prefer they get the followup Race and Cults books done first.

 

[zozotroll]

The original was just a small part of the hollow, so a mega treatment would fit just fine right there..

 

[Rungard]

I like running or playing dungeons from time to time, but I think megadungeons are too much an icon of D&D.

I prefer that Mongoose publishes scenarios that take into account all the richness of Glorantha and that provide a bit of everything: roleplaying, exploration, moral dilemmas, action.

We already have "Snake Pipe Hollow" and "Dyskund Caverns". Bigger dungeons are not really necessary in my opinion.

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

Mega-dungeons (as opposed to much smaller dungeons) would be OK for Non-Glorantha, but wouldn't really work on the lozenge.

For Glorantha the idea of a Mega-dungeon raises all sorts of questions. You have to ask yourself why would a mega-dungeon exist? What would it's mythic function be? Who built it? Why is it a dungeon rather than an occupied complex? How does it interact with the cultures and worls around it? etc. etc..

There have been (small) RQ dungeons before... I'm thinking of examples such as 'Lair of the White Wyrm' (home of Quincy the horned-helmeted duck barbarian "super-hero" and master of Quack-Fu), and 'Lord Skippen's Mansion' in Questworld (although this one is quite big). That said they were not set in Glorantha really.

I believe someone is working on such an idea though for 'OpenQuest'—that might be what you are after.

 

[ThatGuy]

Something that had the same "mega" dungeon-ish feel that Snake Pipe hollow did would be cool. Especially if the cultural complexities of Glorantha could be deeply intertwined in the scenario somehow (a relic important to EWFers and God Learners AND Orlanthi AND a horde of Chaos minions suddenly unified by a mysterious NPC for unknown reasons. Maybe the Dragon Relic seed from S&P. Wait...I might be on to something here...).

I have fond memories of the old Snake pipe campaign. Until my character picked up a cursed sword that fused to his hand with permanent negative modifiers and gave him a chaos feature that allowed him to spit acid three times a day, but simultaneously grew a huge black boil on his neck that reduced his CHA by 3. Doh! That uncle was a mean GM.

 

[SJE]

You could always set it in the Giant Gods Age Wheel/Axle that goes around crushing things....

SJE

 

[PhilHibbs]

You could always set it in the Giant Gods Age Wheel/Axle that goes around crushing things....

SJE

You mean Juggernaut? That's a good option, or in the Walking Fort. Or something new along the same lines.

 

[Deleriad]

You could always set it in the Giant Gods Age Wheel/Axle that goes around crushing things....

SJE

You mean Juggernaut? That's a good option, or in the Walking Fort. Or something new along the same lines.

Or pretty much any Mostali complex, especially if they have had to abandon it due to God Learner incursions leading to chaos invasions in certain parts and all sorts of Mostali traps and automata to defend certain elements.

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

My only concern is that Mega-dungeons are a fad (chiefly fuelled by the D&D "kuwell" factor), and after the fad has "blown over" there is the strong possibility that it will all look a tad foolish.

 

[PhilHibbs]

My only concern is that Mega-dungeons are a fad (chiefly fuelled by the D&D "kuwell" factor), and after the fad has "blown over" there is the strong possibility that it will all look a tad foolish.

And so long as it is sufficiently RuneQuesty (i.e. not just a square-room dungeon bash) then I think it should stand the test of time. I think the idea of a Mostali fortress that has been invaded by both God Learners and chaos (and maybe Uz as well) is a wonderful idea.

 

[Loran]

and at the end of your "bash-door, bash-monster, grab-treasure" quest toward the bottom... the party finishes on the hero plan where all the loot is spoiled, exchanged, sold or lost for a ticket back to the mundane world... That's wouldn't be D&Dish I think.

I think the ruined mostali dungeon is an hyper logical idea but already seen (Tolkien's Moria) and already quite developed in I.C.E scenario and also in Warhammer (e.g.: Karak Azgal).


I think that something more original would be great... Why not a full scale war between a Troll kingdom and the mostali, with Krash as the ultimate referee ? That's a lot of reason for tunnels and dangers, no ?

Let's have the players as Uz and the mostali as monsters... wouldn't be fun ? black powder, mechanical, alchemical and sorcerous traps... jolanti, gremlins, and other golems... and for the first time in the RPG history, no stupid need for tracking light and food consumption : trolls don't bother about such weaklings' things :-D

 

[PhilHibbs]

I think the ruined mostali dungeon is an hyper logical idea but already seen (Tolkien's Moria) and already quite developed in I.C.E scenario and also in Warhammer (e.g.: Karak Azgal).

Mostali aren't like Tolkien or Warhammer dwarves. That's like saying "Rainbow Mounds is derivative, because caves have already been done (Colossal Cave)". Also, with a four-way conflict, it suddenly becomes a different kind of game entirely.

I think that something more original would be great... Why not a full scale war between a Troll kingdom and the mostali, with Krash as the ultimate referee ? That's a lot of reason for tunnels and dangers, no ?

Let's have the players as Uz and the mostali as monsters... wouldn't be fun ? black powder, mechanical, alchemical and sorcerous traps... jolanti, gremlins, and other golems... and for the first time in the RPG history, no stupid need for tracking light and food consumption : trolls don't bother about such weaklings' things :-D

Not everyone plays trolls. Some people can't abide the idea.

 

[PhilHibbs]

Also, with a four-way conflict, it suddenly becomes a different kind of game entirely.

Four? Sorry, I meant 5. Mostali, chaos, God Learners, Uz, and the adventurers. There you are happily plundering Mostali loot, some defenders charge into you, and suddenly a wall collapses and a swarm of Krarshtkids hit the Mostali in their flank! There's a shadowy, horned figure in the darkness beyond the collapsed wall. What do you do?

There could even be two different factions of chaos, such as Thanatar and Scorpion Men ("No, you can't take his head, we're going to rebirth him!"), that could be manipulated against each other.

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

Scorpion-men are a little thin on the ground in the Second Age... unless you are in the Tunnelled Hills.

edit: Just checked, actually it seems that's about the only place they exist in the 2nd Age.

 

[Rasta]

Scorpion-men are a little thin on the ground in the Second Age... unless you are in the Tunnelled Hills.

edit: Just checked, actually it seems that's about the only place they exist in the 2nd Age.

GM rule number 1: Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story. :wink:

 

[mallard]

Mega-dungeons (as opposed to much smaller dungeons) would be OK for Non-Glorantha, but wouldn't really work on the lozenge.

For Glorantha the idea of a Mega-dungeon raises all sorts of questions. You have to ask yourself why would a mega-dungeon exist? What would it's mythic function be? Who built it? Why is it a dungeon rather than an occupied complex? How does it interact with the cultures and worls around it? etc. etc..

There have been (small) RQ dungeons before... I'm thinking of examples such as 'Lair of the White Wyrm' (home of Quincy the horned-helmeted duck barbarian "super-hero" and master of Quack-Fu), and 'Lord Skippen's Mansion' in Questworld (although this one is quite big). That said they were not set in Glorantha really.

I believe someone is working on such an idea though for 'OpenQuest'—that might be what you are after.

I disagree. Megadungeons fit very well into Glorantha.

Isn't it true that dwarves, trolls, karsh, dark elves, and others build vast dungeons underground in Glorantha? Karsh kids tunnel all over the place as shown in the pavis/big rubble book. In fact, Pavis is known to have tunnels below the city inhabited by the Flintnail dwarves, trolls and chaos.

Perhaps some of these dwarven or troll tunnels have been abandoned and are now inhabited by something else.

I don't think megadungeon are a fad. They harken back to the early days of RPGs (including early RQ) and are very cool. They have been largely missing from RQ and I think that’s a shame. Megadungeons require the player to keep track of the number of torches, rations, water, etc... Because a GM has more control over the environment, it is easier to set tricks and traps in dungeons and the players get to use more of their skills like pick lock, find traps, jumping, climbing, etc... You could even have the bottom of the megadungeon connect to the underworld.

Who says that Glorantha can only have small dungeons and above ground adventures?

This is what I am doing in my god learner ruin, it works great and my players love it because it fills a void that has been missing from RQ/Glorantha.

 

[Rasta]

Isn't it true that dwarves, trolls, karsh, dark elves, and others build vast dongeons under ground in Glorantha?

Maybe they would have better reception if they weren't called dungeons.

 

[mallard]

Isn't it true that dwarves, trolls, karsh, dark elves, and others build vast dongeons under ground in Glorantha?

Maybe they would have better reception if they weren't called dungeons.

Hehe. That’s why I prefer the term "action packed" over the pejorative "hack and slash."

 

[Ultor]

Ruins of Glorantha has quite a few good settings for a Gloranthan megadungeon.

I'd add that one of the great early dungeons, Caverns of Thracia, has a real Gloranthan feel to it and was written by Paul Jaquays, who gave us Griffin Mountain.