Into the Megadungeon
Benjamin Laurence
This podcast is about the tools and techniques GMs use to create and run megadungeons, entire tabletop roleplaying game campaigns where the adventuring takes place in a single giant dungeon with 100’s of rooms spread out over many levels. Why run a megadungeon campaign? How can you build a single adventure location so that it sustains excitement over more than 100 sessions? To answer these questions and many more, Ben talks to the people who know best: GMs with years of experience running amazing megadungeon campaigns.
Literally Possessed by a Demon
In this special Halloween episode, Ben takes us Into the Megadungeon to interview Miranda Elkins about her Nightwick Abbey campaign--a dungeon literally possessed by a demon. They talk about the secrets of successful restocking, the importance of theme, and how to use geomorphs to craft your dungeon map. They also talk about how to run a horror themed dungeon by externalizing psychology and making metaphor literal. For access to the full geomorphs for levels 1-3 of Nightwick Abbey, and much more
Oct 31, 2023 • 47:59
A Malignant Presence
In this episode Ben takes us into the megadungeon to interview Luke Gearing about his weekly lunchtime megadungeon campaign, as well as his published megadungeon Gradient Descent. They talk about why the dungeon is more fun if every creature is an NPC and how random stocking produces interesting results. They also talk about how science horror gaming differs other genres at the table, and how Gradient Descent turns the dungeon itself into a malignant presence that haunts the players. You can fi
Oct 17, 2023 • 42:03
Lessons Learned
In this episode, Ben takes us into the megadungeon to interview Nick L.S. Whelan about two megadungeon campaigns, "Dungeon Moon" and "Five Years Left". They discuss why GMing is so hard and what lessons we can learn from our failures. They talk about why some kinds of prep only increases your anxiety at the table, how the GM's experience can be dissatisfying even when the players are having a good time, and how play is subtly shaped by what we take seriously at the table
Oct 10, 2023 • 41:12
The Human Element
In this episode Ben takes us into the megadungeon to interview Josh McCrowell about his home campaign and his forthcoming megadungeon ruleset, HIs Majesty the Worm. They talk about how we can capture the human element of dungeoncrawling, and Josh gives some vital tips about how to prep megadungeons without getting overwhelmed. To find Josh's published work, including the draft of HIs Majesty the Worm, and especially Dungeon Seeds, his megadungeon creation toolkit and advice, go here. To find J
Sep 19, 2023 • 35:10
The Question of Space
In this episode, Ben takes us into the megadungeon to interview Gus about his H.M.S. Apollyon campaign. They discuss how a satisfying megadungeon is an experiential space that evokes a sense of place. They explain how to harness history to move beyond bog standard fantasy tropes, and how you can actually make treasure cool. To find out more about H.M.S. Apollyon, visit Dungeon of Sings here. For Gus' theory of the procedural crawl, visit All Dead Generations here. You can find Gus' amazing adv
Sep 5, 2023 • 38:29
Little Persistent Worlds
In this episode, Ben interviews his own GM, Nick Kuntz, about their megadungeon campaign, The Twilight Age. They discuss the challenges and special rewards of megadungeons campaigns with large player rosters, and how megadungeons can function as "little persistent worlds", where the stories that emerge are less about a band of protagonists and more about an abiding place. You can find a reader's guide to this episode with a glossary of terms and more extensive reading recommendati
Aug 22, 2023 • 32:25
Mysteries
In this episode, Ben steps Into the Megadungeon to interview James Maliszewski about his Dwimmermount megadungeon campaign. James explains how megadungeons can captivate the interest of players by encapsulating the mysteries of an entire setting. James also discuss his current project, The Secrets of sha'Arthan. For deeper reader's notes to this episode that explains all the terms used and give further context for the episode, check out my newsletter here. You can find James Maliszews
Aug 8, 2023 • 30:31