I began this mega-dungeons maps “series” (more consistency in posting would help with that label, I’m sure!) earlier in the year with one of my oldest surviving maps, but that map (and its associated key content) does not reflect the quality of designs that I create today. “The Landings Level” map and key more-accurately reflect my current design sensibilities.
I created “The Landings Level” map (the first in a group of similar types of maps), over a few days in early December ten years ago, and it marked the beginning of a new phase in my (ongoing) redesign work for my version of Castle Greyhawk. Over the past decade, I’ve focused primarily on the creation of new levels and keys, rather than an overall structural schema or holistic design guided by a top-down vision for all of the inter-connections between the levels. That approach has its own disadvantages (making the levels fit together into a rationalized, coherent whole is somewhat more difficult this way), however, its primary advantage rests in that during the several years that followed this first map, I’ve created a pile of new, well-designed levels, many of which I’ve playtested at GaryCon, the North Texas RPG Con, KantCon, and various smaller gatherings. So, volume of inspiration and creation vs. perfection in overall design won-out, in the short term anyway!
The Landings Level was the work that kicked off this phase of creation, and was itself inspired by my research into various unpublished Castle Greyhawk levels, discussions with Rob Kuntz about the Castles Greyhawk and El Raja Key, and my overall engagement with the old-school AD&D online communities at the Knights & Knaves Alehouse, Dragonsfoot, OD&D74, and elsewhere.
This is my first draft version of the map, drawn in one night’s work:
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| The Landings Level Map – grodog’s Castle Greyhawk First Draft |
Over the next couple of months, I detailed the level’s features that went largely unmarked during its genesis: I added intra-level stairs, more doors, columns, elevations, water, etc., etc., and did so working on a photocopy of the map so that I could explore different options (and you can see various notes scribbled away where they didn’t work out):
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| The Landings Level Map – grodog’s Castle Greyhawk Keying Sketch Notes |
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| The Landings Level Map – grodog’s Castle Greyhawk Charley Phipp’s TSR Blue version |
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| The Landings Level – grodog’s Castle Greyhawk Updated Map Rendering |
The previous articles in my Mega-Dungeon Maps series include:
I have been reading so much about this level (in various con report threads) it will be a pleasure to finally read it. :) Thanks for outlining the steps in your design process! Can you tell us something about how you came to do the stocking, or is that for a later post?
Would love to explore this!
@Melan: I plan talk to the keying process later, Gabor!
@Mike: If you're attending GaryCon or the North Texas RGP Con sometime, you may just have that chance!
Allan.
Unfortunately, I will not