Game dungeons are areas commonly found in game-oriented worlds (both tabletop worlds and computer game worlds) that exist as a trial for the player. These are areas that contain a concentrated number of enemies, traps, puzzles, terrain hazards, and other challenges. These areas do not need to be physical dungeons, they can be caves, temples, laboratories, castles, warehouses, sewers, or other places. Game dungeons are home to minions, mini-bosses, and the Big Bad.

Dungeons can be any type of structure or location (though caves, temples, and ruins are certainly common). When choosing a structure consider what best matches the world it resides in – fantasy-type worlds may lend themselves to actual dungeons, caves, and ruins, while sci-fi worlds may lend themselves to derelict ships, old mining colonies, & infested laboratories.

Dungeons

Caves

Other Places

Ancient Temples

Ancient Crypts

Ruins

Consider the scale of your dungeon. In game-oriented worlds often scale correlates with the dungeon difficulty, though it is easy to build large dungeons that are easy and small dungeons that are hard for players if that is desired. The same holds true for complexity. Sprawling dungeons can be difficult for players to navigate. This can be used as a challenge for players, but can also lead to frustration as repeatedly becoming lost can halt any sense of progression. For this reason it is suggested that elements like mazes and labyrinths be strongly examined for their impact on player happiness before their inclusion.

Including a dungeon map as a found item can alleviate issues with overly complex areas.

The use of different elevations or ground levels in a dungeon accomplishes two things: it creates intricacies and provides players both increased agency and strategic options. A narrow hallway and a narrow hallway that gently slopes downwards are two different elements and a worldbuilder will want to consider when to use each. In addition, different levels or elevations within a single space, such as a balcony, ledge, bridge, or elevated walkway, allows players to both choose their path and take different strategic approaches (for instance when positioning themselves during a battle).

An entrance can be an ideal location to provide clues as to what the dungeons may contain. These may be heads on stakes, animal tracks, bloodstains, etc. The entrance itself may also tell a story, a barred door with a shattered lock or an explosion-torn gap in the side of a resort are examples.

It is advisable to design dungeons where the player does not need to traverse back though the space upon completion (this is critical for games where a player is controlling an avatar, but less important for games where such backwards movement can be handled via quick exposition such as in tabletop games). One exception to this are dungeons ending with escape scenarios, where players must retreat back through the dungeon to safety (examples of escape scenarios would be timed bombs, poisonous gas buildup, structural collapses, anything that causes the destruction of the dungeon itself or reason to evacuate). There are a number of ways exits can be handled without subjecting players to an unnecessary time waste.

• Circular Dungeons: Dungeons can be designed to be circular, bringing the player naturally back to the beginning. Bethesda’s Skyrim makes wonderful use of this mechanic through hidden or one-way doors that can only be used once the dungeon is completed.
• Second Exit: A second exit can be employed through which a player may leave immediately after the dungeon is through.
• Means of Transportation: Some vehicle or other means of transportation (built into the dungeon) can be utilized to transport the player from the dungeon. A central elevator bringing players to different levels of the structure or a train bringing them to different areas they must complete would be two examples.
• Hard Cut: In some worlds it will be possible to return a player to a central location immediately after the dungeons completion. A brief cutscene may be employed here.
• Extraction: Some outside element (not contained within the dungeon) can be used which transports the player out of the dungeon, such as a helicopter.

Collapsing an entrance after it’s been used creates a point of no return, forcing players deeper into a dungeon.

Presenting an area or object to a player before they are able to access that area or use that object can help both provide a recognizable goal and build anticipation. Examples of this include locked rooms that require a key, or a piece of machinery that requires fuel.

With linear dungeons there is only one path a player may take. In open dungeons rooms and spaces are arranged such that a player may take any number of routes while exploring. The decision to create a dungeon that is more linear versus one that is more open is an important one and each has pros and cons. While more linear dungeons can be interpreted as basic and unimaginative, they provide players with clear goals and a definite sense of accomplishment. It is far easier to drive players towards an end state with a dungeon that has been built in a more linear fashion.

More open dungeons require more care in their development. A sense of progression must be fostered still, a player becoming lost must be avoided, and areas that must be visited for potential narrative reasons must have an impetus to be visited. Despite this, more open dungeons provide more agency for players, allowing them to feel more in control of their own destiny.

Use complex mazes and labyrinths wisely and sparingly.

Vista points are areas that provide players a sense of either the dungeons enormity, the obstacles they have yet to overcome (or have already overcome), or their place within the larger world. Consider an outdoor location overlooking a beautiful valley, a window that informs a player they are somehow in space, or a brief view of some terrible monster they will undoubtedly face. Vista points may also be used outside of the dungeon in order to highlight it. Imagine a band of adventurers looking for supplies and finding a half-broken ship perched precariously on the apex of a cliff.

Particularly if your dungeon is an older structure, consider how the natural world may have reclaimed portions of the area. This may manifest as overgrown flora, or it may be represented by a gaping chasm or ravine that has opened up through a room.

Typically in dungeons there are two main types of story elements that may be present: dungeon-specific story elements & greater world story elements. Dungeon-specific elements speak to narratives that exist primarily within the dungeon itself. These may be found journals that describe an adventurer’s travels through the structure, or they may be the position of corpses which tells the tale of how soldiers in a room were overrun. Greater world elements provide context about things residing outside the dungeon and piece into a larger narrative. These could be letters written from some outside force, or an item found within the dungeon that begins a larger quest.

Try to build history for your dungeon and then tell that history through the details you include. This makes for a more interesting dungeon.

Terrain hazards and obstacles are elements often found scattered throughout dungeons. Typically, hazards pose a threat to a player whereas obstacles merely impede movement, though there is overlap between the two. They can be used to increase the peril level, to funnel a player to a specific spot, or to force a player to make strategic choices. These elements will match whatever type of world is being built, as well as whatever flavor of dungeon. Examples of these elements are listed below:

HAZARDS

• Heights
• Lava Streams
• Acid Pools
• Poison Clouds
• Heavy Moving Machinery
• Darkness
• Explosives
• Flowing Water
• Electric Elements
• Visible Traps

OBSTACLES

• Rubble
• Fallen Trees
• Collapsed Structures
• Barricades
• Cliffs
• Containers
• Furniture

Hazards and obstacles will be entirely dependent on what kind of dungeon you are building and it is impossible to list all potential options here. Give thought to what makes sense for your own world!

Traps are a common feature of dungeons and serve to keep players attentive to their surroundings. A few examples are listed below:

Pitfall Traps

Blade Traps

Boulder Traps

Spike Traps

Creature Pits

More Traps

Traps may be baited, such as with a rare jewel resting on a pressure plate.

When designing dungeons it’s easy to create traps that players will always trigger and harm the players. This is usually best avoided. In general traps should be something can be found, disarmed, maneuvered around, or escaped from if players are attentive or clever.

Puzzles exist to test the mental acuity of players and there are many different kinds. Remember to tailor puzzles to your audience – puzzles that are too difficult can lead to frustration while puzzles that are too easy can lead to boredom.

PUZZLE TYPES

• Matching
• Logic
• Math
• Riddles
• Memory

Timed events can be elements that challenge player in a novel ways. These can be elements that exist in a single area or room, or can encompass the entirety of the dungeon. It is easy to imagine a dungeon that is on fire.

• Collapsing Structures
• Flooding Rooms
• Rising Temperatures
• Timed Explosives
• Atmospheric Re-Entry
• Demonic Summoning
• Sinking Ship
• Imminent Crash

Keys allow for entry into a new room, area, or container such as a chest. Keys do not need to be physical ‘keys.’ They can be codes, keycards, missing pieces of artwork or statues, ropes to reach high places, tickets, gasoline, explosives, etc. Keys can be great ways to ensure players make their way through complex dungeons in a specific manner. In this way keys can act as progression markers, guides, and desired items all in one.

If your dungeon contains more than one key, consider making them different in appearance in some way.

Dungeons often contain secret areas. These are satisfying for players to discover and can serve a number of roles – they can allow for strategic flanking, they can contain additional narrative elements, and they can hide important items and treasure. Often these are hidden behind false walls, tapestries & paintings, or bookshelves.

• Rooms
• Passages
• Stairwells
• Elevators
• Tunnels
• Ducts
• Elevated Walkways
• Sewers

CLUES

Consider placing clues that hint at the existence of a hidden area or point players towards its’ entrance. This may be a faint arrow on the floor, a skeleton pointing at a hidden lever, or a book that is less dusty than its’ neighbors.

Enemies can often be found scattered throughout a dungeon. They may provide difficult fighting challenges, or they may be obstacles that players must sneak around undetected. While dungeons can be present in all world types, below is a table of common enemies found in fantasy worlds. Consider the types of enemies that would populate your dungeons, if any.

Below are additional elements common to certain dungeons. While these will certainly not fit with all potential dungeons, they should provide some inspiration for the types of objects or elements you may also wish to include while building. It is up to you to incorporate elements specific to your own world.

• Dust
• Cobwebs
• Bloodstains
• Dirt
• Tracks
• Claw Marks
• Bones

• Torches
• Candles
• Corpses
• Skeletons
• Altars
• Runes

• Suits of Armor
• Bookcases
• Tables
• Paintings
• Tapestries
• Weapon Racks
• Cages
• Windows