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CASTLE OLDSKULL - The Classic Dungeon Design GuideClick to magnify
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CASTLE OLDSKULL - The Classic Dungeon Design Guide

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Castle Oldskull

Old School Dungeon Design Modules

For Advanced / Basic / Expert Fantasy Role-Playing Systems

Module CO1: The Classic Dungeon Design Guide

(Dungeons / Lore / Random Tables)


Deep dwarven cities of the underworld,

Infested by conquering orcs,

Enslaved by demons of skull and pyre ...

Black labyrinths of mad demigods,

Proving grounds for daring adventurers

And graveyards for greedy fools ...

Twisting passages, all alike,

Where lurking trolls and shadow beasts

Guard the deepest riddles of the nether ...


If you have ever wanted to know how to quickly and masterfully create your own mega-dungeon for your pen-and-paper Fantasy Role-Playing Game (PNP FRPG) campaigns, this is the perfect book for you.  This Game Master’s guide will show you, step by step, how to take your vague-yet-promising ideas and how to sculpt them with precise and careful design decisions (enhanced, if you prefer, by random die rolls), allowing you to conceive an endless mega-dungeon in record time.

Best of all, the CASTLE OLDSKULL CLASSIC DUNGEON DESIGN GUIDE is also system-neutral.  No matter which of the many FRPGs you choose to play, from basic skill level to advanced, a first edition or a fifth or anything in between, the lessons you master here will serve you in your gaming for years to come.  Learn how to make the most of your ever-dwindling prep time, so that you can spend those saved hours gaming with your friends!

This old school Guide is filled to overflowing with 220 pages of design material and dungeon generation tables.  Highlights include:

* Hack and slash and beyond.  39 adventure scenarios, with 20 diabolical twists, totaling 780 great ideas for your next campaign.

* A myriad of options.  Over 10,000 unusual benefactors (“quest givers”), unusual wilderness encounters your players will never forget, and extensive rumor and dungeon history generation systems.

* Every endless labyrinth ever, under one cover.  Extensive details on realistic underworlds, hundreds of dungeon dressing ideas, over 10,000 room types, and much more.

* The imagined made real.  A complete second book is included herein as a detailed example of dungeon design, featuring many pages of specific examples.  The Goblin Head campaign environment supplement reveals exactly how a 13-level mega-dungeon can be conceived in a matter of hours.

The CLASSIC DUNGEON DESIGN GUIDE is brought to you by Kent David Kelly of Wonderland Imprints, a role-player and Game Master with over 30 years of play experience.  Best of all, if there are any other materials you would like to see relating to dungeon design, feel free to contact the author.  Many more CASTLE OLDSKULL supplements are being prepared specifically to support the players, initiates and Game Masters of the Old School Revival (OSR).  This Guide is your gateway to the realms of sword and sorcery.  Join us for the adventure!

(A complete reference work designed to supplement existing pen-and-paper Fantasy Role-Playing Games.  12 chapters, over 100 section topics, 72,000 words, 188 pages; organized via a fully ordered table of contents.  Just one of the proud creations available now from Wonderland Imprints — Only the Finest Works of Fantasy.)

This is Dungeon Design Module CO1. The next module in the Castle Oldskull series, CO2: The Classic Dungeon Design Guide II, is available here.

To view the entire library of available titles for Castle Oldskull, Hawk & Moor, Old School Essentials compatible supplements, and more, please visit Kent David Kelly's Wonderland Imprints publisher page.

Disclaimer: This product contains assets that were procedurally generated with the aid of creative software powered by machine learning.

**

Full Color Softcover and Hardcover Print Edition

This book is also now available in a full-color 8.5”x11” print edition, in both paperback and hardcover formats, at the author's Amazon page.

**

The Wonderland Imprints Swords & Sorcery Library

Code

Supplement Title

Primary Game Topics

CO1

The Classic Dungeon Design Guide I

Dungeons / Lore / Random Tables

CO2

The Classic Dungeon Design Guide II

Dungeons / Lore / Random Tables

CO3

The Classic Dungeon Design Guide III

Dungeons / Lore / Random Tables

CO4

Oldskull Dungeon Generator

Dungeons / Solo Gaming Tools

CO5

The Book of Dungeon Traps

Dungeons / Random Tables

CO6

Oldskull Dungeon Tools

Generators / Solo Gaming Tools

CO7

Game World Generator – Deluxe Edition

Game World / Random Tables

CO8

Oldskull Adventure Generator

Game World / Random Tables

CO9

Chaotic Descriptor Table

Generators / Random Tables

CO10

Dungeon Delver Enhancer

Characters / Lore / Random Tables

CO11

Oldskull Warriors

Characters / Classes / Lore

CO12

Oldskull Knights

Characters / Classes / Lore

CO13

Oldskull Anti-Paladins

Characters / Classes / Lore

CO14

Oldskull Plague Doctors

Characters / Classes / Lore

CO15

Oldskull Gonneslingers

Characters / Classes / Lore

CO16

Serpentine

Characters / Races

CO17

Oldskull Half-Ogres

Characters / Races

CO18

Oldskull D100 NPC Generator

Characters / Generators

CO19

Character Tables

Gameplay / Tabletop Reference

CO20

Combat Tables

Gameplay / Tabletop Reference

CO21

Dungeon Monsters & Treasures Level 1

Monsters / Treasure

CO22

Oldskull Dungeon Encounters

Lore / Monsters / Treasure

CO23

Oldskull Dungeon Bestiary

Monsters / Random Tables

CO24

Oldskull Dragons

Monsters / Treasure

CO25

Oldskull Trolls

Lore / Monsters / Races

CO26

Oldskull Monster Generator

Generators / Lore / Monsters

CO27

Oldskull Treasure Trove

Random Tables / Treasure

CO28

The Oldskull Deck of Strangest Things

Lore / Random Tables / Treasure

CO29

City State Encounters

Random Tables / Urban Adventures

CO30

The Order of the Scarlet Tabard

Characters / Lore / Random Tables

CO31

Captains of the Scarlet Tabard

Characters / Lore

CO32

Oldskull Tyrrhenia Map Pack

Game World / Lore / Realm Maps

CO33

333 Realms of Entropy

Game World / Lore / Monsters

CO34

1,000 Rooms of Chaos

Dungeons / Solo Gaming Tools

CO35

1,000 Rooms of Chaos II

Dungeons / Solo Gaming Tools

CO36

The Pegana Mythos

Characters / Game World / Lore

CO37

The Oldskull Necronomicon

Characters / Game World / Lore

CO38

Lords of Oldskull: Krampus

Classes / Lore / Monsters

OSE1

Character Creation

Basic / Expert (B/X) Characters

OSE2

1977 Bestiary

Basic / Expert (B/X) Monsters

OSE3

Adventurer’s Arsenal

Basic / Expert (B/X) Equipment

OSE4

Turn Tracker

Basic / Expert (B/X) Gameplay

OSE5

Oldskull Grid War

Basic / Expert (B/X) Gameplay

HM1

Hawk & Moor Book I

TSR / Gary Gygax History 1973

HM2

Hawk & Moor Book II

TSR / Gary Gygax History 1974

HM3

Hawk & Moor Book III

TSR / Gary Gygax History 1975

HM4

Hawk & Moor Book IV

TSR / Gary Gygax History 1976

HM5

Hawk & Moor Book V

TSR / Gary Gygax History 1977

HM6

The Steam Tunnel Incident

TSR History / 1980s

 

(And more can be found at the Wonderland Imprints publisher page.)

Don't know where to begin?

Each of the Wonderland Imprints series has an acclaimed first introductory volume. You can start there, and then journey further as you choose.

Series include the Black Label Editions (unillustrated tabletop volumes), Castle Oldskull (old school RPG supplements), The Classic Dungeon Design Guides (system neutral dungeon crafting), Hawk & Moor (Dungeons & Dragons history), Old School Essentials (supplements for Gavin Norman's B/X game), Oldskull Innovations (unique experimental products), and the Oldskull Library (classic weird fiction), as well as many Free Supplement Releases.

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Reviews (6)
Discussions (13)
Customer avatar
Rob S October 25, 2022 6:00 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Think I may have found an error (?) Kent… on page 55+ Of the new book version , the dungeon names repeat in the lists… including the numbering ,ie two number 70’s.
Reply
Customer avatar
Kent K October 26, 2022 6:51 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi, fixed the table and added some artwork into the space, thanks :) The new PDF version is V2022-1 and just went out to all DriveThru libraries.
Customer avatar
Rob S October 24, 2022 2:51 am UTC
PURCHASER
Ok so I just downloaded the new version…. Freaking love it… but the clincher … I can get it in hardback… YESSSSSSSSS!!!! Will you be redoing other books and offering them as hardbacks as well ? Like the Adventure Generator and the Game World Generator ??? I WANTS IT !!!!!!
Reply
Customer avatar
Kent K October 24, 2022 3:46 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi there Rob, glad to hear it, enjoy. And yes, that is the plan :) They will each take me a while to create because I want to make sure they're done right. The hardcovers probably won't be available via DriveThru, but will be available via that website that begins with A.
Reply
Customer avatar
Rob S October 25, 2022 1:13 am UTC
PURCHASER
AWESOME… can’t wait to get them all….. I would definitely suggest finishing the Dungeon Design guides (all 3) and then the Adventure Generator followed by the Game World Generator (delux edition)….. and the Chaotic Descriptor Table….. to me these books are the absolute foundation of your system. No shelf should be without them
Customer avatar
Lesley N July 21, 2022 9:14 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Simply incredible. I'm inherently cheap, and I don't like buying pdf files.
But this is me saying, hardcover please.

Go for it Kent. Your books are good. I grabbed all 3 of the Dungeon Design Guides today.
Your books look very solo friendly in that I can imagine myself creating with your products, and using them to enjoy solo gaming through them.
Going to copy paste this two the other 2 tomes, as I feel the same about all 3.
Reply
Customer avatar
Kent K October 23, 2022 11:30 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thank you Lesley, I'm glad you're enjoying them! Hardcover version is now available but not via DriveThru sadly.
Customer avatar
Rob S April 25, 2022 4:36 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Really want a hardback copy of this… and some your other tiles . . Possible?
Customer avatar
jeremiah H July 20, 2021 8:15 am UTC
PURCHASER
Quick Review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvypZWNH4ow
Customer avatar
jeremiah H July 02, 2021 6:11 pm UTC
PURCHASER
When can we get all three in print or combined into one book?
Customer avatar
jim P April 13, 2020 6:23 am UTC
PURCHASER
There are some impressive charts in here. Really useful stuff for all writers. I'm not a fan of the typography, but I love a nice complete list of character class concepts, exterior buildings, and so on. I could do without 1,000 names for dungeons, but a lot of people will find that helpful. It's personal taste, I suppose. Honestly. I went in with zero expectation because so many of these chart PDFs are bad. But I got my $3 worth. Thank you. (Author of Toolbox and Ultimate Toolbox)
Customer avatar
Antonio M September 15, 2019 11:51 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Hi Kent. This New version is a Really good one! But i bought here the 2017 and i would like to download it again. How can you help me to Get the older version? The one with almost 500 pages?
Customer avatar
Kevin M June 09, 2019 12:30 am UTC
PURCHASER
Really love the new format, with bookmarks. I hope all future books look like this, so much easier to read and love the illustrations too (which the first version did not have, wish my printed copy looked like this also). Keep 'em coming Kent!
Reply
Customer avatar
Kent K June 10, 2019 5:42 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi there Kevin, good to hear from you. Glad you're enjoying the format so far! More will be coming as time allows :)
Customer avatar
Laimonas P March 18, 2019 11:21 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Would it be too much to ask to release some of those as a bundle?
Reply
Customer avatar
Andrew S March 19, 2019 6:07 pm UTC
Apparently not :) http://bundleofholding.com/presents/Oldskull
Reply
Customer avatar
Laimonas P March 21, 2019 7:43 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I love you, dude ;)
Customer avatar
Emily B April 20, 2017 5:17 am UTC
PURCHASER
This is probably the best dungeon design book I've ever read and looks decent on a tablet, but also the absolute worst for PDF navigation. The index is on page 10 (I really wish people would stop putting indexes after introductions), there are no bookmarks, and the document seems locked down so tight that I can't even add my own bookmarks with a reader or PDF editor.

I think it's an issue with administrative rights. Any chance you can update the product to unlock the bookmarks?
Reply
Customer avatar
Emily B April 20, 2017 5:18 am UTC
PURCHASER
This also seems to be the case with Game World Generator.
Reply
Customer avatar
Kent K April 21, 2017 5:13 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi there Emily, thanks for letting me know about the PDF experience ... I'm more of a Word and Kindle guy, but I will fiddle with the PDF features when I can to see if I can add Adobe bookmarks and free up administrator rights. That will be a free download upgrade when I can finagle it. I'll send update e-mails via DriveThruRPG when the improved edition is available. Thanks much!
Customer avatar
Rachael S April 20, 2017 3:46 am UTC
PURCHASER
I aggree that the layout needs updating. But aside from that I do have one "complaint".
Where is "the lady of seven pains"? Seriously you can't just feed me that and leave it hanging...
I GOT to know..... :)
Other than the layout this is a work to be proud of Kent K.
Customer avatar
Mikael H February 11, 2017 4:49 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Interesting and the material will certainly keep me occupied for a while, but the layout is horrible, the number of pages which has one line orphans is way too many to just being a oversigth. Snap it up, please!
Reply
Customer avatar
Kent K February 11, 2017 7:08 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi Mikael, good to hear from you and I'm glad you're finding value in the material. You'll be happy to know that I'm currently working on an expanded and reformatted version which will include lots of artwork and a tighter page layout, which will probably be ready and finalized next week. I will be sending out an e-mail notification when that free deluxe update version is complete and ready for download. Enjoy! ~ Kent
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Castle Oldskull CO1
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