I ran across this game on the Spycraft forum. I have played just a bit with it, and it seems like a nifty little romp.

Basically, is a solo game that creates a dungeon, it's history, and a semi-usable map (actually a cross section) that can be converted fairly easily for actual use.

It is available in print, or as a nifty little PDF (I went with the PDF), direct from the author. The PDF runs $5.00 U.S. It requires dice (all the standard RPG polyhedrals) two different colors of beads (I use bingo chips), different colors of pencil and/or felt tips (I have been using both), and tracing paper (I have been playing without, and while you can do it that way I really want to get some tracing paper for this - you develop the dungeon in layers (as well as lairs) and seeing the previous layer would be useful).

The game is broken down into Ages and Seasons, as successive waves of inhabitants create, explore, expand, and occupy the dungeon environs. The Primordial Age places resources that might be found by Delvers, the Civilized Age has the first inhabitants as they create the first areas, the Age of Disaster, where the aforementioned Civilization passes from the scene, the Age of Monsters, as dungeon nasties move in, and then the Age of Villainy, where a Big Bad either arises from the dungeon or moves in.

The end result is a bit more developed than just a random dungeon, and I have found the history to be easy to build upon. It would also be easy to customize for specific settings. (For my Archaeopunk setting I am considering a bit of a lark involving Enochian, Hyperborean, and Atlantean civilizations....)

Looks like it might combine well with some of the older World Works sets - Dungeon Works, Cave Works, and Gothic Realms. Maybe even CWU and Hinterlands for the surface buildings.

But really, it ends up feeling very much like the dungeons I ran when I was a Young Grump, back in the '70s and '80s. Kind of Retro-Fun.

The Auld Grump

One warning, for anyone who purchases this as a PDF - the confirmation e-mail contains the PDF as an attachment, and does a very convincing imitation of being Spam. (Mine was attached to an e-mail with the evocative title 'Re: Notification of Payment Received' Look for an e-mail from Tony Dowler.

I came about two inches from deleting it unread, assuming that it was Spam.

The Auld Grump

Rise my necromantic thread! Rise!

Just thought that I'd let folks know that this is now available as a

The Auld Grump

Oh cool, thank you .. looks interesting!

If all you want is a map... try this software;

I got that...

Actually there's an RPG based on that Concept. Aria, Canticle of the Monomyth.



The idea is that you evolve your world, and all the players can participate in that process. You can then use your RPG to go into particular events. i.e. participate in the resolution of a serious point in history.

A great resource, I'm glad you raised it from the grave...and free is a price I just can't resist. MUST download before bed.