DnD Map 1 Version 2 Feedback

My DnD map was a Zelda dungeon themed map, with a story themed after the Zelda franchise. On my map, players had to go through 2 rooms and one optional side room, if they chose, to get to the end and seek out the treasure.

My new map had swapped locks on the optional room and final room. The optional room now has the standard lock, and the final room has the hard lock. This acted as as an incentive for players to go into the optional room. Previously, players said they were not very interested in going into the optional room because of not only that it was out of the way, but this time because the lock is easier to unlock, players are more likely to choose the easier lock.

In the first long corridor following the first room and leading up to the offshoot that led to the optional room, I decreased the amount of enemies there were. These enemies still followed the players if they got into their line of sight and would attack if they were within 3 spaces after passing them. Players could choose to defeat them before they followed them as well. My playtesters said the space was much more opened up as there was more move to room, and less battles to have to fight. Players said they were more inclined to go into the optional room now because it was easier to get into, and the addition of some stew as the prize was a little funny and more rewarding.

The new map.

On my next iteration of this map, I would definitely put the optional room as a “branch” of the map. This way, players have the choice of either going through that room, or simply passing through a longer corridor, possibly with some enemies. My bosses were still fairly easy to beat, so the next design will include bosses that are harder to beat. As I had forgotten about armor, the final boss will definitely have that to its advantage. This way, I could have the players use the stew as a healing potion of some sort.

For this map, I give the players obstacles to make them utilize the mechanics of the game. The last room of the map has a strong lock on it, prompting players to have to unlock the door by rolling a 10 or higher. The optional room also had a lock on it, but this one was a regular lock and required players to roll a 6 or higher. Towards the end of the map, before the final room, there is a single square that has spikes on it. This is the only way players can get through to the other side, so they must jump or float across it. I also placed a few enemies and two bosses throughout the map, so players must fight enemies in order to continue. In the area surrounding the path towards the final room and the optional room, players are prompted to use a light spell in order to see, which reveals the secret room. In the final room, when the boss is defeated, players are told they discover an injured animal (a dog in this case), whom they must heal in order to leave the dungeon. All these obstacles and story points make players use all mechanics of the game in order to complete the map and understand the mechanics. They were all very simple obstacles, and easily introduced the mechanics to the players.

The path to the end of the map was extremely straightforward and easy to follow. My map was a simple winding corridor with a short offshoot to the optional room should players choose to go that way. There were no dead ends or open areas to confuse players, so it was a good setup for first time players. The overall flow, however, was a little congested. Since the image I had in my mind was a question mark, the corridors tended to be a little skinny and ended up slowing the game down a little bit. These corridors were one of two circulation elements in my map, with a couple lobbies scattered throughout the board as well.

Overall, I believe my DnD map was a successful introductory level. The new changes to my map helped create a much more cohesively fun map, and with some extra changes it can be even more fun and enjoyable.