Project Random Dungeon

For a while now, I’ve had a severe hankering for rolling on all those crazy random tables in my D&D books. Not just those wandering monster tables, mind you. Nor in just the Pathfinder or 5th edition versions. I’m talking about all of the random tables from as far back as 1st edition. Who didn’t love finding only a single dirty sock? Thus, Project Random Dungeon was born. I want not only to see where randomness can take you, but also to show my true appreciation for the effort that went into building those countless tables. Ok, and, I just love rolling dice.

My Original Sets & Dice!
My Original Sets & Dice!

I know that folks have attempted such a creation before. I also know that it’s not always worked out so well, especially if every single minutia is left to randomization. I’m not quite that fanatical. Though as much as possible I will leave everything up to chance, I will also add my own two-cents of logic to the entire affair. In other words, I want to create a dungeon, but I’ve no solid vision for its impetus or design. So, I’ll roll sensibly, then fill in the detail.

The Process

The dice I'm using
The dice I’m using

So many tables from which to choose! I’ll do my best to incorporate as much as possible from my main sources (see below). As well, I will document my rolls in small text at the end of each page for any who are interested. Once I create the initial setting, then each week I’ll be adding to the dungeon. My hope is that it will come together piece by piece. In a somewhat sandbox fashion, adventurers will be free to roam wherever their skills and courage would allow. It might even read a bit like a Choose Your Own Adventure. In the end, I’ll have created a stand-alone dungeon that could be inserted into any appropriate fantasy setting.

The Books

Let’s face it, there are thousands of tables in dozens, if not hundreds, of volumes from which to craft this adventure. However, for the most part I’m going to stick with the basics. If I need something specialized, I’ll branch out into a few other books I own. Below are the titles I’ve whittled it down to. I’ve also included an acronym for handy reference.

  • DMG – Dungeon Masters Guide by Gygax (revised edition, December 1979)
  • DMG3.5 – Dungeon Masters Guide v3.5 by Gygax and Arneson (July 2003)
  • DMG5 – Dungeon Master’s Guide by Mearls and Crawford, et al. (December 2014)
  • GMG – Pathfinder Game Mastery Guide by Jacobs, et al. (November 2010)
  • BoN – Gary Gygax’s Extraordinary Book of Names by Bowers (January 2004)