4 Ways to Make Your Dungeon Crawl More Tactical

Before I got into D&D, one of my favorite board games was Descent: Journeys in the Dark. If you've never played it, it's essentially a lite version of a dungeon crawl. Today I was thinking about why I liked it so much; then it dawned on me that most of the fun and excitement I experienced from the game can be codified into four simple rules, and used in almost any dungeon crawl game (particularly Dungeons & Dragons).

These rules are not for every style of game, though, and are particularly geared towards dungeon delving that the game master wishes to turn into a deadly, tactical shootout.

Rule 1: Characters are Mortal

If you're an OSR fan like myself, you're probably already following this rule. Essentially what it means is that characters should have low quantities of HP, and are fragile (can die quickly and easily). This is essential to instilling a sense of fear in the players; by letting them know that they need to fear everything in the dungeon; since almost anything can be a monster, trap, trick, and so on.

Increasing the lethality of the game will be the bedrock for the party to work together, as a team, to survive--rather than individuals waiting for their turn to roll dice.

Rule 2: Onslaught of Encounters

Traditionally, dungeons have moments of action and moments of rest. Parties start to clear out dungeons until they're completely empty. But in this variant, I want you to imagine the situation as if the party of adventurers were soldiers deep behind enemy lines. They're surrounded, they're outnumbered, and there is little respite to be found.

Movement and time management should remain in "combat" time, and encounters should be rolled every round (old school D&D does a good job of this, which sadly has been lost to new editions). Yep, that's right--the enemy will be constantly spawning at random times, and there's an endless number of them trying to kill the party. The monsters should also be a good variety of different creature types.

This rule drives home a message to the party: trying to "clear and hold" a dungeon is not an option. Dungeons are teaming with horrific monsters. These dark catacombs have never been tamed by the local towns guards, past adventurers, or even mercenaries. The goal is not to "claim" the dungeon; but rather to get in, get the jewel/princess/mcguffin and get the hell out.

Rule 3: Fear the Darkness

When the GM is spawning monsters, the placement of the monsters changes to any space that is not within line of sight of the adventurers. Typically the GM can spawn monsters essentially anywhere within 2d6 spaces or so, but here's why my new rule can prove to be better: when players cannot control the placement of monsters, they're bound to "huddle" together so they fight closer to one another. But if you tell the players that monsters can only spawn outside of the parties' line of sight (aka the "darkness"), the PCs will tend to work more tactically by covering the corners, doors, and various angles of the room to prevent a surprise spawn. In other words, they'll spread out more, and work in turns to leap frog one another.

This rule was one of my favorite in the Descent board game. My friend and I would stand at an L, T, or Y junctions while the other adventurers moved down the hallway and opened a door. But once the new room was revealed, there was instantly many dark corners, alcoves, and crevasses that needed to be "cleared". So the PCs would stack up and rush into the room then spread out. As for the hallway we just abandoned? Well, it was fair game for monster spawning (which is why we'd immediately close and bar the door, and never take our eyes off it).

Rule 4: Declare Your Actions

Before each character performs their actions, the players should discuss what they, as a whole party, want to do each turn. Once a consensus has been reached, they "declare" their actions to the GM. Only after this phase would they then move their pieces on the board.

A "declare actions" phase allows for all the players to plot and plan their next move; similar to a game of chess. The entire table is involved; in contrast to everyone waiting for their turn to arrive. Once the actions have been declared, there's no "take backs". So it behooves everyone to know what each character's intentions are.

Once a plan has been plotted, the next phase--performing the actions, is fun to watch as you try to set your plan into motion. Can the unarmed fighter run across the room and grab the healing jewel before the centipede blocks his path? Will the archer kill the orcs at the end of the hall while the cleric heals the magician, or will the orcs survive the assault and kill the magic-user? Can the rogue sneak across the room in time, or spring a hidden trap and foil their entire plan?

Having a plan, and executing it, are two very different things.

Conclusion

These four rules, as simple and "common sense" as they mean seem to some, really changes the dynamic of the game for me and my friends. Descent was one of the only board games I would play for six hours straight and be enamored over the entire time. I loved the tactical feel, I loved planning our moves ahead as a team, and I loved seeing if our plan would go off without a hitch.

Have you discovered any rules that add a sense of tension, suspense, or tactical combat to your game? Let me know in the comments below!