It is a "Random DM-less dungeon generator" which is a pretty accurate description. I picked it up at Lulu, honestly, because I had a great coupon code and wanted to add a bunch of books so I didn't feel like I was getting totally shafted on shipping. I figured it would be good to hack a few random tables from. I didn't think I would really be a fan of doing the random dungeon generator.
Boy, was I wrong! I read the rules and liked the spin the author put on the random dungeon generator rules from the back of the 1e DMG. It seemed like it would work so I decided to give it a try. I rolled up a party of Labyrinth Lord characters and set to. I explored the entire first level of the generated dungeon, setting off a few traps and losing my Fighter in the process. I didn't find a single copper but it was a ton of fun.
I found a few shafts down to the third level and am currently exploring that environ. I just narrowly won a fight with 23 Mites (gremlin like humanoids who are fond of traps) thanks to judicious use of Sleep spells!
I am really enjoying the surprise factor with this mini-game. I didn't think it would work so smoothly, or that it would be so dangerous but still playable. I'm not much for reviews, I just don't think people really care what I think, but I dig this product. I am having fun with it and hopefully someone else will too. The real reason for the blog post instead of just dropping a shout out in Google Plus is that I've created a spreadsheet for use with the game and thought someone might get some use out of it.
In addition to generating standard characters for your favorite OSR Retro-clone or original B/X, 1e AD&D or what have you, you need to keep an Adventure Log. It tracks the meta information you need to play. I couldn't find one online and the scanned copy I made lacked in clarity, so I made my own using Excel. I also included mini-character sheets and hireling blocks with it so I could run the whole thing from one page. It looks like this:
I found it pretty useful to keep all this stuff in one place. I play at my desk so I just use the computer but you could easily print this out and use pencil. I found it easier and less pieces of paper to track in addition to flipping through the book and the LL core book as well.
Here is a link for download:
Ruins of the Undercity Adventure Log and Tracker
