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View Full Version : PC = DM: A raw idea



DM_MCP
2017-11-14, 04:19 AM
While reading the book Dungeon Born by Dakota Krout I had an idea for a D&D game that would sort of flip the normal dynamic of DM and players. What if the PCs were villains, but not just any villains, what if they were dungeon masters? I envision a game where the PCs are the keepers of a dungeon core, a rare, extremely powerful artifact that has the potential to reshape the world. In order to charge it up to it's full power, it requires the life force of true heroes. So the PCs would be charged with building a dungeon to attract and kill adventurers. The game becomes an exercise in roleplaying and creativity. The PCs can't just wave their hands and build an expansive dungeon filled with monsters and loot. They would have to find a suitable location, build defenses and traps, negotiate/trap/summon monsters to inhabit it, and provide loot to attract adventurers to come explore it. They would have to play a balancing act as adventurers start coming. Do they slaughter everyone who enters and risk bringing even stronger heroes and possibly whole armies to wipe them out, or do they let some adventurers live and escape with valuable loot to spread the word?
Obviously, this is just a raw idea I had while reading a very entertaining book. I'm not sure if it would work of a full campaign. I don't know how I would handle/run the exploring adventurers, and I'm not sure how much fun could be milked from the idea. but I thought it was interesting and wanted to toss it out and see what other gamers thought of it.

Mutazoia
2017-11-14, 05:43 AM
So, basically a PnP version of the video game Dungeon Keeper (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Keeper)?

DM_MCP
2017-11-14, 06:02 AM
So, basically a PnP version of the video game Dungeon Keeper

Yeah kinda. Probably a little more complex and with more roleplaying involved but close

Jay R
2017-11-14, 01:00 PM
It's not for me and my group. This will take an incredibly good DM of a certain sort, and PCs that buy into the premise and want to spend lots of time on it. I suspect that every player will need to be an experienced and creative DM.

For the right people, it could be wonderful. But for anyone else, I suspect it won't work at all.

Anxe
2017-11-14, 04:36 PM
My group tried that with some ad hoc rules a couple of years back. It was definitely fun! Progression is sort of different. You might "level up" by getting a manticore in the southeast wing rather than by gaining a new spell.

I really enjoyed it as a player but it was a bit much for the DM. We only did two sessions and then quit because it wasn't fun for him.

Friv
2017-11-16, 06:26 PM
You could definitely do it; I'm not sure that D&D would be the best system for it, though. You'd want something with interesting domain management and a decent rule set for dissociated play, so that the players can run the dungeon itself as the enemy adventurers come into it...