Dragon Dungeon

Dragon Dungeon is a strategy role-playing game played on a tabletop by two or more players. It simulates the danger and difficulty of the life of an Adventurer in a much safer environment.

Execution

Two or more players sit around a table with pen and paper. The dungeonmaster draws a simple map on gridded paper, while all other players consult the standard table of rules and create a team of heroes accordingly (collaboration between these players is encouraged). Once all players are prepared, the dungeonmaster describes what the heroes see upon entering the dungeon, and the heroes describe how they will proceed through the space and secure the treasure at the end. The dungeonmaster typically keeps a log of which spaces on the grid contain traps, monsters, or other setbacks, as well as which contains the treasure. The other players must use the skills they chose at the beginning of the game to clear the dungeon of enemies and locate the final treasure, rolling dice whenever the outcome of their actions is uncertain.

Components and tools

Pens and paper are important both for writing down the statistics of the game characters and for designing the dungeon maps they will explore. The game also requires each player to have a pair of equally-weighted cubes of wood, crystal, or stone, with each side marked with the numbers 1-6 (represented either numerically or with pips or dots). Tokens representing each character and monster can range from simple and abstract (copper coins, pieces of food like nuts or crackers) to complex (ornate figurines often custom-carved for the game).

Participants

One player serves as the dungeonmaster, who facilitates the game and sets the pace and scenario. All other players create individual heroes. Options and abilities available to these heroes are complex, but generally designed to mimic the abilities of real-life warriors and magic users.
Dragon Dungeon is particularly popular among teenagers and young adults, especially in schools and colleges. In particular, there is a thriving subculture of Dragon Dungeon players among the seven schools of Cape Hildegard. Dr. Tink Tinkerton, dean of the Inventor's Institute of Cape Hildegard, is an avid dungeonmaster and helped develop early iterations of the game.