# Ditch the dungeon in your next D&D game?

**URL:** <https://forums.hexed.press/t/ditch-the-dungeon-in-your-next-d-d-game/945>\
**Category:** Dungeon Master Tips\
**Tags:** osr, dungeoncrawl\
**Created:** [June 20, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://forums.hexed.press/t/ditch-the-dungeon-in-your-next-d-d-game/945 "2025-06-20T15:26:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Todd](https://forums.hexed.press/user_avatar/forums.hexed.press/todd/32/8_2.png) [@Todd](https://forums.hexed.press/u/Todd)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://forums.hexed.press/t/ditch-the-dungeon-in-your-next-d-d-game/945/1 "2025-06-20T15:26:31Z")

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[![](https://forums.hexed.press/uploads/default/original/2X/3/3e4cb65bb6bad880c5b02909a88046cd9496d877.jpeg "Ditch the dungeon in your next D&D game? | Hexed Press Dm Tips") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxervDAOCqE)

Can you ditch the dungeon and still play an old school D&D game?

👉 [Support the channel by becoming a Patron](https://www.patreon.com/hexedpress)

Whether it’s OD&D, B/X, BECMI, or one of their clones, like Old School Essentials and Swords & Wizardry, dungeons are not a pre-requisite for having amazing adventures in fantastic worlds!

📖 [Read the transcript](https://hexed.press/videos/ditch-the-dungeon-in-your-next-dnd-game/).

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**Author:** ![Croco](https://forums.hexed.press/user_avatar/forums.hexed.press/croco/32/1519_2.png) [@Croco](https://forums.hexed.press/u/Croco)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://forums.hexed.press/t/ditch-the-dungeon-in-your-next-d-d-game/945/2 "2025-06-20T15:59:23Z")

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Hmm, that gives me an idea to reverse the normal basic-expert (dungeon-overland) game state evolution. The basic concept/gameplay loop could be overland travelling/hexcrawling toward a location/dungeon (a quest/expedition/mythology thingy) and hopefully being strong enough to not die in it. So you basically have one shot to deal/find something within the dungeon because places to restock are too far away.

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**Author:** ![Croco](https://forums.hexed.press/user_avatar/forums.hexed.press/croco/32/1519_2.png) [@Croco](https://forums.hexed.press/u/Croco)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 4:00pm UTC](https://forums.hexed.press/t/ditch-the-dungeon-in-your-next-d-d-game/945/3 "2025-06-20T16:00:22Z")

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Maybe add the gathering-companions-along-the-way trope to gain hirelings/retainers.

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**Author:** ![Todd](https://forums.hexed.press/user_avatar/forums.hexed.press/todd/32/8_2.png) [@Todd](https://forums.hexed.press/u/Todd)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://forums.hexed.press/t/ditch-the-dungeon-in-your-next-d-d-game/945/4 "2025-06-20T16:07:03Z")

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Yep. In some ways it makes more “sense” that way-- rather than have a town awkwardly sitting really close to a very dangerous place, you have to Quest to find the remote location and power-up before you can take it down!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Croco](https://forums.hexed.press/user_avatar/forums.hexed.press/croco/32/1519_2.png) [@Croco](https://forums.hexed.press/u/Croco)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://forums.hexed.press/t/ditch-the-dungeon-in-your-next-d-d-game/945/5 "2025-06-20T16:35:42Z")

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Yeah, it’s more mythologically analogous that way, like the Golden Fleece, Search for the Holy Grail and other stories like that (LotR for more contemporary).