I’m not sure I’m going to participate but I wanted to create a space to share resources, works in progress, and have discussions for anyone who is going to take part in the challenge.
Resources:
Tools:
Communities:
Ooh, those are nice! Have you started any preplanning on your dungeon yet?
I’ve got a little bit longer to put all these thoughts together, but I’ve got a couple of things I’m pretty happy with. This megadungeon will be:
“Below the cracked city of <cityname?>”
Over a thousand years ago a powerful ancient civilization was laid low by the Devastation. Many of their illustrious cities were felled during a period of massive earthquakes and sky-shaking ruin. Below one of these cities are the remains of cellars, crypts, vaults, sewers, and other sites. Beyond what was built long ago, there are lairs of creatures that have moved into the abandoned spaces since then, forgotten temples to Old Gods, raiding parties of adventurers, and treasure…piles of gold, jewels and magic beyond imagining, just there for the taking!
I’m going to assume a 12 level dungeon (1/month), of 30 rooms (1/day-ish).
Themes:
Motifs:
Factions:
I’m sure the rest will fall into place in that fun, fit the puzzle-pieces together way, that they tend to with dungeon design. Or it won’t, it doesn’t all have to make sense.
Oh, nice! Lots of possibilities there! Is this location in a jungle?
The premise is that the fallen city has been overrun with the jungle that surrounds it. Think vines covering ruined buildings, palm trees stretching upwards in the middle of broken streets. Tropical birds cawing as they swoop down on intruders in their territory, and the howling of primates nearby.
Aside from the exterior setting I’m working on how to take that ‘down’ into the dungeon. So I’m thinking that recurring motifs of hot, moist air, wet clammy tunnel walls., roots and vines breaking through old tunnel ceilings etc. will help convey that to the players.
Something I thought of just now: pits on the surface that represent spaces in which the ceilings broke or otherwise where voids opened up that can lead to different areas (potentially even different levels) of the megadungeon.
Absolutely. There need to be various entrances (not only as they would exist) so that we can provide all those great Jayquaysed player choices. An easy option to L1. A harder option to L3. Dang near impossible at low levels option to L5 etc. The possibility of a risky descent into the hole left by a collapsed ruin is certainly on the cards. I might even provide vines hanging down into the depths for those who didn’t bring enough rope, with the subsequent risk of breakage and fall damage!
Not to mention that if the vine breaks, they’re stuck wherever they fall! 
I updated my helper doc to Version 2, adding an alternative, more structured schedule for the challenge. If you download it and give it a look, let me know what you think!
I’ve checked out the update, it’s an interesting take. I like the way you focus on defining your terms up front in the Glossary. The structure of spaces, clusters and complexes is a good one that helps to add order and reason for the dungeon areas. The approach of putting together all of your factions, encounters and so forth before the map is probably not for me. I find that both inform the other, when I map it gives me a space to fill, and of course I can have a creature or encounter in mind and make a space suitable.
Overall it’s a really good guide on how to break down the time required for the necessary tasks!
It’s definitely a bit less organic the way I have defined things. Pick and choose whichever bits work for you and toss the rest! Glad you like it!
Nice work! Great to have Day 1 in the books!
I’m working on using the community energy to get some stuff done that is well past due on my docket. The first thing up is a starter hexcrawl scenario.
My map sketch:
A kind friend of the channel made a Wonderdraft version:
I like both versions for different reasons! I’ve taken to digital tools like a duck to water, however going back to pen and paper for this has really maximised my nostalgia for my own early dungeon creation days. Hand-drawn provides an element of craftmanship that digital will never match, while the efficiency of digital is unequalled.
I immediately want to go stomping around in that swamp to see what I find! 
Haven’t gotten to stocking the swamps yet!
In the meantime, I’ve posted an update to my dev notes for the project with my plans for an unreliable main NPC…
