I'm a writer, so you'd think that Dungeonmastering comes easy to me. But it's a lot of freakin' work! It's novel-esque world-building that swiftly spirals out of your control, where all those little details you spent so much time creating never even get explored because your players are distracted by some silly side quest.
Or maybe that's just me. But still. This DNGNGEN from MörkBorg/Ockult Örtmästare Games is a neat way to make things up. Just "enter the dungeon," and it'll came up with a scenario for your game, like:
HEATHEN'S GRAVE
What brings you here? Love, believe it or not.
Status: Inactive, because of the curse.
Imminent danger: A terrible, dormant curse about to be unleashed.
Who or what dwells here now? Hexed monster-hunters, slowly turning amphibian. Enjoy building traps. Entrance: An impossibly large door. Guarded by A ghost seeking retribution.
Distinctive feature: Stuck, extremely noisy doors.
Room 1: Full of debris. Shattered glass.
Room 2: Cracked sarcophagi. Fish hooks hanging at eye level.
Room 3: Goedendag stuck in a door. Flayed skin carved with death-cult sigil.
Room 4: Pot with rotblack sludge. This mirror depicts you as hideous. Climb through it to another room.
Or
THE CATACOMB OF CHAOS
What brings you here? You seek shelter from the worst storm in what seems like 666 years.
Status: Inactive, because it is nearly forgotten and no one that enters may leave.
Imminent danger: Senses are being distorted.
Who or what dwells here now? Heretic cult lead by a man of glass.
Entrance: A maze of ruins near Grift. A gate partially blocked by a huge slab of granite. Guarded by 3 dying goblins.
Distinctive feature: Black prism which twists all Powers.
Room 1: Inscriptions, the motifs are childish. 14 dead prisoners.
Room 2: Creaking doors. Jewel removal leads to roof collapse.
Room 3: Hempen rope. Chewed off. Basket with exquisite silk, a Khula Snake hides in it.
Room 4: Sooty walls. Black Chrypt-fungi grows on the walls (heals all HP and increases all abilities +1 for an hour).
And at least that'll give you an interesting place to start designing your campaign!
DNGNGEN: A Dungeon Generator for MörkBorg
Image: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mercedes Porter (Public Domain)
