The Many Levels of Castle Greyhawk Part 3 - Gygax Original Castle Greyhawk Manuscript at Auction

A Quick Preface

I've posted about the history of Castle Greyhawk and its levels in Parts One and Two in this series, and more-recently in analyzing the new maps revealed from the Castle Zagyg backerkit campaigns.  You can also browse previous my discussions of Castle Greyhawk to dig into related topics if you'd like, and may find my presentation and the recording from our GaryCon V seminar useful too:  https://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_castle.html.

Castle Greyhawk manuscript,
photo by Paul Stormberg of The Collector's Trove

The Auction Itself

Paul Stormberg of The Collector’s Trove, acting as agent for the Estate of E. Gary Gygax, listed on 1 November 2026 the original manuscript for the Original and Expanded Versions Castle Greyhawk. 

The eBay auction listing includes a number of useful details outlining the contents of the manuscript collection, including Paul's lot summary and 22 pictures of its contents.  Paul has also shared some additional info about the auction contents in interviews with Angelo Chiriaco on his DM & Friends show at https://www.youtube.com/live/C0EoBTycV2c?si=dcNT2NQT00cINCeB, and Bill Silvey at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS3cir4HdKs, as well as in posts on The Acaeum, Dragonsfoot, and Facebook, among other forums.  We'll circle back into some of those additional details in my next post, since this one is already getting long!

If you plan to bid, the auction ends on Sunday, 9 November 2026, at 10:19pm CST.  Unfortunately due to our still-challenging-at-best financial circumstances, I will not bid on the Castle (despite it ending on the day after my birthday ;) ), but that certainly doesn’t prevent us from digging into the auction listing to learn what we can from it!  

I’ve archived all of Paul’s pictures and descriptive summary for the listing, and he also has the announcement and preview hosted on his site at https://www.thecollectorstrove.com/the-trove-news/2026/10/30/the-collectors-trove-presents-the-e-gary-gygax-estate-auctio.html#entry36511947.  

Castle Greyhawk Details from the Auction Listing

The Original Castle Greyahwk

Quoting from the auction listing:  

The manuscript for the 1st castle includes: 22 levels, each with a hand drawn map and handwritten keys, except where noted. In total there are 42 pieces of paper, including 22 sheets of graph paper with maps and 20 pieces of lined notebook paper for keys and notes (many with writing on front and back for a total of 31 pp of writing). All pieces are original. 

Missing are: 2 keys for the dungeon, both the map and key for the Upper Works, and the map for the Outdoors area around the castle.

 

The Expanded Castle Greyhawk

Quoting from the auction listing:  

The manuscript for the 2nd castle includes: 32 levels (29 complete, 2 map only, and 1 key only), each with hand drawn maps and handwritten keys, except where noted. In total there are 101 pieces of paper, including 31 graph paper maps (3 of these being 17 x 22 and 1 being 11 x 68 inches), 60 pieces of lined notebook or other types of paper for keys and notes (many with writing on front and back for a total of 52 pp of writing), and 10 pieces of visual aid art illustrated by Gary. All pieces are original. 

The map and keys for the Upper Works and the map for the Outdoors area around the castle are present and counted among the complete levels. Not counted among these but included in the auction is an additional regional map of the country around the castle, created by Gary in 1979. 

Because Gary imported several levels into the 2nd castle, there are 14 overlapping levels between the 1st castle and it. In total there are 14 shared maps and 2 shared keys. Which is the reason these two manuscripts are being sold together. This brings the total number of levels for the 2nd castle to 46.

Not included in this auction are the following 23 levels of the 2nd castle: 18 levels from the 2nd castle that are not wholly Gary's creation or the work of others and 5 levels (or parts thereof) that have been previously sold at auction by the Robert J. Kuntz Estate. 

A few other quick observations:

• The 1976 Origins level from the "D&D For Beginners" event appears to be shown in one of the pictures??
• The Troll Lord Games Castle Zagyg previews have revealed maps for:
• CZ Level 3: The Dungeons, which does not appear to correspond to any of the existing levels from the manuscripts
• CZ Level 2:  The Deep Cellars, which includes some quadrant maps that appear to match ones from the auction:
• SW corner is clearly one of the Shook rendered Original levels, The Labyrinth??
• NE corner appears to match an Original level??
• SE corner appears to match another Original level??
• NW corner appears to match an Expanded Castle level??
  
  

Rob Kuntz's Castle Greyhawk Designs

Rob Kuntz’s Castle Greyhawk levels were summarized by Rob and Paul as part of Rob’s 31 October 2019 Public Notice statement asserting his ownership of his original Castle Greyhawk manuscript level maps and keys.  

In that document (and related others), Rob and Paul together identify the level maps and keys that were created exclusively by Rob for the Expanded Castle as:

• Core 5 Gem Room and Crypts 
• Level Core 6 Black Pudding Doorkeeper 
• Level Core 7 Barracks Level 
• Core 11 Entrance to Oz Level 
• Core 12 Ice Level 
• Core 12 Asgard Level (Split) 
• Core 13 Fire Level 
• Core 14 Orb, Scepter, and Crown 
• Level East 6 Living Room 
• Level East 7 Garden & Giant's Pool Hall 
• Level East 8 Machine Level 
• West 3 Invisible Maze Level 
• West 5 Gallery Level 
• South 9 Horsing Around Level (Split)

In addition, the levels where Gary and Rob jointly designed the level maps and/or keys were identified as:

• Core 7 Multi-Layered Level (Rob did key) 
• Core 10 The Great Stone Enigma Level (Rob redrew map) 
• Core 16 Entrance to Bottle City Level (Rob & Gary did key together) 
• Core 18 Gargoyle (Rob did the key) 
• Core 20 Dragon Level (Rob & Gary did map together) 
• North 8 The Lake (Gary did map and key based on Rob's original design)

In addition, one Castle Greyhawk level was a map designed and drawn by a classmate of Ernie Gygax's from Badger High School. Rob and Gary labeled the map and created the key together:

• South 8 Repeating Hex Rooms

Lastly, Rob also created a number of other Castle Greyhawk levels for which he still retained the original maps and keys, enumerated as:

• The Greater Caverns Level 
• The Stalk Level 
• Demonworld Level 
• Clowning Around Level 
• Emerald City Level 
• Dying Earth Level 
• Bottle City Level

An Integrated Inventory of the Castle Greyhawk Manuscripts from Gary Gygax and Rob Kuntz

Between these two sets of data, we have the most-complete inventory and assessment of the Castle Greyhawk manuscripts available to date. 

Comparing the Original Castle and Expanded Castle becomes much easier now, leveraging the content from the auction listing with Rob's public notice inventory, and other historical sources.

A Word of Caution:  This table is clearly a work-in-progress, since I've had only a few days to study the auction details and to compare them to existing sources.  Take all of this with a hearty grain of salt, and I've not had a chance yet to go back to compare to the ERK Archive levels in detail yet either, some of which were included in the Expanded Castle too.

#	Designer	Dungeon Level Name	Original Castle Level	Expanded Castle Level	Published
01	EGG	The Vaults	Original		online pictures of map, partial key
02	EGG	The Lower Vaults (with nixie pool and fountain of snakes?)	Original
03	EGG	The Dungeons	Original		online pictures
04	EGG	The Catacombs	Original
05	EGG	The Crypts	Original
06	EGG	The Maze	Original	Expanded North 7?	online auction of Shook rendering?
07	EGG	The Labyrinth	Original	Expanded West 2?	online auction of Shook rendering?
08	EGG	The Greater Caverns - The Troll Dens	Original
09	EGG	The Lesser Caverns	Original
10	EGG	The Caves	Original
11	EGG	The Pits	Original
12	EGG	The Dens	Original
13	EGG	The Abyss	Original
14	EGG	The Barracks	Original
15	EGG	The Giant's Home - The Giant's Bowling Alley	Original
16	EGG	The Lake	Original
17	EGG	The Lake Keep	Original
18	EGG	The Arena	Original
19	EGG	The Funji Gardens	Original
20	EGG	The Museum from Another Age	Original	Data 1-5	online image
21	EGG	?? Gargoyles + Strange Font of Black Fire Level	Original	Data 1-5
22	EGG	??	Original	Data 1-5
01	EGG	The Outdoors		Expanded
02	EGG	The Upper Works		Expanded
03	EGG	Main Level		Expanded Main Level?	online auction of Shook rendering?, partially adapted into Castle Zagyg's The Storerooms level, and incorporated into CZ Level 2 The Deep Cellars
04	EGG	Wasp Level		Expanded
05	EGG	Mirror Hall Level		Expanded
06	EGG	Ebon Well Entrance Level		Expanded
07	EGG	Great Hall Level		Expanded
08	EGG	Sage Level		Expanded
09	EGG	Jeweled Man Level		Expanded
10	EGG	Shadow King Level		Expanded
11	EGG	Four-Faced Giant Level		Expanded West 7?	online auction of Shook rendering?
12	EGG	Chess Room Level		Expanded West 8?	online auction of Shook rendering
13	EGG+RJK	Multi-Layered Level (Gary map, Rob key)		Expanded Core 7
14	EGG	Caveman Level		Expanded
15	EGG	Monster Level (Invisible Monster Level??)		Expanded
16	EGG	Monkey Around Level		Expanded	WG6
17	EGG	Your Future Level		Expanded
18	EGG+RJK	Great Stone Enigma Level (Gary map + key, Rob redrew map)		Expanded
19	EGG+RJK	The Dragon Level Dragon Level (Rob & Gary did map together, Gary key?)		Expanded Core 20	online auction of map only
20	EGG	Torturer Level		Expanded
21	EGG	Suspicion Level		Expanded
22	EGG	Spinning Level		Expanded
23	EGG	Shrine of Evil Level		Expanded
24	EGG	Wererat LEvel		Expanded
25	EGG	Black Reservoir Level		Expanded	short story
26	EGG	Magician's Ring Level		Expanded	short story, online auction
27	EGG	Good Shrine Level		Expanded
28	EGG	Magic Pool Level		Expanded	online pictures
29	EGG	Prison of the Nine Level		Expanded
30	EGG	Cairn Level		Expanded
31	EGG	Wonderland Level		Expanded	EX1 & EX2
32	EGG	Teeth of Barkash-Nour Level		Expanded	publishing soon
33	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
34	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
35	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
36	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
37	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
38	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
39	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
40	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
41	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
42	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
43	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
44	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
45	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
46	EGG		Original Overlap	Expanded
47	RJK	Gem Room and Crypts Level		Expanded Core 3 (or 5?)
48	RJK	Black Pudding Doorkeeper Level		Expanded Core 6
49	RJK	Barracks Level		Expanded Core 7
50	RJK	Entrance to Asgard, Melnibone, Dying Earth Level		Expanded Core 11	online auction, Allan owns map
51	RJK	Boreal Level		Expanded Core 12	online auction, Allan owns map
52	RJK	Valhalla/Asgard Level		Expanded Core 12 (Split or Sub-level)
53	RJK	Fire Level		Expanded Core 13	online auction, Allan owns map
54	RJK	Orb, Scepter, and Crown Level		Expanded Core 14	online auction, Allan owns map
55	RJK	Living Room Level		Expanded East 6
56	RJK	Garden & Giant's Pool Hall Level		Expanded East 7	Data 1-6
57	RJK	The Machine Level		Expanded East 8	TD#17, online auction, Allan owns map
58	RJK	Invisible Maze Level		Expanded West 3	Data 1-6
59	RJK	Gallery Level		Expanded West 5	Data 1-6
60	RJK	Horsing Around Level		Expanded South 9 (Split)	(S4)
61	RJK	Bottle City Level		Expanded Core 16 Alternate	RJK-1 & LGCC-1
62	EGG+RJK	Entrance to Bottle City Level (Rob & Gary did key together)		Expanded Core 16
63	EGG+RJK	Gargoyle (Gary map?, Rob did the key)		Expanded Core 18
64	EGG+RJK	The Dragon Level Dragon Level (Rob & Gary did map together, Gary key?)		Expanded Core 20
65	EGG+RJK	The Lake (Gary did map and key based on Rob's original design)		Expanded North 8
66	RJK	Sealed Tomb Level		Expanded Core 5 (or 3?)
67	RJK	The Greater Caverns Level		ERK for sure, and in the castle??	S4
68	RJK	The Stalk Level		accessed from in the castle??	The Stalk
69	RJK	Demonworld Level		Expanded
70	RJK	Clowning Around Level		Expanded
71	RJK	Emerald City Level		Expanded
72	RJK	Dying Earth Level		Expanded
73	RJK	Giant's Pool Hall, prototype Garden of the Plant Master		Expanded East 3 (Split)	online auction, Allan owns map
74	RJK	Museum of the Gods		Expanded
75
76
77
78
79

That's sufficient analysis for my brain for the moment!  

Next up, I'll cover the further updates and details that Paul shared about the auction contents in gaming forums and from the interviews!

Allan.

Castle Greyhawk Four New Dungeon Level Maps Revealed

 CZ Act 1 "Alpha Preview" Map

TLG published a Castle Zagyg "Alpha Preview" to CZ1 backers on 2 April 2026, showing one-quarter of The Cellars, level 2 of Castle Zagyg:

Castle Zagyg Preview Map of
Level 2, The Cellars

Included along with the map were 12 pages of keyed encounters, all again labelled as an "Alpha Preview" so that we're ready for any and all typos and other errors in the text and map.  I may review the encounter keys later sometime---the map is all that caught my eye in the content thus far.  

Zach Howard of Zenopus Archives fame began a thread on 12 April 2026 to discuss the map and key details in Dragonsfoot's Gary Gygax's World of Greyhawk forum:   Castle Greyhawk Dungeon Level 2 [possible spoilers].  Trent Smith (of Mystical Trash Heap fame, and his Storm Fetish Productions rules and adventure designs are brilliantly Gygaxian) and other DF members have begun delving into the analysis, including me.

CZ Act 2 Backerkit Launch Map

The new Backerkit Castle Zagyg campaign preview launched on 7 April 2026 and revealed the complete map for the second level of Castle Zagyg, its full title revealed as Level 2 The Deep Cellars:

Castle Zagyg Level 2 Map,  
The Deep Cellars

The lower-left portion of the map is same one from the CZ preview sent out to backers from the first campaign, but with further changes made.  

The other three maps are all new to me, and I don't recognize them from my Castle Greyhawk or El Raja Key research thus far.  I'll be doing some additional digging to see what (if anything) I find in my archives, but for the moment each of the other quadrants appear to be newly-revealed-to-the-public level maps, which is of course a wonderful thing!

CZ Act 2 Lower-Left Map

Here's a zoomed in version:

Zoomed-In Map Version of
Castle Zagyg Level 2 The Deep Cellars

Many differences exist between this map and the Alpha Preview version from earlier in the month, which I plan to review in depth alongside all three versions of the map.

Three versions, you ask?

TSR Version by Eric Shook

A much earlier version of same the lower-left corner of the CZ2 preview map was rendered by Eric Shook for the early 1980s Greyhawk revival at TSR, and was later sold at auction in the mid-2000s by Paul Stormberg of Legends of Role-Playing and The Collector's Trove fame:

Eric Shook's Castle Greyhawk rendering
from TSR c. 1982

This map was one of six different levels auctioned at that time, four others from Castle Greyhawk's dungeon levels.  The auction also included one of my favorite level designs of all time, which Shook designed for Steve Marsh's Starstrands planar project that was, alas, never published by TSR.  That map was quite radical for its time!:

Eric Shook's unpublished Starstrands map c. 1982,
original photo by Paul Stormberg

Side-by-Side Analysis - Added 16 April 2026

I've completed my initial comparison of the three maps, and here's an image of them together, with changes highlighted in yellow and green:

All 3 maps compared
by grodog

Changes Logged Across the Three Versions

At a high level, the changes made are most prominent working from the 1980s Shook version of the map (on the left side in the above picture) compared to the initial preview released on 2 April 2026, in the middle in the above picture.  The changes from the Alpha Preview version (middle) to the Backerkit launch image (right side) are more-minimal, and mostly involve changing doors back to secret doors, which in fact help to correct and realign the movement and flow of the map to be closer to the original 1980s map than the Alpha Preview version.

It is also worthwhile to note that the Shook Map wasn't completed:  some areas on it are drawn without any access points, and there are no secret doors shown on the map at all.  (Presumably those would have been added in the next step of revisions and updates to it).  So, some of the changes introduced in the later revisions to the map may have been present on the original, and simply not completed at the time of Shook's draftings.  

1980s Shook Map Changes

The changes from this map to the Alpha Preview version are significant and run across the entire level.  They include: 

• Changes to fit the level into its new configuration as part of a larger, combined level spanning four separate original levels of one sheet each
• modifying the corridors along the north and east edges of the sheet to be 20' wide---which is a change I like, since I'm a fan of large corridors in general!
• adding entry points due north of 295 on the top edge of the map, and in the NE corner of the 20' wide corridor, along with another door on the eastern wall just north of 284
• simplifying several corridors by straightening them out, in particular in the SE quadrant of the level, but also in the NW quadrant's corridor north of 2-100
• Moving some corridor intersections and/or chamber walls:
• the huge NE chamber accessed by the long, winding corridors is 10' narrower (288 in the later versions)
• the chamber immediately south is also narrower by 10' (287 in the later maps)
• Removing most of the stairwells and pits, and the ramps/slides:
• stairs gone in the later versions include those that flank 2-108, east of 293 in the top-center, west of 285, 
• ramps and/or slides at 2-101 and 289 are changed to stairwells; when first seeing this level, my speculation was that one of these was the slide to China at the bottom of Gary's original Castle Greyhawk
• Altering the flow of the loops Gary built that connect sub-sections of the level to each other, and simplifying access to previously-less-accessible areas:
• 285 now has 2 doors that enter it vs. just one 
• the 2nd B to the right of 294 has two doors entering, instead of just one on the N wall, and either a false door on the S wall or a one-way door (this is the only door drawn as such on the level, so it's hard to know which the symbol might represent; it's possible the western-wall door leading into the 2-101 slide in Shook's map may also be another partially-drawn one-way door, which may edge the symbol closer to that function vs. false door)
• the archway into 284 is opened up, which creates a second entry point into that room 
• the corridor west of 284 no longer intersects as a four-way east of 286, which squeezes out one of the rooms in the stacked room maze due south of 286; the "S" corridor leading to the removed pillar west of 285 also provided another route into 284 and 285, but in the later versions only one path leads to those keys now
• Simplifying corridor and room flourishes:
• removing the rounded niche in the N wall of 296
• squaring off the rounded edges of 2-105 and 2-106
• removing the pillar west of 285
• removing most of the "end cap" square pillars on long hallways like east of 2-105, west of 2-103, east of 2-101 (south of the added doors/secret doors)

Some new features were added in the Alpha Preview map too:

• A covered pit appears in the eastern corridor leading into 2-105
• A well is added at 2-102
• Pillars are added to 288 and 296
• A door is added to the 290 stairwell, which is also moved deeper into the corridor vs. Shook's original placement
  
  

Changes from Alpha Preview to BK Launch Map

The revisions to the later version of the map largely focus on secret doors, more-specifically changing standard doors into secret doors:

• The standard doors entering these key #s all became secret doors:  O by 295, 2-103, 2-105, 2-108, 285, the offset series of secret doors that lead into 288 from the east, 291
• The dead-end corridor/corner south of 292 was added, which provides another entry point into the SE sub-section of the level
• The inaccessible dead-end east of 2-108 is opened up on its eastern wall in the BK Launch map, with what looks like might be an archway

In general, these changes restore some of the difficulty in finding and accessing areas that had been made more open in the Alpha Preview map, by making the chambers harder to find, or less-accessible in terms of obviously-open paths leading to them (while still adding the secret doors as further possible entry points).  For example, in the Shook Map, 2-103 was only accessible from stairs down from its flanking chambers, which led to a seeming dead-end corridor, that seemed to have a trapdoor leading up into the center room.  

Continuing Review

I updated this post on 16 April 2026 with all of the text between this section and the Side-by-Side Analysis section above, along with the Starstrands map and comments.

More to come! :D

Allan.

Black Blade Publishing Not Exhibiting at GaryCon in 2026

Black Blade Publishing logo

This is a modified version of the announcement that we sent to our OSR publishing friends and partners earlier this month:

9 March 2026 

We have unfortunate news to share:  we are cancelling the Black Blade Publishing exhibitor booth for Gary Con for the 2026 show.  Sharing your books and games with the conventions attendees year in and year out has been an honor, and we are deeply sorry that we are unable to do so this year. 

This is the first time we have ever cancelled the Black Blade booth, but it's unavoidable this year due to work-related circumstances: Allan is unable to secure the full week off from work, and Jon recently began a new job, and has no vacation available. 

These changes for GaryCon do not impact our attendance at North Texas RPGCon in June 2026, so we look forward to seeing and gaming together with you there, and continuing to represent your products.

Sincerely, 

Jon and Allan 

 

The silver lining in our news is that Jon and I realized that GaryCon wasn't feasible early enough in the year that Luke and the admin team were able to reallocate our booth to other vendors on the waiting list, so the booth space will not be wasted.  We currently plan to return to the convention in 2027, and look forward to reconnecting with attendees then!

Black Blade and GaryCon 

Jon and I have attended GaryCon almost every year, until recently just missing just one or two of the early ones.  

Jon's work kept him from GaryCon in 2024 and 2025.  I missed GaryCon 1 after our now-18-year-old-son Henry was born 3 1/2 weeks early while I attended Gary's funeral in 2008, and I think I may have missed another a few years later due to work (perhaps GaryCon IV, judging that gap among my Facebook albums). 

Black Blade and Legio V

And while Jon and I won't be attending GaryCon this year, the old-school flag will continue to be flown by the Legio V and other referees in their games:

The Lake Geneva Legio V began as a handful of gamers who have attended Gary Con and North Texas RPG Con since their inceptions. We have grown over the past few years to include like-minded individuals united by a respect of Gary Gygax and his legacy. 

We are the dedicated attendees who love GaryCon and NTX for the camaraderie they establish, the Game Masters who run games from across the decades, and the committed gamers who spend these four days in a fervor of dice rolling and old-school good times. 

Although events run as LEGIO V Presents will use a variety of rule systems, our focus is on games authored by Gary and his contemporaries as well as those systems whose designers pay homage to these pioneers.

Black Blade at GaryCon III in 2011

As Luke mentioned to us, it sure doesn't seem like fifteen years ago that we first set up a vendor table at the Ridge, at GaryCon III in 2011 (or perhaps earlier, but that's the earliest photo album I have on Facebook), so here are some pictures from a long time ago, in a vendor table far, far away....

Black Blade table at GaryCon III, sporting 
then-new banners for both OSRIC and Monsters of Myth

New OSRIC and Monsters of Myth books

New graph and and hex pads with our DCC #7 module,
and Charnel Crypt of the Sightless Serpent for Jeff Talanian's ASSH game
(which had not yet released as the boxed set)

Tadashi Ehara's Daimyo of 1867,
Faster Monkey Games' Skull Mountain and Re-Energizers,
and Michael Shorten's original S&W Reference Sheets

Some additional pictures from GaryCon III appear in that Facebook photo album if you're curious, as do pictures from the following GaryCon years too.  Enjoy the trip down memory late :D

Jon and I wish you and yours attending GaryCon a fun and wonderful convention, as well as safe travels to and fro.  

We look forward to returning to gaming with you again next year, and celebrating the well-played life and games of Gary Gygax! 

Allan.

grodog's Approach to Designing Mega-Dungeons - Part 2: the Function of Size

 ...or, a Meditation and Reflection on What grodog Likes Best about Playing in AD&D Mega-Dungeons

Sean Bean on the futility of finishing
Castle Greyhawk

If you've not read it, you may want to visit part one in this series first:  grodog's Approach to Designing Mega-Dungeons - Part 1: the Maps.   If you already read it, I revised it a bit while writing this article, since I'd left a sentence fragment dangling in the middle of discussing the "Best Presentation in Print" and "Pulls It All Together" criterial for my favorite mega-dungeons.

Drafting this follow-up post has taken me two weeks rather than one since life's remained pretty busy of late.  That will probably continue through the remainder of March, so follow-up posts may also appear a bit more slowly than I'd originally thought (surprise, surprise ;) ).  

Size Matters

In Part 1: The Maps, I wrote a bit about designing maps for mega-dungeons, with the explicit assertion that mega-dungeons and their levels should be large, and by large I mean a few different things:

1. Size as Coolness
2. Size as Options
3. Size as Really Freaking Huge

Let's tackle them one at a time.

Size as Coolness

The classic mega-dungeons have immense gravitas, so here size helps to deliver on the potential, the rumor, and the legend of Castle Greyhawk---Undermountain, or Caverns of Thracia, or Maure Castle, or [insert your favorite mega-dungeon name instead].  Bringing that legend to life at the table may be challenging, but the rest of the attributes I call out below help to support that mythic sense of awe---hopefully!

Implicit is my assertion that a mega-dungeon is cooler when it's bigger, which definitely (and coincidentally ;) ) aligns with my aesthetic preferences, but here are some thoughts on how larger levels actually make for cooler game play, using one of my designs as an example.

grodog's Recessive Gallery Level

grodog's Recessive Gallery Level

Recently reprinted in Fight On! Magazine #15 (Spring 2024), I'd forgotten that I'd previously shared this map on my grodog's Castle Greyhawk page, too---I had thought it was a "newly revealed" level when I offered it to Iggy to include in the zine.  So much for exclusivity, and my memory....  The full-sized version is at https://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_castle_grodog_level_07-filled.jpg if you're curious.  

The map is unfinished, and incomplete:  many encounter areas drawn don't currently allow ingress, save by digging, passwall, or etherealness; there's not much added for intra-level stairways yet; ramps, trapdoors, and stairs up/down to adjacent levels aren't much present yet either (although placeholder spaces for these are present); pits are mostly unmarked (although the central double-T trap at the corner of the 30' wide cooridor where it turns N from E is a pit that opens into a holding/monster chamber below); etc.  That's pretty normal for how I work my maps up---some areas that are currently shown as inaccessible rooms may be filled in during the final version, or may have standard or secret doors added.  Or may remain inaccessible, and require digging or magic to enter---although I tend not to do that a whole lot, overall.  

This level is drawn on an 8.5x11" sheet of graph paper, gridded at 8 spi, making it pretty big:  64 squares N-S (~640') x 88 squares E-W (~840').  In this level, I placed several large chambers, intended in part as lairs for competing dragons.  When I redraw this to finish it, I'll likely use two of our Black Blade 11x17" sheets, for 17x22" dimensions drawn on the 6 spi side, so that'll allow 102 squares x 132 squares, which will let me fill out the rest of the level's edges that currently run off the sheet---I did this with the "Iounic Caverns" level maps, as well as my original Level 1 map too (if you click on the images in that blog post, they'll still load, but they don't display in the blog post due to Cloudflare).  The level will likely enlarge a bit further, similar to my process on Level 1, with some additional sub-level areas being added (or perhaps being relocated.  I may also connect the large southern chamber to one on my "Diamonds in the Rough" level, which has a very similar vibe with draconic presences; to do that, however, just might require a third sheet....).   

The larger encounter areas include, starting at top-right and moving clockwise:

• overlapping encounter areas at different elevations along the 3- to 5-o'clock arcs
• temple chamber in the southern 6-o'clock area, via the skull/lightbulb shaped room and the multi-level complex to it's immediate NE
• large off-edge chamber at the south 7-o'clock, possibly a dragon lair; this is accessed via a Gygaxian room maze of octagons joined by squares that likely has teleports protecting the lair
• upside-down coffin-shaped hexagonal chamber at the confluence of several large and/or long corridors, at the 10- to 11-o'clock positions in the NW corner; I think this is the primary dragon on the level
• top N at 12-o'clock is another room maze of regular hexagons
• central N at 12-o'clock to 12:30-o'clock is where the titular Recessed Gallery resides

The use of different sized sheets and grid-sizes for the levels in a mega-dungeon help to hide the edges of each level, so that the players won't automatically be able to find an edge and then circumnavigate the level's periphery:  it makes exploration less predictable, and each level more distinctly unique, and keeps the players guessing "just how large is this level?" which is definitely a good thing!  Both room mazes and the long corridors along the left/W similarly blur that edge, breaking it in the case of the room mazes and the 7-o'clock S large chamber.  The ragged right-hand E edge similarly leaves gaps, which should suggest searching for some of the secreat areas too.

The large size of the level helps to support these kinds of larger, cyclopean (to HPL for a moment) corridors and chambers, which increase that sense of awe and immensity that I want players to experience have when they're exploring Castle Greyhawk.  Large spaces and long corridors that extend well-beyond the range of visible light sources, including continual light at 6"radius and bullseye lanterns at 8" range, increase player paranoid and build that sense of scope, or vastness, in particular when that extends above (and sometimes below!) your current walking surface---PCs are moving through an ocean of darkness, in their tiny island bubble of illumination.  Peter Fitzpatrick's cover art for Knockspell #4 amply illustrates this concept nicely:

Knockspell #4 cover art
by Peter Fitzpatrick

The scenes of Thorin's company marching through Erebor while Smaug is "not at home" also convey this sense of cyclopean immensity too:

The dwarves exploring Erebor, The Lonely Mountain,
from "The Battle of Five Armies" (2014)

Very large levels also provide additional options during game play, as I detail next.

Size as Options

In many ways, the mega-dungeon offers the most concentrated essentials available for playing AD&D---AD&D in its most "pure" form, if you will.  Within its boundary walls, the mega-dungeon encapsulates the essence of AD&D play, and challenges the players in all aspects of the game:  all classes, monsters, spells, magic items, encounters, and treasures are on the table.  All PC classes have equal opportunity to rise in glory, or to die trying in the agony of defeat.  All DM encounters may be mowed down in the player pursuit of XP, or may mature into recurring villains like Obmi or Eclavdra.  

Showcasing the breadth of possibility for the whole of AD&D does not mean that simple and  "anything goes" funhouse environs are the required format for mega-dungeons---whether built by Zagig Yragerne, Halaster Blackcloak, or the scions of Uncle from Maure Castle---but that in gaming there, all tools are available to the players and the DM.  All PC classes should have equal opportunity to shine, including druids, assassins, barbarians, and bards, among all the remaining PC and NPC classes (well, maybe not cavaliers.... ;) ).  All PC races should be able to flex their detection muscles too---dwarves finding stonework traps and elevators, gnomes determining sloping passages and direction of travel, elves and half-elves finding secret doors, and half-orcs acting as intermediaries with humanoids, and gnomes and hobbits entering small spaces.  

A related aspect that larger mega-dungeon levels support is expandable capacity:  the mega-dungeon keeps inspiration and creativity flowing by offering plenty of room for sub-levels, side levels, split levels, demi-planes, and other pet projects.  This keeps the players and the DM creatively intrigued and engaged, since formerly-explored areas can be enriched with new encounter areas, perhaps even via variable features, and allows the creation of distinctly unique challenges and areas to support less-common and non-standard classes, monsters, and encounter types.  

I group these two together under their own heading since I see them both as closely-related but different approaches to supporting options.  The breadth of possibility focuses on the wide expanse of core rules and their supplemental additions and expansions, while expandable capacity focuses on the actual dungeon level, its architecture, and environs, rather than the rules that govern what encounters occur within the level.  

Size as Really Freaking Huge

These attributes drill down into the above two, but still stand-out in my mind as important criteria that merit their own focus and discussion.

Verticality as Large and Open Spaces:  Large monsters like dragons and rocs, elementals and purple worms need wide and spacious areas to operate within, so dungeon level designs need to provide room for such creatures , and to accommodate the tactical selection of encounter terrain being brought to bear in combat and flight by both mega-dungeon inhabitants and invaders.  

This is where the the 20' to 50' wide corridors from the DMG's Appendix A come into play, along with the chambers and rooms of unusual shape and size (CaRoUSSs, perhaps ;) ).  However, long or wide corridors that connect to central plazas, squares, or parade grounds can serve similar functions, too, as can numbers of 10' wide corridors converging into hubs, with their long lines of sight.

Verticality as Depth Within and Between Levels:  Verticality is highly-valued in the mega-dungeon design ethos, and is generally credited to Jennell Jaquays' Caverns of Thracia and Dark Tower, which feature movement up and down within levels, across and between levels, and vertical features spanning multiple levels like chasms and wells, balconies and overlooks, and interconnected cavern systems.

Verticality within a level is, in my mind, nearly as important as verticality between levels, but both are essential to good mega-dungeon play.  The levels need room to breathe, to provide the space required for those large encounter areas, and that means that they probably need 50 to 100 feet of depth per level (those pits that don't fall through into a new level below need to fit within the level's depth, along with the headroom for those 30 to 50' ceilings.  

To give room for those spaces, the depth between levels should likely be 50 or more feet.  That also allows room for smaller clusters of rooms at landings, or off of stairs.  It also helps to keep players guessing about the depth that they're going down between levels---if each level is only 10 feet down from the previous one, they'll have an easier time guessing where their PCs are, and the challenges that their PCs will face.  

Multi-Level Dungeon Features
from Roger Musson's "The Dungeon Architect, Part 2"
Artwork by Iain McCaig

Verticality as Total Depth:  As the space within and between levels increases, the mega-dungeon grows downward, deeper into the depths.  First DM'd at GaryCon II and North Texas RPGCon #2, my "Escape from Level 14" scenario thrust the PCs from the level 10 dungeon challenge they were expecting and dumped them lost into level 14.  They needed to find their way up and out, if possible.  

For that scenario, built using my old Castle Greyhawk elevations, they were ~4200 feet below the surface, which is about 8/10th of a mile.  Earth's deepest mines are ~2 1/2 miles down, so as I build my new elevation maps, I'll allocate the necessary room for each level's footprint (as a placeholder I only used 50 feet per level, for the most part, in the original versions), which will increase the depths for the lower dungeon levels even further.  That should also enable connections to the drowic underworld for some of the deepest levels, perhaps.

Big and complex enough that players and their PCs can get lost:  For reasons to get the PCs lost in the first place, see Roger Musson's "Dungeon Architect" articles, referenced in the first article of this series.    

Getting lost is a design function of the mega-dungeon's size, interconnectedness within and across levels, and its external connections to other environments ("extraconnectedness" perhaps?).  Teleporters---with or without similarly-designed areas of levels---are not the main reasons that PCs get lost in mega-dungeons.  Flight from encounters is why PCs get lost.  Players can't map while fleeing at , and if they end up going up/down a level, fall into a pit or a chute to another level, wander down a sloping passage, etc., then they're well and truly lost, and the entire tenor of the evening changes to finding a path back to familiar ground.  

When PCs are lost, strange actions may be taken, like:  

• players desperately consulting the mappers, trying to guesstimate distances and turn counts travelled 
• gnome, dwarf, and stout halfling PCs being consulted for GPS coordinates
• characters asking for directions, or bribing (or charming) dungeon denizens for the same
• divination spells suddenly being memorized

...to say nothing about the possibility of the party running into other encounters as they flee blindly hither and yon ;)

Sufficiently vast in scope that the players and their characters will never completely explore the largest levels, much less the entirety of the mega-dungeon itself.  Always will some monsters  remain undiscovered and undefeated, traps unsprung, enigmas unsolved, and treasures unlooted.

Sean Bean on the futility of finishing
Castle Greyhawk

As Boromir asserts, one does not beat Castle Greyhawk by exploring its every nook and cranny, and then move onto the next checkbox in the AD&D gaming experience ;)

Next Up?

For part three, I will examine how I key mega-dungeon levels, including the types of paper/sheets I use, and some volume-based keying strategies, unless I tangentialize on other topics first---such as traps, a dungeon encounter type that I hold great love for.   We'll see! 

Thanks for reading and your comments!

Allan.