So, recently I was running the Dues for the Dead* adventure as a one shot for a group of players (with a few changes to fit the one-shot format). After wrapping up the adventure, I asked the players if they got bored toward the end of the session (because I noticed them starting to do so), and they replied that the dungeon had started to drag toward the end. Any tips on how to avoid dungeon burnout?
As an avid player of Zelda titles, one thing that I found really helped things feel less "dungeon-y" was having dungeons that aren't necessarily, in the strictest sense, dungeons. Ancient cisterns, convoluted forests, collapsing waterways, etc.
As far as D&D goes, if a oneshot is a dungeon, that's kinda just what it is. But to help change things up, I find pacing is a good way to keep players on their toes. If they're going from room to room, chances are there are certain paces - quickly dispatching enemies, slowly navigating trap rooms, etc. So things that disrupt that predictable pacing could help. Having a chase sequence through a cluster of interlocking rooms, having a monster that can be knocked out temporarily but rises again no matter what the party does (the movie "It Follows" comes to mind) so that they have to quickly navigate the following rooms, avoid the monster/keep it knocked out, overcome traps, and ultimately find a way to lock it in a space - something like that could help change up the pacing.
Otherwise, rooms that feel less "dungeony" are good. Maybe one room has a teleportation circle that teleports them into a different type of dungeon - from old crypts into a wizard's tower, for instance - and now they have to solve a puzzle in this different-feeling dungeon in order to get the item they need to progress in the first dungeon. Perhaps part of the ancient cistern cracks wide open into a forest clearing where a tricksome fey spirit has made a home and wants them to solve strange riddles or puzzles for its amusement before it lets them progress? Mayhaps someone sets off a trap but instead of a predictable damaging effect, the trap lets out the illusion of a cat that the players need to figure out how to follow through areas they'd otherwise have a hard time bypassing because of their size so that it can lead them to a shortcut through a trap-infested part of the dungeon.
gamsii gave you some great advice. I would only add to ask your players what they want out of the game. What style of play they like. You may have an idea already after running the session but there's nothing wrong with asking them directly. That's usually one of the session 0 questions. Then you can throw in more of what they like. Be it role-play, super challenging battles, puzzles, etc.
The way you describe it just sounds like it became a tad monotonous towards the end. Maybe the dungeon crawl was just a few rooms too far. Or perhaps you recycled a particular group of monsters several times through the dungeon? Whatever the specific cause, the issue sounds like it was just a tad too long. Every player individually, and every group, is going to have a different fatigue point where it's just a few steps too far.
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So, recently I was running the Dues for the Dead* adventure as a one shot for a group of players (with a few changes to fit the one-shot format). After wrapping up the adventure, I asked the players if they got bored toward the end of the session (because I noticed them starting to do so), and they replied that the dungeon had started to drag toward the end. Any tips on how to avoid dungeon burnout?
*(https://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/DDEX14_DuesfortheDead.pdf)
"Players beware, the DM is here!" - Probably Some 80's Cartoon
As an avid player of Zelda titles, one thing that I found really helped things feel less "dungeon-y" was having dungeons that aren't necessarily, in the strictest sense, dungeons. Ancient cisterns, convoluted forests, collapsing waterways, etc.
As far as D&D goes, if a oneshot is a dungeon, that's kinda just what it is. But to help change things up, I find pacing is a good way to keep players on their toes. If they're going from room to room, chances are there are certain paces - quickly dispatching enemies, slowly navigating trap rooms, etc. So things that disrupt that predictable pacing could help. Having a chase sequence through a cluster of interlocking rooms, having a monster that can be knocked out temporarily but rises again no matter what the party does (the movie "It Follows" comes to mind) so that they have to quickly navigate the following rooms, avoid the monster/keep it knocked out, overcome traps, and ultimately find a way to lock it in a space - something like that could help change up the pacing.
Otherwise, rooms that feel less "dungeony" are good. Maybe one room has a teleportation circle that teleports them into a different type of dungeon - from old crypts into a wizard's tower, for instance - and now they have to solve a puzzle in this different-feeling dungeon in order to get the item they need to progress in the first dungeon. Perhaps part of the ancient cistern cracks wide open into a forest clearing where a tricksome fey spirit has made a home and wants them to solve strange riddles or puzzles for its amusement before it lets them progress? Mayhaps someone sets off a trap but instead of a predictable damaging effect, the trap lets out the illusion of a cat that the players need to figure out how to follow through areas they'd otherwise have a hard time bypassing because of their size so that it can lead them to a shortcut through a trap-infested part of the dungeon.
Good luck!
Thanks for the advice!
"Players beware, the DM is here!" - Probably Some 80's Cartoon
gamsii gave you some great advice. I would only add to ask your players what they want out of the game. What style of play they like. You may have an idea already after running the session but there's nothing wrong with asking them directly. That's usually one of the session 0 questions. Then you can throw in more of what they like. Be it role-play, super challenging battles, puzzles, etc.
That's what happens when you wear a helmet your whole life!
My house rules
That's why wandering monsters and anti-magic pockets exist
Cedo nulli, Calcanda semel via leti.
Parvi sed magni.
Wandering monsters were used quite a bit, but antimagic pockets sounds like a fun idea.
"Players beware, the DM is here!" - Probably Some 80's Cartoon
The way you describe it just sounds like it became a tad monotonous towards the end. Maybe the dungeon crawl was just a few rooms too far. Or perhaps you recycled a particular group of monsters several times through the dungeon? Whatever the specific cause, the issue sounds like it was just a tad too long. Every player individually, and every group, is going to have a different fatigue point where it's just a few steps too far.