Roguelike Megadungeon

Roguelike Megadungeon is a system neutral toolbox for generating a sandbox campaign setting centered around a sprawling megadungeon, that Itchfunded $1949 in February of 2025 during Zine Month. The core idea is a set of analog rogue-like map generators using two generation methods, one using a worksheet, the other using a dice drop method. "Dice drop" means that you drop dice on a blank sheet and draw rooms where the dice land, using the die results to determine the contents of rooms. The worksheets are available below free to download. These worksheets are all you really need to get going generating dungeons, the procedure can be found in the free Roguelike Dungeon Basic Edition. The zine just contains ideas, advice and tables with content designed for the worksheet and dice drop methods. 

Roguelike Megadungeon is based on a simplified version of the way that roguelike computer games generate and populate their infinite random dungeons. Wield the power of procedural dungeon generation using this intuitive TTRPG tool! 

Whether you are an experienced Game Master, a beginner planning your first campaign, or just want to spend the evening rolling up some dungeon maps, this tool will fuel your creativity and has unlimited reuse and hacking potential. 

Roguelike Megadungeon is a GM tool that can be used to prepare for a game session in 15 minutes, or to solo game on your own. It's designed to be fun and easy to use. 

The megadungeon itself is generated using 12 sets of tables called dungeon themes, with writing from multiple contributors including myself, Sam Mui, BJ Recio and Roque Romero. These dungeon themes span a wide range to keep the megadungeon interesting for many, many levels! They are Haunted Ruins, Uncanny Valley, Goblin Warrens, Caves of Conjecture, Caves of Ice-Time, Decomposition Kingdom, Sky Fortress, Astral Plane, Forest of the Gods, Deathlands, Abyss and Hell. Together they create a rich underworld and full planar cosmology.

These map generators are quite flexible, and the zine includes tables to map not only dungeons, but the overland world, settlements, buildings and street corners, and relationships. Inside you'll find tables and instructions for all these.

Roguelike Megadungeon originally funded in Zine Month 2022 supported by the sale of the original version of the game, Roguelike Dungeon. Since that time the project has seen many challenges and setbacks while it also expanded in scope considerably. New additions to the game are: the second map generation method using dice drop, dungeon theme descriptions, and generators for overland, settlement, street level and relationship maps. Through this growth, I have gone into the red and I am launching this second Itchfunder for Zine Month 2025 to try and break even. In addition, the stretch goals are ideas that I've had for a while, and would love to fund and make a reality.

Media

-Actual play by Mystic Punks (starts at 1:28:43)

This is a really neat toolkit for creating dungeons rapidly - I have always been a fan of dice drop methods but giving that and an alternative? *chefs kiss* I had no idea what to expect cracking the pdf but then as I scrolled through each section it was 'oh, thats a good idea', 'oh I like that' and each new section was a further 'ah-ha!' As soon as I finished my quick skim, I was keen to carve out time, chew through it and give the methods within it a shot.

-Seed of Worlds

[Roguelike Megadungeon] takes the core empty/monster/trap/special roll from B/X - a solid underlying concept that's been used many times elsewhere, e.g. Bite-Sized Dungeons - and really works it. The dungeon creation system is both more complete in this version and also adaptable (I think the multiple themes here increase the adaptability by providing examples) and the supplementary campaign systems take the concept even further, with as I've said the big win IMO being relationship mapping.

-Chasing Daisies

The original Roguelike Dungeon was featured on this episode of the podcast Wobblies & Wizards

Method 1 Demo

Method 2 Demo

You'll also find the collected maps I generated for Dungeon23 using Roguelike Megadungeon in the free files below. They are a little out of date as changes were made to the game since those maps were created, but they still serve as good representations of what is possible with these generators. 

Digital mock up of the zine

The book is currently available for backers via Lulu.com. Once we finish the accompanying Campaign Workbook, I will make it and the core Roguelike Megadungeon available for purchase to the general public via Lulu.com. 

I am David Jackson (he/him), creator of Roguelike Megadungeon. I am a game designer, wastewater plant operator, union organizer and active in my local mutual aid scene. 

Creative editing and writing is by Samuel Clarice Mui Shen Ern (any pronouns). Sam is a play therapist, game designer, and writer currently based in London whose practice focuses on developing playful spaces and practices for emotional wellbeing and collaborative storytelling.

Art for Roguelike Megadungeon is by Roque Romero (he/him). He is a Spanish artist specialized in art zines and all kinds of creepy and fantastic graphic distillations, working in the fields of wonder for the last three decades.

Layout is by Tony Jaguar (he/him). Tony is a Graphic Designer and Illustrator from Brazil. He loves Death Grips, Kurt Vonnegut and One Piece.

Writing for some dungeon themes is by BJ Recio (he/siya). Working as an actuary by day, he spends his free time as Buko Juice Games, preparing, designing, and playing RPGs for fun and profit. 

Copyediting is by Seth Ian (he/any). Seth writes and edits RPGs.  He is at the eternal whims of dopamine and cortisol.