Dungeon Crawling

As a writer, one question you have to ask yourself is what kind of story it is you want to tell. A GM has to ask the same question. In both cases, it depends on the audience. There are several kinds of adventures one can take, so let's start with the simplest one.

Dungeon crawling is a term to describe the simplest kind of adventure. It involves the players exploring a dungeon or cave or some other expansive locale, either going from room to room or floor to floor. In each new area, there are monsters to kill, treasure to acquire, and experience to gain (not to mention a path to the next area).

There is nothing wrong with a dungeon crawling adventure. Everybody loves a good action story, and it's usually fun to grow stronger and beat things up. And just because the premise is simple does not make it a boring story. Ask yourself what brings the characters there. Put interesting antagonists in it. Give them hints that indicate larger treasure or a mighty beast to slay lies further ahead.

Much like simple hero-beats-villain stories, dungeon crawls are also great for beginners. If you don't know anything about role playing, or the system the game is being used in, a dungeon crawl adventure is a great introduction. You learn the mechanics of things, and you find out what you can do and how to do it. As you get more comfortable in role playing and other non-combat aspects of the game, you can try other types of adventures.