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Dungeonland
In Dungeonland, the PCs fall down a seemingly endless pit, and wind up in Wonderland. 32-page booklet with cover.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
54 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 17, 2017
;Every time you say, "I could do better," a Gygaxian Faerie gets its wings. Gary devoted far too many module lines to relate this concept: it's your world and these are just idea seeds, you don't even need rules.The more Gygax I read, the more I think modules shouldn't be played as presented. They aren't scaled for the four or five encounters you can get through in a session. They should be looked upon as example pages in the Uber Dungeon Master's Guide.I've held off reading Gygax's modules hoping to play through them, but the odds are that's never going to happen. So I'm marathon reading them in an attempt to visualize an "All Gygax all the Time Campaign."As for Dungeonland, I'm a huge Alice in Wonderland fan, so I expected to be disappointed. I wasn't! It's an excellent fun house to draw upon as we edge nearer to the Golden Age of Gonzo Gaming. However, it's probably the root cause of more Twisted Alice stories than the world ever need consume. On to Land Beyond the Magic Mirror. . . .
May 6, 2022
An adaptation of Alice in Wonderland for D&D, designed as a side quest of a larger dungeon. All of the expected encounters are here in some form, with most leaning more towards merely functional than truly great - although Gygax's takes on the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, and the Mad Hatter's tea party stand out. This adventure also suffers from a slightly disorganized presentation - I had to re-read some sections a few times to understand what was intended. Overall, this was honestly a bit disappointing... but a DM with top-tier improv skills, or a willingness to put extra work in, can likely do well with this. (B-)
January 17, 2023
Updated: 1/16/2023: I don’t often find that I seriously disagree with my reviews upon re-visiting, but I have to wonder what I had been smoking when (in the middle of a Dry January!) I wrote this one. All I can say now is that there’s a very good reason why this adventure doesn’t have the “Classic” status of “The Keep on the Borderlands,” “Expedition to the Barrier Peaks,” or “Tomb of Horrors.” It even admits that it is little more than I diversion, though, ironically, a diversion that could easily lead to a TPK. Not likely to be running this one any time soon.
Original review 1/15/2017: This is an example of the what Gary Gygax was very good at – taking an existing fun idea and turning it into something that could be shared by a group of friends in a night or two of gaming. He may not have been perfect as a systematizer of rules, and he certainly wasn’t a talented writer of fiction, but when it came to making a great module or adventure, he remains hard to beat.
I’m certain that I never played “Dungeonland,” either as DM or player, and I honestly don’t even remember ever reading it. It may be because it was geared toward higher-level characters, which I generally don’t enjoy (the game loses its flavor for me once things get too easy for the players), or it might be because I never really got into the world of Greyhawk, which this module is labeled as being part of, or it may just be that I did read it and have forgotten in the ensuing 30+ years. So, when I opened it this time, all I remembered was the front cover, which shows a party fighting off a roc, and gives no hint to what lies within. In fact, it is an adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” to the D&D rules, allowing a DM to run players through a bizarre world where nothing makes sense, and allowing players to pit their powers against the unpredictability of magic that doesn’t follow the normal rules.
There are some interesting adaptations, including the “Mock Dragon Turtle” and the “Smilodon [sabre-toothed tiger] Cat.” There are opportunities that Alice missed for accruing experience and treasure, although PCs would be wise not to simply attack everything that moves, because some of the challenges are distinctly lethal even at high level. I suspect that a really antagonistic DM could play this module to deliberately kill off several high-level characters, in fact, although its lighthearted mood might discourage that tendency. The main thing this adventure is designed to be is fun, and even a bit of a break from the “serious” side of adventuring, and at that, I think it succeeds, but without sacrificing playability and integration into a campaign.
If you like D&D and have a sense of humor, this is still a good basic choice. If you’re a fan of Lewis Carroll and his fantasy/gaming spin-offs, this is one of the best.
Original review 1/15/2017: This is an example of the what Gary Gygax was very good at – taking an existing fun idea and turning it into something that could be shared by a group of friends in a night or two of gaming. He may not have been perfect as a systematizer of rules, and he certainly wasn’t a talented writer of fiction, but when it came to making a great module or adventure, he remains hard to beat.
I’m certain that I never played “Dungeonland,” either as DM or player, and I honestly don’t even remember ever reading it. It may be because it was geared toward higher-level characters, which I generally don’t enjoy (the game loses its flavor for me once things get too easy for the players), or it might be because I never really got into the world of Greyhawk, which this module is labeled as being part of, or it may just be that I did read it and have forgotten in the ensuing 30+ years. So, when I opened it this time, all I remembered was the front cover, which shows a party fighting off a roc, and gives no hint to what lies within. In fact, it is an adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” to the D&D rules, allowing a DM to run players through a bizarre world where nothing makes sense, and allowing players to pit their powers against the unpredictability of magic that doesn’t follow the normal rules.
There are some interesting adaptations, including the “Mock Dragon Turtle” and the “Smilodon [sabre-toothed tiger] Cat.” There are opportunities that Alice missed for accruing experience and treasure, although PCs would be wise not to simply attack everything that moves, because some of the challenges are distinctly lethal even at high level. I suspect that a really antagonistic DM could play this module to deliberately kill off several high-level characters, in fact, although its lighthearted mood might discourage that tendency. The main thing this adventure is designed to be is fun, and even a bit of a break from the “serious” side of adventuring, and at that, I think it succeeds, but without sacrificing playability and integration into a campaign.
If you like D&D and have a sense of humor, this is still a good basic choice. If you’re a fan of Lewis Carroll and his fantasy/gaming spin-offs, this is one of the best.
October 20, 2023
Alice in Wonderland reimagined as a dungeon crawl. Interesting to look at, after finding at a charity book sale, but I'm not sure I'd like to play the scenario.
November 5, 2024
Poor Alice in Wonderland mimicked Adventure.
January 15, 2017
This is an example of the what Gary Gygax was very good at – taking an existing fun idea and turning it into something that could be shared by a group of friends in a night or two of gaming. He may not have been perfect as a systematizer of rules, and he certainly wasn’t a talented writer of fiction, but when it came to making a great module or adventure, he remains hard to beat.
I’m certain that I never played “Dungeonland,” either as DM or player, and I honestly don’t even remember ever reading it. It may be because it was geared toward higher-level characters, which I generally don’t enjoy (the game loses its flavor for me once things get too easy for the players), or it might be because I never really got into the world of Greyhawk, which this module is labeled as being part of, or it may just be that I did read it and have forgotten in the ensuing 30+ years. So, when I opened it this time, all I remembered was the front cover, which shows a party fighting off a roc, and gives no hint to what lies within. In fact, it is an adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” to the D&D rules, allowing a DM to run players through a bizarre world where nothing makes sense, and allowing players to pit their powers against the unpredictability of magic that doesn’t follow the normal rules.
There are some interesting adaptations, including the “Mock Dragon Turtle” and the “Smilodon [sabre-toothed tiger] Cat.” There are opportunities that Alice missed for accruing experience and treasure, although PCs would be wise not to simply attack everything that moves, because some of the challenges are distinctly lethal even at high level. I suspect that a really antagonistic DM could play this module to deliberately kill off several high-level characters, in fact, although its lighthearted mood might discourage that tendency. The main thing this adventure is designed to be is fun, and even a bit of a break from the “serious” side of adventuring, and at that, I think it succeeds, but without sacrificing playability and integration into a campaign.
If you like D&D and have a sense of humor, this is still a good basic choice. If you’re a fan of Lewis Carroll and his fantasy/gaming spin-offs, this is one of the best.
I’m certain that I never played “Dungeonland,” either as DM or player, and I honestly don’t even remember ever reading it. It may be because it was geared toward higher-level characters, which I generally don’t enjoy (the game loses its flavor for me once things get too easy for the players), or it might be because I never really got into the world of Greyhawk, which this module is labeled as being part of, or it may just be that I did read it and have forgotten in the ensuing 30+ years. So, when I opened it this time, all I remembered was the front cover, which shows a party fighting off a roc, and gives no hint to what lies within. In fact, it is an adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” to the D&D rules, allowing a DM to run players through a bizarre world where nothing makes sense, and allowing players to pit their powers against the unpredictability of magic that doesn’t follow the normal rules.
There are some interesting adaptations, including the “Mock Dragon Turtle” and the “Smilodon [sabre-toothed tiger] Cat.” There are opportunities that Alice missed for accruing experience and treasure, although PCs would be wise not to simply attack everything that moves, because some of the challenges are distinctly lethal even at high level. I suspect that a really antagonistic DM could play this module to deliberately kill off several high-level characters, in fact, although its lighthearted mood might discourage that tendency. The main thing this adventure is designed to be is fun, and even a bit of a break from the “serious” side of adventuring, and at that, I think it succeeds, but without sacrificing playability and integration into a campaign.
If you like D&D and have a sense of humor, this is still a good basic choice. If you’re a fan of Lewis Carroll and his fantasy/gaming spin-offs, this is one of the best.
December 25, 2018
A typical Gygax entry. Missing and confused details, and lots of text speaking from “on high” about what a great DM he is. Worthwhile tidbits, but can’t be played as is.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews