Don't play D&D, but this was a fantastic tutorial for keeping people engaged while exploring dungeons in video games. Going to use this concept in the game I'm creating! Appreciate the guide and I'll be sure to credit you.
Great video! Been researching 5 room dungeons because they seem like a great way to introduce new players to dnd while also having a high ceiling for what one can do with them. I really love your explanation
Necromancer dungeon: if pcs don't realize there is the necromancer, and the dm feels very nasty, the pcs go back, tell the archeologists the area is clear, which is not, the archeologists get in and get killed by the necromancer, and the dm will have the two most powerful leverages ever: the pcs' guilt, and their desire of revenge for having been fooled. Sweet!
I really enjoy the idea of the 5 room dungeon. Sort of last minute pulled one from a PDF with a bunch of great 5 room dungeon ideas for a campaign I had recently and it worked out really well. Also really like the idea of the dungeon having more rooms than just the 5 as a sort of dressing to the dungeon. My only fear is that at some point in using the 5 room dungeon that my players will catch on to the layout. RP or not, it's hard to ignore, but a little addition here and there and some misdirection will keep them on their toes.
If you were to use them frequently, your players probably would catch on to the layout. Adding extra rooms is for sure one way of breaking things up and keeping it fresh. I like to put two 5RD together in a single dungeon, so have the boss battle of the first section be something that is guarding an entrance to another layout. Terrain is also a really great way to mix things up. Have your boss battle be in a flooded part of the dungeon between the players and a water monster, for example. Then there's the option of changing the order of the rooms or omitting certain rooms.
The method is called the five room dungeon, but it's more like a five-act device. The 5th "room" is the reward/revelation. That could be a secret room with treasure or another challenge, or it could be abstract (you discover something that shines a new light on the whole adventure.) Five room dungeon is just catchier and ties it more directly to RPGs than using a five-act structure I suspect.
Just wanted to throw some encouragement your way and say keep it up! I’m learning a lot from you, not just how to be a new DM, but things to look for as a player... 😉 As an aside, this reminds me of the 5x5 method. Are you familiar with it? I just came across it the other day and haven’t really looked at it in depth.
So I saw it originally on Critical Hit (critical-hits.com/blog/2011/03/04/the-5x5-method-compendium/). It seemed interesting and complementary to the 5RD method. Gonna look at it more in depth when I find the time.
