Dungeonland
Encyclopedia
Dungeonland is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons
(D&D)roleplaying game, written by Gary Gygax
for use with the First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules. It is an adaptation of Lewis Carroll
's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
, with the various characters from the book translated into AD&D terms.
The EX module code stands for extension, as the adventure is designed to be inserted as an independent addition to another, ongoing scenario. In Gygax's own campaign, an early version of Dungeonland was an extension of Castle Greyhawk
. In this module, the player character
s (PCs) are plummeted into what White Dwarf
reviewer Jim Bambra referred to as "a strange partial plane".
(DM) may work in any premise to get them to this stage.
Upon landing, the PCs find themselves in a surreal, oddly-shaped hallway which contains The Pool of Tears and the entrance to a diminutive garden. Once they have explored these areas, they cross a fungi forest and arrive at The Wilds of Dungeonland, which is essentially a wooded area containing several connected clearings.
Over the course of the adventure, the PCs run into variations of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland creatures and characters, presented in a Dungeons and Dragons style. For instance, instead of the Mock Turtle
, a Mock Dragon Turtle
is present. The March Hare
is a lycanthrope
, and so on.
The point of the adventure seems to be diversion and novelty more than anything else. There is little treasure and no overall plot. The PCs may leave Dungeonland when they choose, by returning to the Great Hall and wishing themselves back up the tunnel. The PCs may also explore The Land of the Magic Mirror, which adjoins Dungeonland to the West, if they are able to find the way.
, and "includes a very dangerous Mad Hatter
and March Hare, a deadly game of croquet with the Queen
, and a Mock (Dragon) Turtle". Like its source material, the module is intended to be played in a "light-hearted and zany spirit", though, unlike Carroll's Alice, the player characters repeatedly face potentially lethal combat with monsters. The Cheshire Cat
, for example, is a magical smilodon
eager to eat adventurers.
Dungeonland was written by Gary Gygax
, with illustrations by Tim Truman, and was published by TSR in 1983 as a thirty two page booklet with an outer folder. Dungeonland and The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror were designed to be placed as an extension of an existing 9th–12th level dungeon. In the afterword, Gygax mentions that Dungeonland was an early part of the Greyhawk
dungeon, and that his players visited it multiple times. Dr. Joyce Brothers
is mentioned as having played in a version of the scenario run at a convention.
The module is paired with The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror
, which is based on Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass
. The scene on the cover of each module is from an event in the other module.
magazine by Jim Bambra, who scored it 9 out of 10 overall. He reviewed the module along with The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror, and enjoyed the "rich vein of humour" that runs through the two modules, both of which "offer players an exciting and humorous time". He felt that while the modules could be played individually, they are best played together as they interconnect in numerous places, and players adventuring in one module could suddenly find themselves in the other. Bambra felt that although the modules were humorous in tone, some encounters could turn nasty, and that making them for high level characters makes them inaccessible for lower level ones. However, he concluded by saying that if players do have higher level characters available then "by all means play them, you won't regret it."
In his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, Lawrence Schick said that the scenario was "inspired by Alice and Wonderland, but with the whimsy replaced by opportunities for slaughter".
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
(D&D)roleplaying game, written by Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
for use with the First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules. It is an adaptation of Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
, with the various characters from the book translated into AD&D terms.
The EX module code stands for extension, as the adventure is designed to be inserted as an independent addition to another, ongoing scenario. In Gygax's own campaign, an early version of Dungeonland was an extension of Castle Greyhawk
Castle Greyhawk
Castle Greyhawk is one of the central dungeon settings in the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. The Castle was originally developed by Gary Gygax for his own campaign and later detailed for publication...
. In this module, the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s (PCs) are plummeted into what White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
reviewer Jim Bambra referred to as "a strange partial plane".
Plot summary
The adventure begins with PCs falling down an earthen tunnel. It is suggested that the portal to Dungeonland be a barrel within the dungeon of Castle Greyhawk, but the Dungeon MasterDungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
(DM) may work in any premise to get them to this stage.
Upon landing, the PCs find themselves in a surreal, oddly-shaped hallway which contains The Pool of Tears and the entrance to a diminutive garden. Once they have explored these areas, they cross a fungi forest and arrive at The Wilds of Dungeonland, which is essentially a wooded area containing several connected clearings.
Over the course of the adventure, the PCs run into variations of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland creatures and characters, presented in a Dungeons and Dragons style. For instance, instead of the Mock Turtle
Mock Turtle
The Mock Turtle is a fictional character devised by Lewis Carroll from his popular book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Its name is taken from a dish that was popular in the Victorian period, mock turtle soup....
, a Mock Dragon Turtle
Dragon turtle
A dragon turtle is a legendary Chinese creature that combines two of the four celestial animals of Chinese mythology: the body of a turtle with a dragonlike head. It is promoted as a positive ornament in Feng Shui, symbolizing courage, determination, fertility, longevity, power, success, and support...
is present. The March Hare
March Hare
Haigha, the March Hare is a character most famous for appearing in the tea party scene in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.The main character, Alice, hypothesises,...
is a lycanthrope
Lycanthrope (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lycanthrope is a humanoid shapeshifter based on various legends of lycanthropy.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
, and so on.
The point of the adventure seems to be diversion and novelty more than anything else. There is little treasure and no overall plot. The PCs may leave Dungeonland when they choose, by returning to the Great Hall and wishing themselves back up the tunnel. The PCs may also explore The Land of the Magic Mirror, which adjoins Dungeonland to the West, if they are able to find the way.
Publication history
Dungeonland was inspired by Alice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
, and "includes a very dangerous Mad Hatter
Mad Hatter
Hatta, the Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the story's sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. He is often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Carroll...
and March Hare, a deadly game of croquet with the Queen
Queen of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Queen of Hearts is a character from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by the writer and mathematician Lewis Carroll. She is a foul-tempered monarch, that Carroll himself pictured as "a blind fury", and who is quick to decree death sentences at the slightest offense...
, and a Mock (Dragon) Turtle". Like its source material, the module is intended to be played in a "light-hearted and zany spirit", though, unlike Carroll's Alice, the player characters repeatedly face potentially lethal combat with monsters. The Cheshire Cat
Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.-Origins:...
, for example, is a magical smilodon
Smilodon
Smilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
eager to eat adventurers.
Dungeonland was written by Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
, with illustrations by Tim Truman, and was published by TSR in 1983 as a thirty two page booklet with an outer folder. Dungeonland and The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror were designed to be placed as an extension of an existing 9th–12th level dungeon. In the afterword, Gygax mentions that Dungeonland was an early part of the Greyhawk
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
dungeon, and that his players visited it multiple times. Dr. Joyce Brothers
Joyce Brothers
Joyce Brothers is an American psychologist, television personality and advice columnist, publishing a daily syndicated newspaper column since 1960.-Personal life:...
is mentioned as having played in a version of the scenario run at a convention.
The module is paired with The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror
The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror
The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror is an adventure module, written for use with the First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting.-Plot summary:...
, which is based on Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a work of literature by Lewis Carroll . It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
. The scene on the cover of each module is from an event in the other module.
Reception
The module was positively reviewed in issue No. 48 of White DwarfWhite Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
magazine by Jim Bambra, who scored it 9 out of 10 overall. He reviewed the module along with The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror, and enjoyed the "rich vein of humour" that runs through the two modules, both of which "offer players an exciting and humorous time". He felt that while the modules could be played individually, they are best played together as they interconnect in numerous places, and players adventuring in one module could suddenly find themselves in the other. Bambra felt that although the modules were humorous in tone, some encounters could turn nasty, and that making them for high level characters makes them inaccessible for lower level ones. However, he concluded by saying that if players do have higher level characters available then "by all means play them, you won't regret it."
In his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, Lawrence Schick said that the scenario was "inspired by Alice and Wonderland, but with the whimsy replaced by opportunities for slaughter".