Dressed vs. Undressed: An Example of Play
It’s no secret that at Raging Swan Press, we are big fans of dressed dungeons. A dressed dungeon feels more real than an undressed dungeon. A dressed dungeon engages your players’ imaginations, promotes creative play and helps them immerse themselves in the adventure.
Consider these two examples of play (with game mechanics deliberately omitted). Both deal with a common dungeon situation–a party navigating a staircase to a lower level. Which one is best?
Undressed
GM: The stairs descend 20 feet to a corridor that leads east.
Player 1: Can I hear anything?
GM: No, it’s quiet.
Player 2: Does anything look out of place or odd? Are the stairs trapped?
GM: You look around but can’t see anything obviously dangerous.
Player 2: Okay. I go down the stairs and look down the corridor. What do I see?
GM: You walk down the stairs. From their foot, your torchlight illuminates a stretch of corridor studded by two closed doors. At the limit of your bright light, the corridor turns to the south.
And so on.
Dressed
GM: The old stone steps descend 20 feet to a corridor that leads east. The middle of each step is worn and smoothed as if from the tread of many feet. About 10 feet down the stairs, a wide crack cuts through the right-hand wall.
Player 1: Can I hear anything?
GM: Not really; the jingle of your companions’ armour and equipment masks any quiet sounds coming from the bottom of the stairs, but there is the faint suggestion of dampness in the air.
Player 2: I don’t like the look of that crack. Could a monster fit into it? Does anything look out of place or odd? Are the stairs trapped?
GM: From your vantage point at the top of the stairs, you notice that the stone below the crack looks slightly discoloured, like it may be wet. Greyish lichen grows on about half the step below the crack. There are no obvious dangers, though, and nothing else looks out of place.
Player 2: Right. I’ll creep down the stairs but keep away from that crack by staying close to the other wall. I’m not going to stand on any of the lichen.
Player 1: I’m putting my lantern down next to me and loading my crossbow—just in case! (The other two members of the party take similar actions.)
GM: As you descend the stairs, your light falls more clearly on the crack and the surrounding stone—some of which glistens with moisture. The damp smell intensifies slightly. The lichen stir at your approach
Player 2: Hang on! I stop for a moment. I’m going to keep my torch between me and the lichen.
GM: You wait for a few moments, and the lichen settles—it must have been a faint air current that disturbed them. Nothing emerges from the crack in the wall.
Player 2: Okay, I continue cautiously down the stairs.
GM: You safely reach the bottom of the stairs. Ahead of you, your flickering torchlight illuminates a corridor studded by two closed wooden doors black with age. The remains of a broken wooden bucket lie on the floor by the nearest door. At the limit of your light, shadows gather in the corner where the corridor turns to the south.
Player 2: I beckon the rest of the party down while I creep up to the first door…
And so on.
Answer These Questions Three
Which version of play is more immersive?
Which adds atmosphere and verisimilitude to the delve?
Which version do you prefer?
Less But Better
Ours is a hobby of the imagination; as GMs, we must never forget that.
The second version of play is immeasurably superior to the first. Sure, it takes longer to navigate and explore a dressed dungeon, but that’s not a bad thing. I’d rather take my time and enjoy an adventure than berserkly charge through it, caring only about monsters and loot.
What Do You Think?
Are you a dressed or undressed GM? Let me know in the comments.
Learn More
Are you curious about dungeon dressing? Learn more here!
Dress your dungeons today!