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The Dungeon Alphabet
An A-to-Z Reference for Classic Dungeon Design
Designing dungeons is as easy as A, B, C! The Dungeon Alphabet compiles
twenty-six classic
dungeon design elements in one place to assist the game master in creating
subterranean challenges. A is for Altar, B is for Books, and C is for Caves:
the Dungeon Alphabet has advice, hints, and randomized tables that bring
new life to your adventures. Suitable for any rules system, the entries
are accompanied by outstanding art from classic fantasy illustrators, with
a foreword by noted game designer Zeb Cook.
Reviews:
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Lamentations
of the Flame Princess: “Forget OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, and Swords &
Wizardry. Forget Castle Zagyg, Carcosa, and Fight On! If you're looking
for the monumental and important release of the OSR, you haven't yet found
it. The Dungeon Alphabet by Michael Curtis is it.”
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Bat
in the Attic: “Now that I have seen it I think this product is a outstanding
achievement in both content and art. At its price it is a great value.”
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Prime
Requisite Games: “From the wondrous to the disturbing, The Dungeon
Alphabet is teaming with ideas that would prove valuable at the fingertips
of any dungeon designer.”
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Carter’s
Cartopia: “The DA indeed deserves to be singled out as an exemplary
old-school product: technically system-free, it introduces the OSR "rules
light" vibe to any gamer who might pick it up, and I assume that it would
be a useful resource for almost any referee, regardless of system.
And very well produced with absolutely top-notch art. Kick ass!”
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Jeff’s
Gameblog: “This book is very nearly perfect.”
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Spell
Card: “I'd pre-ordered Michael Curtis' wild and woolly Dungeon Alphabet
from Goodman Games back in December and it arrived this morning. I can't
tell you how un-be-liev-ably cool it is--so I'll just show you!”
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Grognardia:
“Indeed, it may be the single best statement of the Old Ways yet put into
print, a feat that's all the more remarkable because it's not presented
as a philosophical manifesto but rather as an abecedarian syllabus, employing
the principle of "show, don't tell" to sidestep the usual litany of complaints
about how "old school" can't be defined and any attempt to do so is both
wrongheaded and doomed to failure.”
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I
See Lead People: “This is more than a gaming book; it's a wayback machine
and happily so. I'd have gladly paid twice what I did, but at a price of
$10 you are nuts to pass it up.”
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There’s
a Bugbear In My Kitchen: “The point is to get people thinking outside
the box when it comes to Dungeon Design. And this product does this in
spades!”
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Gnome
Stew: “For the veteran GM this book is a great reference and will give
your imagination some new fuel. With every letter, your mind will be a
buzz with ideas. Your biggest problem will be not to put all these elements
into a single dungeon.”
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Gaming on the
Precipice: “The art ~~~ it is awesome, there is amazing art on almost
every page. The Erol Otus on page 5 is friggin cool. I stared at that single
page long enough that I wasn't able to read the whole book. I wanted to
be there while each line was drawn and be able to see how it came together.
Also, the Easley drawing on page 36 - priceless. The Mullen on the inside
cover... Crazy... Hats off to Goodman Games and Michael Curtis - they done
good.”
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RPGNow
Staff Reviewer: “This is such a clever product: old school in style
and sensibility, yet universally applicable; funny and entertaining, yet
actually useful; lighthearted, yet richly detailed.”
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DragonLance
D&D Game Blog: “I know the next time I start fleshing out a dungeon,
I'll be looking over my copy of The Dungeon Alphabet for fresh ideas (wow,
sorry for the cover-blurb). Hopefully this will be the first in a line
of similarly inspired books. If so, I know I'll be back for more!”
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A
Paladin in Citadel: “This is a great value, and I would recommend this
to anyone looking for a system-neutral dungeon-design resource that is
both entertaining and inspiring.”
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Dr.
Fischer’s Game Night: “I've already gotten my money's worth just from
the pleasure of reading the entries and my players and going to love some
of these pools, traps, doors, and weird.”
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RPGNow
Staff Reviewer: “If the reader is looking for a light hearted book
that has a lot of charm of old school, without relying on any rules, this
book is a hit.”
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Realms
of Fantasy (scroll down): “It is entirely possible that a gamemaster
armed with this handy book plus a good list of random monsters could whip
up an entirely satisfactory dungeon in just an hour or so.”
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Akratic
Wizardry: “The descriptions of the different dungeon elements are brief
yet inspiring. The charts are delightful, and will almost certainly serve
as a catalyst to future creative adventure design.”
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Reviews
from R’leh: “Entertaining, thoughtful, and evocative, from the moment
that you crack open its pages, The Dungeon Alphabet: An A-Z Reference for
Classic Dungeon Design delivers a critical hit to your nostalgia button.”
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Homer
the Greek’s Rhyme Blog: “Michael Curtis's The Dungeon Alphabet is the
book I wish I'd had 20 years ago when I first began my serious attempts
at world building. Yes - world building, not dungeon building.”
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Green
Skeleton Gaming Guild: “All I can say is WOW, I'd heard all the rave
reviews about The Dungeon Alphabet and they were all true, what a great
book and only ten bucks!”
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Eiglophian
Press: “THIS IS A DAMN FINE BOOK. It's chock-full of useful tables
and advice AND illustrations by many of the artistic giants of the FRPG
field.”
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Underdark
Gazette: “The rich information found within The Dungeon Alphabet, will
serve any DM well, as he/she goes about the business of creating a Dungeon
Masterpiece!”
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Dragonsfoot
Fan Review: “When I reach for a stack of rulebooks in search of inspiration,
it most definitely has a place in the pile.”
Resources:
Rules Set: Systems-neutral, designed to be used with any RPG
Related Products
Writer: Michael Curtis
Foreword: David “Zeb” Cook
Cover Artist: Erol Otus
Interior Artists: Brad McDevitt, Jeff Easley, Jim Holloway, Doug Kovacs,
William McAusland, Jesse Mohn, Peter Mullen, Erol Otus, Stefan Poag, Jim
Roslof, Chad Sergesketter, Chuck Whelon, Mike Wilson
GMG4385, 48 pages, hardcover, $9.99
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