Symbols and Supplies

“These rules include a few symbols you should know… ⛭ Stands for epic treasure. These are optional….”
—Tony Dowler, How to Host a Dungeon

In the Supplies section of the rules, Dowler suggests using glass beads, coins, and board game tokens for the four symbols. I don’t have any beads, and I’m away from my games collection. I do have small change, though, and I’m spending the present lock-down near the sea.

Flat, round, thumb-sized pebbles, fetched from the surf, do for populations. Shiny yellow ten-euro-cent pieces look like treasure. One-cent pieces, copper in color, are special bonuses, and seashells represent epic treasure.

Drawing

“There’s no right or wrong way to draw stuff, but there is a better and a worse way. The better way is one that’s pleasing to you and creates a dungeon you like.”

To draw the features in the age of civilization, Dowler suggests using a particular style to reflect the characteristics of the civilization that emerges following the primordial age. Dwarves, for example, build straight corridors at right angles. In construction, they use geometric shapes, often symmetrical. He also suggests using a different shape for each kind of construction.

According to my reading of the rules, the dwarves won’t have the opportunity to build all the rooms. But now that I’ve got shapes for them all, I might have to figure something out.

“The same goes for these rules…. You’ll probably get a better result following your instinct than worrying about the rules.”