True Dungeon

True Dungeon is sort of like those haunted houses they do during halloween only it is done up like D&D dungeons. A group of around 6-8 players each picks a class consisting of the normal D&D classes (rogue, fighter, cleric, wizard, ranger ex) which allows you to where a laminated sheet on your chest. The sheet carries stats like hitpoints (life) and special abilities. Each class can also do something special. Most can fight but the thief can open special locks by moving a metal pick along a small crevice. If the thief reaches the end without touching the sides the lock open. The bard can memorize symbols that have meaning in the dungeon. The cleric and wizard can each memorize symbols to cast spells.

Once you are all caught up with your abilities the party is allowed into the dungeon. The dungeon is split up into 8 sections. In each section there is a challenge that you have to beat; usually a puzzle or monster. You have 12 minutes to complete the challenge. If you succeed you get to go to the next room. If you fail each player takes damage and is then allowed to go to the next room. If you die you loose and have to leave the dungeon. If you complete each room you get a pin that says you beat True Dungeon.

Puzzles can be fairly elaborite and difficulty varies. An example of one from this year consisted of 24 eggs in a circle. There is a old scale in the middle. A voice coming from a statue tells there is one egg you must find and throw into the fire (special effect on the door out) and it weighs a little more then every other egg. We have three tries with the scale to figure out which egg is the correct one.

Here is what we did.

1.You take 8 eggs and put it in each scale. If one side dips you know that that side has the heavy egg. If they are equal the egg is in the pile you haven't used.

2. You then take those 8 eggs and divide them again in fours grabbing the heavy set.

3. Take 4 eggs and divide them into two taking the heavy set. This left us with two eggs and we guessed which one was correct. We ended up taking two points of damage for guessing the wrong egg.

Here what you are suppose to do:

1. The same as above.

2. Instead of dividing 8 eggs in half you take and put 3 eggs in each and take the heavier half. If they are equal you have two eggs left.

3. Weather you have a set with two eggs or three you take one egg and put it on each scale. If one end is heavier you know you have your egg. If you had three eggs and they are equal it is the egg not on the scale.

Combat is much more straight forward. Basically you have a smooth table that is about 8ft long and 3ft wide. One one side is an outline of a monster that is divided in 20 segments. On the other is a series of pucks with the name of each class on it and a series of numbers on the edge.

During your turn you take a puck with your class on it and fling it across the table and try to get it to land on a high number. The higher the number the more likely you are to hit. There is also a dot on the table and which ever number on your puck is pointing to the dot is the amount of damage you do.

During the monsters turn the DM (there is one in each room) declares who the monster is attacking and rolls a large d20. He then assigns damage and writes in on your character sheet around your neck. If you reduce the monsters hit points to 0 you kill it.

That pretty much sums up True Dungeon. I like it a lot and go every year. For more information you can visit True Dungeon's web page.