Dungeon (magazine)

Dungeon Adventures, commonly called simply Dungeon, is a magazine targeting people who play role playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986, as a bi-monthly magazine. It went monthly in 2003.

Each issue provides self-contained pre-written, playtested game scenarios, often called "modules" in early issues (it is now more common to just call them "adventures" or "scenarios"). Gamemasters can present these adventures to their players as written, or adapt them to their own campaign setting. By providing ideas, plots, villains, maps, monsters, and hooks, it can save gamemasters a great deal of time preparing a game for their players. As a magazine containing several modules per issue, it is also significantly cheaper than stand-alone modules, which perhaps explains its enduring popularity.

In 1991, Dungeon won the Origins Award for Best Professional Adventure Gaming Magazine of 1990.

In late 2002, Paizo Publishing acquired publishing rights to Dungeon as well as its sister magazine, Dragon.

Starting with Issue 90 in 2002, Dungeon was combined with Polyhedron magazine into a single magazine. Many of the Polyhedron sections presented complete mini-games for the d20 system, starting with "Pulp Heroes" in issue 90.

In August 2004, starting with issue 114, editor Erik Mona changed the format, focusing solely on Dungeons and Dragons and discontinuing the Polyhedron section. It now includes three adventures per issue, one each for low, medium, and high levels; about two to four issues a year contain another substantial article, which typically provides further details on the setting of one of the adventures in that issue. (Previously, Dungeon almost never had articles other than adventures). In addition, each issue contains the three-page Dungeoncraft column, currently written by Monte Cook, as well as a few two-page articles on various subjects collectively called the Campaign Workbook. Several ongoing comic strips round out the content of each issue. (Wil Wheaton had a regular column called Wil Save, but Wheaton chose to discontinue it as he has been extremely busy, has had health problems and was somewhat dispirited by the mixed reception the column received. )

A notable feature of Dungeon magazine's recent history has been the use of connected series of adventures. Two lengthy series, the Shackled City (11 parts) and Age of Worms (12 parts) have been completed, with a third, Savage Tide, due to start in issue 139 (available roughly September 2006) and run until issue 150; these long series are referred to as "Adventure Paths". In addition, several shorter series (typically three parts) and a sporadic, open-ended series of Maure Castle adventures have figured in recent issues. The Shackled City series has been reprinted as a hardcover book, with various revisions and corrections, new background information, and an additional adventure added to fill a gap near the beginning of the series.

Dungeon has been nominated for the current version of the award it won in 1991 (now called Best Nonfiction Publication) in the 2006 Origins Awards, to be held at the next Origins convention (June 29 - July 2, 2006); in addition, the Shackled City hardcover has been nominated in the Best Roleplaying Game Supplement category.