We love making maps and thinking up fantasy worlds.. when parenting, work, and responsibilities leave time for game planning. But those moments are rare lately. More often we’re rushing a game together when friends have time so pre-created elements for tabletop RPG games have become tools we lean on to make the experience more fun. Random dungeon generators, DungeonMorph dice, Oleg Dolya’s One Page Dungeon website, and numerous books add to our dungeon-dive experiences. Here are some creative ways to make random dungeons for your next D&D, Pathfinder, or Dungeon World session.
Random Dungeon Generators
One of our favorite tools for TTRPG nights are random dungeon generators. A random dungeon generator is a tool, often used in role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, that creates a map of a dungeon or other type of underground environment randomly.
The generator uses algorithms (or dice, cards, random elements) to generate the layout, rooms, corridors, and traps of the dungeon. Players can use the generated map to navigate through the dungeon, discover hidden rooms and treasures, battle monsters, and uncover secrets. Random dungeon generators are often used to create unique and challenging game scenarios, as no two generated dungeons will be exactly the same.
Random Dungeon Generators come in a variety of forms from websites to books to dice and tile sets. All of these methods are fun ways to create dungeons on-the-fly. Many of the books listed can also help you fill your dungeon with treasures, traps, and foes along your adventure.
Watabou’s One Page Dungeon
Oleg Dolya’s dungeon generator on itch is a favorite among many rpg fans. You can see why from the art above and below. Dungeons (and cities in the Medieval Fantasy City Generator) look beautiful with lots of interesting details. Generate one for yourself at Watabou’s itch page.
Medieval Fantasy City Generator
Oleg Dolya calls Medieval Fantasy City generator their magnum opus of creative design. This online tool for generating cities and maps is a wonderful tool for GMs and world builders. Visit Watabou’s Procgen Arcana for more information.
Donjon D20 Random Dungeon Generator
The Donjon d20 random dungeon generator is a free tool with impressive depth. You can customize various aspects of the dungeon such as the level, size, shape, and room layout. Once you hit the ‘go’ button, the generator will generate a map that you can easily download in various formats for in-game use. Although the map may seem minimal, the dungeon generator provides random descriptions for each room to make them come to life. Create your own on Donjon’s page.
RPG Map Editor 2
RPG Map Editor 2 is a map creator and editor developed by Dead Cells lead game-designer, Sébastien Denard. The program is a “tabletop RPG Map Editor with a keep it clean and simple philosophy.” The program is free to download on Deep Night games’ itch page.
Dungeon Generator Books
51 Dungeons Book by Matt Davids
Matt Davids writes lots of great books for RPG enthusiasts (check out our article about his Random Tables series). In 51 Dungeons for Fantasy Tabletop Role-Playing Games you’ll find 51 dungeons to start your adventures. Each map included a description and idea prompts to get you started. Random tables are included in the book to help you add things to your dungeon randomly as well.
DungeonMorph Dice
DungeonMorph dice are a set of uniquely-designed dice that  generate random dungeon layouts for roleplaying game adventures. Each die features a variety of different dungeon room and corridor shapes, with each face of the die depicting a different layout. There are multiple sets of DungeonMorph dice available, each with a different theme or design style, such as the Adventurer, Cities, Halls and Rooms, Ruins, and Caverns sets.
Using the dice is easy: simply roll them and use the resulting combination of shapes to create your dungeon map. The dice can be used to generate a wide range of different layouts, from sprawling underground complexes to small, compact dungeons. DungeonMorph dice can be used in a variety of tabletop roleplaying games, including Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Dungeon World or any other fantasy themed game. Read more about DungeonMorph Dice at Inkwell Ideas.
DungeonMorphs
DungeonMorphs are tiles for tabletop gamers who enjoy dungeon-crawling adventures. They combine the designs from DungeonMorph dice sets in a larger and more convenient format, making it easier to create intricate dungeon layouts on the fly. The cards and tiles match the designs on DungeonMorph dice so you can use them together. Roll your combination and then use the cards for a larger layout. Read more about DungeonMorph products at Inkwell Ideas.
Wallet Dungeons
“Roll a handful of dice, assemble following simple rules, and create a dungeon to explore in minutes!” Wallet Dungeons is a tiny GM tool that fits on a business card. With this compact game in your pocket, you’ll never be caught without a dungeon to explore and conquer. Learn more about Walled Dungeons and print your own copy at Awkward Turtle’s itch page.
One Page Dungeon Contest Compendium
Each year the One Page Dungeon contest hosts a competition for the best one page dungeon. You can download PDF versions of the winners as well as all of the individual maps in a larger download. Plenty of ideas to get you started on your next dungeon quest. Read more and find download links at Dungeon Contest.
What is One Page Dungeon?
One Page Dungeon (OPD) is a format for creating and sharing role-playing game (RPG) adventures that can be played in a single session. As the name suggests, these adventures are designed to fit on a single sheet of paper, with all the necessary information and details condensed into a concise and easy-to-read format.
The concept of the One Page Dungeon was first introduced in 2009 by Alex Schroeder, a Swiss programmer and avid RPG player. Schroeder challenged himself to create a complete RPG adventure that could fit on a single sheet of paper, and then shared his creation online for others to use and build upon.
Since then, the One Page Dungeon format has become popular among RPG players and designers, with annual contests and compilations of the best entries. The format encourages creativity and resourcefulness, as designers must come up with clever ways to fit all the necessary information into a limited space.
One Page Dungeons can be played with a variety of RPG systems, from classic games like Dungeons & Dragons to newer indie RPGs. They typically include a brief introduction and background, a map of the dungeon or adventure site, descriptions of key locations and encounters, and any necessary rules or guidelines for the players.
