I. Lets go below the basement!
Salutations adventurers,
Every now and then, a series of events, crowdfunding projects, theory pieces, and general zeitgeist defines a theme which is unmistakable. This issue exemplifies a drive to carve our journey into darker, wilder, and bolder depths, … whether without fear, or with full terror of the unknown!
We live in mad and extraordinary times, no doubt!
One thing that I can’t get enough of is the real-life lore about the places we typically stage as "dungeons” in our tabletop RPG and storytelling experiences!
Every representation of these underground mystery caverns and ruins is only made better by incorporating back story, regional history, geology, aesthetic, atmosphere, and a character unto themselves! … What better way to create or play a dungeon than to treat it like a character, with its own personality, behavior, origin story, and goals? … Perhaps a topic that I’ll engage in more thoroughly in a future CW article.
Until then, here are just a few hand-picked videos on the subject of IRL dungeon (and “dungeon”) lore!
10,000 MILES of Tunnels: What Ancient Humans Built Beneath the Earth by Uncharted Mysteries - An hour long compilation of some of the most mysterious man-made networks of tunnels across the planet.
The Underground Cities of the Byzantine Empire by Ted-Ed. - A short history of the tri-continental region and the creation of subterranean places of living.
Mysteries of Paris | Episode 6: Secrets Beyond the Grave - A free documentary piece about the Paris catacombs built of skulls and bones that rests underneath the city.
Descending Into 4 Hidden French Castle Dungeons by Saving Castles Podcast - Deep essay and tour of a handful of real castle dungeons in western Eurpose, and their marks on history!
Real Underground Cities You Didn’t Know Exist by Joe Scott - A video spanning a various ancient and modern networks of cities, tunnels, facilities, and other underground places.
Mohenjo Daro 101 by National Geographic - Super short video. Not a “dungeon” technically, but sprawling ruins can be intricate enough to qualify. This ancient city in the Indus Valley exposes a ton about an old culture.
Son Doong: The Largest Cave on Planet Earth by Voogie - In music video format. Located on the Laos / Vietnam border, this 200m tall and 150m wide is large enough to host a New York City block. And it goes deeper from there!
The Grand Shaft: Triple Helix Staircase at the Western Heights Dover by Kent Urban Exploring - An eye-witness delve into an inverted tower in Dover, built in the napoleonic era.
Ancient Underground Tunnels in Brazil Found and It’s NOT Man-Made! by BRIGHT SIDE - A cave system suspected to have been carved by massive creatures in pre-historic times.
Longyou Caves Mystery, China by Wandering Wolf - A travel vlog entry exploring the interior of an ancient series of caves with a firsthand POV.
Finally, while I usually host a series of bundles and deals in each issue of Dungeon Delve, I’ve left it out this week. … A lot of it becomes repetitive from a week-to-week basis, most of the relevant deals are hosted on the same places Humble Bundle, Bundle of Holding, DriveThruRPG, and Fanatical for easy browsing. I’ll take my break from it this week.
If the absence of this has you ready to roll initiative, please leave a comment below!
II. The Treasure Chest
«««»«»«»«»»» This Weeks Free Resource!! «««»«»«»«»»»
Fesliyan Studios is a favorite of mine! David composes amazing royalty-free music tracks that are perfect for your RPG table, stream, video content, recreational listening, and more! … Free to download for personal use, and cheap/PWYW to license for commercial projects! … but also, they’re amazing tracks in general!
III. Markings on the Wall
Crowdfunding projects
GOBBOs - The Goblin Adventures TTRPG … because sometimes, you just want to play a group of silly misfit goblins going on cartoonish adventures in a rules-light, narrative focused game, for kids and adults alike!
BIG BADS: Most Wanted - Forget the minions and the wandering critters! This bestiary of boss monsters contains a whos-who of unfathomable criminal miscreants equipped with adventure hooks, backstories, magic itesm and more! … For 5E and other TTRPGs.
RPG News and Finds
An ancient rival RPG from the first days of the original Dungeons and Dragons has emerged from the depths! … Tunnels and Trolls is getting a modern remake with “A New Age”, catered to todays crowd and easy to pick up and play!
In the country of Iraq, a bustling board game and tabletop RPG scene continues to thrive and evolve, as Rascal News covers in detail! (Full article is paid)
From Cosmere, to Starfinder 2E, Daggerheart, and Warhammer Fantasy, … the Origins Awards announces its RPG finalists for the past year, reports Bell of Lost Souls.
In the WOTC and Dungeons and Dragons end of things,… the staff are tapping the community to fill out a survey over on DNDBeyond to get a sense of vibe from players, dungeon masters, and third-party designers.
TTRPGInsider conducts an interview with Andrew Bellury aka “TIGER WIZARD” of Exalted Funeral Press about the game TAVERS, a TTRPG that is a visual and sensory mind-blowing fusion between Meow Wolf, Exhalted Funeral, and Genuine Entertainment
Gameable, Design, and Theory Stuff
Our esteemed neighbor, Grinning Rat, has shed their Substack fur and taken up residence at a new site! … In their latest, they ponder how treasure in TTRPG is often a surface-level afterthought, and that some treasure deserves better history!
Random encounters on their own can often be flat. has devised ways through their work with Inkvein on how to craft more compelling encounters, from the approach, to sequences, and how to execute them.
Darkness and “darkvision” are often overlooked to negative effect. digs into the original intent and philosophy of darkness in old-school TTRPGs and dungeons, and resurfaces a tension YOU can apply to your games!
Speaking of darkness,… morlocks! Those fabled subterranean humanoid flesh-eaters. digs into the science-fiction mythos, and applies it with a new coat of blood!
Check out the previous issue here!