Crapshoot Monday: This Free Thing I Found on Itch.io…Lost Caminopolis

​A dungeon level by Corey Davies, level unset (DANGER).
Written for system agnostic (OH NO)
  A CHOICE WAS MADE TO WRITE A ONE-PAGE DUNGEON ON A SHEET OF 11x17 PAPER IN ALL CAPS SO IT FEELS LIKE I’M BEING SHOUTED AT NONSTOP. IT’S A DEFINITE EXPERIENCE, ONE THAT I SHALL ATTEMPT TO PASS ON TO YOU, DEAR READER, BY WRITING THIS WITH CAPSLOCK HAMMERED DOWN.
  OUR SYSTEM-NEUTRAL DUNGEON IS APPARENTLY THE RUINS OF AN ANCIENT CITY NAMED CAMINIPOLIS, THE VAGUELY GREEK-THEMED NAME IS COMPLIMENTED BY A CYCLOPS IN THE MIDDLE MAKING WEAPONS, MYTHICAL WEAPONS AND TALK ABOUT DÉJÀ VU FROM TWISTED FAKES, AND THE FIRST BAD-GUY FACTION WEARING HOPLITE ARMOR. THE FACT THAT GENERIC “DENIZENS OF THE DEEP” AND “GODBEES” ARE THE OTHER MONSTERS TO FACE IS A LITTLE AGAINST THEME, BUT SURE, WHY NOT?
  WHAT I LIKED FIRST OFF IS THE MAP, IT’S A LITTLE LINEAR COMPARED TO THE INITIAL IMPRESSION BUT THERE’S SOME NICE GEOMETRY FOR THE SCALE AND SECRET/LOCKED/CHALLENGING ALTERNATE ROUTES CAN YIELD BETTER RESULTS, WHICH IS FUN. I LIKE THE GODBEES’ HONEY HAVING HEALING EFFECTS THAT COMPROMISE THE IMBIBER IF OVERUSED AND THAT THE BEESWAX MAKES EXTRA-GOOD TORCHES AND CANDLES. I LIKED THE IDEA THAT THE BLIND CYCLOPS SMITH MAKES WEAPONS INTENDED FOR A PARTICULAR FATED HERO, SO THERE’S ONLY A LOW CHANCE FOR A GIVEN WEAPON TO BE USEFUL FOR A PC WHO GRABS ONE. I LIKE PETRIFIED TREES WITH STONY DRYADS AMONG THEM AND GEODE FRUITS, THAT’S A SOLID “MESS WITH THING AND GET ATTACKED” SETUP. I ALSO APPRECIATE THE ORACLE GAS CHAMBER WHERE YOU SEE A FATED RESULT AND CAN CHANGE ONE DIE OUTCOME IN THE FUTURE, MARKING YOU AS “WRONG” IF YOU DEFY FATE THOUGH.

  YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT THE FIRST THING IN WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED IS TO GIVE ME A DADGUM SYSTEM, I DON’T CARE IF ITS BUNNIES & BURROWS, HAVING STATTED ENEMIES AND SOLID VALUES IS AN OBJECTIVE VALUE-ADD, WHILE I CAN ADAPT THE NUMBERS TO FIT MY OWN SYSTEM EFFORTLESSLY. HAVING A LEVEL IN MIND ALSO HELPS. I’M ALSO GOING TO MAKE MY USUAL COMPLAINT THAT MAZES ARE RATHER ROUGH TO RUN IN TTRPGS, PARTICULARLY THESE TIGHT MAZES WITH JUST RANDOM CONTENTS AT DEAD ENDS AND NO PURSUIT/TACTICAL ELEMENT. YOU’RE ALREADY PLAYING IN GREEK LANDS, GO HAM AND SALT IN A MINOTAUR TO CHASE US. SPECIFIC GAME-MECHANICAL EFFECTS (LIKE THAT “DEFIED FATE” MALUS) ARE ALSO INFINITELY PREFERABLE TO UNSPECIFIED “STUFF HAPPENS”. THE MAP LOOKS PRETTY BUT HAVING THE ELEVATION CHANGES MATTER A LITTLE MORE WOULD BE GOOD IN THE LABYRITHINE CAVERNS. FINALLY, EITHER AN ORDER OF BATTLE OR SOME RANDOM ENCOUNTERS SPICE UP AN EXPLORATION OF A STATIC “RUIN” ENVIRONMENT, EVERYTHING IS SET UP TO PERMIT THAT BUT THEN NOTHING HAPPENS.
  BEST USE CASE? I MEAN C’MON, IT’S GOT TO BE AS A ONE-SHOT OR SEEDED-IN DUNGEONLET, DESPITE THE NODS TO FURTHER CAVES THIS IS NOT REALLY DESIGNED TO BE A SMALLER SUBSECTION OF A BROAD MEGADUNGEON/UNDERDARK CAMPAIGN. NEAT STUFF TO PULL LIKE THE HONEY OR THE ORACLE CHAMBER MIGHT BE USEFUL FOR YOU TOO.
  FINAL RATING? **/***** WHICH IS A MILD BUMMER TO A MAN LIKE ME LOOKING FOR GREEK-THEMED ADVENTURES SITES BUT IT’D BE WORTH ANOTHER STAR WITH JUST A LITTLE ADDED SPECIFICITY.