The Philosophy of Jaquaying

“There is a temptation to think of the complexity arising from the Jaquays Techniques as being inherently chaotic – a “funhouse dungeon” that doesn’t make any logical sense. But while that certainly can be true, the reality is that these techniques actually result in more realistic designs.”

“I think if you take a moment to consider the architecture of the world around you, you’ll discover that linear paths are the exception and not the rule.”

“SIZE: My decidedly non-palatial house also makes the point that dungeons don’t have to be large in order to take advantage of jaquaying”

“BEWARE THE SPRAWL: None of this, however, is to say that you should never use branching paths or create chokepoints for accessing the lower levels of the dungeon. (Any more than it is to say that every single means of egress should be secret or unusual.) It is merely to say that such features should be used to effect and not simply by default”

“It’s also important to realize that there really can be too much of a good thing: There is a point at which endless loops and countless connections within the dungeon result in meaningless choice instead of meaningful choice”

“STRUCTURE IN THE DUNGEON: A comprehensive guide to effective dungeon design is beyond the scope of this essay, but there are a couple of useful barometers you can use in the process of jaquaying.”

“Difficult vs. Easy: Looking at your map, there should be areas of the dungeon which are difficult to reach and areas which are easy to reach”

“Far vs. Near: Similarly, have the interconnections made your dungeon too shallow?”

“LANDMARKS: Finally, the complexity of connections within a properly jaquayed dungeon can also leave the players feeling somewhat adrift. In some cases this can be taken advantage of. In other cases, it’s a problem that needs to be solved.”