What Is True Dungeon

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Founded in 2003, True Dungeon is a life-size, immersive, role-playing experience played in a walk-through dungeon environment. It combines elements of escape rooms, haunted houses, and its rules are very loosely based on the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Individual players test their gaming skills in an adventure where they battle monsters, solve puzzles, and overcome mental and physical tests of skill. All of these challenges come together to make the True Dungeon experience unique in the gaming industry. In addition to puzzles, players do battle (via a shuffleboard-style combat board) with animatronic monsters and costumed NPCs.

We provide thrilling two-hour immersive adventures for thousands of gamers all across the country. You may have seen us at:

Not a LARP, True Dungeon instead focuses on problem solving, teamwork and tactics while providing exciting sets and interactive props. Players may find themselves creeping down a dark passageway and entering a long-forgotten crypt. After dispatching a lurking guardian, the players may have to solve a cryptic puzzle or find a secret door in order to access a wondrous treasure chest. This might be a chest that holds a shocking surprise if opened without care. It takes two hours to explore the dungeon, and teams of ten players need only bring their imagination and quick wit. No prior D&D or gaming experience is needed. In fact, a party with an array of different experience levels usually does well. This is a perfect vehicle to let some non-D&D gamers experience the fun and thrills of dungeoneering.

That being said… we are big D&D geeks and we made True Dungeon for D&D geeks. We wanted players to experience some of those classic D&D moments that only their characters got to enjoy. For instance, we thought, what about rogues... Wouldn't it be cool if the player with the rogue character actually got to feel what it was like to disarm an actual trap?  Wouldn't it be cool if the rogue got to feel their pulse pound and their palms sweat as they carefully manipulated a device with THEIR hands--knowing full well that failure to disarm the trap might be disastrous?

(Rothfuss, Sanderson, Scalzi, Wheaton, and others...enjoying a TD adventure)

With True Dungeon, we seek to immerse players within an exciting fantasy adventure, and we let them feel what the stress of combat can do to their coordination, how hard it must be for wizards to remember all those mystical teachings, how difficult it must be for clerics to know all the tenets of their faith, and how invaluable it can be to recall the meaning of an ancient glyph.

True Dungeon's goal is to transport you into another world for a few hours. There you will find out how well YOU stack up against the adventure. You will find out how well you respond to the challenges that are laid before you, while experiencing some of the classic D&D moments from your past.

Check out this short video to see what True Dungeon is all about!

What people have said about True Dungeon:

"When I started Gen Con more than three decades ago I did it in a true spirit of wanting to share with fellow gamers the true fun of getting together and enjoying ourselves. And True Dungeon is the epitome of that very thing."

  -- Gary Gygax, Co-Creator of Dungeons & Dragons, Founder of Gen Con

 

"Simply put, True Dungeon is the coolest event in the gaming universe. It’s the largest event at Gen Con, in fact it’s so big that Gen Con has to open registration for it separate from the rest of the event listing or the system crashes. It’s so cool it has its own line of merchandise that is traded on the secondary market like collectibles. It must be seen to be believed! I am very proud to have True Dungeon as the Gen Con centerpiece.”

-- Peter Adkison, CEO/Owner Gen Con, LLC

 

"True Dungeon takes all those images we built in our imaginations and makes them real. When a DM says, "You have about 10 seconds before the walls closes," you better make a quick decision because there is an actual door sliding shut in front of you.

  -- Wil Wheaton, "Wesley" from "Star Trek:TNG" and web geek guru

 

"True Dungeon might just be the coolest thing I've ever done at a convention."

 -- Patrick Rothfuss, NY Best-Selling Author of "The Name of the Wind"

 

"I loved playing True Dungeon. I had a great time. I just wanted to say that."

  -- Jeff Lewis, "Vork" from "The Guild"