Since not everyone can access the Lords and Ladies forum where this is posted, here's the OP from Jeff:
Jeff Martin wrote: For the times they are a-changin' – Bob Dylan
In the past few years, we have had a lot of fun making some amazing in-person adventures. Last year, for the first time since COVID, we were able to present three closely linked, seven-room adventures at Gen Con. They cost $128 per adventure, and we ended up selling out by the time Gen Con started. By all accounts, it was a great year.
However, not all is well.
We have noticed a decline in the number of new volunteers this year. When we look at the email collection data from last year, it has become apparent that the main reason for this reduction is the decrease in folks playing True Dungeon for the first time. The life blood of True Dungeon has always been passionate players who love the game so much that they want to be a part of making it happen. If we don’t have enough new players trying True Dungeon, then TD will decline in the number of events we can present. This is an issue that will only get worse as time goes on, so it is important to address it now.
Additionally, for a long time I have received player feedback that suggests the event is a bit too long. This could be due to the physical strain of standing for that long, or it could be a component of mental stress, as well. This is pure conjecture, but it is reasonable to suggest that the amount of time people prefer to spend on an entertainment engagement has lessened lately with the dominance of short-form media.
All these factors have been discussed at length at TD HQ, and we have come up with a test plan for 2026 in-person events at Gen Con and Gamehole Con. Virtual True Dungeon is in no way changed for 2026 and beyond.
The good news? Instead of only doing three events at Gen Con (like last year), we are going to present four adventures. This will bring the number of tickets available up from 6,000 to 8,000 – thus allowing more attendees a chance to play True Dungeon for the first time. Additionally, to help promote TD to new players, the ticket price is getting cut from $128 to $98 per adventure. More tickets and much cheaper prices should attract more new players. This will generate slightly less revenue than last year, but it is worth it to attract new players.
However, to make this much-needed change work with the number of volunteers we are projecting to have, we are trimming away two rooms from the seven-room adventures. We will now present these four linked adventures at Gen Con:
1) Fang & Fury (4-room sealed run) $88
2) Monster Unbound (5-room) $98
3) The Haunted Manor (5-room) $98
4) Castle Cravenmoor (5-room) $98
The three 5-room adventures will operate exactly like the old seven-room adventures regarding treasure, XP, Participation tokens, etc. It will be just like all those seven-room adventures you have enjoyed – only with five rooms instead.
Event Structure
All five-room adventures will have two combat rooms, two puzzle rooms, and one room where the party can pick either a combat or puzzle challenge.
Treasure Token Use
Since the 5-room adventures operate just like 7-room adventures, all Treasure Tokens are usable. There are no restrictions on tokens used – unlike four-room “sealed pack” adventures.
Treasure Pulls in Epilogue
The base number of three random draws from a Treasure Generator is not changed, so your number of awarded treasure draws will not change. If you got 27 pulls last year, you will get 27 pulls this year – with the same tokens equipped.
Base XP
To keep the nice round numbers of 1,000 and 2,000 max XP for reaching Room 7 in an adventure, we are upping the base XP number, so those 1,000 and 2,000 XP numbers are still intact.
Old XP Formulas:
• Non-Lethal: 650 (no per room bonus)
• Normal: 650 + 50 per room entered
• Hardcore: 1,650 + 50 per room entered
• Nightmare: 1,650 + 50 per room entered (same as Hardcore)
• Epic: 1,650 + 50 per room entered (same as Hardcore)
New XP Formulas:
• Non-Lethal: 750 (no per room bonus)
• Normal: 750 + 50 per room entered
• Hardcore: 1,750 + 50 per room entered
• Nightmare: 1,750 + 50 per room entered (same as Hardcore)
• Epic: 1,750 + 50 per room entered (same as Hardcore)
Virtual True Dungeon Changed?
VTD will not be affected by this change at all. It will remain exactly how it is now – including base XP totals of 650 and 1,650.
Gamehole Con
We will run the Castle Cravenmoor (5-room) adventure at Gamehole Con.
Re-evaluation in October
Once Gamehole Con is over, we will gather player feedback and evaluate whether we should continue this five-room structure in 2027.
Thanks for your feedback!
