Last edit
Changed:
< The One Page Dungeon Contest (1PDC) was first announced on [http://chattydm.net/2009/04/14/new-grand-contest-the-one-page-dungeon/ Musings of the Chatty DM], [http://oldguyrpg.blogspot.com/2009/04/announcing-one-page-dungeon-contest.html Chgowiz's Old Guy RPG Blog], [http://shamsgrog.blogspot.com/2009/04/one-page-dungeon-contest.html Sham's Grog'n Blog], [http://poleandrope.blogspot.com/2009/04/one-page-dungeon-contest.html The Society of Torch, Pole, and Rope], [http://www.critical-hits.com/2009/04/14/announcing-the-one-page-dungeon-contest/ and Critical Hits] in April 2009. If you're looking for some background, check out Dave's [http://shamsgrog.blogspot.com/2009/05/one-page-dungeons.html One Page Dungeons] retrospective. If you're looking for a project that really dug into the concept early on, check out Mike's [[Stonehell]].
to
> The One Page Dungeon Contest (1PDC) was first announced on [http://chattydm.net/2009/04/14/new-grand-contest-the-one-page-dungeon/ Musings of the Chatty DM], [http://oldguyrpg.blogspot.com/2009/04/announcing-one-page-dungeon-contest.html Chgowiz's Old Guy RPG Blog], [http://shamsgrog.blogspot.com/2009/04/one-page-dungeon-contest.html Sham's Grog'n Blog], [http://poleandrope.blogspot.com/2009/04/one-page-dungeon-contest.html The Society of Torch, Pole, and Rope], [http://www.critical-hits.com/2009/04/14/announcing-the-one-page-dungeon-contest/ and Critical Hits] in April 2009. If you're looking for some background, check out [http://shamsgrog.blogspot.com/2009/05/one-page-dungeons.html Dave’s One Page Dungeons retrospective]. If you're looking for a project that really dug into the concept early on, check out Mike's [[Stonehell]].
The One Page Dungeon Contest (1PDC) was first announced on Musings of the Chatty DM, Chgowiz's Old Guy RPG Blog, Sham's Grog'n Blog, The Society of Torch, Pole, and Rope, and Critical Hits in April 2009. If you’re looking for some background, check out Dave’s One Page Dungeons retrospective. If you’re looking for a project that really dug into the concept early on, check out Mike’s Stonehell.
I just posted my nominations for the One Page Dungeon Contest 2013. I also liked the following entries.
I saw Roger the GS’ recommendations the other day. What about your favorites?
I’ve finished reading the submissions to the One Page Dungeon Contest 2013. As always, an interesting mix of styles. Less tombs than in previous years. The ever popular “get into the dungeon and trigger a trap” is there. Bandits, undead, but no pirates! This year’s popular rare monster must have been the gibbernig mouther. It showed up in three submissions. 
Gibbering Mouthers:
I wanted to comment on my nominations for the contest winners. I’ve done this before (2010, 2011, 2012). Writing it all down helps me think it through.
The One Page Dungeon Contest is just so damn useful it amazes me every year.
Comments on 2013-05-13 My One Page Dungeon Contest Nominations
Last edit
Added:
> ----
> [[gravatar: AlexSchroeder:e33b88db6bc04e1c93db25c702baea28]]
> Having painted the [http://otherworldminiatures.co.uk/shop/demons-devils/dd1a-the-demon-idol-diorama-pack/ Otherworld Miniatures demon idol], I concur! Best old school cover. :)
> -- AlexSchroeder 2013-05-16 08:17 UTC
B. Pace The Demon Idol is my favorite - although I’m a bit biased since that is my favorite old school book cover 
– B. Pace 2013-05-16 03:16 UTC
AlexSchroeder Having painted the Otherworld Miniatures demon idol, I concur! Best old school cover. 
– AlexSchroeder 2013-05-16 08:17 UTC
The One Page Dungeon Contest 2013 is now officially closed. No more late submissions. This year I found two submissions in my spam folder. If you can’t find your submission on the contest page, let me know. This year I also got four late submissions, which is about average, I’d say. I asked the other judges and we decided to accept the ones I received. I have to draw the line somewhere, though… So this is it. Closed. 
Here’s how to get all the files:
72 Submissions!

| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of submissions | 112 | 64 | 71 | 107 | 72 |
A quick reminder that all of April is One Page Dungeon Contest 2013 submission writing month… 
I hope you’re all busy writing stuff up because I’m as nervous as I am every year when I have more prizes to award than submissions received.
The list of things the generous sponsors are awarding this year:
Thank you very much! 
On the mailing list for the One Page Dungeon Contest 2013, one of the judges asked me to go through the process again. I’ve used my reply to write this blog post.
The first thing to remember is that people can revise their submission until the very end. That’s why I personally don’t read them until the end of April.
The output of the process is a list of nominations from each of the judges. They can nominate as many or as few as they like. In the past, judges have nominated somewhere between 10 and 20 entries. Every judge determines their own criteria. There is no agreed upon checklist.
My own list of criteria will look very similar to what I wrote on 2010-02-05 Quality Dungeons. I find that having the checklist helps me score the dungeons.
I will compile all the nominations into a big spreadsheet and produce a list of winners. I’ll try to have at least three nominations from every judge on the list (ie. we are six judges and thus I expect there to be around 18 winners). I’ll also try to invent a category for each of the winners. It would be very cool if your list of nominations contained a suggested category. That is optional, however.
Last year, I wrote about the entries I nominated and the made-up categories I nominated them for, if you’d like to see an example of how I personally went about this.
Sometimes judges will then comment on the final list and propose to add a particular entry because of some very specific qualities they want to highlight and thus we might end up more winners.
Once we have announced the winners, they are invited to send me three picks from the prize list. Again, the data goes into a spreadsheet and I try to figure out a way to give every winner at least one thing that they are wishing for. Against all intuition, this seems to have worked so far! When in doubt, I’ll go back to the big spreadsheet with all the nominations on it and give precedence to those winners that received the most nominations.
This last element of the process is not entirely transparent. I wrote a blog post trying to defend the lack of transparency two years ago. I hope that it’s not a big problem. 
Recently I got a submission for the One Page Dungeon Contest 2013. It was made using the Dungeon Tiles Set by ProBono on RpgMapShare. The tiles use textures from CGTextures.com.
I stopped when I saw a passage saying “One or more textures in this pack have been created with images from CGTextures.com. These images may not be redistributed by default, please visit www.cgtextures.com for more information.”
Then I found the following passage in their FAQ:
Unfortunately, the One Page Dungeon Contest uses a Creative Commons license.
Comments on 2013-04-07 Textures and Creative Commons
Last edit
Added:
> ----
> [[gravatar: AlexSchroeder:e33b88db6bc04e1c93db25c702baea28]]
> Absolutely! The problem for me, as somebody who hardly knows any fonts at all, is the identification of this license violation. Ideally, I'd like to stop this. I wonder whether there's a web service where I can upload a PDF and it will identify the embedded fonts and tell me whether the fonts are CC-BY-SA compatible…
> -- AlexSchroeder 2013-05-01 22:39 UTC
Paul Gorman Yes. And I wish authors would look at the most permissible license they’re willing to use. Use the OGL when you utilize SRD content, but please consider using a Creative Commons license for other content. And it would be awesome if to use one of the ShareAlike licenses; derivative works are good for the community.
– Paul Gorman 2013-04-08 04:37 UTC
Roland Volz I would also make a note that some fonts I’ve seen specify that they are “not for commercial use,” which can cause a problem when they republish the entries. I recommend using only fonts from a resource like1001 Fonts' Free-For-Commercial-Use list, just to save a headache later.
– Roland Volz 2013-05-01 18:54 UTC
AlexSchroeder Absolutely! The problem for me, as somebody who hardly knows any fonts at all, is the identification of this license violation. Ideally, I’d like to stop this. I wonder whether there’s a web service where I can upload a PDF and it will identify the embedded fonts and tell me whether the fonts are CC-BY-SA compatibleâ¦
– AlexSchroeder 2013-05-01 22:39 UTC
Yes, the Spring Equinox has come and gone and now it’s time the run the 1PDC again!

One Page Dungeon Contest 2013!
Dates: Submission deadline is April 30, 0:00 GMT (Tuesday evening). If you live West of Greenwich, you will have to send in your submission a few hours before the end of the month! Winners will be announced June 1.
Help spread the word!
Prizes & Sponsors: Do you have prizes to donate? Let me know → kensanata@gmail.com!
Submissions: Here’s how to submit your entry.
Process: Here’s how we’ll determine the winners.
Comments on 2013-03-27 One Page Dungeon Contest
Last edit
Added:
> ----
> [[gravatar: AlexSchroeder:e33b88db6bc04e1c93db25c702baea28]]
> Thanks for the link! :)
> -- AlexSchroeder 2013-03-30 12:09 UTC
Troy Costisick Heya,
Looking forward to the contest this year! I’ve got a blog entry plugging your contest and talking about dungeon design in general. Your contest rules asked for blog links, so here’s mine if you’d like to add it to the contest page: http://socratesrpg.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-do-i-design-dungeon.html
Can’t wait to see what everyone produces this year!
Peace,
-Troy
– Troy_Costisick 2013-03-29 14:03 UTC
AlexSchroeder Thanks for the link! 
– AlexSchroeder 2013-03-30 12:09 UTC
When I had finished reading through all the submissions for the One Page Dungeon Contest 2012, I had a list of dungeons I was considering for nominations. We had agreed on twenty nominations but here I was with nearly thirty dungeons and adventures I liked!
The following are short commentaries on the entries I liked. Note that I printed all the entries using a black and white printer. If any of the maps are colorful, I probably missed it.
Also, I’d love to read your take on individual entries you want to recommend. What did you like about them? What is worth imitating in our own games?
Spoilers ahead!
The following list was written for referees that are staring at the pile of over one hundred submissions and wondering where to start. If you only have the time to look at a handful of dungeons, check out the stars.
– the name alone invokes the spirit of Middle Earth. Two libraries beneath a monastery: the library, and the secret: a bound toad demon that eats books. I loved the side view of the monastery, the small maps with the monastery and the library, and the silhouette of the surrounding area including other hills with elvish names and hints of goblin tribes and ruinous black magic. I liked the graphical design elements as well. Above, light background and black text, below, dark background and white text. The increased font size to indicate priorities worked very well. The smallest font size was at the very limit of what I could read, but at the same time I knew that it optional content in case I want to expand on this location. This was one of my top candidates. I want to include it in my campaign.
– a high-level underwater adventure involving mermen, a marid king, his daughter, a triton, mermen, a death knight, lacedons, a lich, and a squid wizard (a squizard). The NPCs have different relations and plans with each other. The touch of madness is on the entire adventure and I love it. I really liked the little hand-drawn portraits and maps that accompany the text like a little photo story, and I really liked the high-level aspects of it: a black blade of annihilation “that destroys anything it hits” and the abyssal deeps that lead to the plane of water. This adventure is so awesome, I really want to incorporate this into my campaign. This entry also one of my top candidates.
– another map in my favorite style. Or is it? It takes some studying because this entry has combined side-view and traditional maps. I felt that this slight confusion forced me to study it harder and engage more. I like it when the key facilitates skimming. A key element of that is the use of bold to highlight the important stuff. This key highlights the monsters. Thank you! The monster selection is standard fare (undead, yellow mold, goblins, dark elves, goblins, hobgoblins) with the exception of a zombie plant, a living statue of an undine, a demon and an ogre mage. I like using ogre mages myself. The treasure is guarded by a pseudodragon. Hah, haven’t seen those in a long time. I always wanted a pseudodragon familiar when we played AD&D. This seems like an ideal adventure for the mid-levels. Think of me and let one of the player characters befriend the pseudodragon!
– a beautiful map and a watery theme without going all-out gonzo like Water Genie vs. Undead Mermaid Gladiator. I like intelligent and charming monsters like sirens and nixies, and since I played a fighter wearing glamered plate armor in a campaign years ago I loved seeing one making an appearance in this dungeon. When adding this dungeon to my campaign, I will have to emphasize the danger to the shipping lanes and I will have to buy into the daughters of Lilith mythology. I like this idea. At the same time I realize that this isn’t optional: without the sirens being an obvious danger there is practically no in-character point in exploring the dungeon. Without the Lilith story, the shrine of Lilith will make little sense. Oh, and I’d make sure that the statues coming to life doesn’t result in combat. Instead, there must be a test the player characters need to pass in order to pass: cover your eyes when talking to the medusa, making sure you’re not easily aroused when talking to the succubus, that kind of thing: every daughter is a little puzzle. This will require appropriate hints by NPCs or rumors in nearby fishing villages. An interesting challenge for the referee. I look forward to using this dungeon in my campaign. This dungeon was also one of the best scoring ones in my list.
– wow, what a beautiful page! Unlike some other beautiful maps such as Ankhor Deeps the Worm comes with a backstory, an integrated key (no time lost finding the appropriate entry in the text and very short and to the point by default), intelligent opposition, interesting foes such as a dire hamster – I absolutely want to use this in my game. Another one of my most favorite entries!
– what a glorious mess! Based on dungeon tiles readily available online a mix of traditional and vertical sections create a multi-level dungeon full of terrible reavers, a calamari saint, a squid king, Argonauts, it’s so crazy it’s awesome and I want to add it to my campaign. It’ll be perfect for a remote sea side temple abandoned years ago. This was also one of my most favorite submissions.
– let me finish the list with another awesome map with notes, a bit like a flow chart except that it rocks! In order to activate the eye beams that melt the snow on this pass, the party will need to solve the riddle involving fire water and the ice goblet, fight ice gargoyles, snow wolves and replicas of themselves. Ah, to remember the good old days. Anyway, the visual style makes me want to play it. In fact, I prefer the lack of irony compared to Holy Sword.A final note: Given all of the above, I often felt that a simple way to get more of my attention (I don’t know how the other judges felt) is to have descriptive labels on the map itself so that I don’t have to read the key all the time and to use bold to highlight the important parts of each room so that I can easily skim it (monsters, treasure, anything that’s in your face and easy to spot when players enter the room). I also like my dungeons to have multiple entrances or exits and to provide for more goals, use interesting magic items (simply having an interesting magic item that can be removed by the party would result in two points)… That kind of thing. It’s not easy to balance this with the time and space constraints, I know. My own dungeons wouldn’t score too well using my own system.
Comments on 2012-06-10 Best Of 1PDC 2012
Last edit
No diff available.
Roger Carbol Thanks, Alex.
My thinking behind the Crown is that this is a dungeon for a West Marches sort of sandbox. They romp around through the dungeon for a while, need to go up north to find the king’s bones, and have general hijinks. Many levels later, they come on back in and get the final treasure. It’s certainly not a “let’s finish every room in the next four sessions” sort of thing.
Hope to hear someday of how it works out in your campaign.
– Roger Carbol 2012-06-12 20:21 UTC
The winners have been announced on the contest page. See below for a copy of the list. Feel free to download the PDF with all One Page Dungeon Contest 2012 winners (32 MB) and share it!
Here they are:
Comments on 2012-05-31 One Page Dungeon Contest Winners Announced
Last edit
Added:
> ----
> [[gravatar: AlexSchroeder:e33b88db6bc04e1c93db25c702baea28]]
> I warms my heart to see happy people! :)
> -- AlexSchroeder 2012-06-01 11:08 UTC
Roger Carbol Wow! I am in illustrious company indeed. Thanks to all the judges and especially Alex for herding all the cats on this one.
– Roger Carbol 2012-05-31 17:52 UTC
AlexSchroeder Hehe, congratulation! 
As for what comes next, in case anybody is wondering: I’ll send an email asking each winner for some items they’d like and for some items they definitely don’t like and then I’ll put this all in a spreadsheet and ponder it for a week or two, trying to maximize happiness for all winners.
– AlexSchroeder 2012-05-31 20:06 UTC
thekelvingreen Congratulations to everyone who took part. It was a really tough competition this year, and it must have been difficult for the judges to pick their favourites.
– thekelvingreen 2012-05-31 20:45 UTC
AlexSchroeder It was!
– AlexSchroeder 2012-05-31 21:41 UTC
FJBarrera Uoooh! I am really, really happy! Thanks to all the judges! Thanks to all!
– FJBarrera 2012-06-01 10:37 UTC
AlexSchroeder I warms my heart to see happy people! 
– AlexSchroeder 2012-06-01 11:08 UTC
I listed my favorite One Page Dungeon Contest 2012 submissions in previous posts. Here are the rest:
And finally, the list of entries that I felt had potential but didn’t make the cut. These entries got four points according to my scheme.
Referrers: One Page Dungeon Contest
Last edit
Added:
> ----
> [[gravatar: AlexSchroeder:e33b88db6bc04e1c93db25c702baea28]]
> Oops, fixed. Thanks!
> -- AlexSchroeder 2013-05-13 21:15 UTC
Paul Gorman Your link to your nominations points to the Edit page.
– Paul Gorman 2013-05-13 19:32 UTC
AlexSchroeder Oops, fixed. Thanks!
– AlexSchroeder 2013-05-13 21:15 UTC
Add Comment