Designing dungeons is as easy as A, B, C! The Dungeon Alphabet compiles twenty-six classic dungeon design elements in one place to assist the game master in creating subterranean challenges. A is for Altar, B is for Books, and C is for Caves: the Dungeon Alphabet has advice, hints, and randomized tables that bring new life to your adventures. Suitable for any rules system, the entries are accompanied by outstanding art from classic fantasy illustrators, with a foreword by noted game designer Zeb Cook.
Reviews:
Lamentations of the Flame Princess: "Forget OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, and Swords & Wizardry. Forget Castle Zagyg, Carcosa, and Fight On! If you're looking for the monumental and important release of the OSR, you haven't yet found it. The Dungeon Alphabet by Michael Curtis is it."
Bat in the Attic: "Now that I have seen it I think this product is a outstanding achievement in both content and art. At its price it is a great value."
Prime Requisite Games: "From the wondrous to the disturbing, The Dungeon Alphabet is teaming with ideas that would prove valuable at the fingertips of any dungeon designer."
Carter's Cartopia: "The DA indeed deserves to be singled out as an exemplary old-school product: technically system-free, it introduces the OSR "rules light" vibe to any gamer who might pick it up, and I assume that it would be a useful resource for almost any referee, regardless of system. And very well produced with absolutely top-notch art. Kick ass!"
Spell Card: "I'd pre-ordered Michael Curtis' wild and woolly Dungeon Alphabet from Goodman Games back in December and it arrived this morning. I can't tell you how un-be-liev-ably cool it is--so I'll just show you!"
Rules Set: Systems-neutral, designed to be used with any RPG
Writer: Michael Curtis
Foreword: David “Zeb” Cook
Cover Artist: Erol Otus
Interior Artists: Brad McDevitt, Jeff Easley, Jim Holloway, Doug Kovacs, William McAusland, Jesse Mohn, Peter Mullen, Erol Otus, Stefan Poag, Jim Roslof, Chad Sergesketter, Chuck Whelon, Mike Wilson 48 pages
Dungeon Alphabet is a great addition to any GM's toolkit: lots of inspiration and just fantastic art work from the hobby's earliest (and greatest!) artists. Each letter of the alphabet has at least one random table and the book is filled with heavily detailed b/w illustration. All the letters are great, but here are a some that really shine:
E is for Echoes (Bonus points just for including a section on strange/spooky sounds)
F is for Fungi (great ideas for fungi behaviors and effects)
G is for Gold (lots to mine here--ha!)
L is for Levers (when's the last time you used levers in your game?)
M is for Magic (lots of ideas in a hefty 3d20 table)
R is for Rooms (rooms come alive!)
V is for Vermin (truly creepy options for making nasties even nastier; my favorite illustration too
W is for Weird (every dungeon needs some weird)
Z is for Zowie! (weirder than "W"!!)
I can't say enough about this book. I know some people were wondering about it coming in hardcover, and I'll just say that I'm GLAD it is, because this is going to get used a lot and it's definitely a keeper!!