The Designing Dungeons Course: Or, How to Kill a Party in 30 Rooms or Less has been nominated for 🏆Best Online Content in the 2026 ENNIES🏆. I mean it when I say that it's an honor just to be nominated. Thank you very much!
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| Vote here! |
Who What Why of the Designing Dungeons Course
If you are a regular reader on my blog, I hope you already know all about the Designing Dungeons Course. But just to briefly sum up the project:
The germ of the idea came from Warren of the blog ICastLight. "I wish there was a book that talked through dungeon design that you could follow along with. And at the end of reading the book, you have a dungeon of your own!"
The idea was so compelling I forced him to join me in making it. Having released my dungeon-crawling game, His Majesty the Worm in 2025, I had seen how cautiously people approached the concept of making a dungeon from scratch. Both Warren and I believe strongly that making a dungeon is just a series of discrete steps: it's fun and easy to do.
The course is consists of 13 chapters. Each chapter consists of some RPG theory, exercises, prompts, and step-by-step instructions to write a 30-room dungeon to run for your friends. There's a workbook that you can use to follow along!
The course has an audio component recorded by the oak and leather voice of Jon Britton, the GM of the incredible 3d6DownTheLine podcast.
And course, the whole thing is free!
How to vote
The ENNIES are a fan choice award, so who goes on to win is based on voting.
If you got something out of the course - if the procedures have helped you overcome writer's block or if you found some useful resources for your own GMing practice - I would very much appreciate a vote!
1. Go to the ennie-awards.com's voting booth
2. Click on Best Online Content
3. Select Designing Dungeons Course: Or, How to Kill a Party in 30 Rooms or Less, Joshua McCrowell & Warren D as #1.
4. Press submit!
5. Receive my eternal gratitude for your support.
Voting continues from July 10th to July 19th.
If we win, my collaborator Warren and I have a very silly acceptance video prerecorded. It will be worth a vote for me just to laugh at our little video.
