Endless Pit Cave

I’ve noticed that a lot of the recently posted battlefields have a sort of sub-map representing the bowels of a subterranean cavern. This idea is something I had toyed with some time ago but never really put it into practice. However, the recent surge in map designs around this concept has got the old gears turning once again.


If you’ve ever played one of my scenarios your well aware of the level of randomness I like to inject into a map. It gives the map something more that just a battle. It gives it an extra challenge. My latest idea plays this to the full.

The concept is a vertical, or pit cave, with a large gaping hole between the two starting zones. Players will descend into the pit and, due to the complex network of interconnected tunnels, reappear in different rooms of the cavern. Each room has its own sub-map with its own entrances and exits. Players can’t go back the way they came and thus must cross each room to a nearby exit. When they reach an exit they’ll roll the D20 to find out where they appear next. Their final goal is a hidden treasure of unknown wealth. (Unknown, because I haven’t figured out what it is yet.) Only a roll of 19 or 20 will get them into the “treasure” room. I’m thinking, so as not to have a very short game of luck, to win the player must stand on the “treasure” glyph unengaged at the end of round 3 or any round thereafter.


I’ve played the concept through with my oldest son (age 6) in a Basic Game setting just to get a feeling of how movement through the cave might work. My only real concern is that players will not battle in the cave but simply run past each other on the way to the treasure. The narrow passages and glyphs might help out in this regard. The Glyph of Lodin will, without a doubt, appear in the final map. Having this bonus will allow a player to “choose” their destination in some situations.

Let me know what you think. Please share your comments below. Thanks.