Dungeon Room Appendix: History, and Flavor

Lore.

That which many a game master delights in and players frequently pay little attention to.

I can't solve that problem for you, nor am I going to speak to what makes good "Lore", or how to come up with it. No, my focus is on dungeon building (and making dungeon rooms interesting), so my intent here is to talk about ways to give dungeon rooms a feeling of being embedded within a historical context.

That is, I'm not talking about Lore in the weighty, campaign-making sense, merely in the sense that people walked these halls once--we're not talking about "Lore", we're talking about "lore": that which gives flavor.

Canvases

First, lets think about where one can plant historical information. The surfaces you can paint on, as it were:

• Murals, reliefs, and mosaics.
• Tapestries.
• Paintings. Be that on canvas in a frame, or on a cave wall with dye (or blood...)
• Statues/Statuettes.
• Books/Scrolls.
• Pillars.
• Doors.
• Clothing. 
• Armor.
• Weapons.
• Jewelry.
• Tools.
  
• Machines.
• Furniture.

Maybe this is obvious and not worth saying, but I'm going for completeness here: every object and surface in a dungeon is an opportunity, either to very explicitly depict the former denizens of this space, their lives, culture, fears, and venerations, or to simply imply something about them. Are the clothes made of fine silks, or of thick hides, or wool? Is the armor iron, steel, some precial metal, adamantium? Is it simple or intricate, rounded or peaked, or gilded with decoration or figures? Is the type of wood used local, or exotic?

If every object is laden with history and detail, that can perhaps become overwhelming and "soupy". (Plus it might demand more work from you to maintain consistency.) But light touches here and there remind us regularly that we aren't walking through grey, stone, hollowed out cubes.

Subjects

What sorts of things could be depicted?

• Feasts.
• Harvests.
• Battles.
• Speeches.
• Weddings.
• Treaties.
• Discoveries.
• Revelations.
• Revolutions.
• Hunts.
• Industry.
• (Other-historical-events-catch-all).
• Animals of mundane necessity.
• Animals which are rare or beautiful.
• Animals which are beloved or symbolic. 
• Animals which are feared or hated.
• Plants of mundane necessity.
• Plants which are rare and useful.
• Plants which are beautiful.
• Plants which are poisonous or obnoxious.
• Plants of symbolic significance.
• Kings, queens, emperors, and empresses
• Warlords.
• Priests.
• Peasants and laborers.
• Artisans.
• Hunters.
• Angels.
• Demons.
• Fairies.
• Constellations.
• Planets.
• Moons.
• The Sea.
• Ships.
• Castles and fortresses.
• Towers.
• Prisons.
• Mountains.
• (Scenery-catch-all).
• Maps. Abstract, representational, or precise.

Surely there's more. But it's worth always taking a moment when conceiving and stocking a dungeon to think about what sorts of representations would evoke the particular builders or inhabitants of the space. What were they impressed with? What did they value or think was worth remembering? (Or, working backwards in the case of very intentional Lore, what do you want the players to catch on about?)

Abstract qualities

What is the craftsmanship like?

• Rough.
• Fine/Precise.
• Colorful.
• Muted.
• Wood.
• Metal.
• Stone.
• Bone.
• Glass.
• Wool.
• Leather.
• Silk.
• Mail. (As in chainmail. I watched Dune part 2 recently and Princess Irulan was wearing some pretty sick chainmail at one point for no obvious reason. Fashion.)
• Intricate.
• Blocky.
• Artistic.
• Utilitarian.
• Local.
• Foreign.

These considerations speak to the mindset, resources, and skills of those who passed here.

Consistency and Contrast

By taking just a little time to think about these things, you gain tools to evoke a mood and a place. Two dungeons may have the exact same layout, but by populating them with objects of a consistent style and craftsmanship, you can make each feel very different. (And feel is important in a game which takes place mostly inside our heads!)

And, as always, contrast is interesting! To use an extreme example, what does it mean when everything in the dungeon is fish and ocean themed but this spear has a distinctly feathery decoration? It makes that thing stand out, and also evokes change and history: this object passed hands, or someone passed through here.

On depth

Don't be afraid to dabble in this. Every detail does not need to be an extremely carefully thought out part of a rich woven tapestry of worldbuilding. Every feature does not need to be a long thread to be pulled, leading down a deep rabbit hole of discovery.

Most players wont follow those threads anyway. But again, it's ok if they don't lead places; it's enough that they breathe life into a space and make things more memorable. The big square room is now "the harvest mural chamber", the sword at your belt is now "the lion head sword".

You may just enjoy it more as well.