Can you have an OSR game without dungeons?

General
#21

I would say yes. The typical B/X-alike that the OSR was built on features a number of tools that encourage navigation, resource management, and careful planning. Those tools can be applicable anywhere adn turn any environment into a sort of “dungeon.” There are city kits and tools that treat navigating a city like a dungeon (Electric Bastionland is a recent example).

So yes, in that the tools the OSR scene typically provides can be used for a multitude of navigation/resource/problem-solving challenges. They’re usually used with “dungeon vocabulary” but can be applied anywhere.

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#22

If you leave out the Dungeons, where will the Dragons live? :slight_smile:

I enjoy dungeons and I do kind of expect them when playing any D&D-type game. And as you say, they are an integral part of the classic game. But I also think that it is perfectly possible to run games where you never or seldom set foot in a dungeon. It depends on what kind of campaign it is, of course.
I could absolute see a Game of Thrones-kind of campaign with battles and intrigue where you never step into the dungeon. But for newbs, the dungeon is a great training ground.

(And I suppose that you could argue that hex- and pointcrawls are just dungeons in a pretty dress. I’m not gonna do that anytime soon though :slight_smile: )

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#23

Dungeon as in flagstone floor, stairs leading down, dark, monsters wandering or lurking in rooms? Not necessary.

Dungeon as in enclosed defined area, strict boundaries, challenges in defined area and other challenges moving and less predictable? Arguably essential.