Trapdoor: Rules for Dungeon Crawls Unleashed!

[Funghy-Fipps]

I have received several communiques requesting more detailed descriptions of Trapdoor's mechanics. It's difficult to know how much of a system to reveal in a promotional overview without getting bogged down in minutiae and, of course, giving too much away. I will however attempt a broad synopsis of the rules here for those who require more detailed information about the workings of the game.

• All models in Trapdoor have six characteristics - Speed, Bravery, Accuracy, Melee, Resilience and Vitality - plus 'traits' (innate or learned abilities/skills) and equipment. Hero characters can increase characteristics and gain traits through a simple advancement system. Equipment may be bought or (occasionally) found on quests.
• Trapdoor quests are comprised of alternating Exploration and Encounter phases. If there are no enemies present in the uncovered quest area then the heroes are exploring the environment and this is referred to as an 'Exploration phase'. An Encounter phase occurs as soon as any areas of the quest are uncovered that contain GMinions. Slightly different rules apply for each phase, but in each pertinent phase turn a model can move and perform a single action (or vice-versa).
  
• Trapdoor should ideally be played using modular dungeon tiles. The tiles are laid out by the GM as the hero players uncover them by moving through the quest area, with only pieces and their contents being revealed that the hero models can 'see' (there is no limit to this sight, provided there are no obstructions). Rooms and their contents should not, for instance, be placed until any doors serving them have been opened by the hero players and corners cannot be seen around until they are reached.
• Melee and Ranged Attacks are carried out through a system of opposed rolls. The attacker rolls 1d10 and adds its' Melee or Accuracy characteristic. The defender rolls 1d10 and adds it's Resilience characteristic. Note that certain traits and circumstances will allow attackers and defenders to roll additional d10, with the highest result being chosen before adding the appropriate characteristic. Damage is calculated by cross-referencing the 'Margin of Victory' (winning score less losing) against the Damage rating of the weapon being used. Unlucky defenders can become Shaken or lose Vitality.
• Magic/Prayers are cast/recited by rolling 1d10 and adding the Casting/Reciting Bonus of the Spell/Prayer being utilised. A score of 11+ signifies success. If cast/recited on the roll of a '10' the Spell/Prayer is cast/recited to its' 'maximum effect', increasing it's power. Using Advancement Points Mages and Clerics can learn new Spells/Prayers or use 'Study' to increase the  Casting/Reciting Bonus of specific Spells/Prayers.
• Observation Rolls are used to test for certain difficult tasks such as Jumping, Searching or Picking a Lock. OBS Rolls are passed on a d10 roll of 6+, however  certain traits specific to certain circumstances (ie, the Burglar trait and Picking Locks) will allow players to roll additional d10, with the highest result being chosen.
• Advancement is earned through a variety of ways and the effects of accumulated Advancement Points are dealt with after a quest. The author has run campaigns averaging roughly 1-2 games a month for nine months and players have still not 'maxed out' characters, so the system has some longevity.

Of course the above is only an overview of the system and there are plenty of details I have omitted.  If any readers have any further questions then please don't hesitate to PM me or post a comment here.

[emosbur]

What happened to Gaz´s blog? It is dead!!

Pity, I liked the game examples...

[grubman]

Sorry to necro this thread...but what happened to this game?  I've been looking for a copy.  It seems to have been totally removed from all the sites that sold it, there doesn't seem to be a download (or hardcopy) to be found anywhere, and all the threads about it are fairly old?

Anybody?  I see the author is on this thread...figured I'd put this out there for anyone else's benefit before trying a PM.

[thenamelessdead]

Have you tried Wargames Vault? I saw it on there a few months ago so assume it's still there.

[grubman]

Have you tried Wargames Vault? I saw it on there a few months ago so assume it's still there.

That was the first place I tried.  It's gone without a trace.

I have the old Cavern Crawl PDF (the Trapdoor prototype), but apparently there are a lot of changes between the two.

[thenamelessdead]

I think it would be fair to say on behalf of the author that the game is not currently a priority. I am not aware of the reason for its absence on Wargames Vault.

[amunptah]

Does anyone have a way to contact the author? Or failing that, has a copy of the rules they are willing to part with? Been trying to track this down everywhere!

[Elbows]

Like some other people, I only have an early version of "Cavern Crawl" when he was getting playtesting feedback.  I was wondering what happened to it though, as it did up and vanish.  Hope the author is okay and it's still around somewhere.

[amunptah]

I have Cavern Crawl as well, and have found it the easiest system to pick up and play, as you can easily hack in new monsters and customisations, and have an RPG-lite experience. I’ve found a lot of the similar systems too restrictive in terms of character and monster customisation, or they have a lot of bookkeeping.
Would love to see the adjustments and refinements made in Trapdoor. The author hasn’t logged in here since Oct 2019, and the emails I’ve found come back undeliverable.

[amunptah]

Was finally able to lay hold of a copy. There is also a pirated version on Scribd for those who can’t find it elsewhere. I’d love to give the author money for it! I’ll try and write a review soon.