[JimmyTHicks]

So I've recently been scouring the internet for suggestions on Biomes/Archetypes for dungeons recently, but I keep finding the same small list of possibilities(And a ton of Minecraft crap too). I know in reality a dungeon is either a prison or the innermost chamber of a castle, but I believe there's a general understanding that 'Dungeon', when talking about RPG's, is a far broader term.

I was hoping somebody here might be able to come up with a list of possibilities, or maybe even a place to start looking.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

--JimmyTHicks--

[tcaudilllg]

Really anything... you just have to be willing to put design elements in it.

[Nodtveidt]

If you mean "dungeon" as "underground area", you can include things like deep caverns or underground rivers... if you have some modern flair to your game, things like abandoned subways or sewers of ill repair could work very well.
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If you play a Microsoft CD backwards you can hear demonic voices. The scary part is that if you play it forwards it installs Windows. - wallace

[JimmyTHicks]

@tcaudilllg Not sure what you're getting at exactly, I understand the elements of game and visual design, that's not what I was asking. Maybe there's some hidden dialogue I'm just not picking up from ya, but I appreciate that you took the time to reply

@Nodtveidt Thanks for the input, underground rivers is an interesting one for sure. I suppose when I say dungeons I mean any sizable interior with hostiles. The best source of info so far has been D&D books and pdf's, but those types of underground areas have been well-used in the RPG world. Such as:
Magic Labs
Vaults
Cave Systems
Death Traps

I know it's nearly impossible to abolish all cliches without losing your theme or genre, but I want to try to avoid creating yet another stale RPG with generic yellow-sand dunes, Pointy hatted wizards and hordes of poorly coded colorful slime enemies.

--JimmyTHicks--

[tcaudilllg]

I mean that a "dungeon" is any structure or cave that has obstacles and treasures.

[Nodtveidt]

Well, cliches can certainly rob your concept of some of its originality, but don't forget that they are only one piece of the pie. Making a completely original idea for the sake of originality rarely works. It's far more effective to reuse existing concepts in dynamic ways... a good blend of familiarity and freshness, so to speak. The most successful games today are not the ones that are necessarily unique, they're the ones that people actually want to play, regardless of how many reused concepts they contain... the sum of the parts is favorable to the majority.
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If you play a Microsoft CD backwards you can hear demonic voices. The scary part is that if you play it forwards it installs Windows. - wallace

[Jinroh]

Having to battle your way to the top of a building or tower would be pretty cool and battle a boss at the top would mix things up a bit. :)
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Mao Mao Games
The wolf and his mate howl, taking solace in the silver moon. Pressing ever foreward to see what the future holds.

[Nodtveidt]

Trade the slimes for snakes, the pointy-hat wizards for crumpled-hat witches, and the sand dunes for pyramids. :)
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If you play a Microsoft CD backwards you can hear demonic voices. The scary part is that if you play it forwards it installs Windows. - wallace