It's no secret to most avid solo roleplay (or "roll" play) enthusiasts that enjoy old school that random dungeon generation has been around since at least the spring of 1975 and can be attributed to the co-creator of D&D, Gary Gygax himself. If you're familiar with any of my content then you'll know that from time to time I mention Gary's method as it appeared in the TSR newsletter known as Strategic Review (the first issue to be exact).

What is perhaps less known is another method introduced in the Autumn of 1977. This method of generating random dungeons on the fly was published in the third ever issue of UK's White Dwarf magazine. Famous these days for focusing solely on Warhammer products, but interestingly enough at its inception it was focused primarily on Dungeons & Dragons.

Roger Moores'’ "Solo Dungeon Mapping" from White Dwarf #3

Roger Moores'’ "Solo Dungeon Mapping" from White Dwarf #3 (November 1977) presents a system for creating and navigating dungeons for solo D&D adventures or dungeon masters designing complex underworlds. The approach focuses on "mapping only what you see," using pre-drawn dungeon "maps" on graph paper combined with dice rolls to determine paths, encounters, and environmental features.

Key features of the system include:

Pre-Made Maps: Individual 200’x 200’ maps are created, each with unique layouts and entry points. The player rolls dice to determine their starting position and direction.

Exploration Mechanics: As the player progresses, they map their journey on graph paper, rolling dice for encounters. Decisions, such as which doors or paths to take, influence the dungeon's layout.

Transitions Between Maps: Moving off one map leads to another randomly selected map. Dice rolls determine whether the transition involves stairs, slopes, or staying on the same level.

Dynamic Encounters: The system incorporates unexpected elements like caverns, trapdoors, secret passages, and features such as underground rivers or spiral staircases, adding variety and surprise.

Handling Anomalies: Rules address situations where paths intersect or players return to previously explored areas, ensuring continuity and the discovery of hidden features like secret doors or trapdoors.

Endless Possibilities: Moores describes maps with diverse designs, from rooms and temples to underground villages or river systems. These layouts evoke the mystery of Egyptian tombs or Roman catacombs, creating an immersive and unpredictable dungeon experience.

This approach offers a rich, randomized method for solo adventuring, enhancing the sense of exploration and discovery. It’s equally useful for dungeon masters seeking to design intricate, realistic dungeon layouts.

To compare this to Gygax's method I would say that Moores' approach includes a lot less dice rolling and a lot less charts to read and understand. So in play the method is less time consuming I think. However, there is a considerable amount of drawing up 200' x 200' maps beforehand, with much of the creativity left to the imagination of the drawer. This may suit some quite well, whilst other may prefer the extra dice rolls. Where Gygax's method shines is in regards to its ability to surprise the player as there is much less worked out before-hand. But, with Moores there is much more flexibility when it comes to creating "themed" dungeons. For example, if I wanted to create an underground river complex of flood-gates, with weirs, dams, waterfalls and countless water based tricks and traps I could sit there all day drawing up endless 200' by 200' sections of map and be as creative as I want. There is the possibility though of simply tweaking Gary's version, which I did, so that when rolling for the width of a side passage, a 12 indicates the side passage is an underground river and I must roll again for the width and double this for any further roll of 12. There is also a 2 in 6 chance of a path alongside (roll for width of this also). 1 in 6 chance of small boat and oars. Characters may disembark at the next roll that indicates a chamber or door and stairs should be treated as waterfalls. For Wandering Monsters D&D VOL.III has several suggestions for water based ones which could be put into a table.