Megamall23, week 1: The Avenue

Here's the start of my Dungeon23 project. I don't think I'll be able to post an update here every week, but I wanted to start out with an update. 

I stole the layout of the real American Dream mall and cut it into rough dungeon sections to get me started. I decided a horizontal layout would be best. Not only does it evoke an actual Megamall better, it also helps make sure the space is naturally jacquayed. This space automatically has a lot of entrances and connections between sections. The players immediately have a lot of choices about where they want to go. 

MEGAMALL23

I am joining the dungeon23 craze. If you haven't heard of it, Dungeon23 means writing 1 room of a dungeon each day, every day in 2023. My project will be an dying cyclopean Megamall in the same modern horror setting as these monsters. 

This vast decaying megamall has lain outside your home town for as long as you can remember. Your parents remember the days when they used to shop there. You grew up with stories of the wondrous things they bought. The light and sound and colour. The air inside smelled of popcorn and sweet syrup and caramel. It was a magical place. A dream.

Things have changed. The lights flicker and fade. Huge sections of the mall lie empty and dark. Sometimes you think you can glimpse unknown constellations or planets inside the glass domes. Twisted shapes scuttle within. But still, people come. They flood into the mall from all across the country. They can't help themselves. They dream of it. Perhaps somewhere inside, they can finally buy the answer to all their problems.