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The 5 Room Dungeon: Easy, Flexible Adventure Design

Sometimes, you only have an hour to run a game session. Other times, you’re designing a one-shot and need a structure to keep things tight and engaging. Enter the 5 Room Dungeon—a simple but powerful framework that’s stood the test of time, perfect for both new and experienced Dungeon Masters looking to craft quick, satisfying adventures. Whether you’re building a fantasy heist, or a sci-fi jailbreak, the 5 Room Dungeon can help you do it all.

What is the 5 Room Dungeon?

The 5 Room Dungeon is a classic RPG design tool created by Johnn Four, a long-time RPG writer and editor of the newsletter Roleplaying Tips. It provides a repeatable format for building compact, memorable adventures that can be played in a single session.

Obscurely, despite the name, it’s not just for literal dungeons. Each “room” represents a beat in the story or an encounter in the adventure. The beauty of the format lies in its flexibility—it works for fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and even real-world or workplace-themed roleplaying.

I “discovered” it a few years ago and it was a game changer for my D&D prep. I made some truly memorable and unique dungeons for my Salkire campaign.

The 5 Room Structure

Here’s the basic breakdown of the 5 Room Dungeons framework:

  1. Room 1: Entrance and Guardian
    The players are tested before they enter the main part of the adventure. This could be a fight, a puzzle, or a social encounter. It’s the hook.
  2. Room 2: Puzzle or Roleplaying Challenge
    Slow things down and give players a chance to think. This could be a riddle, a moral choice, or an NPC interaction.
  3. Room 3: Trick or Setback
    Something unexpected happens. It’s a twist or complication—maybe the villain was expecting them, or the artifact is cursed.
  4. Room 4: Climax / Big Battle
    The final conflict. This is often a combat encounter, but it could also be a tense negotiation or race-against-the-clock event.
  5. Room 5: Reward, Revelation, or Plot Twist
    Wrap things up. The party gains treasure, new knowledge, or a narrative twist that sets up future adventures.

Why It Works

There are at least four benefits to using this framework including:

  • Compact: You can prep a full session in an hour or less.
  • Flexible: Use it for any genre or system.
  • Engaging: Each room has a purpose and keeps the story moving.
  • Replayable: Change the theme or setting, and you’ve got a brand-new adventure.

Adapting the 5 Room Dungeon to Different Genres

As mentioned above the 5 Room Dungeon is adaptable across pretty much every genre. Here are some simple examples of how you might use it.

Fantasy:

  • Theme: “The Cursed Tomb”
  • R1: Guardian skeletons
  • R2: Mural puzzle
  • R3: Hallway collapses
  • R4: Fight the tomb guardian
  • R5: Relic grants visions of a new threat

Sci-Fi:

  • Theme: “Derelict Space Station”
  • R1: Airlock breach
  • R2: Interact with the station AI
  • R3: Rogue drones attack
  • R4: Shut down the reactor
  • R5: Discover the station was sabotaged by their own faction

Horror:

  • Theme: “The House That Whispers”
  • R1: Locked front door—must find the key
  • R2: Possessed mirror asks questions
  • R3: “Friendly” ghost leads them into a trap
  • R4: Exorcise the spirit
  • R5: Learn the house was a prison for something much worse

I used this framework recently in my Star Wars inspired adventure. You can read more here. My adventure had the following frame:

  • Theme: Star Wars – Steal the Phantom TIE Fighter
  • R1: Crash on to planet and avoid Scout Trooper Patrols
  • R2: Try and find and win over the Imperial defector
  • R3: It’s a trap – ambushed by Main villain – Agent Ixil
  • R4: Big battle, escape with the TIE
  • R5: Investigations show Phantom TIE is powered by Sith technology

The 5 Room Dungeon Framework helped me shape what turned out to be a really fun adventure. Obviously, there’s nothing worse than staring at a blank page. Of course, having the bare bones set out already lets you then hang the really interesting stuff onto it. NPCs, environments, twists and dangers all come to mind much more easily when the space is already partially built like this.

Final Thoughts

The 5 Room Dungeon is more than just a dungeon—it’s a storytelling engine. Whether you’re running a fantasy adventure, a modern mystery, or a Star Wars extravaganza, this simple five-beat structure helps you stay focused and deliver a memorable experience. Try it out the next time you’re short on prep time or want to design an adventure with a clear, satisfying arc.

Of course, a big thanks to Johnn Four, the creator of this magnificent DMing tool.

If you are looking for some amazing maps to support your 5 Room Dungeons check out Dyson Logos. You can see his wonderful work in the image at the top of this article. An incredible resource!

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Talk the Talk: How to Win at Communication in Dungeons and Dragons

communication in dungeons and dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is well known for their monsters, deadly dungeons, dice, and epic quests. But beneath the fantasy façade and gameplay lies a much more grounded and essential skill: communication. It is a core component of the game that often gets forgotten. Every great session—whether it ends in victory, tragedy, or total chaos—relies on how well players talk to each other.

Whether you’re trying to convince a goblin to let you pass, hatching a heist plan with your party, or simply deciding which door to open, communication is the beating heart of the game. And the best part? The skills you sharpen at the table can make you a better communicator in real life.

What Does Communication in Dungeons and Dragons Look Like?

When immersed in a roleplaying game, you’re constantly navigating a web of spoken and unspoken cues. Here are a few key types of communication that show up regularly:

  • In-character (IC) Communication: Talking as your character to persuade, joke, threaten, or connect with others in the story. This includes the monsters NPCs and other players characters.
  • Out-of-character (OOC) Communication: Clarifying rules, strategizing, or checking in with other players and the GM.
  • Nonverbal Communication: Tone, facial expression, and body language play a big role in reading the room and guiding the story.
  • Table Etiquette: Knowing when to speak, when to listen, and how to support others’ ideas without steamrolling the game.

Every player brings a unique communication style to the table. Some are assertive, diving in with bold ideas and fast talk. Others are more reflective, choosing their words carefully or letting their actions speak. There’s no single “correct” style—but learning to recognize and adapt to different styles is a game-changing skill.

Communication Styles at the Table

As alluded to above, everyone has a different communication style. As such it’s important to remember that your own preferences may not be the same as the others playing the game with you. Here are some of the styles that you might find at your table:

  • The Storyteller: Brings emotional depth and vivid description, but may sometimes need help making space for others.
  • The Strategist: Great at planning and analysis, but might benefit from checking in with quieter players.
  • The Diplomat: Mediates conflicts and reads the room well, though they may hesitate to take strong stances.
  • The Improviser: Thrives on spontaneity and creativity, and can bring a lot of energy—sometimes at the cost of clarity.

Understanding your own communication style—and those of your fellow players—helps the whole table work better as a team.

As an aside, I’ve got all the above in the groups I currently play in. And on a personal note, I suspect I lean towards the Diplomat.

communication in Dungeons and Dragons
Communication in dungeons and Dragons makes the game.

How to Practice and Improve Communication in Dungeons and Dragons

It’s important to improve your communication and D&D is the perfect mechanism to do that. Here are a few ways to build stronger communication skills through play:

  1. Practice Active Listening
    Don’t just wait for your turn to speak—show you’re engaged by responding to what others say, asking clarifying questions, and riffing off their ideas.
  2. Share the Spotlight
    If you tend to lead, look for chances to pass the mic. Invite others to speak or build off their contributions to encourage group storytelling.
  3. Use “Yes, and…” Thinking
    Adapted from improv theatre, this technique involves accepting what another player says and building on it. It helps create momentum and collaboration. For some improvisation tips check out my post.
  4. Check In Out-of-Character
    If a scene gets intense, or if you’re unsure how your actions are being received, take a moment to check in. A simple “Is this okay?” goes a long way.
  5. Be Clear About Your Intentions
    Especially in complex scenarios, stating what you want to do and why (both IC and OOC) can prevent miscommunication and keep everyone aligned.
  6. Reflect After Sessions
    Take five minutes to ask what went well, what felt awkward, and what could be improved. Honest, low-stakes feedback strengthens the group over time.

What This Means for Real Life

Of course, the communication skills you develop playing D&D are incredibly transferable. Think about your communication styles in the following:

  • Workplace: Collaborative storytelling hones your ability to lead discussions, listen actively, and negotiate competing ideas—a daily reality in most teams.
  • Friendships and Relationships: Roleplaying helps you practice empathy, read emotional cues, and express yourself more clearly.
  • Public Speaking: If you’ve ever narrated a dramatic monologue in front of your party, you’ve already started building stage presence and confidence.
  • Conflict Resolution: Navigating disagreements at the table (about rules, decisions, or character choices) builds skills for resolving tension without drama.

Talk More, Play Better

Communication in Dungeons and Dragons turns a merely good session into a fantastic one. By paying attention to how we speak, listen, and collaborate, we create richer stories and stronger teams. And when the dice are packed away and the character sheets closed, those same skills come with us—into the workplace, the home, and everywhere else life takes us.

So next time you sit down to play, remember: the most powerful tool in your inventory might just be your voice.

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How to Write a 1-Hour Workplace Adventure Using Play2Lead

If you’ve been following this blog for a while you’ll know that I consider D&D to be a powerful way to develop teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. There is a great opportunity to use games like D&D in the workplace to upskill your team. However, as the old adage suggests time is money. Finding time to run a workplace adventure can be difficult. So, when you only have an hour, structure really matters.

That’s where the Play2Lead ruleset shines. Designed to be fast, focused, and built around teamwork mechanics like the Team Dice Pool, it’s ideal for short, high-impact sessions. It is just a ruleset. Where it really shines is in the scenarios played. In this post, I’ll show you how to write a tight, engaging 1-hour workplace adventure using a three-encounter framework that encourages collaboration and leaves players excited for more.

The 1-Hour Workplace Adventure Framework

Here’s the structure:

  1. Opening Shots (In Media Res) – Drop the players right into the action.
  2. Team Puzzle / Challenge – Test communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
  3. Exciting & Threatening Finale – Deliver a climactic moment with urgency and consequences.

This structure mirrors how stories are told in action-packed short fiction, and it works beautifully for limited time workplace sessions: start fast, build tension, finish big.

Key Design Goals

When designing adventures in the 1 Hour Framework consider the following design goals.

  • Limit to 3 Encounters – Focus is your friend. Three scenes is the sweet spot.
  • Use the Team Dice Pool – Give players moments to contribute, support each other, and spend shared dice to solve problems.
  • Theme Around Soft Skills – Use metaphors for leadership, trust, or crisis management.
  • Keep Time – Allocate about 15 minutes per scene and leave 10–15 minutes for debrief and reflection.

Some Example Workplace Adventures

Here are some examples to get you started. Leaning in to popular tropes can help players begin engaging with the game quicker. Everyone knows Zombies, superheroes or pulp adventures and what they entail. The more easily recognizable the faster players can understand what is needed from them.

Zombie Apocalypse Scenario

Title: “Extraction Point Echo”
Theme: Crisis leadership, teamwork under pressure

Inspiration: 28 Days later, Walking Dead, iZombie, Dawn of the Dead.

1. Opening Shots: “Trapped in the School”

  • The team is barricaded in a classroom as zombies break through the hallway.
  • One NPC survivor, a doctor, is injured, another panicking.
  • Team must decide: fight, flee, or rescue?
  • Team must coordinate escape strategies and save NPCs.
  • Dilemma: who will they save?

2. Team Puzzle: “The Blocked Gym Doors”

  • To reach the evacuation chopper, the team needs to open the sealed gym doors.
  • Puzzle includes a broken generator, a keypad lock, and zombies thudding at the fence.
  • Players must delegate tasks: repair, protect, decode.

3. Finale: “Last Stand at the Helipad”

  • The evac chopper is delayed, and a wave of zombies is closing in.
  • Team must defend the landing site, signal the chopper, or use environmental elements (fire, water hoses, barriers).
  • Keep the pressure on. When the chopper arrives it doesn’t have enough space for everyone…

Underwater Adventure Scenario

Title: “Pressure Protocol”
Theme: Decision-making under constraint, trust, clarity in communication

Inspiration: Abyss, The Poseidon Adventure, The Deep, Jaws, The Meg

1. Opening Shots: “Flooded Research Lab”

  • The team wakes up in a partially collapsed undersea lab after an earthquake.
  • Water is rising fast, oxygen is limited.
  • Decide what to salvage, who to carry, and how to reach the control hub.
  • In media res—start with klaxons blaring and lights flickering.
  • Provide too much equipment to be taken, some useful, some not. Each character can take one item. What will be left behind?

2. Team Puzzle: “The Pressure Doors”

  • The route to the escape sub is blocked by a malfunctioning pressure system.
  • One team member must navigate ducts, others solve a system override puzzle.
  • Split the team but encourage constant communication.

3. Finale: “The Cracking Dome”

  • Final room has the escape sub—but the lab’s glass dome is fracturing.
  • An injured NPC radios from another part of the station begging to be taken, but time is tight.
  • Players choose: who goes, who stays, what can be sacrificed.
  • High tension, high stakes. Let them spend the last team pool dice for one heroic effort.

Final Tips on Prepping a Workplace Adventure

  • Prep NPCs with distinct roles or emotions (coward, loyalist, idealist), making it clear who they are, to prompt team dynamics.
  • Track Time with a visible timer or countdown clock—it adds tension and keeps pacing sharp.
  • End with Reflection – Ask players what choices worked well, what they’d do differently, and how it connects to teamwork at work.

Why It Works

Using the Play2Lead ruleset in a 1-hour adventure is basically a leadership workshop disguised as a zombie movie or underwater thriller. It’s short enough to fit a lunch break or between learning sessions, structured enough to teach valuable skills, and fun enough to make people want to play again.

Three encounters. One hour. One story they’ll talk about all week.

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Three Valuable Lessons from the Infamous Leeroy Jenkins

Over the last 15 year, few moments have become as iconic in the gaming sphere as the infamous “Leeroy Jenkins” incident from the video game World of Warcraft. For those unfamiliar, Leeroy Jenkins is a character who, in a recorded raid planning session, abruptly charges into battle without waiting for his team’s strategy, resulting in a spectacular failure. While this moment is often remembered for its humor, it also holds valuable lessons that transcend gaming and apply to various aspects of life and teamwork. So what can we learn?

1. The Importance of Preparation

One of the most glaring takeaways from the Leeroy Jenkins saga is the significance of preparation. In the video, the team meticulously plans their strategy, calculating odds and discussing tactics. However, Leeroy’s unplanned charge into the fray completely derails their carefully laid plans, leading to most of the party being wiped out and their objective lost.

Lesson: Preparation is key to success, whether in gaming, work, or personal projects. Taking time to plan, understand the task at hand, and ensure everyone is on the same page can dramatically increase the chances of success. While spontaneity can sometimes lead to positive surprises, a lack of preparation often results in preventable failures. Think of the six Ps: Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

2. The Value of Teamwork and Communication

The Leeroy Jenkins moment underscores the importance of teamwork and clear communication. The rest of the team was engaged in a collaborative effort to strategize, yet Leeroy’s solo actions ignored this collective effort, leading to chaos. The actions of one, completely destroyed the goal of the group.

Lesson: Effective teamwork relies on every member contributing and adhering to the agreed-upon plan. Communication is crucial in ensuring that all team members understand their roles and responsibilities. Disregarding team dynamics can undermine the entire group’s efforts, leading to conflict and failure.

Although amusing, Leeroy Jenkins does highlight the issues of having a Lone Wolf on your team. As a leader you need to try and get everyone pulling together as a team. If an individual doesn’t want to do that, then perhaps it is time for them to work/play elsewhere.

Some great memes came from the Leeroy Jenkins incident.

3. Embracing Failure and Learning from It

Despite the catastrophic outcome, the Leeroy Jenkins incident has been embraced by the gaming community as a legendary moment of humor and learning. World of Warcraft now has a Leeroy Jenkins NPC for players to interact with and references have popped up in media ranging from Family Guy to serious military discourse. It highlights that failure, while sometimes embarrassing or frustrating, can also be an opportunity for growth and camaraderie.

Lesson: Failure is an inevitable part of any endeavor. The key is to embrace these moments, analyze what went wrong, and use the experience to improve future efforts. In both gaming and life, laughter and resilience in the face of failure can transform a setback into a memorable and educational experience.

Final Thoughts

The legend of Leeroy Jenkins is more than just a funny internet video; it’s a cautionary tale with lessons about preparation, teamwork, and the value of learning from failure. By taking these lessons to heart, we can approach our own challenges with greater foresight. So next time you’re about to charge into a situation, take a moment to plan, communicate, and remember the enduring cry: “Leeeeroy Jenkins!”