speed concept

time started: 8:45 PM

concept:
Dungeon Master (working title) parodies games like Diablo and Dungeon Siege by reversing the roles. Instead of invading an improbably constructed dungeon, you're defending one from computer controlled heroes.

story:
Dungeon Master puts you in the role of a mid-level boss in the service of an evil but unwise overlord. Your official role is simply to test whether the heroes are worthy to face your master. This is done by placing you in conflict with them. Naturally, if you're slain, they may advance.

As you successfully defend the dungeons, you're assumed to be more powerful than suspected, and are promoted to guarding deeper levels. While your initial successes please the overlord, he eventually becomes suspicious and sends inspectors to see if you're "cheating" (violating genre norms by stacking defenses, keeping potions for yourself, or otherwise acting intelligently). Finally you end up in open revolt against the overlord, who seeks to destroy you even as you're continually invaded by pesky heroes.

gameplay:
You make use of traps, disposable minions, magical barriers, and summoned enemies to thwart the advance of one or more heroes. Over the course of the game, you gain new abilities and unlock new ways to combine them for more involved gameplay. Spells can be used anywhere in the level, regardless of your monsters location. While spells are not directly offensive abilities, they change the mechanic of a battle by summoning reinforcements or putting barriers in the path of the heroes. Monster abilities can only be used while you're in the same room as your target and tend to be directly related to combat.

character creation
You can choose several monster types to represent you. There will be mechanical differences, one might be stronger in a fight but have weaker or fewer magical abilities.

setup phase
Initially you're given a dungeon and tasked to defend it. You have time to set up defenses and deploy your minions, but are initially limited in how you can deploy them. As you progress you're able to "cheat" in new ways, such as by keeping necessary keys with you, forcing heroes to search the area futilely before finally smashing through locked doors.

combat phase
Once the heroes arrive, you support your minions with magic from afar, or send your monster into battle with them. This is risky however, as heroes are more powerful than you are, and must be weakened before you can defeat them.


conclusion
The game is intended to be easily accessible, but challenging. Serious gamers familiar with dungeon crawlers are the target.

time finished: 9:17 PM