I've mentioned this here and there before, such as HERE (where I talk about some of the surface entrances), but several years ago I meticulously aligned all the FFC levels of Blackmoor dungeon as layers in a Gimp file. I then labeled all the stairs, shafts, and elevators so I would know exactly what goes where.
When properly aligned 95% of the stairs and shafts line right up, and when you take in corrections from David Megarry's maps (talked about HERE ) I'd put it at 98%. Given how incredibly complex Blackmoor dungeon is, that's pretty remarkable.
I labeled the stairs in such a way as to know exactly where they start and where the go. The first number is 0 through 9. A 0 indicates the surface, a 1 level 1 and so on. Next will come a letter to differentiate one stair from another on the same level, and last are all the levels a stair will go to. So, for example a stairwell starting on level 2 might be 2B356.
Megarry's maps also give us the depth of levels 2-7 which is useful for knowing how long the stairs are. It goes as follows.
Level
|
Above/Below
Town surface
|
1
|
Unknown,
probably +80
|
2
|
+30
feet
|
3
|
- 20 feet
|
4
|
- 50 feet
|
5
|
- 100 feet
|
6
|
-
150 feet
|
7
|
-
200 feet
|
However, a couple months ago I had to do much the same sort of project with the Tonisborg dungeon maps, and maybe that's why I've noticed a good bit of social media chatter about Blackmoor Dungeon's stairs of late on Facebook and elsewhere. I've even seen a few remarks that the maps don't align at all. They certainly do.
So I've decided to go ahead and post the Gimp file as is. Someday I may finish the castle and add that in, but in the meanwhile there is no reason not to provide gamers with a file they may find really useful.
Here is the link: Blackmoor Dungeon 3d Alignment
Of course, you have to have Gimp installed to open the file, but it is free. And don't be surprised if I provide an updated file some day.
Oh I should note that this will work for the Zeitgeist dungeon and fixes (well ignores really) the alignment problems that version presents, but, of course only for the first 10 levels, since the added levels 11-20 in that book aren't part of the original FFC dungeon.
I won't give out spoilers, but aligning the stairs does clear up a number of mysteries about the dungeon. For example, just exactly which of the columns in the basement have elevators and exactly where do they go....
