I redeveloped the Castles & Keeps system (check Shatteredragons Ultimate Build in the User pics forum for examples) for speed while setting up.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), most of my dungeons are far too large for a pre-setup dungeon.  We play at one table through the entire game and have an area pre-set aside for building the dungeons as we go (I usually use my 3 X 3 ft outdoor terrain board for this).  Since my game can and occasionally does switch from dungeons, to buildings, to outdoor settings over the course of one game session, I need my setups to be ready on the fly.  I used C&K for my dungeon mostly because I hadn't taken the opportunity to buy DW and use the varied pieces that come with that set.

The largest Dungeon Crawl I ever did covered an underground area of several dozen square miles.  It was torture to map out but the players spent nearly a year of gaming time searching the many corridors and rooms that made up the place (not that they had any choice as the only way they could get out was to find the exit ).  I also was using vinyl mats and wet-erase markers at that time.

If only I had a 12 X 12 foot table to set up my dungeons on then I might pre-build them.  The average dungeon crawl for my players takes several weeks of real time, gaming 6-8 hrs a week, and would easily cover an area of a 8 X 8 feet (for a miniature equivalent dungeon).  It would definitely cause storage issues while I waited for game day, so its just not feasable.  Instead I build as the characters go and there have been no issues to date.  In fact the players love to watch the dungeon unfold before their very eyes as they explore, open doors, search rooms (as the GM I just have to mark down everything the players find and don't find on the map).  As well, the setup never takes more than a few minutes, unless a major encounter is about to happen.  But the longest I have had to spend setting up was about the equivalent of a 15 min break.

Oh and as for how the maps enhance gameplay, I once lost concentration during a very large encounter while I was using vinyl maps for my mapping.  I was a little surprised when at one point one of my players asked "What's this black line?"  Imagine my horror as the line represented a wall, and he had been attacking several opponents through the wall as if it weren't there.  And then there was the incident where I was so tired from working the Graveyard shift (and wasn't using a tabletop map at the time), that I allowed all of my players (6 characters: 3 fighters, 1 longbowman, a 12 ft tall Wolfen character, and a mage), fight shoulder to shoulder in a 5ft X 8ft corridor, against 15 orcs who were also mysteriously able to fight shoulder to shoulder in the same corridor (some really bad calls on my part that night :-[, and now that I think about it was the reason I started looking into a better tabletop dungeon system).  I can honestly say that my game has improved greatly, and my players have never been this involved or excited during their continued travels in my worlds .

How do I use World Works?

Temporarily! I get most of my enjoyment out of building the structures, and that combined with limited space leads me to building the structure, using it twice or thrice (generally two playtests then the event), and then give it away as a prize or a present.  I have given a goodly number away as brthday and Christmas presents.

As a side note, the more I struggle with the components to force them into what I want the better I like it... or at least so it seems.

The Auld Grump

Cheers guys - very informative and helpful. I've bought DW, Chunky D's and CW's today. I'm tempted to get the (Competitors product) Dungeon pack (if that isn't blasphemy!). The wooden stairs and fat doors look very tempting. Personally I think a little competition can bring out the best in people and.....

I'll take your suggestions on board and try them out. I use my own gaming system so the players have to like it or lump it anyway! Ha!

I'll post some images when I get the chance - Jon