Moathouse Map: Upper Level vs. Dungeon Level

[davegibsongreyhawkdm]

How have any of you tweaked the upper level versus dungeon level moathouse maps to resolve conflicts: distance between stairs upper level versus dungeon level, aligning/positioning dungeon level under bailey versus upper level Bailey layout, etc.? I'm also going to likely extend VOH module dungeon key #4 & #5 an extra 10' per each to make the sixth zombie cell.

[GRWelsh]

I only seriously thought about it when considering building the moat house and dungeon out of Hirst Arts miniatures terrain. There was a blog post on this that I remember... ah, I found it:

unfrozencavemandicechucker.blogspot.com/2012/09/moathouse-monday-structural-matters.html

By contrast, I think my own solution was align the stairs on the right with the moat house above and the dungeon below, and to explain the discrepancy of the stairs on the left by adding a curve-around landing to the north that is unseen on the map (go down, make a left onto a landing, make another left onto more stairs down).

If I build it, I'll be making alterations anyway based on existing structure and availability of the molds -- see here for an example of what some other guy built:

www.tapatalk.com/groups/hirstarts/my-first-hirst-arts-build-t7692.html

[foster1941]

I've never bothered to correct the map, but it could definitely use it. If the "footprint" of the dungeon level is made to match that of the structure above (which seems to have been the intent) then the 6th zombie cell appears (because room 4 extends 10' further to the south) and room 7 becomes smaller (with, presumably, one pillar in the center instead of 5). Extending the diagonal portion of hallway 9 10' further NW makes the stairs from area 7 on the surface line up correctly. Room 8 changes shape - presumably adding a 10' foyer to the north and possibly also being stretched 10' further to the south, allowing room 5 to retain its original shape. While we're at it, room 13 on the surface should be flipped so that the landing is in the northern part of the room and the stairwell descends to the south, lining up with room 1 of the dungeon level, and room 8 on the surface should obviously open into the hallway rather than into room 6.

[Scott]

I've always had it so two zombies were already in the hall, at the far end. They come shuffling out from behind the pillar when the party enters, drawing them in, and then the rest of the zombies emerge from behind them trying to trap them. And I may have gotten this from T1-4, but I don't have it handy to verify.
For the steps, in addition to the minor distance discrepancy, there's also the north/south direction of the left steps, so I just assumed there was a turnaround like Gary mentions.
Aligning the dungeons with the ruins? Not an issue for me.

[foster1941]

The two "extra" zombies hiding behind a pillar is definitely how the discrepancy is handled in T1-4, for which we can presumably thank Frank Mentzer.