Strange Real World Locales to Inspire You

[LostSoul]

Google step wells. They are pretty cool.

 

[Electric Wizard]

Nobody knows anything solid about the Plain of Jars. It consists of countless, huge stone jars spread across 90 sites in Laos. Not as awe-inspiring as a lot of the stuff here, but I think it compensates by being bizarre and thought-provoking. Are they dwarven distilleries, vessels for dark sorcery, hobbit homes, or a combination of all three?

 

[Aeolius]

Are they dwarven distilleries, vessels for dark sorcery, hobbit homes, or a combination of all three?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Dire Land Barnacles!

...or...ALIENS!!!

 

[SnowleopardVK]

The Battery in Newfoundland's St. John's has always struck me as a pretty cool inspiration for a small town. I like the style of buildings on top of each other, or in layers up the side of a natural wall, like a cliff or canyon, with wooden walkways (or metal in more futuristic settings) connecting them, and zig-zagging down between upper and lower levels.

 

[gamerprinter]

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are not only alien places on this planet, there is some really creepy phenomina there...

Blood Falls...

 

[Deset Gled]

It may sound mundane, but the redwood trees at Sequoia National Forest or Tahoe would be really astounding to come across if you didn't expect them. Think about what it would be like to be randomly adventuring and find a tree that is 100' in circumference. I would certainly be impressed. Although, I have to admit, trying to convey the sense of scale to the players would be difficult; it's just not that easy to describe in words.

Also difficult to describe, but worth the effort if you pull it off, would be the Badlands of South Dakota or the Morrison Formation. The mountains and layers of color are simply breathtaking, and are definitely right out of a fantasy movie. If you're willing to give up a little bit of realism, you could also describe fossil formations being plainly visible.

And how about the geysers of Yellowstone? Your party just settled down, when suddenly boiling water (hot enough to kill) shoots out of the ground and high into the air. It suddenly stops, and your party is on high guard trying to figure out what the hell just happened. You finish searching around and start to lower your guard, when it suddenly happens again! And that's just Old Faithful; there are plenty of other geysers around to keep you busy, too.

Let's not forget man-made landscapes, too. Structures like the Nazca Lines could be really awesome if you reveal them to players the right way. You could start by giving the players small maps that show only part of the images, and set it up so that the they have to put the maps together to find the images to solve a puzzle.

 

[AeroDm]

I always think about the Grand Canyon. I've many times GM'd scenarios where they encounter 1000' vertical cliffs and everyone sort of gives me the "Okay, fine..." glance because it sounds absurd. Then you go look over a 5000' drop that really exists and tens of millions of tourists visit it each year.

I also recently waded in the pools that form atop Yosemite Falls, a 1500' vertical drop and you can wade in the waters mere feet from the ledge. Angkor Wat is amazing in how it was entirely reclaimed by trees. Rural Taiwan sort of looks like a more vertical Hobbiton, and I really enjoy how bus rides through Ireland back country reveal castles and keeps in the middle of farm fields that they just plow around like an errant boulder would be ignored in the States.

 

[Loonook]

The Battery in Newfoundland's St. John's has always struck me as a pretty cool inspiration for a small town. I like the style of buildings on top of each other, or in layers up the side of a natural wall, like a cliff or canyon, with wooden walkways (or metal in more futuristic settings) connecting them, and zig-zagging down between upper and lower levels.

Actually did use the Battery as an inspiration for Legendfall, one of the metropolises in my setting. The Dockside pretty much looks like this, but there are also additional buildings that are built directly into the cliffside, deep back in, where less savories live today .

Slainte,

-Loonook.

 

[Aeolius]

The Battery in Newfoundland's St. John's has always struck me as a pretty cool inspiration for a small town.

Bah! Sweethaven (Malta) ftw!!