Fantasy Geography

[Tinker Gnome]

This is similar to my other thread about fantasy architecture. Well, for my fantasy geography. I like a lot of deep, dark unexplored forests that never seem to end. I also like a good amount of plains and mountains. I also like the land itself to be magical. Meaning that there might be some place where a mountain literally eats those who try to pass over it.

 

[Woas]

I like islands. It keeps the nosey players in the area that I want them to be and not wondering off someplace.

Deep forests are swell. I also like deserts. But this is mostly cause I just saw a few hours of DUNE on the Sci-Fi channel a little while ago.

As for the land being magical. Not so much as having mountains eat people. But I like magical/worldy places. Like a big hole in the ground where all the winds in the world originate.

 

[S'mon]

I like mountains - big, high mountains. And rivers. Rivers are very evocative. And swamps/marshes are good for bad things to live in. And great oceans with mysterious islands in them. And sweeping sandy deserts, baking under a hard sun. And lush vine-wrapped jungles.

 

[jester47]

I love deserts... there is so much mystery involved with deserts. From Ossymandeus to Heavy Metal to all sorts of religion. All sorts of stuff happens in the desert! Religions get started there, strange relics get found there, lost cities, and all sorts of things. They are typically bigger than forests and more variable to travel in than mountains. (in mountains you have paths and passes and not much else) In this respect, I should love oceans (essentially deserts made of water rather than the lack of it...) but I don't like them as much.

I dig forests, hills and mountains too. Somtimes plains, but give me the desert any day.

But keeping the desert in mind, almost all terrains can use the same things. Everything I like about deserts could be applied to forests for example. You just cant see as far...

Aaron.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

Swamps are my favorite terrain for DMing. As a player, of course, I hate going into a swamp.

My second favorite terrain has to be forests.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

As for the land being magical. Not so much as having mountains eat people. But I like magical/worldy places. Like a big hole in the ground where all the winds in the world originate.

That sounds really cool.

 

[Jeph]

I find that for certain types of fantasy (IE epic travel fantasy, like Tolkien's works) it's good to have the often-used trade routes be terribly inefficient, because you'd have to be Extremely Stupid to be brash enough to Go Off The Roads.

Example. Trade City is in the north. People from Mine City like to ship their iron ore up to Trade City. To do this, they need to gravel along about 800 miles of roads, even though Trade City is only 300 miles away. Of course, if you went directly, you'd end up going through the Dark Forest, Dank Swamp, High Mountains, and then a brief stint across the Burning Desert and short ship ride through the Bay of Blood.

But when Godzilla is attacking Trade City, you're in Mine City, and the world's only Sword Of Godzillabane is in your hands, which route will you take?

But with better names, ya know?
--Jeff

 

[Tinker Gnome]

But with better names, ya know?

Ever since i played Secret Of Mana(Super Nintendo game), i have had the urge to name some large set of mountains the "Lofty Mountains". And play the Midi whenever the PCs are on it. Too bad we play in FR and everything is mapped out already.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Apparently no one care about my topics.

 

[Aeolius]

Undersea D&D; sunken galleons, vast interconnected reefs, kelp forests, seaweed swamps, urchin barrens, brittle star brambles, sea grass fields, giant anemone forests, hydrothermal vents (black smokers), cold seeps (undersea lakes)...what's not to like?