History Channel's "Cities of the Underworld" as inspiration

[Glyfair]

I've been watching my recordings of Cities of the Underworld from the History Channel. This series has had some really inspiring moments.

One episode has them walk into someone's row house on a busy city street...walk down a hall...open a door...and finding a stairway that descends to a deep underworld. Image adventurers wandering into some poor merchants house and going through a locked door into the dungeon!

There have been some really weird places for the entrances to these various underworld locations (which range from a room or two to entire buried cities). There was an entrance in a hospital. There was a closed off chapel underneath a church that was once be used by "the cult of the dead." Entrances right on busy streets to sprawling underground graveyards and crypts.

Lots of cool stuff.

 

[Kesh]

I've been meaning to catch this series and keep forgetting to DVR it. I've already been inspired by the Catacombs to create a similar-themed city in my homebrew.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I've been watching my recordings of Cities of the Underworld from the History Channel. This series has had some really inspiring moments.

One episode has them walk into someone's row house on a busy city street...walk down a hall...open a door...and finding a stairway that descends to a deep underworld. Image adventurers wandering into some poor merchants house and going through a locked door into the dungeon!

Wow, very Ptolus.

I'm going to have to TiVo this. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[GlassJaw]

Wow, this show sounds awesome. Boneyard sounds really cool too. I just added 4 new things to record on my DVR.

 

[carolina]

This show is A-MAZING! There have been many good ones, but the one on Edinburgh, Scotland, and how its underworld was created (they basically buried the poor sections of town -- tough luck them) after building a series of support bridges across the town, I think is the best episode.

 

[stevelabny]

My question is...does anyone know the title of the music track they play when they head underground? Its catchy and I'd like to use it for a dungeon delve

 

[Bloodstone Press]

I've tried to catch every episode of this show since it came out. I think the one about Dracula's castles was very interesting. I already knew a lot about him but I still learned a thing or two from the show.

The episodes about Berlin and Rome were cool too.

the one on Edinburgh, Scotland, and how its underworld was created (they basically buried the poor sections of town -- tough luck them) after building a series of support bridges across the town, I think is the best episode.

Hell yeah. That made my head swim with ideas.

I've also been digging the "Human Weapon" show. Nothing like watching a 70+ year old Karate master smashing boards with his finger tips and breaking baseball bats with his forearm.

 

[Glyfair]

I've tried to catch every episode of this show since it came out. I think the one about Dracula's castles was very interesting. I already knew a lot about him but I still learned a thing or two from the show.

Even the one that was set in the U.S. (the theme was the Freemasons) was pretty inspiring for D&D. I wouldn't have guessed that going in.

The fort that dates back to the revolutionary war where they recently discovered a buried set of rooms had some good ideas. Imagine if the "dungeon" the adventurers had to explore was a set of forgotten rooms in an active fort.

 

[frankthedm]

The fort that dates back to the revolutionary war where they recently discovered a buried set of rooms had some good ideas. Imagine if the "dungeon" the adventurers had to explore was a set of forgotten rooms in an active fort.

Thats the default reason for most dungeon in my homebrew of Mystara's Karameikos region. ancient times dwarves held the land and built underground camps. Over time dwarves withdrew, though the stone structures did not often remain empty.

 

[Glyfair]

Thats the default reason for most dungeon in my homebrew of Mystara's Karameikos region. ancient times dwarves held the land and built underground camps. Over time dwarves withdrew, though the stone structures did not often remain empty.

Nice, but the dungeon as "abandoned stronghold" is pretty standard.

I think one thing I got out of this, thinking about your comment, is the dungeon being "next door." Sort of like the entrance to U.N.C.L.E. HQ being in a laundry, the dungeon entrance might be someplace you pass every day, but never notice.

In the fort example above, they found it only because while mowing the lawn a hole opened up. In trying to fill it in they noticed that the dirt kept going through every day. People were probably walking on that entrance every day while touring the fort.