Places That Feel D&D to You

[Scribble]

So I was looking at the Dwarves in the Rockies thread, and I started looking at pictures of the mountain ranges, and suddenly I thought of the Catskills... So I looked at some pictures. For some reason, I'm not entirely sure why, the images really gave me a D&D feel.

I can't really explain it, other then a that feels like D&D to me. (Maybe they remind me of a lot of Elmore paintings?)

So my question is, are there any places or things that you look at and it makes you think: "That makes me think of D&D..." or "That just feels like D&D to me..."

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Unfortunately, the place that made me think most about D&D was the FLGS (And I maintain it was the friendliest in existence, and that's not just nostalgia goggles speaking) went out of business two years after both owners passed away.

Aside from that, I'd have to lean more towards music that make me think of various D&D bits (To be fair, with some of the music I listen to, it's MEANT to be that way). But you know, maybe every so often I'll think about making a paladin after listen to VNV Nation's Nemesis.

 

[El Mahdi]

Carcasone in France, a 12th century medieval walled city. It's virtually untouched by time. The massive walls and wooden towers/palisades are still intact. The cathedral is a perfect example of a walled cities' church. The chateu is the best part. The great hall and solar give you an incredible view of what it would be like to live in a medieval castle. Walking up the stone spiral stairways to the battlements, and actually seeing how the clockwise turn would give a defender the advantage over attackers coming up from below (medieval soldiers being almost exclusively right handed) - and then seeing the view from the battlements, unequaled with any other place I've visited. Looking out over that vast plain, or down at the wall lined false entrance meant to suck in and trap attackers, you can just see the enemy army arrayed outside the walls.

 

[Tilenas]

First of all: thanks for bringing this up. This is an awesome question.
Off the top of my head, I'd say St. Peter's. It is just like I picture a major deity's temple in the capital of a large empire. This probably applies more to St. Peter's square than the actual church, which is obviously crammed with Christian motifs.

 

[Scribble]

Carcasone in France, a 12th century medieval walled city. It's virtually untouched by time. The massive walls and wooden towers/palisades are still intact. The cathedral is a perfect example of a walled cities' church. The chateu is the best part. The great hall and solar give you an incredible veiw of what it would be like to live in medieval castle. Walking up the stone spiral stairways to the battlements, and actually seeing how the clockwise turn would give a defender the advantage over attackers coming up from below (medieval soldiers being almost exclusively right handed) - and then seeing the view from the battlements, unequaled with any other place I've visited. Looking out over that vast plain, or down at the wall lined false entrance meant to suck in and trap attackers, you can just see the enemy army arrayed outside the walls.

Yeah I remember being on a tour once of a castle in Germany I think where the tour guide asked if I knew why the steps all turned the way they did... He told me about the defensive thing, and since then my D&D game castles have ALL been designed like that, with a bonus for the high ground...

 

[ppaladin123]

The catacombs under Paris.....walls made entirely of human skulls, dank corridors and a maze-like layout. Very D&D.

 

[Dragonbait]

Certain spots in the tower of London made me think of D&D/Warhammer. Granted, Warhammer is mostly Germanic but it made me think of it.

 

[El Mahdi]

Another place I visited that feels very D&D is a castle in Turkey known locally as "Castle by the Sea". There are actually two castles at the site, a castle on the shore with the aforementioned name, and a castle on an island about 300-500 yards offshore from the shore castle. The castle on the island is known as KizKalesi, or "the Maidens Castle" after a legend of a Kings daughter kept there so she wouldn't be killed by a snake bite that was foreseen. However, the daughter was killed anyways, by a snake accidentally brought to the island in a basket of food.

The site was originally Roman and even has the ruins of a breakwater or causeway leading out to the island. It was later Byzantine, and even served as a crusader castle for a time. It's located on the Mediteranean coast, just south of Adana.

The castle on the shore is located on a small hill, with the southern walls of the castle, and the famous sea gate, abutting directly up to the waters of the mediteranean. Unlike most European castles and sites, the site really hasn't been cleaned up and has very little oversight. For a couple of bucks you can walk through the chain link gate and straight into the past, untouched or restored, just as it has probably looked for the last 900 years. Walking through it and around the massive fallen blocks, it's so easy to imagine the dungeons beneath the your feet (in the hill) and see the ships that may have docked in the natural harbor and been protected by the castles.

The area to the north of the castle (on the other side of the road) has scattered tombs, shrines and even the still standing ruins of an aquaduct. I've even thought of using this locale in a FR campaign, with the aquaduct as ancient Chessentan ruins and the castles ruined Turmish strongholds.

When you stand in the ruins and look out the huge ancient gate to the west (you could easily drive a bus through it, but because of the ruined state of the castle, now stands about 20 to 30 feet above the beach), all you have to do is hold up a hand to block the sight of the beach resort nearby, and you are instantly transported back a thousand years. Seriously cool.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Elwynn Forest, Strangletooth Vale, Blackrock Mountain...

...What?

 

[Crothian]

Mammoth Cave and Carlsbad Caverns