Mapping the Town - What should a Fantasy Town look like?

[Hussar]

Something that has always kind of bugged me about a lot of fantasy town maps is how, IMO, they aren't very realistic. Now, to be honest, I'm primarily thinking of D&D here, but, I'm sure it applies to other fantasy RPG's as well. A D&D world is a really, really dangerous place. There's monsters, there's roving bands of various humanoids, and there's flat out really bad stuff out there that wants to eat the townsfolk. In my mind, a fantasy community should look far more like this:

and a lot less like this (Triboar Town):

View attachment 1737859226190.jpeg

That Orkast map is what I think a fantasy community should look like. Overlapping walls, depth of defense, numerous strong points, that sort of thing. But, inevitably, whenever we get some fantasy town, it's another version of Hommlet or Orlane. No walls. Pretty much zero defenses. It's great if your setting is 16th century England where there's no real risk of bands of marauders coming through every season or two to steal your crops. It makes zero sense in a setting like Forgotten Realms where roving bands of marauders are probably the least of your worries compared to the rampaging monsters and various other things you have to survive.

What do people think? Should we design settings for the in game reality, or should the settings mirror historical recreations with a layer of fantasy on top?

 

[Zaukrie]

I think most towns and cities and worlds are boringly realistic, and not fantastic enough. I always see videos and stuff about how married should be realistic, and I'm thinking we have active gods, world altering magic, fantastic beings....I want more fantastic maps.

Sorry if that's not what you were looking for!

 

[Tonguez]

I think if we applied logic to fantasy towns noone would of ever left the cave.

Although it does explain the ubiquity of inhabited dungeons, since underground is the best way to survive dragons - provided you dont go too deep!

Anyway more living inside walled fortresses with central keeps.

Small hamlets would still exist baded on resouce needs (farmsteads, lumber camps, mines etc)

 

[aco175]

Depends on terrain and distance from larger cities. Farming villages and towns close to larger cities do not need walls and towers since being close to a large military force keeps them safe. Not sure what the distance ration would be, but also depends on attacking force. Some scavenger kobolds taking chickens could be close to cities, where an army of orcs and trolls would be spotted before they get close.

Terrain affects how a town looks. It is easy to build on plains and riverbanks as opposed to the hills and mountains. It is more protective to build on a mountain, but not easy to trade and grow things. A river might run through the town and the roads will tend to spread along the river instead of just crossing it.

The look of a town also depends on the purpose of it. A protective fort on the border is more military in mind and tends to be at a specific place or distance from another fort and tends to have walls and maybe a moat. A religious town might be based on a specific location where something happened. A farming town along a river or lake could be very spread out. A gold rush town where things spring up with no planning and become abandoned just as fast.

 

[Hussar]

In my mind, the motte and Bailey style community should be far more common.

I guess my point is we should be looking at things like Roman Oppendum (sp) or various other walled/defensible communities, rather than 16th century England.

And the point about fantasy is well made. Communities should be far more fantastic than they are. Where is the griffin landing area? The golem for protection? Heck, a teleportation circle?

 

[Aldarc]

Town should have walls. Let those walls be "enchanted," perhaps in some bygone age in a pact with fey, to protect them from most magical beasts entering.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

I stand by the fact that every location needs one unique thing.

Hommlet has one unique thing (a sinister shadow of the elemental factions)
Saltmarsh has one unique thing (a smuggling ring that leads to a Sausaghin threat)

In Hodgepocalypse, Bruce Alberta has one unique thing (land pirates vs Medusa-run cowboys with a complicated relationship and probably unresolved romantic tension between Captain Salty Frank and the Cattle Baroness).

Here are ten small towns that could serve as great foundations for your fantasy village, complete with unique features and characteristics:

1. Cedarburg, Wisconsin - Known for its charming historic buildings, Cedarburg's quaint atmosphere and beautiful natural surroundings can inspire a rustic village with artisan shops.
2. Galena, Illinois - With its well-preserved 19th-century architecture, Galena would provide an elegant setting for a village filled with traders and craftspeople.
3. Saratoga Springs, New York - Famous for its mineral springs and vibrant downtown, this town can inspire a village centered around wellness and healing, possibly with magical springs.
4. Williamsburg, Virginia - This historic town is a living museum of colonial history. A fantasy village could incorporate an old-world charm with craftspeople and public festivities.
5. Beaufort, South Carolina - Known for its picturesque waterfront and historic homes, this town can help create a village that thrives on maritime culture and trade.
6. New Hope, Pennsylvania - An artsy town with a strong sense of community, it could inspire a village of musicians, artists, and performers, adding a rich cultural layer to your fantasy world.
7. Eureka Springs, Arkansas - Famous for its stunning Victorian architecture and natural springs, this town could serve as a base for a village known for its mystical medical traditions.
8. Ashland, Oregon - Home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, this bustling town could inspire a vibrant village focused on theater, storytelling, and festival celebrations.
9. Napa, California—This wine country town can influence a fantasy setting centered on agriculture and trade, possibly involving vineyards with magical properties.
10. Port Townsend, Washington—A coastal town with Victorian buildings and a lively arts scene, Port Townsend could inspire a seaside village full of sailors, traders, and sea legends.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I think if we applied logic to fantasy towns no one would of ever left the cave.

Although it does explain the ubiquity of inhabited dungeons, since underground is the best way to survive dragons - provided you dont go too deep!

Anyway more living inside walled fortresses with central keeps.

Small hamlets would still exist based on resource needs (farmsteads, lumber camps, mines etc)

This right here. With the ubiquity of flying monsters in most D&D settings, there's a noticeable lack of defenses with regards to creatures that can go over walls. It's always seemed a little silly to me that medieval D&D settings still have communities spending years upon years of quarrying up rocks upon rocks upon rocks to then build open-air castles and 15 foot high city walls-- when any attacking force worth their salt would have aerial combat at their disposal. Whether that's griffon riders, wyvern riders, dragons, or any number of summonable monsters or magicians with wings or can fly... castles and walls would be nigh-unto useless in a lot of cases. Why spend all that time and money to build them (when most attacks against you will go right over the top of them) and not spend a single whit of time inventing and building defenses against aerial assaults? That makes zero sense.

Now sure... we can ignore these illogical anthropological evolutions and just keep castles and such as they are because they give us that 'medieval' setting we like (regardless of how they make no real sense for the worlds we use them in.) But if we're going to ignore the idea that fantasy castles and town walls wouldn't have actually come about and looked and worked exactly as our real-world counterparts did (a world without fear of aerial attack), then to my mind there's no real reason to worry about any realism regarding the amount or placement of walls would be either.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Let's also ignore all the magic and monsters that can walk through or destroy stone as easy as it is to destroy straw and wood... thereby making stone structures as the primary defense of an area a major waste of time and money as well.

This goes back to that other thread where we talk about the illogical evolution of medieval fantasy. As soon as it was discovered that via magic one could create a 100-foot long Wall of Force... every nation and their mother would have begun the training of new wizards and the industrialization of that magical technology to be able to Wall of Force / Dome of Force every single city and town to defend against flying invaders. Over hundreds (if not thousands) of years, those defenses would have become stronger, faster to make, cheaper to produce, and more ubiquitous. But that never happened-- because it ruins the "fantasy" that magic is rare and mysterious. Which is fine if that's what you want in your D&D game... but at some point it also means trying to equate D&D 'realism' to any sort of real-world 'realism' is rather pointless.

 

[aco175]

I think defenses are built on need and cost first. Then, maybe expanded upon. Preparing for a dragon might be the least productive if one has not been seen in these parts for hundreds of years. Preparing for the mountain orcs that will likely come every few years makes more sense to do first. If the orcs manage to loop in a wyvern or manticore, it would be easier to deal with it if you have a wall to keep the orcs out while dealing with it.

Of course, other people's worlds might have magical domes and private army dragons of their own to combat anything. Each town might have their own ICBMs and nuclear warheads because other people have them. I do not think they are needed for the same reason that every town does not need a party of 20th level NPCs to deal with a group of PCs that may cross a line or flex their muscles. The town have bigger allies to come and support them and this acts as a deterrent.