Non-Boring Environments That Need Fantasy Representation

Non-Boring Environments that need Fantasy Representation

Tropical Rainforests

Scrubland/Dry Forests. For extra effect make them the sort that burn very often; some native plants never germinate until after a fire, and some animals not only rely on fire to smoke out prey, but may even start them themselves.

Savannas/Tropical Grasslands

Temperate Rainforests. I almost didn’t include this bc New Zealand is covered in them, and that’s where they filmed Lord of the Rings. But tbh, no one really knows about them, so it belongs here

Taiga Forests

Barren Tundra, perfect for some extreme seasonal dichotomy

Polar Ice Sheets

Desert-Grasslands (arguably the same as Scrubland but Australia’s good at adding its own twists)

Barren Desert

If you like Cacti, look at American Deserts like the Sonoran

Salt Flats

Soda Lakes and Alkaline Lakes

Madagascar’s Karst Limestone Formations

Madagascar’s Spiny Forests

Madagascar’s Baobab Forests

Madagascar’s Subhumid Forests (Madagascar is cool as hell ok)

Danxia Landforms

Badlands/Mountainous Deserts

Steppes and Highland Prairies

Flood Basalts

Newly-Formed Islands, still rife with Volcanic activity

Now for Underwater Environments, sure Coral Reefs are cool.

But there are SO MANY other kinds of environments for aquatic settings, it’s unbelievable:

Seaside Cliffs

Archipelagos. Not just Tropical Island chains like Polynesia (Moana anyone?) but also Coldwater Archipelagos like the Aleutians.

Tidal Flats

Bayous/Cypress Swamps

Tropical River Basins, AKA Seasonally Flooded Rainforests

Mangrove Swamps/Deltas/Beaches

Kelp Forests

The Open Ocean

Coastal Seabeds

Rocky Beaches with Tidepools

And there are a LOT more I could name but this post is already obscenely long as is, if you’d like to toss in your own go right ahead, but my point is if you limit yourself to European Deciduous Forests you’re a wimp.

One thing I’ve learned about writing is ”give everything a face”. It’s no good to write passively that the nobility fled the city or that the toxic marshes were poisoning the animals beyond any ability to function. Make a protagonist see how a desperate woman in torn silks climbs onto a carriage and speeds off, or a two-headed deer wanders right into the camp and into the fire. Don’t just have an ambiguous flock of all-controlling oligarchy, name one or two representatives of it, and illustrate just how vile and greedy they are as people.

it’s bad to have characters who serve no purpose in the story, but giving something a face is a perfectly valid purpose.

Internet is back up and I’m running the first session of my Blades in the Dark final arc tonight.

What is up gamerz, We are NoDDsoc, (Not Only Dungeons and Dragons), the University of Sheffield’s TTRPG society. We run both campaigns and one-shots, both online and person, and also run a social discord sever and other social events, all of which are available to both students and not students, including those outside of Sheffield. Link to our social server: (which includes links to most of our other sites) https://noddsoc.co.uk/SocialDiscord

how to build a world so you all have fun

The cardinal rule for building an entire game world from scratch is very, very simple:

Don’t waste your time.

Now, what that advice means in practice varies dramatically between gaming groups and even between PCs. To help address some of that, I’ve broken my advice into two categories: Friends Playing Together and Meeting Strangers. 

Friends Playing Together

The most important thing about this type of worldbuilding is that as the DM, it is not only within your power, but it is your responsibility to take into account the characters your players are inventing. But that’s not the first step, so we’re breaking it down.

Keep reading

What's your favourite dice? I really like the d4. I love my caltrops

Probably the d6 honestly, it's respectable, hard working and most people have access to one.