Fantasy towns (synonyms: hamlet, village; example toponyms: Nordham, Darrenburg, Beggar’s Town) are the fantasy version of a small town. They may contain taverns, healers, potion shops, markets, and more. They may have areas like the sewers, graveyards, back alleys, slums, and rooftops. They may be surrounded by town walls, palisades, moats, or other fortifications. There maybe gatehouses, watchtowers, guardhouses, and castles within the town or nearby. In the surrounding lands may be farms, windmills, and ruins. Towns often serve as a place of relative safety from the dangers of the outside wilderness but may harbor nefarious secrets of their own. In game-oriented worlds they may be locations where players can find quests, locate clues, or rest.

Fantasy towns are often designed around a central terrain feature. This gives rise to places like mesa towns, cliffside villages, treetop cities, hillside burrows, and shipwreck towns. When designing towns for your fantasy world, consider how the local terrain impacts the layout of the town. This can quickly generate unique and interesting locations. Consider rivers, oases, sea stacks, cliffs, caves, and mangrove forests. Architectural elements, such as bridge networks, canals, underground areas and dock systems, can also be used to create memorable settlements.

How is the political structure of your town organized?