Fantasy Towns

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.


Designing Fantasy Towns
Local Terrain
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?
Town Elements
Element | Icon | Description | Sub-Elements | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abandoned Building | ![]() | Has something else taken up residence? | b | Explore | |
Abattoir | ![]() | A slaughterhouse for animals | b | ||
Abbey | ![]() | A center for religious life | b | ||
Alleyway | ![]() | A narrow space between buildings | b | Explore | |
Animal Pens | ![]() | An area where farm animals, dogs, or other beasts are kept | s | Simplified | |
Apartment Building | ![]() | Who owns the building? | b | ||
Apothecary | ![]() | A seller of drugs and other potions | b | Explore | |
Aqueduct | ![]() | To bring in water | b | Explore | |
Arboretum | ![]() | A garden of trees | a | Explore | |
Archery Range | ![]() | For practice | a | ||
Armory | ![]() | A place to store weapons, also known as an arsenal | b | ||
Back Alleys | ![]() | A labyrinth of interconnected alleyways | a | Simplified | Explore |
Bank | ![]() | What kind of currency? | b | Explore | |
Barbershop | ![]() | Mustache please | b | Explore | |
Barracks | ![]() | To house soldiers | b | ||
Barrel | ![]() | Is it full or empty? | s | Simplified | Explore |
Bathhouse | ![]() | A place to wash and maybe watch | b | ||
Bazaar | ![]() | A marketplace | b, a | Explore | |
Bell Tower | ![]() | What does the ringing of the bells mean? | b | Explore | |
Betting House | ![]() | A place to gamble | b | Explore | |
Blacksmith | ![]() | A place to forge weapons, armor, and items | b | Simplified | |
Bounty Poster | ![]() | A bandit, a usurper, or a beast? | s | ||
Boxing Ring | ![]() | For betting on fights | b | ||
Brewery | ![]() | To make beer | b | ||
Bridge | ![]() | What does it span? | a, b | Simplified | |
Bridge System | ![]() | A series of interconnected bridges linking each building | a, b | Explore | |
Brothel | ![]() | Open late nights | b | ||
Bucket | ![]() | Just a bucket | s | ||
Bulletin | ![]() | A public board on which is placed the latest news, bounties, and business | s | Simplified | Explore |
Burned Out Building | ![]() | How much is left? | b | ||
Business District | ![]() | An area for business | a | ||
Canal | ![]() | A waterway | b, a | Explore | |
Candle Shop | ![]() | To light up the darkness | b | ||
Caravanserai | ![]() | A roadside inn for travelers and traders | b | ||
Carriage House | ![]() | A shelter for storing a carriage | b | ||
Cart | ![]() | What is in it? | s | Simplified | |
Chapel | ![]() | A small church | b | ||
Cheese Makers | ![]() | Gouda their job | b | ||
Chhatri | ![]() | An elevated, domed, outdoor pavilion | b | ||
Church | ![]() | A place to gather and pray | b | ||
Circus | ![]() | It's come to town | b | ||
Cistern | ![]() | A large, artificial, underground reservoir of water or other liquid | b, a | Explore | |
Clocktower | ![]() | Tick, tick, tick | b | Explore | |
Clothing Store | ![]() | See anything you like? | b | ||
Cobbler | ![]() | Fixes shoes and boots | b | ||
Collapsed Building | ![]() | What caused this? | b | Explore | |
Community Center | ![]() | A central location for gathering | b | ||
Courthouse | ![]() | To resolve local disputes | b | ||
Covered Walkway System | ![]() | A series of interconnected walkways to shelter pedestrians from the rain and weather | b, a | ||
Crate | ![]() | What does it contain? | s | ||
Crossroads | ![]() | Which way? | a | Simplified | Explore |
Crypt | ![]() | Who rests within? | b | Explore | |
Cult Lair | ![]() | Just folks in robes hanging out. A lot like a spa | b | Simplified | Explore |
Dam | ![]() | Please don't break | b | ||
Docks | ![]() | A place to moor boats | b, a | Simplified | Explore |
Drainage Channel | ![]() | Runs along the side or in the middle of the street to clear water and waste | s | ||
Dry Dock | ![]() | A place to build and repair boats | b | ||
Dump | ![]() | For trash and debris | b, a | ||
Enchanting Shop | ![]() | To enchant items | b | ||
Fair | ![]() | A celebration of some kind | b | ||
Farmer's Market | ![]() | A place to buy and sell fruits and vegetables | b, a | ||
Fence | ![]() | Made of what? | s | ||
Ferry | ![]() | For traveling the waterways, for a fee | b | ||
Fireworks Shop | ![]() | No smoking | b | ||
Fish Market | ![]() | A fish market. It probably smells | b, a | Explore | |
Fletcher | ![]() | For buying arrows and related goods | b | ||
Forge | ![]() | To create armor and arms | b | ||
Fort | ![]() | A protective enclosure | b, a | ||
Fountain | ![]() | Fresh water in a simple or elaborate display | s | Simplified | Explore |
Gallows | ![]() | You don't want to hang around here | a, s | ||
Gardens | ![]() | How well kept? | a, b | ||
Gatehouse | ![]() | To guard the comings and goings | b | Simplified | |
Glass Workshop | ![]() | A workshop and furnace for blowing glass | b | ||
Grafitti | ![]() | Harmless, or some kind of secret message? | s | Explore | |
Grain Silo | ![]() | Anything in it? Storing food is critical for a community | b | ||
Graveyard | ![]() | How large and how old? | b, a | Simplified | Explore |
Guardhouse | ![]() | A garison to protect the town or to watch it? | b | Simplified | |
Guildhall | ![]() | For what guild? | b | Explore | |
Gutter | ![]() | Anyone down there? | s | ||
Haystack | ![]() | Hay there. | s | ||
Healer | ![]() | A place to heal the wounds | b | Simplified | Explore |
Hedge | ![]() | To keep the neighbors out. | s | ||
Hideout | ![]() | What's the password? | b | ||
Horse Manure | ![]() | Dropped by a horse | s | ||
House | ![]() | Who lives here? | b | Simplified | Explore |
Housing District | ![]() | An area for homes | a | ||
Inn | ![]() | A place to sleep for the night | b | Simplified | Explore |
Jail | ![]() | To hold those that disturb the peace | b | Simplified | |
King's Decree | ![]() | A poster of some new law perhaps? | s | ||
Laboratory | ![]() | For science! | b | Explore | |
Lantern | ![]() | Lit or unlit? | s | ||
Library | ![]() | A place of learning | Explore | ||
Lighthouse | ![]() | To guide boats in storm and in night | b | Explore | |
Livery | ![]() | A place to rent horses and carriages | b | ||
Magical Book and Scroll Shop | ![]() | Like a library but you need to pay | b | ||
Magical Item Shop | ![]() | Rare goods and antiquities, but magical | b | Simplified | |
Manor | ![]() | Who lives here? | b | Explore | |
Market Building | ![]() | An enclosed market | b | Explore | |
Market Stall | ![]() | What does it sell? | b, s | Explore | |
Merchant District | ![]() | An area for merchants | a | ||
Merchant Fair | ![]() | A periodic gathering of merchants from surrounding lands to sell their wares | b, a | ||
Mill | ![]() | For milling grain | b | Simplified | |
Old Barn | ![]() | Anything in it? | b | ||
Orphanage | ![]() | Fun for the whole family. | b | ||
Outfitters | ![]() | A shop for adventuring gear | b | Explore | |
Pet Shop | ![]() | What kind of animals? | b | Simplified | |
Pothole | ![]() | What do the lord's taxes even pay for? | s | ||
Potion Shop | ![]() | For all your potion needs | b | Simplified | Explore |
Portal | ![]() | Leads somewhere | b | Explore | |
Potter's | ![]() | A place to obtain pottery goods | b | ||
Privie | ![]() | For private business | b, s | ||
Race Track | ![]() | For rats, dogs, horses, or something else? | b | ||
Reflecting Pool | ![]() | A calm place | b | ||
Restaurant | ![]() | What kinds of food? | b | ||
Riad | ![]() | An interior garden or courtyard | b | ||
Road | ![]() | Leads somewhere | b, s | ||
Rooftop Roost | ![]() | A place where birds and other winged animals are kept | b, s | ||
Rooftops | ![]() | Interconnected and expansive rooftop areas | a | Explore | |
School | ![]() | A place of learning | b | ||
Secret Chamber | ![]() | Shhh. Don't tell anyone | b | Explore | |
Sewer System | ![]() | How extensive are they? | b, a | Simplified | Explore |
Shambles | ![]() | A meat market | b | ||
Shipping Yard | ![]() | Full of trade goods and dock workers | b, a | ||
Shrine | ![]() | To what god, religion, or creed? | b | Simplified | |
Slums | ![]() | Who lives here? | b, a | Simplified | Explore |
Stables | ![]() | A place to keep horses. May act as a livery | b | Simplified | |
Statue | ![]() | Of what? | s | Explore | |
Stockade | ![]() | To lock up ne'er-do-wells | s | Simplified | |
Stonemason | ![]() | A place for stone cutting | b | ||
Street Market | ![]() | A outside marketplace | b, a | Simplified | Explore |
Tackle Shop | ![]() | A place to buy fishing gear | b | ||
Tattoo Shop | ![]() | More memories that last a lifetime | b | ||
Tavern | ![]() | A place to drink and maybe find work | b | Simplified | Explore |
Temple | ![]() | A place of contemplation and prayer | b | Simplified | Explore |
Thieve's Den | ![]() | A place of scoundrels | b | Simplified | Explore |
Tinkerer's Shop | ![]() | Full of odds and ends | b | ||
Town Hall | ![]() | A central location for gathering | b | Simplified | Explore |
Town Moat | ![]() | To protect from what? | b, a | Explore | |
Town Square | ![]() | A central location for gathering | b, a | Simplified | Explore |
Town Wall | ![]() | How fortified is this place? | b, a | Simplified | Explore |
Trapper's | ![]() | A shop for buying traps and other hunting gear | b | ||
Tree | ![]() | What type of tree? | s | Simplified | Explore |
Underground City | ![]() | A series of interconnected tunnels linking buildings and areas | a | Explore | |
Undertaker | ![]() | Coffins for sale | b | ||
Warehouse | ![]() | What does it store? | b | Explore | |
Watchtower | ![]() | Who watches the watchmen? Birds, probably. Maybe raiders. | b | Explore | |
Water Tower | ![]() | How full is it? | b | ||
Weaponsmith | ![]() | To buy weapons | b | ||
Wellhouse | ![]() | A building encasing a well | b | Explore | |
Well | ![]() | How deep and how full? | b | Simplified | Explore |
Wheelbarrow | ![]() | What is it carrying? | s | ||
Windmill | ![]() | How fast does it turn? | b | Explore | |
Wizard Tower | ![]() | A tower for a wizard because maybe he smells and the townsfolk don't appreciate it | b | Explore |