Top 10 D&D Towns & Villages of All-Time!!!

[Mr_Ed7]

1. The Keep on the Borderlands: Your intro Basic set village, complete with Tavern, Bank, Inn etc...It was fun to break-out of the prison ...if you had that sort of campaign.

2. Greyhawk: THE city of the D&D/Gygax world...the world WE SHOULD be playing in...

3. Lankmar: This gritty city environment has various districts, a large color map and more...check-out The Slayers Brotherhood....

4. Village of Homlet: On your way to the Temple of Elemental evil? Well this simple little homlet is where you stop...not alot of goods here for the tourists...

5. Restonford: Part of some low-level sea-side quest...my Dwarf took-over the tavern there once!

6. Barnacus: This little-city provided me with hours and hours of fun...before Lankmar. First appeared in a Dragon magazine.

7.

8.

9.

10.


Please post additional comments and memories!

[Uska]

Here's mine

1. Village of the Hommlet

2. Keep on the borderlands

3. Greyhawk

4. City State of the Invincible Overlord(judges guild)

5. Whatever city Tegal Manor was near.

the rest were usually always gm made up places or one I cant remember the names of.

[Myriam]

1. The Keep on the Borderlands: Your intro Basic set village, complete with Tavern, Bank, Inn etc...It was fun to break-out of the prison ...if you had that sort of campaign.

2. Greyhawk: THE city of the D&D/Gygax world...the world WE SHOULD be playing in...

3. Lankmar: This gritty city environment has various districts, a large color map and more...check-out The Slayers Brotherhood....

4. Village of Homlet: On your way to the Temple of Elemental evil? Well this simple little homlet is where you stop...not alot of goods here for the tourists...

5. Restonford: Part of some low-level sea-side quest...my Dwarf took-over the tavern there once!

6. Barnacus: This little-city provided me with hours and hours of fun...before Lankmar. First appeared in a Dragon magazine.

7.

8.

9.

10.


Please post additional comments and memories!


Anyplace accept Shadowdale. Ed Greenwood and his whole Elminster persona NPC is the most laughable attempt at an interesting character ever.

Ed: "Hey let me make an uber level 100 NPC and run my friends through campaigns where he comes to save the day all the time, because every 4th level party should have to fight dragons! Of course, my NPC could appear and save them all!"


I would have to say, though, The Inn of the Last Home, in Solace.

Lankhmar! Yes! I love Fafhrd and Grey Mouser.

[MysterX]

Sigil from Planescape

[jambajuicey]

I've always thought Waterdeep was a pretty defacto city

[jomonkey527]

Would have to say Waterdeep and how can Neverwinter not be in there?

[jomonkey527]

Not sure if any of you play Neverwinter Nights 2, but there is a highly rated module that someone made for Keep on the Borderlands. I have been dying to download it and try it out, and bring some old memories back. It will intersting to "see" if it is how I envisioned when playing years ago.

[Symar-FangofLloth]

Sharn is pretty fricken cool.
Immense towers supported by magic, connected by bridges, flying coaches, and numerous other things that can only exist because it's coterminous with the plane of air.
And it's topped with floating islands where the wealthiest of the wealthy live.

[Samy]

I'm not going to compare ranks, but some up there are:

Hommlet
Waterdeep
Shadowdale
Sigil
Icewind Dale

[Robi3.0]

#1: Lake Geneva

[Furluge]

Yeah I have to agree that Sharn is a pretty interesting and fantastic city.

By the by, the original Village of Hommlet, precursor to the temple of elemental evil, was re-published for 4th edition not to long ago. Was kind of neat.

[SquelchHU]

Sharn is pretty fricken cool.
Immense towers supported by magic, connected by bridges, flying coaches, and numerous other things that can only exist because it's coterminous with the plane of air.
And it's topped with floating islands where the wealthiest of the wealthy live.

This. The only published city I like, because all of the FR ones are choked up by self insert NPCs, and most of the others don't do a good enough job of being believable parts of the worlds they are placed in.

[THAC0]

Well, I have to chime in on this post. Blackmoor. While not a specific city... I think it is worth mentioning. :)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/ArnesonBlackmoorSupplementIICover.jpg




Though Arneson left TSR in the early 1980s, Blackmoor remained a part of D&D lore and was referred to in many later supplements. In a subsequent re-release of the world of Greyhawk for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) game, an Arctic region of mysterious black ice in the northwestern area of the map was called Blackmoor. However, Arneson's Blackmoor would become integral to a different setting and rules-system, those of the Basic Dungeons & Dragons game.


Reference = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackmoor

T.
>sig.

[Sir_Chonas]

Waterdeep should be where we are playing . . .never heard of anyone not going there at some point in their pen and paper career.

[Draccus]

Calimport!

Being a rogue fanatic, I can't help but like a city ruled by a network of Thieves Guilds. Plus, the best character in all of the Forgotten Realms came from Calimport: Artemis Entreri.

[Adarin]

I'll give it a go...

Small Towns

1.) Solace (home of the best DND stories ever told)

2.) Hommlet (Site of the greatest Gygaxian adventure imnsho)

3.) Shadowdale (Love it or hate it the Forgotten Realms kept the game alive in the late 80s early 90s)

4.) Mithril Hall (Gotta love yourself some dwarven berserkers and everyone's favorite cliche'd drow)

5.) Threshold (Let us not forget our roots)

Big Cities

1.) Greyhawk

...

Gotta run, but I'll get into this group later. Basically pick and choose from the big three systems. Some good big city ones above though.

[leviathan]

Lets go underground

Menzoberranzan....

[lordbachus]

Anyplace accept Shadowdale. Ed Greenwood and his whole Elminster persona NPC is the most laughable attempt at an interesting character ever.

Ed: "Hey let me make an uber level 100 NPC and run my friends through campaigns where he comes to save the day all the time, because every 4th level party should have to fight dragons! Of course, my NPC could appear and save them all!"


I would have to say, though, The Inn of the Last Home, in Solace.

Lankhmar! Yes! I love Fafhrd and Grey Mouser.

That shadowdale "quote" tells me more about your DM in those games then about shadowdale and Elminster, obviously he abused the whole persona. I adventured in shadowdale with some friends and when we went to the great Elminster begging for help all we found was a little kitten in front of his door... and a piece of paper attached to his door telling us he was not at home...


1) Waterdeep (build on top of the greatest dungeon ever)
2) Sollace
3) Menzoberanzan

[VinceRN]

1. Viridistan: The City-state of the World Emperor.

2. Greyhawk: THE city of the D&D/Gygax world... If you're not going to make a world of you own this is the one you should be using.

3. Village of Homlet: A friend of mine turned this little town into the center of power in the known universe. Gods fought over, and in Homlet. It really sucked to be a farmer or other normal person in the area.

4. - 10. Dunno, I've avoided most other published worlds or cities, and haven't much liked the ones I have looked into.


Please post additional comments and memories![/QUOTE]

[timberhick]

1. Perasis: Who doesn't like a dirty, stinky waterfront with a big bakery down the street.
2. T'Laenthir: Elves have cool things in their cities, especially if your not suppose to find them.
3. Daggerford: So many memories...
4. Kain: Loved watching it getting blown up by the Githyanki
5. Stilton: who doesn't love a town made out of barges on stilts, with walleyed inbred townfolk with lousy cajun accents?
6. Kor Minar: A grand city ruled over by an immortal Halfling? You gotta be crazy...
7. Otune: The city where everything and anyone is for sale.

[Kaervas]

Edit:
Scratch that, wrong forum :P

[Soulken]

Waterdeep should be where we are playing . . .never heard of anyone not going there at some point in their pen and paper career.

Never liked the realms prefer Greyhawk or Eberron or Kalamar and never played in the realms but read a couple of books set there.

[chaos_master]

Baldur's Gate, simply because it's the place where I got into DnD. Twisted Rune hall, Kangaxx, a random lich by the city exit door ... memories, sweet loading screen, memories :D

[noinfo]

1. The Keep on the Borderlands: Your intro Basic set village, complete with Tavern, Bank, Inn etc...It was fun to break-out of the prison ...if you had that sort of campaign.

2. Greyhawk: THE city of the D&D/Gygax world...the world WE SHOULD be playing in...

3. Lankmar: This gritty city environment has various districts, a large color map and more...check-out The Slayers Brotherhood....

4. Village of Homlet: On your way to the Temple of Elemental evil? Well this simple little homlet is where you stop...not alot of goods here for the tourists...

5. Restonford: Part of some low-level sea-side quest...my Dwarf took-over the tavern there once!

6. Barnacus: This little-city provided me with hours and hours of fun...before Lankmar. First appeared in a Dragon magazine.

7.

8.

9.

10.


Please post additional comments and memories!

Cause Homlet and Greyhawk already there.

1. Bloodstone

2. Palanthus- cause every city should have a nice park in the middle of it :-p

[Jayfunked]

Nulb - good nightlife

The city at the edge of midnight - so nearly got rid of Bobby.

[Eryndel]

Let me add to the list, and I know I'm dating myself :)

Phlan

Awesome city, overrun by bad guys, PCs are young heroes seeking to take back the city (and gain some acclaim while they are at it.) And it set this whole computer based D&D thing going.

I'd agree also to Waterdeep, Village of Hommlet, Baldur's Gate, and Saltmarsh.

[cdbd3rd]

Horn - Gov't seat of the Barony of Horn. Lasted thru many campaigns, til a group set off a small tac-nuke in the library. :o


Dollar - A bustling trade city, far to the north of <the ruin of> Horn. Much mystery surrounds what wonders could be found in the side streets and back alleys of this city. (since my GW broke up shortly after I got that campaign fleshed out.)

/Opens a thick-walled box, exposing a glowing yellow lump. "Gather my friends, Revel In The Divine Radiant Glory!"




...Holy Moly, been years since I'd thought about Phlan. :)

[whysper]

That one **** hidden/lost/little-known village populated by elves/halflings/orcs/humans a little/long ways from the nearest settlement/town/marketplace, deep/somewhere in the woods/desert/badlands that turns out to be full of lycanthropes/cursed/plagued/nexus of undead/the location of three or four major artifacts which you cannot actually get/home of some nice-seeming but evil druid/ruled by some kind of a nymph BUT NOT THAT KIND **** IT who sends you to a mission or curse you into a tree or owl/haunted/missing the chief's daughter and whose inhabitants are dead/possess really weird powers for their level/instinctively hate you/think you are the saviour and overall are very primitive/surprisingly advanced.

Love that place.

[cdbd3rd]

That one **** hidden/lost/little-known village populated by elves/halflings/orcs/humans a little/long ways from the nearest settlement/town/marketplace, deep/somewhere in the woods/desert/badlands that turns out to be full of lycanthropes/cursed/plagued/nexus of undead/the location of three or four major artifacts which you cannot actually get/home of some nice-seeming but evil druid/ruled by some kind of a nymph BUT NOT THAT KIND **** IT who sends you to a mission or curse you into a tree or owl/haunted/missing the chief's daughter and whose inhabitants are dead/possess really weird powers for their level/instinctively hate you/think you are the saviour and overall are very primitive/surprisingly advanced.

Love that place.

I tried to get my people to go there - but they got drunk and started a bar brawl in another town instead.

Always wanted to go back there some day. :(


And the nymph?... She WAS that kind. I saw her pix. ;)

[Arkat]

MULMASTER!

That's where the Mulmaster Beholder Corps is if you guys remember your SSI AD&D Gold Box games.

[Gamedog]

I always liked Zhentil Keep. Being caught by the Zhentarim, and trying to escape before they hang ya.....lots of fun.

[Grimgore]

Cauldron from the Shackled City Adventures.
Sharn, the original Eberron city
Tu'narath, the home of the gith before they escaped the mind flayers and split into factions. Was awesome to read about.

[Killer_Rabbit]

Let me add to the list, and I know I'm dating myself :)

Phlan

Awesome city, overrun by bad guys, PCs are young heroes seeking to take back the city (and gain some acclaim while they are at it.) And it set this whole computer based D&D thing going.

I'd agree also to Waterdeep, Village of Hommlet, Baldur's Gate, and Saltmarsh.

Phlan is an excellent addition, built on the ruins of the old city. Enough to have had a book based almost solely in its environs; Pool of radiance was my first and favourite book in this genre, not to mention the original PC game too (remake didn't do it justice), Phlan also appeared in many other books. Not to forget - it had one of the best bad guy names - Tyranthraxus. :)

Waterdeep is a definite additon... surely everyone knows that place.

[brian14]

Lets go underground

Menzoberranzan....
You have a point, but I always preferred early (as in, 1e) sparingly detailed cities, which were pretty much left for DM to flesh out.

So my vote goes to Erelhei-Cinlu.

[Happosaai]

Aww, noone's mentioned Tyr yet? :-P

Where's the Dark Sun fans in here??

[Hafeal]

As you didn't exclude it, I will conclude that Stormreach should get a mention.

[Kronik]

Being a Dragonlance man myself, cant leave out:

Palanthis
Flotsam
Neraka
Istar of old

[shores11]

1) Tantris
2) Waterdeep
3) Shadowdale

[Ghoste]

Mournland. Such a quaint and cozy place. :p

[marcosoneghett]

Lets go planar:


SIGIL - now there's a city which could fit perfectly in the EBERRON setting. And being planar, imagine Archons, Demons and Devils....

[Poe76]

Silverymoon
Shadowdale
Sharn
Zhentil Keep
Baldur's Gate
Cauldron
Greyhawk
Eltabbar in Thay
Solace
Lankmar
Ten Towns
Menzoberanzen

Man I miss sitting around a table for 2 days straight with
all my 12 yr old buddies kicking A$$ and flying high on Soda
and Ruffles :) !!!!

Good post OP +1 Rep for you

[donfilibuster]

Memorable towns are you recall by memory, like ole granpa who used to tell every small thing that happened in every street in town.

1. Solace. It doesn't really matter which tree has which hut, but you can always cross the bridges from the Last Home to any of the shops.
The potter, and the weaver, etc. they all need help every other day. Or just ask madame rue for a reading of the cards.
If in the wrong timeline just go into the farming fields and draw an ufo circle to attract a stray spelljammer and hitchhike.

2. Sigil. Need no map here, theres the various wards and you just ask your way to the contact you want, be it a berk, basher or blood.
You need to go into the planes? the cage is the roadstop for all your needs, every other city is just a small dusty burg.

3. Waterdeep. Same goes in Faerun, need something quick just teleport to waterdeep and tour the wards.
Make contacts and friends here and there, haggle the vendor, bribe the guard, and above all sewn your pockets.
And no, the city of the Spider Queen doesn't fit in this list, you tend to be fond of one city per world.

4. Greyhawk. Never been there but seems historical. But hey, that's where the well of the world leads.
If Heironeous won't atone u in Toril you may want to ask the original Heironeous for a second chance.
It is a hub for spelljamming ships so can take u on a round trip or you can log in the city for the night (specially if you need to hide, happens so often).

5. Stormreach. Eberron has other continents but hey, if you are new to it have no clue about khorvaire the best bet is to land on stormreach.
After all, wasn't there one of its strong points that you need not do the transportation or travelling yourself?
That's why flyings ships were invented, rods of teleport are just a commodity, besides you need to do a crazy festivul game to gain em.

6. Manifest. An obscure supplement is Ghostwalk, yet one that fits in whenever the DM can (get bribed into) allow it.
The premise is that if you die, and not want to, which happens so often, you can become a ghostly spirit and walk off to 'the light in the end of the tunnel'.
This ghost trait make you wander into Manifest, the city of ghosts, no matter where you were and almost from every world.
Why in hell you want to go there instead of lingering around for a raise or pay a visit to your deity?
A free raise, that'd be why, minus the level loss, no other city anywhere offers that.
And you have fun along the way and get to haunt your comrades for letting you be killed in combat.

7. Barovia. Barovia is the oldest domain in Ravenloft. Since the mist is everywhere you may as well be prepared.
The town doesn't even have a name beside Barovia but you can as well take real state since you may be stranded there for a long while.

8. Glantri. Ironically chances are you never get to explore the city just stop by in your journeys through the Republic of Darokin.
You surely visit many of the surrounding towns in search of villagers to save from the kobolds and goblins, at least at the start.
But hey, they have flying ships, and that leaves the door open for easy travel, don't let the lack of spelljamming ports fool u.
Chances are you are sent to Blackmoor (or anywhere in Mystara) via hole, rift or plain DM boredom, specially if he tends to pick modules off the net.

9. Ankh-Morpork. Isn't even a d&d city but if you know the discworld chances are you stick with it long enough to commit it to memory effortlessy and happily.
Rifts to other worlds are proven to exist since the very first book of the saga, at least to the roundworld.
Any d&d hero would feel at home in the city, which also welcome monster races and free business.

10. Cityscape. No city is more memorable than the one you build. Give the DMG web enhancement to your DM.
Chances are you gain inherent direction sense in any D&D city, after all the basic districts have all shops and places you ever need.
Still want a map? pick Verona or any italian city and it will look surprisingly fine.

[William_the_Bat]

I've never played in a PnP campaign in a stock setting. Custom settings for the win!

Plenty of computer versions, though.

Waterdeep (NWN hordes of the Underdark, the intro scene to Eye of the Beholder) seemed like a fanboy version of itself.. it's got to be cool because it's Waterdeep.

Neverwinter was.. well.. a standard city in a standard setting, much more interesting during a plague.

I'd mention Baldur's Gate, but I never made it that far in the first game and never picked up the rest of them.

The settings in Shadows of Undrentide were pretty sweet, both the village where you start and the flying city itself.

As far as DnD books, I did read the first two Dragonlance trilogies, and while they were pretty cool when I first read them at 13, when I went to re-read them at 17, I realized I didn't actually like any of the characters, and stopped. Some cool places, sorta. I imagine a flying keep would be a neat place to visit.. but the one in Gardens of the Moon is way cooler. The Death Star to Krynn's International Space Station. Now that would be a sweet campaign setting! I also read the dark elf trilogy.. but having Drizzt show up in all those stupid places in various games (not to mention countless fanboys calling themselves "drzzzzzzt") sorta ruined it for me.

If you want a real interesting read, try the Deed of Paksenarion by Elizabeth Moon. It's not an official DnD trilogy, but you can see the DnD influence, and it's a really interesting take on what sort of person becomes a paladin. Plus the writer makes a paladin interesting, something beyond the grasp of most authors and for that matter more than a few players!

[Vikkus]

Free City of Greyhawk
Solace
Barovia
Sigil
Lankmar
Tyr

Are some of my favorites.

[Mr_Ed7]

Lankmar's full color map and neighborhood mini-map book was awesome...great city, dark and exotic!

[Aesop]

This. The only published city I like, because all of the FR ones are choked up by self insert NPCs, and most of the others don't do a good enough job of being believable parts of the worlds they are placed in.

see, now look at that... we can agree on something ;)

Aesop

[HallowedOne]

Baldur's Gate, simply because it's the place where I got into DnD. Twisted Rune hall, Kangaxx, a random lich by the city exit door ... memories, sweet loading screen, memories :D

But the city's name is Athklaka, isn't it?

Long live Keldorn's with his Carsomyr and that spell scroll that gets u immunized against imprisonments :D

[Maxelcat]

don't know if its been said.

i forget its name. its in the valley under a castle on a mountain. first appears in Module I6.

;)

[SoloLobo67]

RavenLoft - Port d'Elhour - Victorian Era Mississippi River Delta...Voodoo, Vampires and lycans

My Homebrewed Village based in FR - Shinning Star - I based a bulk of the NPC on friends, family and pets

Skullport - The City under Waterdeep

[Murderface]

1. The Keep on the Borderlands: Your intro Basic set village, complete with Tavern, Bank, Inn etc...It was fun to break-out of the prison ...if you had that sort of campaign.

2. Greyhawk: THE city of the D&D/Gygax world...the world WE SHOULD be playing in...

3. Lankmar: This gritty city environment has various districts, a large color map and more...check-out The Slayers Brotherhood....

4. Village of Homlet: On your way to the Temple of Elemental evil? Well this simple little homlet is where you stop...not alot of goods here for the tourists...

5. Restonford: Part of some low-level sea-side quest...my Dwarf took-over the tavern there once!

6. Barnacus: This little-city provided me with hours and hours of fun...before Lankmar. First appeared in a Dragon magazine.

7.

8.

9.

10.


Please post additional comments and memories!
any town that bioware/black isle games were set in
ahm
icewind dale
baldurs gate heh etc

[samthedagger]

First one that popped into my head when I read the thread title was Hommlet. Barovia too. And Waterdeep. Did I mention Sigil?

That's all I have to add.

[GhoulsTouch]

Wasn't Threshold the default/optional first city for players to begin in the old Expert set of D&D even before Advanced came out?

It came with Dice that they suggested you colored in the numbers that were etched in them to see them better :)

[spyderwolf]

didnt read page 2 and 3 . but i alwsy liekd Sigil, the city of doors from PLanescape


edit read page 2 and 3. this jsut 2nds an earlier posters first for sigil! great city that could work well for DDO too

[theoneelftorulethem]

(the following in any order)

big places

waterdeep: big city is gatehouse to bigger dungeon, witha downstairs that has stairs and stairs and stairs and Underdark. and a secret undercity(also large) on the side

barovia: the best place to try to get the h*ll out of. good luck with that.

sigil: anyone or anything from anywhere and anywhen. who can go wrong with that?

greyhawk: also big city . . . never played there so i wont lie about what i dont know. sounds good every time i read about it in Dragon though. (especially castel greyhawk)

little places:

hommlet, the starting point of not one but TWO megadventures!

shadowdale: cant forget the favorite home of my favorite npc. (forget how to quote): kitten! ahahaha. that or Laeho(sp?) would drive away bothersome[everyone] people. dont forget the DNA helix tower, people forget it when they see the broken-down windmill of El's tower. after 9 years i have yet to encounter him in game and prolly never will. maybe i should be come a knight of myth drannor, they get a lot of Elminster time i read...

yeah, you've heard it all before, but now i can properly defend pimp-daddy EL (bright red clothing, pipe, cane, feather in hat, what do you want?), him and his seven silver... sisters, yeah.

[Doomcrew]

Shadizar, for one. Dros Delnoch (sp?) as a second.

Cheers

[Kistilan]

Kist's Picks



Sigil - The Center of the Multiverse is Tao.
Solace - An entire town built in giant Vallenwood trees 25 years prior to Avatar and without Ewoks? So full of win!!!!
Waterdeep - This is big time magick.
The Underdark - I think this counts as a city?
Palanthas - I'm biased and it is ritualistically a staging point for all worldly events on Ansalon (Dragonlance Continent)
Myth Drannor (sp?) - Another interesting Forgotten Realms city.
Shadowdale - The Time of Troubles began with this staging point!
Greyhawk - Well, durr! Gygax's Legacy.
Thorbardin - Quite possibly one of the most intricate dwarven kingdoms ever created in the D&D Franchise.
Istar (sp?) - A city much like Rome, doomed by the gods to be burned and brimestoned at its height of power and buried under a Maelstrom in the Sea.