Dungeon Master: Strange and Memorable Locations

Sooner or later, I find myself wanting to include something strange to catch my players off guard. Typically, that's what players remember about a session: the new, the strange and the unexpected. There are some areas and strategies I find that make it a bit easier and some ideas that are important in such situations. It is these areas I wish to cover today.

Not Too Much

If something is meant to be strange, I find it works best if it's used 3 times or less in a campaign. The thing that makes the situation novel is that it is that it is new and unexpected. Using something strange and alien throughout a campaign can be a good thing and give the campaign itself a feeling of uniqueness. However, there are many times when I want something for one session and that is it. The lack of use makes that particular moment special instead of the campaign.

Breaking the Rules

The easiest and most straight forward way to create something strange and new is to play around with the rules the players are used to. They are used to walking? Maybe they float when they enter the room. They are used to seeing? Maybe the entire room is magically dark so that no light can be used. As a result, your players are forced to find their enemies through sound alone. Making things worse, there are obstacles that they can't see but you, the Dungeon Master, can.

Imagery and Description

Sometimes the scene and sights can contribute to how memorable something is. If there was only one NPC your players ever met with a broken nose, chances are that they'll remember that guy. For locations it's the same. This is doubly true if the sight is super odd. A strange painting is a good example. If all of the paintings are normal landscapes and there is one in a far corner that is different shades of darkness with mist and glowing eyes, the way it sticks out in the scene will help cement it in their minds. The opposite can be true as well. If something is too perfect or too imperfect, it may also catch the attention of your players and make it more memorable. In this case, it should be an exception in the general campaign. The same idea can extend to other senses, but I found that visual description are best remembers, especially when your players are good at picturing things in their mind.

Contents

Of course, locations will also have thing and people in them. If there is a particularly memorable character, it won't matter that the inn looks like almost every other with some slight details changed. I spent time giving ways to make locations no longer mundane but instead out of the ordinary. If every location is like that, the wonder is lost. Sometimes it's the unique inhabitants that make an otherwise mundane place memorable.

Events

Having gone through everything else, sometimes places are strange and memorable because of what happened in them. If they are in a mundane place but are told about how a crazy wizard tried to summon an undead army on that spot but ended up blowing himself to pieces, your players might remember it just because of the story. Even more memorable is if the players take part in the event. When I said strange in the title, it isn't only about otherworldly things. It can also be things they don't often see. Maybe the players spent most of their time in bustling towns and cities and now, they see mostly abandoned and burned houses in a big city. As they visit it again and again, it gets better and closer to its former glory but damage still remains on the walls as reconstruction is prioritized to more important places.