Continuing the series on fantasy environments started with Sea, this time its Hinterlands!
This was a struggle to find references for so going to come back soon! Also first version so will cycle back to update it!
Hinterlands Basics
Hinterlands are every part of "settled lands" that exists outside of cities and large urban areas. So farmlands, roads, mining towns, market towns, pastureland and outlying villages.
They are places of livestock herds, crop fields, travellers, merchant caravans and rural life.
They are often part of a fantasy campaign, but rarely the focus of them. Challenges might include livestock thieves, marauding monsters, rural cults, faerie curses, raiding bands, ruthless bandits and traveling circuses.
I've yet to find many RPGs focused on Hinterlands.
Sea Resources on Rand Roll
On Rand Roll there's...
- A number of random tables and articles for Fantasy Hinterlands, along with the related categories of Road.
- There is a guide to Random Tools Guide for Hinterlands, Villages and Farms
- Another guide for PDF and Book Titles for Fantasy Hinterlands.
- an article on Map Tools for Fantasy Hinterlands
Media, Books, Films
For fantasy books with a hinterlands theme try...(links to follow!)
- First part of the Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkein (book!)
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho with a shepherd in rural Spain
- The Rigante Series by David Gemmell, based on highlands of Scotland
Films and Series (IMDB links). Hmm still searching for these as a struggle!
- Last of the Summer Wine in Yorkshire!
- Dallas!
- Hot Fuzz, which gives some idea of life in rural England (kinda!)
- The Vicar of Dibley, comedy of a new vicar in a rural village
- Father Ted, a trio of catholic priests in rural Ireland
Published Adventures
For published adventures and settings there's...(links to follow)
- Against the Cult of the Reptile God!
- The old Village of Hommlett
- Many low level adventures set in smaller out of the way places!
Finishing Up
If you liked these there are Generators at Chaos Gen and a monthly random tools Newsletter. Or find us on the Rand Roll Discord or an instagram of Random Tables.
