Using Real-Life Settings As Game Locations

Abandoned places fascinate me. Deserted amusement parks, forsaken shopping malls, vacated buildings of any sort. Almost all have a combination of beauty and creepiness. They also evoke stories. Why is this place abandoned? What happened here? Where did the people go? Why was this place built in the first place?

There are a number of techniques that can be used to turn abandoned places into locations for tabletop roleplaying games. They require research, but it can be worth the effort. Whether you’re keeping the location in the “real world” or some variation thereof, or are transporting it into another setting entirely, the research you do can turn into handouts and knowledge check materials for the players and their characters.

What’s the Hook?
The characters will need a reason to go there. Is it haunted? Did someone hide something there that needs to be recovered? Is someone hiding there now? Is there a secret base inside it that’s not actually abandoned? You can do a lot with these locations. You can even switch it up, and have the characters think they’re going there for one reason, only to find something else entirely.

Where Is This Place?
Getting there can be an adventure unto itself. If the location is remote, there will be geographical and weather considerations, climbing to do and rivers to cross. There may be bandits, refugees, homeless people… or just security guards, if the characters aren’t allowed to be there. Even if the location is across town, consider the part of town it’s in, what type of people live there, and how they’ll react. Sure, you’re thinking gangs and crime in bad neighborhoods, but in nice neighborhoods you’ll have nosy kids, nosy retirees, and concerned citizens watching strangers in the neighborhood, especially people interested in poking around that place.

Why Was it Built?
Sometimes this is easy. At the time it was built, there was a need. There was a boom. It was new, and different. Those are the up front reasons, of course. There may have been darker purposes at work. Research who built it. Find out what used to be there. Look at the materials used in construction. Those can all be clues to some deeper mystery. The name of the building may bring some associations as well. does it tie to some particularly prominent family who fell into scandal? Was it meant as a monument or legacy, so someone will be remembered? Did it have a specific purpose, which was later lost as the building was used for something else?

As a corollary, look at how the building affected the area around it. Did its fortune pull the economy up, only to drag it down again when it fell? Did it hurt local business, or drive away the very tourists it was meant to attract? Don’t forget to examine how the area affected the building — it would have succeeded, or been less controversial, or even failed faster, somewhere else.

Why Is It Abandoned?
It usually comes down to money. Someone built a newer, bigger one somewhere else. It was cheaper to do business somewhere else. The owners mismanaged it and it fell into disrepair and disfavor. Sometimes it’s disaster; fire, flood, earthquake, war. Look at why it’s stayed abandoned. This, too, usually comes down to money, but it could be to cover up the true activity going on inside or underneath. Then you have to ask: why wasn’t it torn down, or remodeled and repurposed? Who’s holding up the process? Why? Is ownership in dispute? Are development funds tied up? Is there political red tape, or a grassroots movement to preserve it?

Who Are The People?
In every case, you’re going to have at least one person who owns it, one person who wants to restore/preserve/use it, and one person who wants to knock it down and use the land for something else. At least one of each. With people comes conflict. This isn’t even counting the people with secret motives to find the hidden treasure, speak to the ghosts/aliens/monsters, or guard the other secrets.

Look for Coincidences
Why does the building have 11 floors? Why is it at that particular intersection? Why did they paint the outside that exact shade of that particular color? If any little detail strikes you as funny, a player is going to notice it too and want more information.

Making Maps, Taking Photos
Caveat: don’t go into abandoned buildings. It’s dangerous. They’re closed up for a reason. I disavow any knowledge of you if you get hurt. If it’s a place I’ve been to, or can get to, I take my own pictures of the outside. A simple web search will turn up tons of websites with pics of abandoned places, including exteriors. If you want to get hardcore, you can find blueprints of a lot of these places for free or at a low cost. I usually just fake my own maps, based on the size and shape of the building and the known locations of windows and doors from the photos.

Sharing Your Research
If you’re using the real world, in the modern day, print out the web pages or just share the links with your players. Instant handouts! If you’re tweaking things a bit, you can cut and paste text and photos and remove the bits you don’t need and add your own fun fake facts to support the plot.