As I work through some of the lore of the lands of Bug & Claw, I gave myself a bit of a task around settlements. Understanding how large a settlement was, as well as what type of special features it may have has helped greatly in pondering what story opportunities might exist there. Sometimes I go the other way around with story-first, but this method helped get a lot of items out in bulk. A giant list of settlements is coming shortly, but in the meantime this is how I'm working through some of their classifications.
As an aside, this blog uses markdown as its primary means of writing, and markdown tables are incredibly frustrating sometimes. Why can't you do a col-span in markdown? So dumb.
Size classifications
How many residents there are will generally determine the classification of a settlement, though some locals may disagree.
| D10 | Population | Old language | New language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 to 10 | Posts, camps, stations | --- |
| 2 | 1 to 25 | Hole | Thorp |
| 3 | 25 to 75 | Burrow | Hamlet |
| 4 | 75 to 200 | Mound | Village |
| 5 | 200 to 1,000 | Hill | Town |
| 6 | 1,000 to 4,000 | Large hill | Large town |
| 7 | 4,000 to 10,000 | Nest | City |
| 8 | 10,000 to 25,000 | Large nest | Large city |
| 9 | 25,000 to 100,000 | Hive | Metropolis |
| 10 | 100,000+ | Megahive | Megatropolis |
Special qualities
If a quality is in parentheses “( )” it means that quality isn’t known to everyone. It may be kept a secret or just undiscovered.
| D10 | Special quality | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lost | This location has been lost to infection– radioactive, biological, chemical, fungal, or a combination. Exposure is not recommended without protection, and any infected survivors may be… different. |
| 2 | Haven | Sites where crystals are particularly abundant and non-kin seem to flock. Havens come and go every 20 years or so. |
| 3 | Archives | An important library, archive, museum, or some other repository exists here. Often because there’s a reason to study, educate, or learn. |
| 4 | Holy site | Many new religions exist, as well as places of worship. Holy sites, however, denote a very significant place that bug-kin either flock to and pray or consider particularly special connected with their religion. |
| 5 | Law | Major courts, prisons, or other judiciary-related things exist here. |
| 6 | Ruins | Mysterious sites that still exist from human times. |
| 7 | Stronghold | The settlement is either in whole or part very fortified. It may be in the style of a castle, keep, fort, fortress, or something else. |
| 8 | Royalty | Royal figures, property, and guards are prevalent here. |
| 9 | Hub | This place has become a major hub for trade or transit. |
| 10 | Resources | This location is known for some kind of mineable, gather-able, or otherwise harvestable resource. |