So as some ppl liked my post apoc locations I thought more about how the point was partly for places to fight but they didn't quite get vibe of that. So here are 100 horrible places to battle for post apoc or possibly some other settings.
Unlike normal environments people live in these can have various natural hazards like collapsing, nails under mud, floors that collapse and other problems so beware of moving quickly. Try to be careful but make good judgements if you need to make snap decisions.
Top Ten Tips
1 Give each a spectacular name or something ironic in present
2 Should have inherent danger in the environment
3 Lighting may be functional intact, added in later or BYO
4 Water, gas, electricity, datalinks may be intact
5 Maybe intact security or something improvised later by somebody
6 Generally not inhabited and renown as danger and trouble
7 Offer dynamic environments with levels, cover, things to climb or jump
8 Ruins may have a haunted vibe or be overgrown, reclaimed and primal by nature
9 Many are huge expansive areas you could search for days
10 Build up some lore and history of the site
Steal real-world maps and satellite pix or google maps. Contemplate how they might have been changed on the cusp of interstellar civilisation (or not if rural or backwoods or developing tech poor using 21st century garbage still). Did anyone else occupy the building since the apocalypse? Find some good modern ruins in your town or online. Look up ruin porn on google and ignore ones with humans in them (unless humanless material culture and decay get you off the go for it). Cave Clan and underground explorers have a beautiful underground from a drain and from a crane shot.
Obviously, miniatures are nice too but even just some modular scenery - Mophidious make lots of good sets often on sale. Recent marvel miniature game has modern kits and you can buy lots of game parts and minis from boardgames online easily. I use big Jenga blocks to define a room and doorways then use minis and scatter terrain lots. Some 40k skirmish gamers might lend you some stuff for a one-off fight. I used to play in wargaming clubs with good stuff like this for common use.
Like a wargame, you might want to place objectives in areas people fight over. Artefacts, information, land or people. Why do people want this land and will fight over it. Many of these might be areas gangs battle over constantly.
d12 SImple Ruin Hazards
1 Spikes or caltrops damage floor
2 Area disturbed ceiling or wall collapses
3 Too much weight floor collapses
4 Pit with crumbling edges
5 Pit or hazard but possible to climb over
6 Flooded area
7 Nest of vermin
8 Everything breaks and crumbles on contact that possibly has a chain reaction
9 Area is highly flammable possibly with gas
10 Contamination with chems or radioactive or exposed electrical workings
11 Mechanical boobytraps purpose-built by human or animal
12 Intact advanced security or explosives or high-tech based traps
d12 Ways to make location worse
1 Infamously overrun by various gangs who fight here often, lots of new graffiti always here
2 Flooded with water, possibly contaminated or hospitable to a dangerous life
3 Guarded by synthetics possibly security or a machine faction like robots, androids or borgs
4 An AI is supposed to be in charge of the area, maybe it wants help, or it wants new pets or is crazy. Some might just use the site for experiments or a secret base
5 Area has security cameras and sensors and possibly drones controlled by who knows
6 Contaminated by radioactive, chems or biological matter (some bioplague), some areas have been used as a dump or contaminated by
7 Undead lair here, some might be ancients contaminated by necrovirus plagues. Mostly lurk by night but many are hidden sleeping by day that could be disturbed
8 Overrun by mutants some intelligible others now mindless lusting chimaera horrors or even protoplasm with tentacles. Even intelligent ones used to persecution and hostile or possibly secretive cults or cannibals
9 Bunker under the area possibly intact with wary survivors or now a lair
10 Plant or animal life attracted to the area to breed, nest, sleep or forage here. The life form can be found all over the location. Rage from vermin to preditors or even mobile plants or fungus
11 Area is populated by aggressive prospectors and scavengers who are armed and assemble or hide to face intruders
12 Battleground with remains of combatants, mines, traps, unexploded munitions, craters, battle damage
d10 Quick Types of Places to have a Firefight
01 Housing - former housing now horrible ruins
02 Industrial - large scale industry sites
03 Transit - remains of ancient transport
04 Highrise - skyscrapers, office buildings and apartment blocks
05 Nature - areas former parks or overgrown
06 Institutions - public and state buildings
07 Nature - gardens, wilderness and weird
08 Military - remains of warfare
09 Recreation - former places of pleasure
10 Wonders - ancient mega-structures or remains of war
d100 Places to have a Firefight
01 Ruined housing block, most roofless and ruined, formerly occupied by gangs who left graffiti and traps, possibly some inhabitants hiding here
02 Ruined housing block flooded and garbage-strewn and overgrown with vegetation, crawling with vermin in the rotting matter, some creature lairs
03 Row of townhouses with damage many now connected by holes in walls into a warren used by gangs as a fortification, some traps and barricades
04 Ruined townhouses with scaffolding and rooftop platforms, ramps and bridges connecting built by a gang and used as a lair
05 Housing block collapsed into a sinkhole, some houses rubble others connected to sewers and drains and a cave made by flowing water. The cave is strewn in garbage, mist and flowing waterfalls, the perfect lair for some creatures
06 Fire burned out hosing block most buildings are blackened, some roofless or just rubble
07 Housing blocks damaged and semi collapsed with large animal burrows over area increasing damage and hazards
08 Ruined housing estate damaged and vandalised with traps actually is the current home of a gang or cult in hiding who don't want visitors
09 Ruined housing area at one stage was reclaimed with walls and walkways on rooftops, but some large predatory creature has a nest here now
10 Overgrown with vegetation (or fungus) some plants dangerous or even ambulant and carnivorous. Visibility is poor and many entrances choked by vegetation
11 Industrial Complex such as refinery, chemical plant, food factories, gas works or brewery. A maze of pipes, scaffolding and walkways and large interiors
12 Powerplant complex, badly damaged possibly and shutdown by last survivors. Some areas were contaminated badly, many control rooms and cavernous pipe filled interior spaces
13 Warehouse complex, mostly looted and even some inhabited previously, some sealed and protected by an ancient security
14 Industrial park where smaller specialist manufacturers operate variously microfacies with various industries. Making parts, food, packaging and even speciality recycling. Building use varies from blasted to rebuilt by contemporary folk from scrap or even may be intact. Various inhabitants have own easily defendable buildings so all kinds of surprises in close area
15 Abotoir with huge sheds, cattle pens, ramps, machinery and warehouse. Possibly includes processing plant, refrigeration, transport hub or even a cloning plant
16 Manufacturing plant often highly automated and some with intact security. Vehichle transit depot
17 Quarry or mining site with huge pit, mining machinery and prefab buildings, some may have been settled or occupied by a gang or overgrown by nature. Often with flooded coloured pools
18 Wrecking yards with mounds of trash, giant machinery and recycling facilities. Areas will be specialised in certain goods and more popular for certain animals or trash scavengers
19 Sewerage treatment plant or substation often partly or completely underground. Often with some huge open areas and some huge pump and refining stations. Some have surface pools or huge tanks Often used as a transit point or lair for animals or gangs or secretive groups
20 Famous factory of a popular snack food adorned with mascots and a museum. The name alone attracts explorers and gangs seeking ancient nostalgia and free snacks or idols for cults
21 Area of train or car tunnels with wrecks inside, multiple entry stations and service areas, connected to miles of tunnels. Various areas some inhabited as lairs. Some were transcontinental or intercontinental or once connected to undersea tunnels
22 Rail complex with many huge sheds, a hundred or so carriages, cattle cars, freight cars and other large machinery around tracks. Some former gang lairs or settler camps
23 Area with various highways meet with tunnels, bridges,overpasses. Some areas fortified by bandits or gangs. Plenty of wrecked vehicles and some sections of elevated highway may have been cut off or later occupants left walkways, ladders and ramps. Road gangs often occupy or pass through places looking for scrap or fights
24 Gridlock traffic area with hundreds or even thousands of vehicles trapped on-road as the world collapsed. Many with baggage and bodies still ut in some areas they will have been looted and possibly boobytrapped
25 Airport huge or small with just some sheds and a strip. Some might include a wrecking yard most have many neglected vehicles and scrap. Possibly just a location with one or more wrecks scattered over an area
26 Trainwreck scattered over area, possibly sabotaged or colided with other vehicle or entering tunnel. Some sub trains even erupted through ground
27 Highrise rail and or highway elevated on huge pylons. Some sections collapsed forming islands or ramps. Some have vehicles or settlements or lairs built-in and some have been overgrown in plant life. Noteworthy sections are where lines merge, enter tunnels or have offramps reaching the ground
28 Train station complex on surface or underground often adopted as lairs by feuding gangs, or worse. May have wrecked trains at the platform or large scale sheds and complicated footbridges and passages connecting lines
29 Wrecked seagoing ship or airship now overgrown with scattered trash and cargo
30 Truckstop with a service station, diner and sometimes even warehouses and a garage especially if a corporate line. Some might be linked to rail or have a drone fleet hanger
31 Highrise poor apartment estate covered in battle damage and graffiti but somehow has remained occupied continuously. Local gangs protect their own turf and there is a community on upper floors but the streets are a combat zone
32 Burned-out row of highrise buildings with intact beam structure, skeletons with a few intact floors or rebuilt areas. Buildings connected by ramps, bridges and swing lines used by gangland inhabitants
33 A collapsing skyscraper fell and are became a domino effect of toppling ruined buildings mashed together. Despite this there are intact areas, buried and hidden sections and tunnels made by past inhabitants making the chaotic warren a nightmare
34 Hospital building some areas still secured by martial law protocol robot security, but due to interest in drugs and medical supplies some areas abandoned and where mutants and gangs battle
35 An aircraft or off skyrail line or airship has struck and impaled several skyscrapers connecting them precariously yet still fairly intact
36 Area where highrises are partly flooded and many oldest prewar buildings collapsed and have become overgrown. Crawling with mutant bugs and
37 Highrise buildings seem to have some huge insect colony with strange organic threads linking other buildings. Giant insects in some built hive mostly ignore the surface keeping to upper heights and underground but killing any enrages them
38 Plaza is surrounded by various designer highrises with open areas, a park and several monuments. Often have lots of steps and possibly a water feature. At a crossroads, the plaza attracts various factions and gangs to fight here and scavenge for wealth
39 Shopping mall complex connecting lower floors of several buildings
40 Remains of a VIP arcology complex
41 Botanic gardens now overgrown with plants and animals but also various bandstands, workshops, cafes, small museums, sheds and various victorian and space-age greenhouses.
42 Area of ruins overrun by some fast-growing mutant or weaponised weed. The plant can be hostile in the deeper areas and all kinds of buildings and vehicles are choked under growths. Some animal life may have adapted or even eat the weed
43 Trees have reclaimed area many strange things are fused into trees and roots and buildings are being slowly covered. Various pools have formed and arboreal creatures enjoy the environment. Seeing robots, cars and monuments smothered is a bit eerie
44 Series of buildings with roof gardens have been connected. Each an islands some with crops or overgrown with vines and trees. Various scrap walkways and ziplines connect points at different levels, many inaccessible from ground
45 Greenhouse complex with hundreds of sheds, poly domes, warehouses, mounds of soil, tanks, chem stores and scrap. Often might include a lab or specialist climate-controlled greenhouses or aquaculture ponds. Often overgrown by vegetation but it might also have been overgrown then died
46 An area with huge trees has had someone build tree houses and connect them by walkways, too difficult to find possibly ladders, ropes or elevator all above during some siege. Someone lived here for generations before something moved them on
47 Area thick with vegetation and something has burrowed among the roots. Possibly someone colonised and expanded it and built some areas into concealed homes among roots. Come quite large spaces deeper down
48 Overgrown crops, bamboo or tall grass. Various walkways through but requires a machete to hack through. Various crawlways and tunnels through vegetation connect to inside some huge bushes where hidden rooms have been made comfortable. Sometimes machinery or buildings or forgotten crawlways can be discovered moving off the path. Flammable in the dry season
49 Some creature has woven nest in the trees from silk or grass. Possibly the creature has moved out and some people moved in for a time. Connects multiple trees with bridges and cables with various hidden chambers
50 An area sprawling with an alien ecology of mutants, macrobes, fugi and strange plants and many strange unfamiliar creatures and sights
51 Wall of scrap compound built here by settlers and razed by gangs. Gangs still come here to loot and fight. A sizable community and homes in and around the fort once thrived. Lots of sad stories of past settlers among the rubble
52 Fortified and graffitied fortress operated by a gang dominating various other ruins
53 A compound run by slavers with pens for slaves and marketplace. Often prefer an actual prison or slaughter yard or railyard. Some deal with cannibals
54 A gladiator fighting pit where various gladiators, mutants or machines were killed for sport. Possibly operational quite or even if ruined a few left for dead creatures and robots revived and live here still
55 A village built of scrap but unknown to most has a maze of underground cellars and tunnels and sewers connected by years of use by occupants and possibly burrowing mutants. Signs that inhabitants all vanished leaving lots of quality garbage behind
56 A bunker was found and reinhabited for a brief period before new inhabitants were all killed, used as a lair since and occasionally explored by scavengers
57 A traders caravan stop incorporating ancient buildings, a scrap built wall and often some ancient truck or train wrecks. Often incorporated an eatery and inn. Raiders came and drove them off but there is plenty of scrap here and gangs fight over it
58 Village built on a raft or an island in a body ow water. Possibly connected by causeways and sometimes has multiple islands linked by bridges. Not especially deep but often dangerous aquatic creatures live here. Some such villages hidden in marsh or on stilts. Plenty of boat wrecks and smaller boats amongst them all. Sea ones often built on oil rigs or other structures offshore
59 Gangland fortress badly damaged and burned with many bodies from some past attack. Well built-in with some heavy siege weapons employed before the gang exterminated. Plenty of gang scavengers come here looking for loot and fighting each other still
60 Raceway where gangs came to compare vehicles. A fortified clubhouse and garage is here and various dirt tracks with loops, jumps, water and mud hazards and treestumps surround it. Even if abandoned the ever fewer vehicles come here to test their ability
61 A vast library of ancient books in an impressive building with artworks and millions of books. Various terminals and electronic media are to be found too. Some sections may be damaged and burned out others intact with possibly robot librarian defenders. Certain factions treasure these places so others want to tear them down. Some have surface destroyed but underground archives for important history and books and art
62 Museum - either a old fashioned made to look edwardian or a space age one with holographic and android displays. Typically history and or natural history an sciences
63 Zooligical Gardens with cloned and android animals possible, many had AI and advanced DNA labs to save and replicate lost species. Some of these have been known to still be creating prehistoric and other animals. Such places are highly desirable to occupy for certain cultd and factions. Many fake habitat areas. In urban areas may be quite compact or specialist, rural parks can be sprawling and more likely to have strange animal life or even specialise in dinosaurs or pliestocene animals
64 Government building ranging from records to specific departments and the chambers used for political debate and votes. From local council to state or federal rep offices. Often grand buildings with monuments and historic records and artworks. Quite often damaged
65 Monument often a huge statue or obelisk or temple like building, may include a holographic os sound recording and other interactive displays or at least a sign. Bigger local population and centre of city the bigger it is. Some large with elaborate interiors and concealed infrastructure staff areas inside
66 Art gallery - famous works duplicated and printed on display to look like original unless you touch them. Often a vault area still sealed full of original works and various storage and curatorial and admin areas
67 Planetarium - space discovery centre with holographic display areas
68 Fire station with huge garage, barracks and a courtyard for training excercises
69 Police barracks - where police trained in live in barracks with motor pool, firing range and various training areas. Often damaged and looted by mobs but a few may have intact robots
70 Hospital complex often several towers linked by tubes and ambulance station in base and emergency areas. Often some upper and sub levels are still secured. A huge carpark area or tower is close. Lots of gangs come here looking for drugs and to fight
71 Ancient checkpoint with barracades, tents and portable buildings
72 Prison camp built from portable prefab modules with walls, guard towers and hundreds of cells and pens for some mass arrests and incarcerations at the end time. Older concrete ones millitary, private and civilian are also possible
73 Remains of abandoned ancient millitary vehicles people still fight over despite well looted wrecks. Might have been military wrecking yard or a battlefield
74 Area of walls built with wrecked vehicles and other barricades that were breached long ago. People still come to fight over this area. A famous siege with a makeshift fort was destroyed with several thousand lives lost. Craters, burned wrecks and trenches are everywhere. Some land mines and other unexploded munitions and traps
75 Missile silo (usually empty) where the crew lived for some time until abandoning. Factions or gangs often live in them for a time. Rare intact ones have anti-personnel defences and even security AI and robots
76 Anti-missile defence area, often damaged by missile fire, huge concrete surface structure and bunkers where anti-missile missiles were launched from with several radar dishes. Buildings might be domes or polygon shapes
77 Base with barracks, commando course, mess, armoury and motor pool around parade grounds. Smaller and more compact in urban areas, bigger ones in wilds with huge fences and warning signs. Many might have been damaged in an attack
78 Military bunker complex possibly partly intact or a complete ruin where gangs and animals fight over lairs
79 Military camp area occupied the site at the end times leaving tents, trenches, garbage, equipment and bodies. Some remains of defences and vehicles were abandoned also. Possibly it postdates the war and is an army of gangs or even mutants or abhumans
80 An area with ruins with an unexploded warhead. People know about and are wary as the device makes noises and counts down when people disturb it. Some might desire it. Possibly has an AI warhead you can talk to. Could be bomb, gas, biological or psychotronic warhead
81 Swiming pool or water park complex. Some with scaffolding and huge water slides, possibly aquariums but mostly lots of pools and playground equipment. Will have work sheds, entrance, admin and retail outlets and food court. Some had artificial waves and beaches. Aquatic creatures may colonise the park. Often walled and may have been occupied by gangs
82 CInema complex with huge and small theatres with 3d holo-pits and even some even more ancient 2d screens for historical vids. Will have an entrance, staff areas and food outlet. Often quite large complex and roof may have been utilised by someone
83 Theme park with outlandish walls, buildings and gardens. Many with rides, holographic projections, androids and robots. Often was controlled by AI. Popular for gangs to fight over who might descend from park staff and in theme with park area
84 Country club with a large mansion, hotel, garden, golf course, the landing pad for VIP aircraft and an artificial lake. Despite walls and security gangs long to wreck the joint and will have left everything a ruin if possible. Some are reclaimed by elitists as settlements which attract even more gangs
85 Studio complex where films, games and holovids are made, huge green interior spaces and screens for actors or androids to perform in a warehouse of props and clothing. Some have tourist access. Smaller ones are often niche genre films or productions. Often AI-controlled and well secured. Many in costume or persona synthetic beings here and sometimes even settlers might have moved in to resume production or live inside artificial environments inside
86 Huge sports centre with training areas, change rooms, admin, various indoor and outdoor sports fields and areas where various popular combat sports were broadcast from. Often built for some Olympics or some funding grift
87 Adventure dome complex where various simulated adventure holidays were operated with sets, holograms and androids. Bigger parks have more worlds while many specialise in one genre or market. Some are family others are more sleazy. Slaughter Seven was a complex that broadcast celebrities and ordinary winners being hunted by android simulacra of seven of the worst killers in history. The seven changed but were selected by an AI and the hunted contestant through a simulated ruined apocalypse with a huge red sun. AI operating these just want to run contestants through the adventure. Some post-apocalypse AI have become nastier. Some historical or themed to a franchise or IP. Some for kids, youths, families, the elderly, religious, sadists or perverts. Some complexes even operated as therapy adventures. Some get hijacked or go mad and remove safety protocols
88 Megamall arcology a huge multi-floor open space with hundreds of shops and apartments. A luxury habitat where rich play and shop. Some intact but most burned and rampaged in by cannibal gangs eating the rich. Often inhabitants were killed by contamination leading to undead or mutants. People fight over malls for the sealed treasure troves
89 Aquadome a floating marine arcology (possibly a pyramid or ziggurat) with luxury living and shopping with various water-related entertainments of the rich. Sort of a luxury cruise ship city. Some have half sunk or been overrun by marine life. Some have settlers trying to reclaim or pirates use as a base. Many sealed areas and many are even bigger under the sea or tethered to seafloor industry. Some of these were independent city-states founded by cults or fringe groups but mostly the rich
90 Gaea Dome Garden - a paradise for the rich or for brief visits for the mob. Archology with sealed habitat and luxury apartments. Some systems are biological and utilise AI. Not al domes, pyramids, cones, highrise citadels and cubes were popular too. Some ruined and overgrown some still operating or recolonised or automated
91 Gauntlet where someone mimicking the strange death games of the apocalypse have made a giant booby trap-filled murder maze. Some were inspired by computer games or other themes but mostly gangland sadists. Some used to test recruits but mostly to torment victims for a safe audience. Quite a few of these have been overrun and destroyed by colonies uniting to put a stop to these death cult complexes. Each section may have wildly different hazards, audience participation and even boss monster to overcome or hunters paying on a turkey shoot to hunt humans for sadistic sport. Some might have some more sinister purpose
92 Great arc complex, a subterranean city for survivalists now overrun by gangs, mutants and worse. New areas are occasionally opened and various trigger happy looters and creatures will explore the space. Many have undead or synthetic defenders like androids or robots. Some may have fortified colonies of settlers
93 Starport where orbital and lunar shuttle services and high-speed close orbit transit operate from. Often public areas are cavernous waiting areas but there are substantial baggage areas, admin and staff-only areas. Multiple damaged wrecks are on the tarmac or still in launch silos. The centre AI is usually in the control tower or command bunker. Some vehicles could be salvaged or launched at least once to get to the treasure-filled orbitals in the sky. Often sites where gangs fight over loot areas
94 CItadel tower, a complete arcology in a single skyscraper often 50 stories or hundreds of stories, a self-contained living shopping and workspace. Few are intact and sealed, many have parts ruined and damaged and others intact. Some colonists reclaimed some ruins and repair them with scrap found in the site. Each had own power and AI and VIP suites tended to be the upper levels. Quite a few have been settled or held on to by survivors and somehow still operating despite constant decay. Some have areas overgrown. It's a whole world to explore and possibly dominate
95 Mutant shantytown near a bigger town where more obviously mutant outcastes live. Gangs and others often battle over crime and vice territories and many mutants sick of it join in the fights. Some severe mutants especially hide in subterranean tunnels or sprawling ruined mazes keep the least human ones
96 Necropolis is often around a graveyard, hospital or quarantine camp and includes adjacent wilderness or ruined urban sprawl where many undead live. People don't like fighting here but a brave and lucky gang can use the area to surprise enemies on the other side. Often some faction will try to use the undead territory as a buffer zone using walls or fences or secured tunnels. Most frequently graveyards come up and such areas are often riddled with the undead, empty or water-filled graves, broken coffins human remains
97 Area under influence of psychotronic weapons, possibly ancient warhead or some other sinister force often to keep people out. Most common such weapons cause fear, diarrhoea, hallucinations, sensations of burning and in worst cases turn victims into berserker cannibal killer beasts or turn them into soldiers of some ancient faction. Victims can be treated but keeping out of the area or removing victims is the best treatment if done quickly. Often covers some ruin or secret lab or base or bunker. Some come here to test if they can resist
98 A new complex or ruin has just been opened and everything is in good condition and every gang and state in our wants control sending in fighters. Fighting looters make areas havok fires may break out or automated security may awaken. Often industrial sites or gated communities. Can include contemporary scrap towns just fallen to invaders or abandoned
99 Huge bridge with inbuilt apartments and retail outlets and wharf facility. Some massive pylons may have whole ships tangled in them or islands of garbage. Some partly collapsed. Often a choke point for travel or just a good place to fight over
100 Huge craters still contaminated surrounded by the trash of collapsed buildings. Despite being so inhospitable its location makes crossing it an advantage and worth the risk briefly. Many may be inhabited by strange life or mutants. Various ring zones around the blast point have varied degrees of contamination and ruins. As centre clearest groups either side may spot each other from across it and start to fight
