The Creative Game Master's Guide to Extraordinary Locations: & How to Design Them

Colorful maps and intriguing locations to inspire Dungeons & Dragons and other RPG players and elevate their game.

Get your hands on the extraordinary adventure locations that Justin Alexander, bestselling author of So You Want to Be a Game Master, "can't wait to use in his own campaign" and the location design inspiration that David Hartlage (DMDavid) called "rocket fuel for your imagination."

The Creative Game Master's Guide to Extraordinary Locations & How to Design Them by RPG expert, Duncan Rhodes, is a collection of thirty original and inspiring locations that GMs can drop into their existing fantasy roleplaying games, either as standalone adventures, or as part of an ongoing campaign. Each fantasy location is versatile enough to incorporate into their existing worlds using any popular fantasy RPG ruleset, including Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder.

Thanks to full-color, full-page maps rendered by the talented cartographer Arturo Gómez Martínez (aka Nerdy Maps), this creative guide offers immersive, playable settings brimming with mystery, magic, and danger. Find plug-and-play adventure locations and world-building tools designed to make your campaigns unforgettable. Compelling Adventure Ideas are also included for each location, enabling GMs to employ engaging hooks for the players to visit, and to give them enough exploration, roleplaying and combat opportunities to drive at least one entire session of gameplay per location. GMs who are short on time can also use the Adventure Paths provided to link various locations together and play an entire adventure or mini-campaign with minimal prep and maximum impact.

"I can't wait to use these amazing locations in my own campaign! Whether they inspire adventures or are the perfect fit for plugging in when your players go diving into the unknown, Rhodes has given every fantasy game master exactly what they need!"

--Justin Alexander, USA Today Bestselling Author of So You Want to Be a Game Master, Award-Winning Creator of The Alexandrian

"Duncan Rhodes has created something very special--a tool that GMs can wield in the face of our greatest foes: unpredictable story direction and creative block. This is a weapon to generate locations for any adventuring heroes, no matter how far from the predicted path they tread, or to spark the imagination of any world builder seeking a diving board into the creative process."

--Will Earl, DnD Shorts YouTube Channel

"More than just inspired locations, this book keeps adding ways to prove invaluable, including dispensing advice, inspiration, and adventure seeds. It's rocket fuel for your imagination."

--David Hartlage, DMDavid.com

"A GM needs three things t o run a session: locations, maps, and random charts. The Game Master's Guide to Extraordinary Locations has all these--and then some."

--Professor DM, DungeonCraft YouTube Channel

"Duncan has given Game Masters a true gift with this book. Each location brims with atmosphere and story potential, and is ready to drop straight into your campaign. It's inspiring, practical, and endlessly usable--a resource I wish I 'd had years ago."

--M. T. Black, bestselling D&D designer

"Kudos to Rhodes for this fantastic and visually appealing toolkit for busy GMs. With a well-organized and inspiring system for creating memorable settings, complete with thirty pre-built locations, nine different terrains, and dozens of creative tables to spark instant adventure, this time serves as a recommended prep and improv GM aid."

--Johnn Four, Roleplayingtips.com

Author: Duncan Rhodes
Publisher: BlueStone Books
Published: 01/13/2026
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.60lbs
Size: 11.11h x 8.44w x 0.88d
ISBN: 9781965636305

About the Author
Duncan Rhodes first started playing Dungeons & Dragons in the late 1980s, when he would roll strange shaped dice on the floor of the school cloakroom between classes. He still juggles playing RPGs on a weekly basis with updating his blog, Hipsters & Dragons, and publishing his own D & D adventures on the DMs Guild. He is based in Barcelona, Spain.

Arturo Gómez Martínez is a digital artist, illustrator, and fantasy cartographer known by his Instagram handle, @nerdymaps. He is based in Barcelona, Spain.