|
11 months ago ::
Aug 09, 2012 - 10:25PM
#11
|
|
|
Wanna know what happened to all those really fancy old Roman buildings that used to be where all the modern stuff is in Rome now? About two minutes after the fall of the Empire, people started disassembling them for materials to build more useful buildings - Especially with an uprising by a mercantile class, those guys are going to know the inherent value of all that worked stone and timber, and are likely to strip the whole damn place down to bare bones (and then sell the bones) within a matter of weeks.
If the local populace has grown at all since the fall of the local Lord, then that castle has likely been reduced to a pile of excess stones within a generation or two.
And that's assuming they didn't just tear the damn thing down out of spite.
That is a good point. The Colosseum was for instance torn down bit by bit over the years to build thrones and other things for the rich of Renaissance Italy.
Resident Grouch and Corrupting InfluenceA Monster AppearsI'm Black and Blue how 'bout you?
|
|
|
|
11 months ago ::
Aug 09, 2012 - 10:38PM
#12
|
Date Joined:
Jun 10, 2004
|
Hrm... how "ruins" do you want? 'cause I think in a geographically stable area (that is, no fault lines, no earthquakes, etc.) in a frozen tundra (like some parts of Alaska) that a castle could stand preserved for a long time. Mostly standing, but not really pristine... though the weight of snow could have causesd the roof to cave in in some areas...
But really, if you want good ol' proper ruins, then there's always the good standby of "that was 40 years ago. We left it alone for many years, but 20 years after that there was a huge earthquake that crumbled parts of the castle. No one's gone in it since." I mean heck, even areas that don't normally get earthquakes get 'em sometimes, y'know?
A wild EscherEnigma appears!
He looks on with disapproval.
ITS SUPER EFFECTIVE!
|
|
|
|
11 months ago ::
Aug 09, 2012 - 10:41PM
#13
|
|
|
He could go with that but realistically if it is in living memory of most around then the more than likely excuse is that half of it was torn down and salvaged by the locals cuz any other means of making ruins would take longer than a couple decades be in a completely different environment.
Resident Grouch and Corrupting InfluenceA Monster AppearsI'm Black and Blue how 'bout you?
|
|
|
|
11 months ago ::
Aug 10, 2012 - 3:28AM
#14
|
|
|
Hrm... how "ruins" do you want? 'cause I think in a geographically stable area (that is, no fault lines, no earthquakes, etc.) in a frozen tundra (like some parts of Alaska) that a castle could stand preserved for a long time. Mostly standing, but not really pristine... though the weight of snow could have causesd the roof to cave in in some areas...
Actually, that kind of place is impressively hard on anything built of stone. All it takes is a tiny crack in the stone or mortar for moisture to get into. Water gets in, then it gets cold enough to freeze. Now you have an even wider crack, and the shift of the stone created even more cracks for water to get into. Add into that the way the ground gets swampy over the permafrost, and you have a recipe for ruin in a fairly short time.
Boraxe wrote: "Knowledge of the rules and creativity are great attributes for a DM, but knowing when to cut loose and when to hold back, when to follow the rules and when to discard them, in order to enhance the enjoyment of the game is the most important DM skill of all."
Keeper of the Sacred Kitty Bowl of the House of Trolls.
Resident Kitteh-napper.
|
|
|
|
11 months ago ::
Aug 10, 2012 - 5:53AM
#15
|
Date Joined:
Jun 10, 2007
|
Here's a thousand words: Spoiler:
Show
|
|
|
|
11 months ago ::
Aug 13, 2012 - 4:05PM
#16
|
- Biohazard Barbie, on sale now!
Date Joined:
Sep 15, 2005
|
Here's a thousand words:
Spoiler:
Show
Once abandoned it could take a century to be over-run with wilderness. Hell it wasnt that long ago that Chernobyl was abandoned and it is over run with plants and so forth so fifty years is about the amount of time required for a seedling to turn into a big tree.
The Citadel Megadungeon: http://yellowdingosappendix.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/the-citadel-mega-dungeon-now-with-room.html
|
|
|
|
11 months ago ::
Aug 14, 2012 - 1:49AM
#17
|
Date Joined:
May 14, 2010
|
so fifty years is about the amount of time required for a seedling to turn into a big tree.
This is a pretty good way to look at it, actually.
A redwood tree takes a hundred years to grow three hundred feet(3 feet a year avg). Kudzu can grow a foot a day.
|
|
|
|
11 months ago ::
Aug 14, 2012 - 6:12PM
#18
|
Date Joined:
Apr 29, 2006
|
There's a series on the Discovery channel called "Life After People". The basic premise is what would happen if every person on the planet suddenly vanished. It goes into great detail how different types of structures, momuments, and landmarks would age, how they would age differently, and why.
|
|
|
