RPG Inspirational Place of the Day: The Great Wall of China

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“Great Walls” are a regular element of ancient and fantasy times.  The first one that anyone thinks of is the Great Wall of China.  The Great Wall that we see today was conceptualized in 1449, but earlier versions existed going back to the 5th century BC, according to Wikipedia.

Other examples of Great Walls include:

  • Hadrian’s Wall in the United Kingdom that marked the northern edge the Roman Empire and was constructed to prevent Pictish tribes from raiding the Romans.
  • The Great Wall of Gorgan in Iran was built to protect the Caspien Gates.
  • The Wall in the north of Westeros, guarded by the Night’s Watch in George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire fantasy book series.

In your constructed world, think about why, when and how a Great Wall would be created.  Due to magic in fantasy or technology in science fiction, a great wall may be built quickly and/or in a novel way.  Because the wall might have been built long ago, is it still in good repair?  Has it been destroyed in places? Has it been reused for something else such as an aqueduct?  Was it built for protection against a certain group (as with most walls) or was there some other more amazing purpose?