An Irish Castle, a Wallpaper, and a New Battlemap

Hi!
Sometimes even a wallpaper on my work desktop can spark an idea for the next battlemap.

It's funny how inspiration tends to find you when you least expect it. One moment you're working on something completely unrelated, and the next you're already imagining adventurers rowing toward a mysterious island tower.

It's a real shame that I don't know who took this photograph, because I'd genuinely love to give credit to the photographer. The image immediately caught my attention and refused to leave my head.

After a bit of digging, I managed to identify the location itself: Cloughoughter Castle in Ireland. If you're curious about its real-world history, you can read more about it here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloughoughter_Castle

That said... my version of this place will be a little more adapted to the realities of fantasy. 😉

One of the things I love most about using real places as inspiration is that, unlike many fantasy locations, you can actually visit them. Somewhere down the road there will be a battlemap inspired by this castle, and the original location is still standing out there in the real world.

I had a very similar feeling while playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance and later visiting the Czechia myself. Seeing places that inspired a game world -or walking through locations that feel like they belong in one - is always something special.

I will be sharing the whole creation process in update posts for my Patrons.

What about you?

Have you ever been to Ireland? Or maybe you live there?

Cheers!
~dransky