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HI All

I'm planning some interesting planetary features for random planets In my BBW Lost World's campaign, based on real planetary geology. Especially for when my contrarian players say "those alien ruins are all very nice, but may be dangerous, so what's on the other side of that planet/moon/whatever...", and blow my weeks of planning out the window.

Yesterday's space image on X of this structure on the edge of the Sahara seemed ideal, so check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richat_Structure. aka the Eye of the Sahara or Guelb er Richât. 40km across and clearly visible from LEO at 300-400km up. Nice geologic and archeological finds too for the wildcatters - a Kimberlite pipe, so potential diamonds even in the absence of the archeological traces of intelligent tool-using life like our early hominids.

Naturally wikipedia linked it to Atlantis myth, yawn. Personally I favour the 'Death Star 1 reactor test' blast hole theory behind it's creation, but I'm a Rogue One star wars fanboy

Anyone got similar ideas for fun non-alien planetary features? Red herrings make the main Aliens missions that much more scary IMHO.

DX

This is not from the real world, but Alien: Into Charybdis had a huge hole-in-the-ocean feature playing a major role in the story. Very weird stuff and definitely something worth studying for scientists.

Other features that might draw Wildcatter interests might be:
--Surface fires (i.e. gas deposits)
--Antediluvian canyons and fresh earthquake upheavals (=cool geology)
--Meteorite craters (=rare metals [IIRC my geology then all gold on Earth was deposited by meteorites and asteroids, for instance])
--Regions with weird magnetism (=bonus for navigational challenges)

With Alien being the von Däniken-flogging franchise it is, Scientists might also be interesting in the "truth" behind things like The Giant Causeway (Ireland), The Bimini Road (Bahamas), Liang Bua/"Hobbit Cave" (Indonesia), 'cause the Engineers have obviously built/inhabited those places!

guys you are impressive specialists ....
hahahahah!

Arthur.

This is not from the real world, but Alien: Into Charybdis had a huge hole-in-the-ocean feature playing a major role in the story. Very weird stuff and definitely something worth studying for scientists.

Other features that might draw Wildcatter interests might be:
--Surface fires (i.e. gas deposits)
--Antediluvian canyons and fresh earthquake upheavals (=cool geology)
--Meteorite craters (=rare metals [IIRC my geology then all gold on Earth was deposited by meteorites and asteroids, for instance])
--Regions with weird magnetism (=bonus for navigational challenges)

With Alien being the von Däniken-flogging franchise it is, Scientists might also be interesting in the "truth" behind things like The Giant Causeway (Ireland), The Bimini Road (Bahamas), Liang Bua/"Hobbit Cave" (Indonesia), 'cause the Engineers have obviously built/inhabited those places!

Thanks, Angel. All great ideas - I also enjoyed Charybdis's vortex idea. I hadn't thought of the surface fires as gas deposit signs, I'll add that to the natural uranium/thorium ore hot spots. And I love the von Dankienism.

Glad to entertain you, Arthur. I was so impressed by your art of the Ferals & Black dogs on 1966.

DX