I found some pictures today of a place called Hak Nam, City of Darkness or The Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. It was torn down in 1993 because of its unsanitary conditions and decrepid architecture and it was known for a long time as a den of lawlessness and inquity. Not to mention that it holds the record for the highest population density on earth.

I challenge you to read that article and look at these pictures and not be inspired to run an adventure in a hive!

"With the Triads weakened, the Walled City began to grow. Square buildings folded up into one another as thousands of modifications were made, virtually none by architects or engineers, until the entire City became monolithic. Labyrinthine corridors ran through the City, some former streets (at the ground level, and often clogged up with refuse), and some running through upper floors, through and between buildings. The streets were illuminated by fluorescent lights, as sunlight rarely reached the lower levels. There were only two rules for construction: electricity had to be provided to avoid fire, and the buildings could be no more than fourteen stories high, because of the nearby airport. Eight municipal pipes provided water to the entire structure (although more could have come from wells).

By the early 1980s, Kowloon Walled City had an estimated population of 35,000. The City was notorious for its excess of brothels, casinos, opium dens, cocaine parlours, food courts serving dog meat, and secret factories. The Kowloon Walled City was also infamous for its high number of unsanitary dentist clinics, since this was where unlicensed dentists could operate without prosecution."

Thank you for this! Great pictures to give my players a feel for what it's like in a hive.

My wife lived in Hong Kong as a child (her father was stationed there).

She remembers the Kowloon Walled city.

The British military and families were expressly forbidden from entering it apparently!

Maybe a good comment on how the uphivers would be segregated?

Wow, I've heard of this place but never seen pictures!

That second picture, with all the pipes overhead and the garbage, is 100% what a hive would look like.
Brilliant find.

I remember a scene from Bloodsport (I think) where Van Damme is walking or being lead through a hallway which I believe ends up being more of a street. The pictures remind me of that. I assumed he was in a run-down apartment complex but it turns out he was not. Been more than a few years though so I could be wrong.

"In film, the martial arts tournament in the 1988 film Bloodsport, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, takes place inside the Walled City."

Apparently so.

Seeing those images reminds me of another asian abandoned city! I offer unto you "Gunkanjima" an abandoned Japanese island originally used for coal mining, but now abandoned. Do an image search for it. It's weirdly anachronistic, mixing cast cement and stone with a woodwork. Very moody.

Ursca said:

Nice. Although now I wonder if I shouldn't go in for a brain scrubbing. Why my brain remembers such details I'll never know.

*Goes to actually read the article.*

Thanks for the Hak Nam pictures.

Hive city wannabes had been buzzing in my head for the past few months, I just couldn't get a clue where it was I saw this: (Bloodsport, again thanks). There's bound to be something akin to this in India perhaps? But basically just seeing what is outside the 'walled city', I can see that the area around it didn't look so bad (well it wasn't densely packed and was actually open). It was inside where a whole new macro-world emerged.

Just think Coruscant, but without the flash of outlandish technology I reckon. It just built on top of everything, and the depper you go the worse it gets.

Well, it's obviously less...large... than a hive city. By that I mean less tall and dark. I think the insides of a hive should be nearly completely without natural light, except in maybe the strange cases such as Volg. So, while this is as close to a hive as we have.....it's not even a hab block.

Wow cool pics! I found a place a bit like this when i was in Korea. All these huge, intertwined towerblocks, deserted...filled with rubbish, while the rest of Seoul is new and funky. But i was too scared to go in and explore

Maybe it was the prowling xeno cat-like creatures, or the servitor teddy bears abandoned in doorways...

www.oddee.com/item_96462.aspx <----- all of these places are fantastic inspiration for my game, hopefully they'll help you too. I've had a fascination with Kowloon Walled City since forever and ever, and I even showed my players an article on it, just to transmit a bit more feeling.