Quote Originally Posted by Altair_the_Vexed View Post
Good point - I've got some comments on that in the first blog post (Resources) and I'm planning to cover that in the next post, but you're right.
Note that resources needn't be material. Pilgrimage sites can lead increased "tourism" can lead to fairs/market fairs can establish an important stopping point for trade routes despite it possibly being out of the way.

Likewise a convenient stopping point that touches a few trade routes can generate a settlement if only for the networking opportunities