City Campaigns

[Mercurius]

Context - I just started gaming again for the first time in years, playing 4e with a group of four others twice a month or so. We are currently running DCC #54 - Forges of the Mountain King. Given my busy schedule (two kids, teaching job, etc) I like the idea of running modules, although I will customize them to fit my "points-of-light-esque" campaign setting. I wanted to run a pretty straight-forward dungeon crawl so that we could learn the rules, get back in the hang of things. When we're finished with Forges (maybe about a month from now) they'll be 4th level and will head back to the regional city, where I plan on running DCC #56 - Scions of Punjar.

Which brings me to this post. I don't think I've ever run a city adventure and am very intrigued by it, as well as the general sandbox-style of play. I have a general outline of the city, but I'm trying to figure out how much detail I want to pre-plan. The idea is to detail the city as much as possible, and various locations in the surrounding region, with only a general idea of the wider world (there is a post-apocalyptic quality to the setting and thus not much is known about the world beyond the region). Some questions:

1) What is the ratio of buildings per capita of a fantasy city? The city has about 20,000, so I'm trying to figure out roughly how many buildings I should draw on the city map.

2) What are some great resources for shops, taverns, etc? What are the very best sourcebooks for my purposes?

3) What are the barebone details of a city that I have to know before running an adventure in it? I want to plan more than the barebones, but don't want to miss any of the basics.

Any tips you have would be appreciated!

 

[Filcher]

You need this:

RPGnet RPG Game Index: Punjar: The Tarnished Jewel

Goodman gave it away at Free RPG Day. City map, ward details and all that.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Spend $4.99 and get Punjar straight as PDF.

Much easier than trying to draw out the maps and what not.

The GM Gems has some tables that will be handy for a city.

For speicfic buildings, there are a lot of mapping bits out there from Øone's and Skeleton Key to Paizo and WoTC.

As you're already planning on running an adventure in and of itself, read through it, decide what you want to change and pop back in with questions.

 

[Mercurius]

Perhaps I wasn't clear. I am planning on running Scions of Punjar, but adapting it to a city in my campaign setting. I did get The Tarnished Jewel PDF and plan on using it for ideas, as well as ways to put locations into my own city. But I definitely want to use my homebrew, with bits and pieces added on.

So what I'm looking for is two things:

1) general city design ideas, especially the "best of" supplements and accessories that might help (like how are the Streets of Shadow dungeon tiles? What resources have the best shops and other city info? Etc.)
2) tips on running a city-based campaign

The overall campaign isn't only in the city, but I want it to be the home-base, and not just a "passive location" between adventures, but a living place that role-play can occur within.

 

[Gilladian]

As far as what to be sure to detail:

3 inns and 3 taverns minimum; the best, mediocre and worst of each one. That way when the PCs decide to go info gathering, you have places for them to "hit". Names of more places that you can "insert" your detailed locale into.

The temple your party is most likely to deal with regularly.

The local watch official and a typical patrol unit.

Several street urchins or beggars or the like. They always come in handy!

A band of street thugs or other villainous types who would be found on the docks or back alleys. Maybe several of these for different neighborhoods.

A weapons shop and/or armory where PCs will buy and sell weapons and other gear collected during adventures. Same for the wizard; if not an actual "magic shoppe" at least a place where he can buy scrolls and commission inks and spell components. An apothecary or alchemist for potions, if you allow them to be freely bought and sold; in one of my games this was a CANDY store! The potions were sold as a side venture... buying brandied cherries became synonymous with healing potions. A fence for the rogue to deal with. A moneylender/banker may be needed. A gem buyer/jewelsmith/ to buy gems and small artworks. Each of these places should at least be marked on the city map, have an owner's name and a general personality (so they can either love or hate them).

A residence for the PCs if they aren't gonna stay at an inn long-term. Either a boarding house with a nice, nosy owner, or a rental property with a pesky landlord, or a vacant property they can "inherit" somehow. Servants for said residence. The local street (who are the neighbors; even if they live in an Inn this can be important).

A local market is a good idea. Most of the merchants above could be located in or around the same market...

Lastly, some power groups. A city council. A couple of gangs. A mage's society, etc... Not a lot of detail at first, but at least know whether they're friendly with each other, or contesting against each other, or feuding openly.

It can be fun to have 3 power groups who are each sparring subtly with each other; it may never affect an adventure, but it can add color to discussions at taverns, etc...

Other things that can add a lot of flavor and color to your city:
Know how people dress - colorful, dull, jeweled, embroidered, loose robes or big hats and hoods, bare arms or wrapped up, sandals or boots and mud-platform shoes, etc...
Know how they get their water - from pumps in the house, wells on street corners, aquaducts with spigots, or somewhere else?
Know how garbage is removed - sewers, night time honey wagons, pitched into gutters, magic disposal points? This will help you decide how clean or dirty, smelly or diseased this city is.
Know how fire alarms/calls for the watch are handled; are there lamplighter/vigiles patrolling all night, or just the watch? Are there citizen-hired guards everywhere, or only city watchmen? Are streets dark or lit at night? Everywhere?

Knowing some of these answers ahead of time saves a lot of spur of the moment hemming and hawing on your part!

 

[Mercurius]

Thank you, this is great stuff--I'm printing it out.

 

[Aldarc]

Also, what are the politics like in the city? Who has the official power and who has the de facto power? What are the internal and external tensions the city is facing that the PCs could see? Is there a war in the nation that is causing an increase in taxes and a lack of troops and guards fortifying the area so that they can go fight?

What are the guilds of the city? Merchant guilds? Magic guilds? Thieves and mercenary guilds? Are there colleges and universities or other places of learning, perhaps like a temple? How about libraries where information can be found?

 

[NewJeffCT]

As far as what to be sure to detail:

3 inns and 3 taverns minimum; the best, mediocre and worst of each one. That way when the PCs decide to go info gathering, you have places for them to "hit". Names of more places that you can "insert" your detailed locale into.


Knowing some of these answers ahead of time saves a lot of spur of the moment hemming and hawing on your part!

Great info - also, a list of a bunch of random names that are typical to the city. You never know when the PCs will say, "I want to go bar hopping tonight and talk to every serving wench in the city..." or, "I want to shake down every petty thug in town."

and then after a few names, you're there thinking, "umm, Boudicca, no, she was two taverns ago...Mary, oops, not appropriate for this area...let me think for a second here." and pretty soon, the game has lost some of its flow. If you have a ready list of names, it makes it easy to keep things moving along.