I'm really interested in the Great City and the Road to Revolution AP. Is there a place to read a synopsis of the AP? I checked out the 0one site but the details are rather light.
Yeah, it's tough GlassJaw. You'd have to read the short on the back of each to piece it together. Here's what I think are some key points that might help you decide if its for you.
The GCCS is specifically written as a plug in city, so the surrounding areas (other than water to the left and mountains with monsters to the right and dungeons under the mountain) are deliberately vague. The key part of the city is that its been conquered by an overseas empire -- twice. The last time was 30 years ago, and resentments simmer, but are not presently aboil. The conquerors themselves are divided and playing factional politics. It's kind of a law-practical-serious-people conquer a chaotic-lively-deep rooted people sort of thing. Then there are the peoples left behind by the first occupation who did what they needed to survive. The Emperor's son rules, and he's a jacka$$. Nothing is in the open, but everything teeters on an edge. This is so (1) there's always lots of action and passion, the PCs can interact with and stances to either adopt or dispute and (2) the PCs get to decide which direction -- or none -- the whole thing topples.
And that's what the AP focuses on. A revolution in the Great city by one of multiple factions -- or no revolution. The AP was specifically written to allow the PCs to be the deciding factor in the Great City's ultimate fate. The PCs can be evil, good, aligned with the conquerors, aligned with the conquered, aligned with a faction of either conquerors or conquered -- or totally out for themselves. They could save the day for the current rulers, wind up running the entire city themselves, or burn the whole shebang to the ground. That made the AP a little tricky to write, but I think we pulled it off. Hitchcock kept his mad-genius eye on it!
Flavor-wise, we let a bit of the Renaissance creep in. While there are no flintlocks or such in the Great City, it wouldn't be out of the pale for you to introduce them if that's your thang. As written its core is solid sword-fantasy, but we did tap some post-mideaval historical analogs as inspiration when exploring the conquered people and revolution themes.
Ok. Lots of words. Author will shut up now. Does that help?