Another trick is to create a table of gossip, this is nothing more than what the talk on the street is about; a murder, a heist, a duel, a tavern fight, a midnight chase, the goods the smugglers brought in, nobles visiting the city, a strange ship, a run away wagon, a new shop, a trial, a beautification of a district, construction, an upcoming holiday, etc... Just fluff stuff then you can add to the exploits of the characters as part of it. Look to your local news for ideas to add to the table. Smart players may pickup on some of it and use it in game.
Also, let your players pick places and contacts they know and they can use as resourses. These are just places they may go to or people they know from their backgrounds they can use to get information from. A rogue may know other rogues or a fence or a papers man or a seedy bar, a fighter may know a guard or a smith or the cult of the sword hangs out. Just let you players do the work, how many you give them is up to you but I normally do level plus 1d6 off to start.
