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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gilladian" data-source="post: 4642350" data-attributes="member: 2093">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!</blockquote>

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