City Resource

[Buttercup]

One city book I was hoping for, was Windhaven but that appears to be a dead product.

I'm with you there. But not to worry. There was a thread in the Publisher's Forum about Windhaven not too long ago. Ah, look here. The publisher even posted links to several art samples. They're lush and beautiful.

 

[Kichwas]

I want to emphasise roll playing, which my hack and slash group has requested!
Thanks

You would probably be better off with Bluffside over Geanavue then.

Geanavue is likely the one which will require roleplay intensive combat low plots when in the city.

Bluffside is a bit more freebooting and could go both ways.

If they're a hack and slash group wanting to make a transition, Geanavue will probably be too much for them.

When I last ran my own world, setting the game in a city which outlawed weapons and armor and was very intrigue based fell flat on it's face with a group very much in the description of -hack and slashers wanting roleplay-.

I gave them pure roleplay, and they didn't know what to do with it, so the game devolved into illogical combat anyway.

Bluffside is -an adventurer's town-, whereas Geanavue is a -plot and intrigue player's town-.

If you don't choose either of these two, the above concerns should enter into your descision making process with whatever it is you do choose.

 

[Nightfall]

This isn't to say you couldn't use Freeport to run a intrigue and plot town. Same for Bluffside though I will agree it's more suited to having some hack and slash.

 

[Argus Decimus Mokira]

Hey

I'll throw in my vote for Waterdeep as well ... for the price of an ESD the City of Splendors boxed set will give you everything you need to run the city (yes, it's 2nd edition, but remarkably easy to convert).

The beauty of Waterdeep is two-fold for a group of hack n' slashers, as the deepest dungeon of them all lies beneath Waterdeep - Undermountain. Enough info is provided in the City of Splendors set for you to start mapping Undermountain yourself, or if you're not a DIY type, there is a ton of downloads that detail the upper levels. You literally cannot cover every inch of this place in a campaign - it's that big.

Combat-intensive scenarios can also be played out above ground too. A former campaign of mine involved a siege of the city by Amn, trade rival. Mass combat, sorties against the besiegers using portal magic, and attacks from Waterdeep's sky cavalry kept my PCs rolling d20s for an awful long time. Beyond a war scenario, Waterdeep lends itself very nicely to swashbuckling adventures, duels amongst the nobility, running from the city guard, bar-room brawls with foreigners in the Dock Ward, raiding crypts in the City of the Dead, and forays out of the city to Ardeep forest and the Mere of Dead Men.

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Later

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

The new Adventure Path series in Dungeon Magazine might be perfect for starting a new campaign (even if you don't run the adventures) . The city of Cauldron will be the center of the campaign, and the most recent issue has a beautiful pull out map, and lots of description.

I'll second this. I'm running it for my group and thus far, am very impressed.

 

[Nightfall]

I guess I'm just a sucker for MEG and GR. Bluffside and Freeport forever! (Gateway by DPG still is cool too.)

 

[Wolv0rine]

Geez guys, no love for City Guide, eh? Yer all going to make me look like some biased insider, what with my having done illustrations for the book and all. But really, it's good stuff. Granted, it's not a city, but it's good building and fleshing-out pieces of a city. Probably work great with any of the above mentioned citybooks.

 

[Sir Whiskers]

WolvOrine: I'll second your vote for City Guide and Coffer of Coins (both at RPGNow). I've used both supplements to flesh out towns in my homebrew, and several of the locations and npc's went over very well with my gaming group.

 

[Knightfall]

I guess I'm just a sucker for MEG and GR. Bluffside and Freeport forever! (Gateway by DPG still is cool too.)

Never got interested in Bluffside but I bought the main Freeport book the instant it came out. I haven't even read it all yet and I already love it. Just got Dungeon #97 and must say that poster sized map of Cauldron looks cool (must read Life's Bazaar soon).

The problem with Gateway is that Dark Portal Game's website is currently down. The good part is that it's a free PDF file. That's always nice.

I'm sure if you ask DPGTony (Tony Bounds) really nice-like, he'd e-mail it to you. (It's too big to post here at EN World.)

Cheers!

KF72

 

[Nightfall]

I think I still have Rob. But if not I'll be sure to ask Tony and/or Darrin. (He might still have a copy don't you think?)