City Supplements - What do we like?

[Ralif Redhammer]

I'd vote for Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. It gives a lived-in feel to Waterdeep, full of rumors that might be true, or might not be. Making Volo semi-unreliable allows for the DM to take the best inspiration from it and discard or alter what they don't like. Two DMs can start with a location in Volo's Guide and have two very different takes. It also gives you that ground-level feel. Knowing how Waterdeep governs is useful, but knowing about the dangerous alleys or wild taverns can be more actionable.

An interesting one for me is Hallowfaust: City of Necromancers from the Scarred Lands. A strongly themed Necromancer magocratic city state, a strongly themed LN necromancer refuge in a hostile monster filled wilderness. It is different in being a place where mindless undead are openly used simply as protection and utilitarian service and non-evil necromancers are openly there and in power. Originally a bunch of necromancers just wanting a safe refuge base to live and do their research it built up with people flocking there for the stability in a dangerous magical post-apocalyptic world.

I adore Hallowfaust. It's a fascinating setting that upends the necromancer as villain trope. It's anything but generic and I include it in my games whenever I can.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

In the Wildemount book, each settlement has a short writeup that actually makes the town or city usuable and interesting.

I would love a similar style of write up for each district and important neighborhood of a city, if i was going to run a game in one city.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Knowing how Waterdeep governs is useful, but knowing about the dangerous alleys or wild taverns can be more actionable.

Absolutely.

A thing i have consudered in my own work is having a set of iconic characters, and giving 1-3 sentence descriptions of:

Places the characters would be familiar with, avoid, frequent, warn others about, etc.

What reaction the characters get in the key locations of each part of town.

POV descriptions of vibes, archtecture, and important NPCs.