City Supplements - What do we like?

[Fenris-77]

Ah, well then.
I shall trouble your thoughts no further.

No, it's a good idea, all I meant was that you don't need a wee map, just a Ward name and a tracker.

 

[MGibster]

So what are your favorite city sourcebooks, or specific mechanics, or procedures, or rules? You might even tell us why!

My gold standard for city supplements is the City of Lies boxed set for the 1st edition of Legend of the Five Rings. In a nutshell, here's what I'm looking for in a city supplment:

• Locations: Anything from entire neighborhoods to specific locations within, I want places for the PCs to go.
• NPCs: Whether they're allies, enemies, or something in-between, I want a good number of NPCs for the PCs to interact with.
• Power & Control: Who is in charge? Who is happy or unhappy? Where are the conflicts?
• Seeds of Adventure: All of the previous entries will give the GM ideas for scenarios to be run within the city.

Arkham for Call of Cthulhu is another excellent city supplement. Greyhawk, both the original and the boxed set, are excellent as well. Maybe Greyhawk set the standard.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

No, it's a good idea, all I meant was that you don't need a wee map, just a Ward name and a tracker.

Though a wee map could make a nice visualization tool. Bu there are of course also challenges, where does it fit in the layout, how large does it have to be to be readable/fillable, especially given the shape of the wards...

On the challenges of making a city work as adventuring place:
I think one aspect can be to have various unresolved conflicts that are in a bit of a stale-mate situation, but also hooks why the player would decide to interfere - (or ways for them to be hired or otherwise compelled to interfere). I think plots that would resolve itself without player input run the risk of being just some background city simulation that the players wouldn't really notice - unless they do notice ,and then it might be problematic if the outcome is too severe.
There might be a world (or at least city)-ending threat in the city if you are into that kind of thing, but it can't progress further towards unless the party picks the hook and does something that moves the doom clock further (like unearthing a valuable artifact, unleashing a dangerous threat in the dungeons, exposing a corrupt official, dealing with a criminal organization, and the bad party making a visible move that causes enough concern that a party would most likely investigate further.)