catsclaw227
First Post
Another pair of urban encounter books are Foul Locales: Urban Blight - for city encounters and places, and Foul Locales: Behind the Gates for unusual and interesting places in small towns.
d20 City Building...
- Thread starter Relique du Madde
- Start date
Fresh Fish
First Post
Real Life Cities and Maps
For inspiration, here are a few tips I like to do to build a city
1) Use a real life city. i.e. Look up a map of Los Angeles and examine it. Ask yourself questions about the city? What is the population? Who lives in this area? What is the crime level? etc.
2) Then change those things up: Roads could become congested waterways. Suburbs could be walled cities within themselves. Areas could have towering citadels (or do that backwards, use shafts instead of towers) Populations could be mixed humanoids who are usually enemies (i.e orcs and dwarves)
3) Pick a terrain. Deserts, swamps, caves and jungles. What if you put LA on a plateau? New York buried half way into a cave in Antarctica?
4) optional: Pick another city i.e. New York, Venice, or Moscow. (Don't leave out smaller towns and how they work and then mix and match. Put the parts of a couple of cities together on two different terrains. How about New York high rises on a snow covered plateau? Then put caves into the plateau and stick LA in those.
I hope this helps out and gets those brain juices flowing.
For inspiration, here are a few tips I like to do to build a city
1) Use a real life city. i.e. Look up a map of Los Angeles and examine it. Ask yourself questions about the city? What is the population? Who lives in this area? What is the crime level? etc.
2) Then change those things up: Roads could become congested waterways. Suburbs could be walled cities within themselves. Areas could have towering citadels (or do that backwards, use shafts instead of towers) Populations could be mixed humanoids who are usually enemies (i.e orcs and dwarves)
3) Pick a terrain. Deserts, swamps, caves and jungles. What if you put LA on a plateau? New York buried half way into a cave in Antarctica?
4) optional: Pick another city i.e. New York, Venice, or Moscow. (Don't leave out smaller towns and how they work and then mix and match. Put the parts of a couple of cities together on two different terrains. How about New York high rises on a snow covered plateau? Then put caves into the plateau and stick LA in those.
I hope this helps out and gets those brain juices flowing.
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Fresh Fish
First Post
...
Aus_Snow
First Post
It's not the right type of sourcebook, strictly speaking, but it's rather useful anyway, IMO: Crime and Punishment.
That, and there was a book of ancient cities (real world, or historical takes on them at least) with maps and all, that I saw once. Damn, should've picked that one up. But yeah, if you see something like that, it should prove very handy too. Sorry, can't remember the title, publisher, anything. . . :\
That, and there was a book of ancient cities (real world, or historical takes on them at least) with maps and all, that I saw once. Damn, should've picked that one up. But yeah, if you see something like that, it should prove very handy too. Sorry, can't remember the title, publisher, anything. . . :\
Hippy
Explorer
I am an Urban Planner and Landscape Architect by profession. With this in mind I recommend a trip to your local library or online store, and find some books on historical city growth. One good one is The Origin of the City. This will give your city a real life like quality that might be otherwise missing. Cities have a natural growth cycle, just as the natural world does in plant and animal communities. Capturing this feel, and reason for why something is located where it is, will go a long way to "selling" your fantasy city as real to your players.
Look also at the culture you are placing it in, and the societal norms that govern daily life. This will transfer into the architectural elements and how the city grows over time.
Hope this helps
Hippy
Look also at the culture you are placing it in, and the societal norms that govern daily life. This will transfer into the architectural elements and how the city grows over time.
Hope this helps
Hippy
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Evilhalfling
Adventurer
Hippy said:
I would also recommend Great Streets
It does top down silhouettes and drawings of streets from around the world. Many from ancient cities.
and welcome to the Boards Hippy, from another Urban Planner.
You have to love jobs matching up RW and fantasy.
The City Builder series that I've co-authored might be of interest:
City Builder Volume 1: Communities
City Builder Volume 2: Craftsman Places
In all honesty there have been a number of recent releases that you could look at on this general subject. I don't think The Game Mechanics' Temple Quarter or City Quarters series was mentioned yet.
City Builder Volume 1: Communities
City Builder Volume 2: Craftsman Places
In all honesty there have been a number of recent releases that you could look at on this general subject. I don't think The Game Mechanics' Temple Quarter or City Quarters series was mentioned yet.
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AEG's DM Toolbox (if you can find it) - it is a book of tables but it has a city section that allows for the creation of life in a city. This included what you find in some ones pockets, to who is in the cell with you.
Here are some older threads you may find useful.
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=172838
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=168002
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=143796
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=126301
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=88067
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=94418
Here are some older threads you may find useful.
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=172838
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=168002
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=143796
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=126301
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=88067
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=94418
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Hippy
Explorer
Evilhalfling said:
Thanks for the welcome. I've been a long time lurker, but finally decided to participate. Nice to see another design professional into gaming. As a DM I think it gives our players a unique perspective on spatial verisimilitude when "painting" the scene for the PCs!
Best regards,
Hippy
