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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sketchpad" data-source="post: 2141525" data-attributes="member: 9168">Hudson CityHudson City: The Urban Abyss     First off, let me say that this is not a d20 book; rather it’s a setting for Hero Games’ Dark Champions genre book for the Hero System.  That being said, this book is an incredible sourcebook for anyone wanting a city to run modern or post-modern campaigns in.  At 278 pages, this healthy tome is quite the bargain.  Not only do you get a fully detailed city, but you also get various residents of the city and a score of maps so your players won’t get lost while wondering the streets.     While a brief section, chapter one gives the reader an introduction to the “Pearl City”, covering its history through the ages.  From it’s founding in the early 1800s to the situation today, this chapter gives a great historical overview.     One of the two largest chapters, chapter two brings the reader into the city.   Starting off with city stats that includes sports teams, population and even “average sunny days per month”, the chapter gives essays on typical weather and modes of transportation within the city.  Delving into each neighborhood, the reader is treated to area maps (which complement the city map at the beginning) and given details like shops, landmarks and places to go while “on the town”.  With over 25 areas covered in detail, it’d quite easy to determine an exact area where an adventure may happen … right down to the street names and possibly even the address.  Finishing up the chapter is some information on local politics, giving stats for the mayor of Hudson City, as well as other city officials and stations.       Chapter three is appropriately titled “A Day in the Life”.  Within this chapter, the reader is introduced to all the normal, day-to-day livings of the citizens of Hudson City.  Need a radio station that may have alarming news alert?  There are 13 to choose from.  How about a local school that a character’s younger sibling attends?  There are public, private and even suburban schools to choose from.  Anything that a character could encounter is covered within this chapter.       The law is the subject of chapter four, giving details on the Hudson City police department, as well as the judicial system, fire department and even a brief coverage on vigilantes.  Also included are essays on police corruption, information on the local penitentiaries and even some information on response time.  Rounded out with some stats for members for the various departments, this chapter proves to be incredibly useful for any GM.     In direct opposition to the last chapter, chapter five covers the various criminals of the city.  From organized crime to gangs to costumed criminals, this chapter touches on all the major criminal influences in Hudson City.  With some of the major players statted out, this chapter easily proves to be as useful as the last.     Chapter six covers areas that are consider “hot spots” or places of interest for anyone coming into the city.  Detailing areas like “Little Egypt” or “Avenue of the Elms”, there are plenty of places for heroes to interact with.  This chapter seemed like a good feature to me because it adds a bit of a hometown feel.     The last chapter of Hudson City is dedicated to gamemaster information.  Included within are sections on adapting Hudson City to other genres, a “GM’s Vault” that describes some of the inner workings of the other chapters, and a bevy of NPCs that may be used as Allies and Enemies.  For fans of Dark Champions, it’s within this chapter that introduces the fifth edition version of the Harbinger of Justice, one of the more infamous characters from the first Dark Champions supplement.       Add to this information Hero Games’ usual penchant for a detailed index, some great maps of heroic cartographer Keith Curtis and a street finder and you have a great product that could easily be adapted over to any system and any genre.     As an added bonus, Hero Games has supplemented the book with various goodies, offering a “Hudson City Encyclopedia”, “Hudson City Bar, Grill and Restaurant Guide” and “Hudson City Neighborhood Reference Guide”.  These three PDFs are available on Hero Games’ website under their Free Stuff banner.</blockquote>

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