D&D 5E How do you use cities in your campaigns?

[Arilyn]

I do quite a fair amount of city adventures. I love having a wide variety of NPCs and enjoy running mysteries, intrigues, etc.

Sometimes players get caught up in shopping or visiting taverns and. theatres. If they are all having fun, I let them, as less prep for following session.

 

[iserith]

Isn't your preference here (in re cities) probably at least in part a reflection of your apparent preference for completely-prepped/stocked locations?

I don't really have any preference in regard to "completely-prepped/stocked locations."

 

[prabe]

I don't really have any preference in regard to "completely-prepped/stocked locations."

I apologize, then, for misunderstanding your posts elsewhere, where you certainly seemed to prefer location-based adventures to event-based, and to prefer your locations thoroughly (if not completely) stocked and prepped.

 

[iserith]

I really like the aesthetics of urban play, but I have found D&D to be rather under stocked with rules and mechanics to make it easy. Which is to say I understand your reluctance - getting out of dodge and back to the action is a fine way to play. I tinker with systems and hacks not just because it's a fun hobby, but also to try and relieve some of the issues the D&D can have when played in an urban setting because I like to run urban campaigns as much as I do.

I did a whole system of "Cage Tasks" for my Sigil-based Planescape campaign a couple of years ago that were loosely based on downtime activities and heavily-flavored to fit the setting. The day was split up into 8-hour phases where each PC could perform a task per phase relevant to their interests (so 2 phases per PC per day plus long rest) and it would generate costs, benefits and resources, and complications that would spin up into interesting conflicts and scenarios. It involved quite a bit of exploration since the players and their characters were not familiar with Sigil at all. The tasks would be modified by the specific location in which the PC undertook the action, down to differences between, say, one tavern and another in a different ward of the city.

It was fun, but it was a lot of prep, and it was mainly meant for filler between excursions onto the planes, a way to generate useful resources before heading out of town. I wouldn't use it again unless I run another Sigil-based Planescape game (and I probably won't).

 

[iserith]

I apologize, then, for misunderstanding your posts elsewhere, where you certainly seemed to prefer location-based adventures to event-based, and to prefer your locations thoroughly (if not completely) stocked and prepped.

I do prefer location-based adventures because they are easier to run (but harder to prep) and can offer more freedom to the players than a plot-based game wherein the expectation is the characters must stay on the plot. But I have no particular preference as to how another DM preps. They can improvise the whole thing for all I care.

 

[prabe]

I do prefer location-based adventures because they are easier to run (but harder to prep) and can offer more freedom to the players than a plot-based game wherein the expectation is the characters must stay on the plot. But I have no particular preference as to how another DM preps. They can improvise the whole thing for all I care.

Ah. I was thinking about your preferences for your own DMing. Mine, you should not be surprised to read, tilt more toward events/goals than locations, though I'll prep up a location in the service of that. I find that allowing the characters to choose a goal and pursue it works pretty well.

 

[iserith]

Ah. I was thinking about your preferences for your own DMing. Mine, you should not be surprised to read, tilt more toward events/goals than locations, though I'll prep up a location in the service of that. I find that allowing the characters to choose a goal and pursue it works pretty well.

I do prefer to have my location-based adventures fully-prepped before play, but what "fully-prepped" means is going to vary from adventure to adventure. I don't have a single way of doing things like some DMs do. I ruthlessly interrogate the vision I have relative to the group's preferences and decide what is needed and what isn't before putting pen to paper. Look at any of my adventures and you'll see significant differences depending on what I'm going for.

 

[Fenris-77]

I did a whole system of "Cage Tasks" for my Sigil-based Planescape campaign a couple of years ago that were loosely based on downtime activities and heavily-flavored to fit the setting. The day was split up into 8-hour phases where each PC could perform a task per phase relevant to their interests (so 2 phases per PC per day plus long rest) and it would generate costs, benefits and resources, and complications that would spin up into interesting conflicts and scenarios. It involved quite a bit of exploration since the players and their characters were not familiar with Sigil at all. The tasks would be modified by the specific location in which the PC undertook the action, down to differences between, say, one tavern and another in a different ward of the city.

It was fun, but it was a lot of prep, and it was mainly meant for filler between excursions onto the planes, a way to generate useful resources before heading out of town. I wouldn't use it again unless I run another Sigil-based Planescape game (and I probably won't).

That seems broadly similar to what I do. I've added some layers and crunch to gather intel, favors, rumours and the like with similar levels of differentiation. Not quite as nuanced as you, but I'm not trying prep the whole sandbox either. The downtime stuff segues into what I call a montage level, which is half roleplayed and half multiple skill test to run smaller cons, heists, events or infiltration. That's the part that borrows heavily from BitD including a mechanism for flashbacks. The top level is full encounter based play. The three levels serve to streamline the smaller jobs and keep attention focused on major goals. Coupled with the reputation system where each PC has their own contacts and maybe hirelings I find it does a pretty good job investing the players in the whole endeavor.

 

[Doug McCrae]

I've used them a lot though probably less than others in my gaming circle. Urban adventures are extremely popular here in Glasgow.

It could be argued that, because D&D is close to the Wild West genre, that one ought to draw a big distinction between Civilisation 'back East' and Frontier. The former should be safe and the latter dangerous (though it creates hardy pioneers adventurers.) But I haven't really done this.

 

[prabe]

It could be argued that, because D&D is close to the Wild West genre, that one ought to draw a big distinction between Civilisation 'back East' and Frontier. The former should be safe and the latter dangerous (though it creates hardy pioneers adventurers.) But I haven't really done this.

There's also a case to be made that the cities were just as dangerous, just in different ways. I try to make the dangers in a city different from the ones in the wilderness.