Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Keeping urban campaigns simple
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Xyxox" data-source="post: 4666487" data-attributes="member: 16542"><p>UIrban Settings are super simple. HAve a detailed map with each building on it. Use a few stock sizes and shapes of buildings (usually no more than ten or so shapes and sizes) and distribute those widely as "fill". I find this step easiest to do with Campaign Cartographer software, buit did it on large quad ruled graph paper sheets from a desk pad set I bought back in the day. Have a very few unique buildings (Lord Mayor's Mansion, some rich people homes, temples, etc.).</p><p></p><p>Now, on the big buildings, flesh out those that may be of interest, you can come back to the others later. You only need to do those buildings where major encounters will occur. You might want to write up a brief desctiption of public areas of some of the other unique buildings. No more than a three sentence paragraph on each is necessary at this time.</p><p></p><p>For the basic buildings you spread about, do some standard floorplans for inns, basic homes, shops, etc. Make up some generic descriptions for various places of business your players might visit. I generally do three different floorplans for each of the basic shapes for buildings and three different descriptions. The key with these buildings is <strong>DO NOT ASSOCIATE THE FLOORPLANS OR DESCRIPTIONS WITH ANY SPECIFIC LOCATION ON THE MAP YET.</strong> </p><p></p><p>To keep things straight, I try to put descriptions including basic NPC info on index cards and I use key numbers on the floorplan maps.</p><p></p><p>Now, when you play and you need to insert, say, an inn, you should have several different size inn floorplans with descriptions that will easily fit in with them. You simply pick an appropriate building on your map, note the key number of the floorplan on your main map and on the index card with the description.</p><p></p><p>In this way, you have some basic material prepped, but you easily play on the fly and your urban setting grows and is fleshed out as you play. The longer your characters play in the city, the more detailed the setting becomes. You'll find yourself using floorplans more than once and even creating new ones. Major unique buildings will end up getting mapped out and fleshed out on an as needed basis. When your players surprise you and enter a building you haven't fleshed out, do it by the seat of your pants, but take good notes during the play session and make sure you don't wipe away any floorplans you might create on the fly on your battlenmat.</p><p></p><p>I love doing urban settings as for me, they are the easiest to run and players tend to adventure in them forever.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Xyxox, post: 4666487, member: 16542"] UIrban Settings are super simple. HAve a detailed map with each building on it. Use a few stock sizes and shapes of buildings (usually no more than ten or so shapes and sizes) and distribute those widely as "fill". I find this step easiest to do with Campaign Cartographer software, buit did it on large quad ruled graph paper sheets from a desk pad set I bought back in the day. Have a very few unique buildings (Lord Mayor's Mansion, some rich people homes, temples, etc.). Now, on the big buildings, flesh out those that may be of interest, you can come back to the others later. You only need to do those buildings where major encounters will occur. You might want to write up a brief desctiption of public areas of some of the other unique buildings. No more than a three sentence paragraph on each is necessary at this time. For the basic buildings you spread about, do some standard floorplans for inns, basic homes, shops, etc. Make up some generic descriptions for various places of business your players might visit. I generally do three different floorplans for each of the basic shapes for buildings and three different descriptions. The key with these buildings is [b]DO NOT ASSOCIATE THE FLOORPLANS OR DESCRIPTIONS WITH ANY SPECIFIC LOCATION ON THE MAP YET.[/b] To keep things straight, I try to put descriptions including basic NPC info on index cards and I use key numbers on the floorplan maps. Now, when you play and you need to insert, say, an inn, you should have several different size inn floorplans with descriptions that will easily fit in with them. You simply pick an appropriate building on your map, note the key number of the floorplan on your main map and on the index card with the description. In this way, you have some basic material prepped, but you easily play on the fly and your urban setting grows and is fleshed out as you play. The longer your characters play in the city, the more detailed the setting becomes. You'll find yourself using floorplans more than once and even creating new ones. Major unique buildings will end up getting mapped out and fleshed out on an as needed basis. When your players surprise you and enter a building you haven't fleshed out, do it by the seat of your pants, but take good notes during the play session and make sure you don't wipe away any floorplans you might create on the fly on your battlenmat. I love doing urban settings as for me, they are the easiest to run and players tend to adventure in them forever. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Keeping urban campaigns simple
Top