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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Charles Dunwoody" data-source="post: 9607587" data-attributes="member: 17927">RPG Spotlight shines a light on the latest RPG releases to help GMs decide if the book will improve and enhance their campaigns. Just released, <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/symbaroum/agrella-city-of-eternal-euphoria/" target="_blank">Agrella - City of Eternal Euphoria</a>, by Free League Publishing depicts a fantasy city in turmoil along with adventures involving intrigue, assassination, and chaos. It is a master class in city design and well worth a look for GMs, whether running <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/symbaroum/core-rulebook/" target="_blank">Symbaroum</a> or another fantasy RPG. My thanks to Free League for sending me a copy to spotlight.[ATTACH=full]399025[/ATTACH]In <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/symbaroum/core-rulebook/" target="_blank">Symbaroum</a>, PCs explore the vast Forest of Davokar in a hunt for hidden treasures, lost lore, and undying fame. Symbaroum is home to the City of Eternal Euphoria. The festival season draws close in the <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/symbaroum/agrella-city-of-eternal-euphoria/" target="_blank">City of Eternal Euphoria</a>, and on the surface, nothing seems out of the ordinary. But nothing is as it should be, the threat against Agrella and its inhabitants has never been greater. In this city there is so much to experience and to explore. But a good start is with the map.<h3>The Double-Sided Map</h3>The fold out map is unique in that it has no labels. Just a compass rose, a mile marker, and houses, lanes, riverways, and bridges of a fantasy city. A GM can do so much with such a resource. As provided, the GM can provide a copy of the map to the PCs and actually display it on the table. The players can explore and discover each street, shop, and encounter without any spoilers. All the spoilers are inside the book on identical maps with greater details.Or a GM could also use the city map and create a city of his own. Use it as a springboard for creating something unique. Perhaps the map could inspire a GM to draw their own city map, using it as inspiration. A GM could keep Agrella as one city in a campaign and draw new cities for PCs to explore as wells.The back of the map has three adventure location depicted. A bit too small for 28mm miniatures, the maps could be used with HO sized miniatures or just as a visual. Again, no spoilers, just a compass rose and distance marker on each.<h3>Player-Facing Lore</h3>Unique to the design of the book, the PCs are expected and encouraged to know the player section to the city. They need to tie their PCs to the city and care about what happens to it and know enough about it to unravel intrigue and mysteries using the provided lore.Both the players and the GMs will know the accepted history of the city and details on its major factions. This is enough information to guide the PCs at first and likely get them in some trouble. The GM Section has all the secrets, both those kept from most of the city and others the truth behind what the city believes is history is as well as ugly truths about its leaders.One example of factions in the city is the Joy Guard who enforce the Joy Mandate. Displays of negative emotion are illegal in the city and normally result in fines or even arrest. There is a well known reason for this with a deeper secret behind it. Of course, the city is overflowing with barely contained anger and violent emotions and heavy drinking is a problem for many citizens. The PCs won’t be able to ignore this disturbing and terrifying intrusion into everyday life, and they will immediately recognize the serious repercussions such tyranny leads to.There are so many more movers and shakers in the city: the growing Navy, thieves, assassins, wizards, and more. Everyone has an agenda and everyone has secrets.<h3>Are You Ready to Revel?</h3>The adventures dive deep into investigation, intrigue, and politics. There is not space to provide details here, but again GMs can either run the adventures as written or use them as springboards on how to create exciting city encounters, ongoing intrigue, and the price paid for long kept secrets coming to life.Agrella is creepy. The Joy Guard and the Joy Mandate are Orwellian. The city seems like a real place because of it. It seems like exactly the type of thing those with too much power would come up to try to control people. And create an even worse situation because of the tyranny.Any GM who runs <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/symbaroum/core-rulebook/" target="_blank">Symbaroum</a> will want this supplement. It is excellent. Other GMs who want either an excellent ready to run city along with city adventures or examples to pull from and inspiration to draw on will also want this book. The fold out map is an excellent tool for GMs and can be used as a prop for players as well. The various factions, the ongoing adventures, and the vibrant growth and danger of the city are well described. More importantly, example conflicts and encounters are detailed dozens of times so GMs have actual support in running a city adventure. There are even short encounter tables for each section of the city.This one comes highly recommended. Just keep smiling while you read and use it or you might get a visit from the Joy Guard. Charlie is a participant in the Noble Knight Affiliate Program and the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, both of which are affiliate programs that provide a means for participants to earn money by advertising and linking to Noble Knight Games and DriveThruRPG respectively. Charlie on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089405280726" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. Posts and articles posted here by others do not reflect the views of Charlie Dunwoody. If you like the articles at EN World please consider supporting the <a href="https://www.patreon.com/enworld" target="_blank">Patreon</a>.</blockquote>

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