What are the best sources for City Based games?

[Acid_crash]

As the question states, I am wanting to begin a city based game and really am at a loss for what material is available for it. I am tired of the endless wilderness/small town/dungeon type stuff, and am looking for something different.

I don't know of too many resources available. I know the Worlds Largest City is out next year, but when I lack that knowledge. I have Sharn, which is cool and I could use that, but part of me wants more gritty.

What resources are available for a city based game? Books with appropriate prestige classes to mine ideas from, already published city books that can provide a dark feel without too much bending of the setting? Anything, and any advice from others who have run city based games, feel free to say what you did and how you did it to get it to work so people liked it and didn't really miss the entire wilderness type stuff.

 

[philreed]

Have you tried Fantasy Flight Games' Cityworks? While I at first wasn't a fan of the book it has since grown on me. There's some useful content inside its covers.

 

[Whimsical]

First, I recommend that you read the Urban Adventures section in the 3.5 Dungeon Master's Guide, pg. 98. It has some good insight and game elements for running adventures in an urban setting and it's new content that wasn't part of the 3.0 DMG. And since you have your DMG open, you may also want to check out the Generating Towns section on pg. 137.

 

[the Jester]

If you have it- or if it's still available from the Wizards website (it was a freebie a while back)- a great 1e module, L1- The Secret of Bone Hill, is very inspirational in this area. It has a very well-detailed town with all sorts of little secret things goin' on in it. It's really cool- and L2, the Assassin's Knot, is a fantastic investigation-style town-based followup.

 

[Dr Simon]

L1 still available

You can still pick up L1 free from Wizards, and rpg.net have most of the 1st ed. modules for about five bucks each.

Would the Freeport modules be any use? I've not read them, but I've heard good things about them (and the word "gritty" crops up, so they might work).

If you're going for older stuff, I wouldn't recommend either the FR "City System" as this is really just a bunch of poster maps of Waterdeep, nor Lankhmar, which I found profoundly disappointing (I was running a Nehwon based campaign at the time, and I found just reading the stories was better).

Other old, and possibly obscure stuff - I use the RuneQuest Cities supplement which has very handy random shops tables, and if you can find it the Warhammer FRP supplement Middenheim is pretty good. Obscurer still, if you can track 1980's UK gaming magazines, White Dwarf had the city of Irilien and Imagine ran The City League.

There are a few newer items that might be useful - City State of the Invincible Overlord has just been re-released, of course. I think there's an adventure by Necromancer too. I forget the name but I think it is Grey-something (no, not Greyhawk!).

Added in Edit - I forgot a couple of potential on-liine resources. The Forge has the very nice Fish Side, which although it is a small port town you could use the locations. If it's still around, you could try looking for Solis Media.

HTH.

 

[Dr Simon]

Solis Media

Still there - go to http://www.seekingsolis.co.uk

Nice maps.

 

[Jupp]

Well I only know of 1e/2e stuff, can't help with 3e things here:

-"Lankhmar - City of Adventure" accessory has the whole town mapped out and has several interesting things about its citizens, city districts, politics, etc

- "City Of Greyhawk" boxed set has very extensive information about the city and its surroundings. Definitely worth a read. Also the "Falconmaster" series of modules would be interesting as it plays in Greyhawk itself.

- "Planescape - In the Cage" has everything you would need to know about Sigil. If you are out for the more bizarre kind of a city that would be a good choice

- Gary Gygax "World Builder" book. It might not be the best thing he ever wrote but there is a vast amount, if not too much, of information in there to create a city. If you find pleasure in sifting through thousands of tables to create a world or city thats the book you need

I think at least the first three products above should be available as PDFs. Not sure about World Builder....

The other way would be to go the local library and look out for books about city architecture in the 14th-18th century so you could get an impression where which district could be placed. Placing the beggars quarter right next to the nobles district would be a bit off perhaps

 

[JoeGKushner]

I enjoyed the Grey Citadel by Necromancer Games.

City State of the Invicibile Overlord is out.

Bluffside is available as both print (in certain locations) and pdf.

Sharn, city of Towers, as you know, is out.

Banewarrens has some information on the city it takes place in (Ptolus)

Welcome to the club of GMs who've realized that Hommlet was twenty years ago and it's time to get not only out of the dungeon, but out of the village.

 

[zagorm]

Lot’s of fantasy architecture arts suitable for most medieval cities are available on THE FORGE as a free download

in Free PDF’s section

- you could use “Fishside” PDF (with over 20 illustrations of locations which could be quickly adaptable for any city)

and
- " Master Mudsen Workshop" PDF
- "Winereg's Storehouse" PDF

also could be useful

Arts in Common places section

arts of:
sample stall
city well
sample inn

- upcoming ------ Tenement of clock master Egon

Regards Z

 

[philreed]

Bluffside is available as both print (in certain locations) and pdf.

The Bluffside Collection is the best deal.

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2110