Choosing a city

[julesbravo]

I'm planning a new campaign for my players and I want to go urban. The idea is to have the group be the equivalent of comic book heroes in the city. They'd fight crime and take out villains. I'm looking for a city that has the feel of Gotham, but I'm open to other suggestions as well. Any ideas?

[Deadmanwalking]

Westcrown (in Cheliax) has been suggested as a good city for this sort of thing. As has Korvosa. Both of those have APs set there (and Korvosa has a masked hero named Blackjack). Both of those are Adventure Path locations though, and might want to be avoided for that reason.

Riddleport and Kaer Maga both work excellently in terms of having plenty of built-in corruption and criminals, and lack the AP problem (Riddleport shows up in an AP, but isn't changed by it), but might have a somewhat diferent feel than Gotham per se (Riddleport is a pirate haven and Kaer Maga is really weird and exotic).

Magnimar is portrayed as a bit less dark than Gotham, but has closer to the same vibe, and certainly isn't without a pretty substantial criminal element. That's probably the one I'd go with.

Of these, Kaer Maga, Magnimar, and Korvosa have city books, while Westcrown and Riddleport have gazetteers in the APs they appear in.

[Steve Geddes]

Riddleport and Magnimar would be my suggestions.

Riddleport is a perfect "riddled with crime and corruption" setting, but is perhaps a little too under the thumb of crimelords. It could also be a bit small.

For those reasons, I think I'd opt for Magnimar as well - it would be easy enough to play up the corruption and stress themes of oppression/desperation felt by some of the citizenry in need of heroes.

[John Kretzer]

Abslom could work well for you.

[Haladir]

I'd vote for either Magnimar or Korvosa for a campaign like that.

[Bellona]

I've always considered Korvosa to be the Gotham City of Golarion, and Magnimar to be the Metropolis. As always, YMMV.

[Louis Lyons]

I think it best to put your heroes in a place where they will be the most appreciated for their hard work fighting crime, killing monsters, and defeating villains. Therefore, if you want the "Gotham" feel, i.e., a civilized city beset upon by various evil criminal organizations and villains, with a well-meaning but woefully understaffed police force unable to meet the task of tackling crime, Magnimar is your best bet. Just check out Magnimar City of Monuments to see the Rogues Gallery of villains that can be set against the PCs.

I do not think Korvosa or Westcrown are particularly good places, because both those cities are extremely authoritarian. Unless you are actively fighting against the government of the city at the same time as fighting crime, by bringing law and order, you are simply helping a cruel government press its boot down on the neck of the people all the harder. Meanwhile Riddleport is run by criminal organizations, with a Pirate King in charge of the city, and Kaer Maga is an anarchy, neither of which need or want the help of heroes to impose their ideas of right and wrong upon them.