Soon, my players will be doing a part of our campaign primarily in an urban setting. I've been busy thinking about the city's layout, and it just occurred to me that each district is very, very different.
Now of course, I know of the Ultimate Campaign rules, with city stats and all that. I might use those. However, THIS is going to be taking place with a high criminal element, which means two things: intrigue and turf. Oh, and violence, but that's par for the course with adventurers anyway.
So, on the city map, I was thinking we could have highlighted areas that represent the turfs of various criminal groups. Within these areas is an increase in hazards and chances of encountering these dangerous criminals. Depending on the gang's way of doing things, this could be potentially beneficial or disastrous, but almost always would they have a vested interest in the outcome. They might become increasingly hostile the closer a character with no ties to the gang (or worse, with ties to a different gang) is to their HQ or hideout. It's possible the use of the reputation system would be good in this, too.
Was wondering if you fine folk could help me create a model to help simulate this. Don't worry about giving suggestions for the gangs, I already have something in mind, though I definitely don't mind examples!
If you want to go super serious into it, you can literally just map a city as a super dungeon where instead of monsters, you have thugs and lowlifes.
Was thinking of something a little more organic than just rolling on an RET. Besides, I somewhat stopped doing the 'random' part of encounters. All encounters that occur are scripted, allowing me to advance the story. I did this because it's honestly what my players look to far more than they do the loot or the monsters.
The superdungeon thought is a nice touch. I was already thinking that you could 'unlock' new areas by clearing out safe houses and consuming rival territory. Matter of fact, the more I thought on it, the more I realized that a real crime module would generally result in one of two scenarios: you either strike up allegiance with one of the gangs (easier, but you guys are owned by this group now) or you strike out and carve your own criminal empire(extremely risky, extremely dangerous, extremely rewarding if successful).
City districts are too big for any one gang to control, so we would instead divide those districts into smaller blocs and neighborhoods (no more, I would say, than 6 per district). Some districts might be neutral or even red zones where the local law enforcement are much stronger and tighter, and attacking or operating in these can result in some very dangerous repercussions... assuming, of course, you haven't become such a massive kingpin that you are, in essence, untouchable both legally and physically, at which point I'd say you've successfully won your criminal campaign! At least until the GM throws something bigger then all of you to threaten your reign, like a lich with an army of undead.
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You can have it both ways.
You can run a linear plot, but insert a "random" table if the PCs venture through different districts at different times (night and day), crafting each "random" encounter to add to your plot, but rolling "randomly" at the table to determine exact sequencing.
Populate your table with encounters that either advance your plot directly, foreshadow something to come later, serve as a hook to a "side" scene, or even a red herring.
Example:
d6
1 - red herring
2 - "side" scene
3 - foreshadowing
4 - direct plot
5 - direct plot
6 - direct plot
This leaves you with the flexibility to be (or appear to be) random, but also (since the actual table is on your side of the DM screen) choose by silent fiat.
Huh, that might be enough to keep things going nicely enough.
Actually, rainzax, I do all of my campaigns online. No table beyond my computer desk!
Aldrius, I've played Champions, which is all crime-fighting. I honestly prefer a campaign with random elements mixed in. (Doesn't mean your players will, I know.) That way, it's not clear to me at first which encounters advance the plot, and which "just happen."
I always aim to make a campaign organic. It's unreasonable to wander around a dangerous world and only encounter monsters that are relevant to the quest. I do think there should be some hints about random encounters happening, such as rumors or warnings about the area being populated or invaded by these denizens, be it recently or over the years.
With a city it's a little tougher than that, though. A random street thug isn't gonna go after obviously well armed adventurers. There must be motive, preparation, intrigue. Someone wants what you have bad enough to spend resourcea, or want you dead. Everything connects. Now obviously this is more when you go past level 6 and begin to be recognized as exceptional.
Course there are the non gang related hazards like stray otyughs, and the city my campaign is going to had a recent and very devastating mass destruction event that poisoned an entire region and claimed the lives of several thousands, so this city is overcrowded where there are people and simultaneously riddled with abandoned buildings. No shortage of monsters willing to claim these places for their own.
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Perhaps some of your random encounters could involve the PCs essentially walking into another "encounter" between other NPCs - like a random street thug robbing a party of petty nobles, or a monster attacking a gang of street thugs, or two gangs of street thugs battling over turf.
Or an encounter with a street thug who quickly steals one of the PCs valuables (perhaps using the Appraise skill to identify the PC with the most expensive item) and lures them into an ambush with the whole gang!
Or half-way through one of these encounters, another third party comes into the mix. It is a heavily populated city, after all.
d8
1 - red herring
2 - "side" scene
3 - foreshadowing
4 - direct plot
5 - direct plot
6 - direct plot
7 - double encounter (roll twice)
8 - interrupted encounter (roll twice)
In short, it doesn't always have to be with X monster...
There's also the implacable stalker fiendish ogre they'll be bumping into... but that's more of a specialized thing in my campaign.
With a city it's a little tougher than that, though. A random street thug isn't gonna go after obviously well armed adventurers. There must be motive, preparation, intrigue. Someone wants what you have bad enough to spend resourcea, or want you dead. Everything connects. Now obviously this is more when you go past level 6 and begin to be recognized as exceptional.
Course there are the non gang related hazards like stray otyughs, and the city my campaign is going to had a recent and very devastating mass destruction event that poisoned an entire region and claimed the lives of several thousands, so this city is overcrowded where there are people and simultaneously riddled with abandoned buildings. No shortage of monsters willing to claim these places for their own.
There's... refugees... who've lost everything... and you think people will be sensible and steer clear of well-armed adventurers? Okay, maybe they'll be sensible enough to try to put the numbers in their favor (they think). A swarm, in essence, of poorly-armed & desperate folk.
And then there's the non-combat encounters. Much easier in an urban setting!
I decided that one town my party was traveling through shunned Ulfens & Kellids. The PCs walked into the local inn to find a pregnant Kellid woman with three small children clinging to her skirts standing there. The innkeep rudely refused to put her up for the night, citing her "smell." Naturally, the PCs wanted to help her out, but were themselves strangers without a home.
There's false arrest for murder or burglary. Maybe the PCs can solve the case themselves, or bribe their way out, or convince the judge that they're innocent (or alternatively, too well-connected).
There's the classic food vendor's cart that gets over-turned, whether right in the PC's path or due to their own actions. The vendor is going to be so incensed that she may threaten them with legal action. Or she may simply insist that they help her pick it all back up and clean it off (w/ prestidigitation, perhaps).
There's the religious procession that completely occupies the main street both before & during it, and brings foot-traffic on the nearby side-streets to a standstill as people flood in to watch. Or a streetwalker who latches onto a PC and won't be dissuaded from making her pitch. Or...
Actually, I'm certain you can pull things like this out of your hat all by yourself! I think things like this show your players that they're in a densely populated area, and give them things to do besides killing things & taking their stuff, at the same time.
Have you thought of using something like "Batman: No Man’s Land" as an example of how criminals might carve up a city?
Are your players willing to working with local officials who might want to restore order to the city?
@lily Oh, dear, believe me... there was only one survivor, and it was a silver dragon. The rest? Dead, if fortunate. Irrevocably transformed if not. I do like your non-combat suggestion, though! Definitely more in tune to the beat I'm hoping for.
@Indagare: Haven't read No Man's Land. I should, though. It seems like it could be very important reference material. And, well, unfortunately they can't work with the city officials because... they're seen as the source of the disorder.
Hmmmm... the situation in my campaign may be a bit more convoluted than I have expressed thus far. I'll go ahead and give a quick rundown of where they would be when this part of the plot rounds the corner.
Through the course of their escape, they kill many of the asylum's (now discovered to be monstrous) staff and leave the island. However, the director, who is too powerful to defeat at the moment, has a finger in quite a few organizations, including the law enforcement in Agrowan, and they are painted as psychotic, murderous escapees. The borders become too heavily patrolled to leave the nation, and Agrowan's people, incensed by the rage caused by the death of so many loved ones (the other patients in the asylum were killed by the director to complete the lie) began a manhunt. Now, they are trapped in the city, surrounded by a population that wants them dead, their mugs plastered on every wall, their friends and family most likely having turned their backs on them, and all but their wits, skill, and the not inconsiderable wealth they managed to pilfer from the asylum to not only disclaim their guilt, but unravel the tight knot of the director's grip from the system, a grip that may be aided by beings not of this planet.
And to do that, they have but one recourse: crime. Seems counter-intuitive, but criminals in Agrowan range from the usual thugs to respected businesses that protect the common people. It is a Chaotic Good city at heart, though it is currently in a period jaded by pain and selfishness due to the horrible destruction of its region in a single catastrophic even 6 years prior, an event which necessitated such a large and isolated asylum to handle the sheer number of shattered, grief-stricken citizens in the first place. It was named 'The Nation of Second Chances' due to its policy of taking in those who had done deeds too terrible to forgive in their homes, yet sought to redeem themselves honestly (or at least morally). Their success would mean not only their re-acceptance into society, but perhaps the slight rekindling of the nation's old pride in acceptance and possibility. After all, all eyes are on them now, and a few, but exceptionally cunning see them with hope... and some, with an insatiable lust for power.
As a quick aside, Agrowan's the kingdom my players created from Kingmaker, and this takes place approx. 30 years after that campaign. Hell of a legacy campaign, this one! The nostalgia is real.
So, while I have several criminal factions as well as local law enforcement (and even a secret society and the directors' agents) embroiled in this war of intrigue for important pawns, the question is... how? How to manage such an intricate and complex web?
Check out this thread about a Thieves Guild campaign for lots of useful advice and links.
Rite Publishing adapted the city stat rules to rules for Yakuza gangs and Samurai clans. I'd adapt them to thieves guilds/gangs and noble houses
As for scripted only encounters, read up on the Alexandrians awesome node based design articles here. They offer cool ways in between railroad and sandbox. A few random encounters are very much needed for verisimilitude IMHO.
I'll definitely check out the links, Thanael. Thank you!
Soon, my players will be doing a part of our campaign primarily in an urban setting. I've been busy thinking about the city's layout, and it just occurred to me that each district is very, very different.
I'd advise going the opposite way. Don't map it at all, as there are way too many locations; instead, use encounters to direct the adventurers to specific locations of interest (or let them use Knowledge (local) to direct themselves).
For example, if they want to go to the garment district, they will be surrounded by hundreds of shops selling cloth, clothing, and accessories. Rather than trying to make a list of Madame Shatta's Dwarf-Made Micromail next to Brenda's Veils next to Tailor, Tailor, Tailor, and Tailor, Fine Shoes for Gentlemen, just assume that the party can find what they need (with a nominal skill check if necessary).
Similarly, the rows upon rows of tenement houses will mostly be filled with the kind of people who live in tenements, but unless you're walking house-to-house looking for a witness to a crime, the party already knows which one they're interested in because it's the one that they were told about by Jimmy the Rat.
Think about how a Sherlock Holmes story works. Holmes and Watson are sitting in their rooms in 221B Baker Street, when the Earl of Haricanute drops by and tells them that his eldest daughter George has disappeared, and they should come to Hardicanute House immediately. Once there, they find footprints which they follow to an evil-smelling drug den in Limehouse, and so forth.
Re: Orfamay's ct to you, Aldrius -- ha! Uses for Knowledge (locals).
Thanael, thanks for the link. Those essays look highly useful!
I really can't take the credit for a lot of what I suggested to you, Aldrius; I was dimly remembering a fantastic sourcebook: the gritty city of Sanctuary. Checking into it, I discovered with great pleasure that Green Ronin has kept it alive! You can get free maps & a $20 pdf for a fabulous city to game in at Thieves' World: Shadowspawn's Guide to Sanctuary. I have to admit, they've apparently updated it considerably since the old edition I once had, so I have to hope that this one is as useful for GMing your own city as the first edition was. It's now a 3.5 supplement.
Green Ronin is also publishing Freeport: The City of Adventure for the Pathfinder RPG, which may or may not suit your needs better (a $30 pdf). At least it's been re-written for Pathfinder! I can't exactly recommend it: I thirsted for it back in my TFT days based on the ads, but never actually saw the product. (It still looks real good.)
Neither of these is likely to be exactly what you need, of course, but the more you can just drop a neighborhood or NPC or urban encounter into your game, the less you have to create.
PS: both books are available for a lot more money in paper, if that's what you prefer.
Nah, PDFs will do. The more 'small scale' urban maps I can get my hands on the better, but for the city itself, it must be custom tailored. My players and I put a great deal of work into hand-tailoring the fabric that composes the nation, its people, and its capital city.
However, I do appreciate your suggestions, lily. I'll definitely take a close look at what you've recommended.
It seems as though you have two different streams of work here. Creating a map and creating a political environment.
I think firstly start with a city district map. Then switch to the political landscape. Which organisations are present, who are the major persona, how do the organisations interact with the populace, government and other organisations (legal and illegal). I find that one of the more creative methods is to use random die rolls against tables to create a base framework of facts and then to work a story justifying those rolls. If anything is truly out of place then it can be changed. But, the inspiration is driven by justifying the random rolls rather than coming up with something from scratch.
Once you have that sorted, you can fill in the streetmap. Include the strongholds, spheres of influence and other points of interest. Don't forget about the sewers and rooftops either, nor buildings that can be moved through to connect different streets. The maps becomes a multi-level map with plenty of variety. There are some random map generatros that could be used as a starting point, or you could adapt real city maps. Old European city centres would be a good starting point.
I've come up with an idea. It'll be a lot of work and a little money spent, but this campaign is starting to look like my magnum opus. Gonna need to give it the love it deserves.
I will draw a rough draft of what the city looks like, using the Greenbelt map from Kingmaker as a guide for the local landscape, overhead shots of coastal/lakeside cities for the layout and districts, and just our old lore for major landmarks. I know what the city's economy is, so that'll help with the layout (for example, there's a foundry near the eastern side of the river because there is a silver mine further upstream.)
Once I've drawn my rough draft, I plan to give it to my brother, who is a talented artist, so he can polish it up for me. Should result in quite the lovely depiction. After that, I can freely edit the image digitally to showcase the crime lords' territories and major landmarks, once the party has made sufficient research into the subjects.
PS: I plan to share these images with you guys freely once the work is done.
I've come up with an idea. It'll be a lot of work and a little money spent, but this campaign is starting to look like my magnum opus. Gonna need to give it the love it deserves. (...)
PS: I plan to share these images with you guys freely once the work is done.
Please! Please! The question is how will I find out?
Please! Please! The question is how will I find out?
I will post them on this thread.
Tome of Adventure Design? I don't have a terrible amount of money I'm afraid, but I'll see about squeezing a bit to get this.
From my Kaidan setting of Japanese Horror (PFRPG), there's Way of the Yakuza supplement which features Yakuza Gang Creation rules - that if you peel off the Japanese fluff can work to create any criminal gang or syndicate, so you can have different gangs with varying alignments, occupations, and relationships.
It might help your game.
I wish to share the map I have built. It's crude, artistically, but it is interactive, so enjoy yourselves exploring it. (You will need a program called Maptool 4.0.0 to read this file)
https://www.sendspace.com/file/brk9hb