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Author Topic: Let's build a City  (Read 1890 times)

Abyssal Maw

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Let's build a City
« Reply #15 on: November 21, 2006, 09:55:51 AM »
Links rumors and outright lies is a great idea. Maybe we could add that individually to each page, or use the comments section (you can comment on each page, like a blog, kinda). Thats an excellent idea.

We could also do a page just called "the rumor mill"

My first project was going to be called the "City Guard", but I think it might be unfair to have just one City Guard. So mine will be the 'Night Watch' and have room for other competing services (an investigation committee, a special unit that works in arcane crimes, a unit that deals with high-powered adventurers) sorta like that.

Once again:

http://paravail.pbwiki.com
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O'Borg

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« Reply #16 on: November 21, 2006, 10:57:57 AM »
I've done this before a time or two many many years ago at the WebRPG Townhall forum, before it was sold off to UGO then to RPGhost, whence it died of neglect ;)
 
With the right group of people pulling in the same direction, it can be really good - I'm in if you'll have me :cool:
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O'Borg

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« Reply #17 on: November 21, 2006, 11:00:41 AM »
Quote from: ChalkLine
This sounds like a fun project, if a newbie can contribute I'd be happy to.
 
Some suggestions on a fantasy city;
(lotsa good stuff here)

Which brings one of the first questions in city building - is this an organic settlement that grew from a handfull of shacks at a crossroads, a planned city (such as Brasillia or Milton Keynes) or something halfway twixt the two - like a settlement that grew up around a castle or military camp?
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Abyssal Maw

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« Reply #18 on: November 21, 2006, 11:11:21 AM »
None of this has been determined yet. What do you suggest? I think it's going to be first come/first served/ multiple interpretations. So if you come up with it first and put it in the wiki, thats the reality.

But if somone can come up with an alternate or additive concept ("The city  was created organically.. except a certain district was planned") and that doesn't negate your thing, that can be true too.

Welcome to the project!

WE BUILT THIS CITY ON ROCK AND ROLL
http://paravail.pbwiki.com
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Werekoala

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« Reply #19 on: November 21, 2006, 11:13:52 AM »
Well, if its "extraplanar" or a mixture of tech levels, then it could have started out as settlements around one or more planar portals that has grown into a bustling city - trade possibilities are enormous if we mix the sci-fi/fantasy/steampunk themes.

Here's a thought - instead of the city itself being a mish-mash, how about the portals are the only "constant", and they link the same "city" in different genre/dimensions? Step into the portal and *piff* you're in Medieval Paravail.
 Step again and *piff* in SciFi Paravail.

That way each city can be true to its own setting but still be "connected" to each other.
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Abyssal Maw

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« Reply #20 on: November 21, 2006, 11:52:24 AM »
Feel free to edit the Concept page:

http://paravail.pbwiki.com/Concept
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Ian Absentia

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« Reply #21 on: November 21, 2006, 12:19:22 PM »
Quote from: ChalkLine
- Place it in the world first, so it has a reason for being...

 - Do the terrain first...

 - Sketch up a few prior settlements. Burn them. Sack them. Flood them or give them an earthquake. Then build your city on top of them...

 - Sewers follow the lay of the land...

 - Settle on the city's history first...
You know, I once did all this for a fictional contemporary city I designed, inspired both by David Lynch's town of Twin Peaks and James Robinson's Opal City from the "Starman" comic.  Fingers crossed, I might even have the simulated digital elevation model I was working on for it (I got ambitious enough to start working on the project in ArcView, but not ambitious enough to complete it).

Oh, hell.  There goes my work day. :)

!i!

Ian Absentia

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« Reply #22 on: November 21, 2006, 01:30:42 PM »
I've already taken the liberty of roughing out the general lay of the land:

http://paravail.pbwiki.com/Places

I'll work on a map later and see if we can get that up.

!i!

Ian Absentia

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« Reply #23 on: November 22, 2006, 01:18:52 AM »
I'm a complete clod at wiki coding, but I have an early scan of a map loaded in "Places".  I'll replace it with one with better detail later, and I'm hoping some graphics genius will take it and run with it.

Lots of room to grow with it.

!i!

O'Borg

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« Reply #24 on: November 22, 2006, 04:28:45 AM »
Re : City Watch
 
It might be more fun (and possibly even realistic!) if instead of one big, organised City Watch as a police force, there were several smaller units - private police forces employed by the rich, merchant gaurds, guild enforcers as well as official City / Royal law enforcement. IMO it would fit with the notion of the city growing organically as various factions banded together for mutual protection against criminal elements.
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ChalkLine

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« Reply #25 on: November 22, 2006, 07:55:34 AM »
It's a bit difficult if it's multiplanar, because really, there doesn't have to be a reason for anything. A free floating antigravity city can move to where it wants to be. A high fantasy city can be placed anywhere, you don't have to worry about stuff like the food supplies etc.

I read a brilliant graphic novel years ago about a city of a vast (and I mean vast) sailing vessel. It was a great read but it wouldn't have worked. For the story though, that didn't matter.

I guess what I'm saying is that if it's multiplanar which kinda makes it high fantasy/science fantasy, you don't really need any planning, just area descriptions.
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Abyssal Maw

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« Reply #26 on: November 22, 2006, 08:34:55 AM »
Quote from: O'Borg
Re : City Watch
 
It might be more fun (and possibly even realistic!) if instead of one big, organised City Watch as a police force, there were several smaller units - private police forces employed by the rich, merchant gaurds, guild enforcers as well as official City / Royal law enforcement. IMO it would fit with the notion of the city growing organically as various factions banded together for mutual protection against criminal elements.


Definitely multiple city guards. The group I made up called the NightWatch, for example, only patrols at night. Part of their duties is looking out for fires and undead incursions.

I was also going to create a 'vigilante' group, or perhaps just a vigilante NPC or two.
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Spike

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« Reply #27 on: November 22, 2006, 10:33:02 AM »
Who are the inhabitants. I'll go for the obvious question...


What is their culture?  

I'll happily work it out, but this implies that I know what the local environment is, the rough technological level, the sorts influences that shape and develop traditions and taboos.

If you are talking fantasy, as I think we are, and vaguely D&Dish 'anything goes' fantasy, I'd think doing something interesting like pushing forward a non-traditional race as primary would make for an interesting idea for development.

Say we move Orcs from the tribal nomads into cities.  Make the community originating in a settlement that was occupied by both Orcs and Humans in roughly equal numbers.  As time moved on, a caste structure of sorts arose, with Orcs taking on jobs as guards and warleaders, along with less pleasent jobs involving heavy labor, while humans took on religious and beaurocratic services (trade and the like). Warrior castes are often the dominant one in such cultures, with religious castes falling a close second (and over a period of time switching places as the surronding lands grow ever more peaceful, often due to expansion as simply becoming too big to fuck with is a powerful deterant to most attackers).

So, the Orcs have the highest caste on lock, and the humans normally would have the second caste, and an uneasy racial tension, quite at odds with such a longstanding situation develops? Why? Because we forgot to include the hybrids, the Half-orcs who would presumably be the dominant population of such a city after a long period of time.  Furthermore, as a bridge between the two races, Half Orcs would be the real powerplayers in the religious caste, and as a race would be found in all the castes in lesser numbers.

If this is in line, I'll keep going.;)
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Abyssal Maw

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« Reply #28 on: November 22, 2006, 11:33:49 AM »
Well, my preference is to frame things in terms of "a culture" rather than "the culture". But it is absolutely in line. Please contribute! I will put a stub entry up for Orcs in the Alphadex and you can expand that.

We need the sandbox to stay open. So here's what I'd prefer:

You can have a caste of high status orcs and half orcs. And describe their neighborhoods and npcs and any little plot areas you like:  This way it leaves openings for people who aren't necessarily interested in orcs to also contribute their ideas.

My idea is to encourage a focus is on designing things without invalidating what other people can contribute in the future.
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Spike

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« Reply #29 on: November 22, 2006, 12:52:49 PM »
Well I hope my FIRST contribution isn't invalidating anything!

I mean, beyond the idea that if I wrote something in there, that means at least that one thing is written down and therefore arguably invalidating something that could have been written there instead.

Like the good Doc's idea about a specific tavern, means that there can't NOT be that tavern, yeah?:confused:
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