Working in a city adventure campaign and looking for some good modules to use as inspiration. Preferably something that is quality but could have slipped under my radar. Any edition or rules system is fine. Not going to be running the modules, just combing them for good ideas.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;522170Working in a city adventure campaign and looking for some good modules to use as inspiration. Preferably something that is quality but could have slipped under my radar. Any edition or rules system is fine. Not going to be running the modules, just combing them for good ideas.
Fantasy, horror, SF or what?
Vornheim, hands down.
The old Marienburg book for WFRP 1e.
Quote from: The Butcher;522172Fantasy, horror, SF or what?
Anything. Since I am looking for raw ideas and and instances of city adventure done well, setting and genre don't matter to me here. This is ultimately for a fantasy campaign, but I can probably get just as much use from a SF module or Horror.
Quote from: danbuter;522180The old Marienburg book for WFRP 1e.
Havent heard of this one but looking it up the first hit I get is for something by hogshead publishing called Marienburg: sold down the river (published in 1999). is this the one you had in mind?
Yes. If you can find it, it's well worth having.
Assuming Fantasy, Ptolus is absolutely one of the top tier D&D cities with tons of ideas to fuel your game. The Night of Dissolution adventure for Ptolus is a great module. If you want another great module tying into a dungeon filled with the banes to mankind that has been recently breached by bad guys, the Banewarrens is top notch as well.
Pavis for RuneQuest (soon HeroQuest) is another great setting. City State of the Invincible Overlord from Judges' Guild also.
Quote from: Benoist;522188Assuming Fantasy, Ptolus is absolutely one of the top tier D&D cities with tons of ideas to fuel your game. The Night of Dissolution adventure for Ptolus is a great module. If you want another great module tying into a dungeon filled with the banes to mankind that has been recently breached by bad guys, the Banewarrens is top notch as well.
Pavis for RuneQuest (soon HeroQuest) is another great setting. City State of the Invincible Overlord from Judges' Guild also.
Thanks Benoist, I will be sure to pick up Night of Dissolution. Not familiar with City State of the Invincible Overlord, but that sounds interesting.
Shadows over Bogenhafen. Replace "Chaos" with "Setting's Dark Powers" and voila.
If its sandbox science fiction city action, then Id recommend Night City (and Night City Stories) for Cyberpunk.
There is something for everyone and set up so you can play any style of campaign there, police, corporate war, gang fighting or glam.
For fantasy, I might make mention of Tunnels & Trolls' City of Terrors solo adventure, by Michael Stackpole.
Its not good (actually the opposite of that; its trash) but it may be mineable for ideas because the actual problem with it is that you can't cross the street without stumbling across a implausible plotline, and/or a Wandering Person encounter.
Flying buffalo did a series of 'Citybooks' as well, but I don't know anything much about them.
It depends on what kind of ideas you'd prefer, but Zothay (http://fomalhaut.lfg.hu/2010/05/04/zothay/), a free, D&Desque but largely genre-neutral city supplement I released in 2005, has both a handful of mini-adventures to use wholesale, and the main text has a bunch of locales/encounters/adventure hooks you may find interesting.
Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;523316Flying buffalo did a series of 'Citybooks' as well, but I don't know anything much about them.
I own one of these, Citybook II: Port O' Cal:. It is a book presenting a bunch of locations you can insert into a campaign, like an inn or a lighthouse. All fairly detailed with NPCs, secrets and adventure hooks. They are fairly generic high fantasy, but well written for that.
B6 The Veiled Society is pretty cool. Opportunities to get involved in warring political factions' business are plentiful.
I enjoy city settings. Here is a list of a few of the better ones. Given the shear number of supplements out there, there are a handful more good ones and a very great number more bad/mediocre ones than I list. I know there are a few more good Dwarf cities that I'm missing, but this is a good list of the best that has been published over time, as I see it.
Al Amarja that is part of Over the Edge
Arkham Unveiled for Call of Cthulhu
Blacksand for Advanced Fighting Fantasy
Burok Torn for the Scarred Lands setting
Cadwallon by Rackham
Cairo for Call of Cthulhu
Carse by Midkemia/Chaosium
Century Station for Heros Unlimited
Chicago by Night second edition for Vampire
Cities of Bone for Al-Qadim setting
Cities of Harn by Columbia Games
Cities of Sun for the Birthright setting
City & Guild for Ars Magica
City of Delight for Al-Qadim setting
City of Greyhawk for AD&D
City of Lies for Legends of the five Rings
City of the World Emperor by Judges Guild
City State of the Invincible Overlord by Judges Guild
City State of Tyr for AD&D
Citybooks by Flying Buffalo
Ciudad Juarez in Vampire Kingdoms for Rifts
Constantinople by Night for Vampire
Eidlon for Shadow World setting
Erelhei-Cinlu in Vault of the Drow for AD&D
Free City of Haven by Gamelords
Freedom City for Mutants and Masterminds
Frieburg for Seventh Sea
Gareth in Stolze Schlösser, dunkle Gassen for Das Schwarze Auge 3
Gloomraught from The Shadowfell: Gloomraught and Beyond for D&D 4
Havenâ by Schmidt Spiele for Das Schwarze Auge
Hollowfaust for D&D 3
Hudson City: The Urban Abyss for Hero System
Jakalla in the Tekumel setting
Justice Not Law about Hudson City for Hero System
Kaibar in Day of Al’Akbar for AD&D
Kingsport for Call of Cthulhu
Laelith in the January 1991 issue of Casus Belli
Lankhmar the AD&D2 boxed set
Mega-City One in Judge Dredd by Mongoose
Marienberg: Sold Down the River for Warhammer
Menzoberranzen for AD&D
Middenheim in Warhammer City for Warhammer
Millennium City for Hero System
Minas Ithil for Middle Earth
Minas Tirith for Middle Earth
Modron by Judges Guild
Montréal by Night for Vampire
Necropolis Atlanta for Wraith
New Orleans for Call of Cthulhu
Night City for Cyberpunk
Norek for Shadow World setting
Otosan Uchi for Legend of the Five Rings
Pavis for Runequest
Players Guide to Kaiin for Dying Earth
Ptolus: City by the Spire by Malhavac Press
Requiem for Rome for Vampire
San Angelo for Hero System
Sanctuary in Thieves World by Chaosium
Seattle for Shadowrun first edition
Sharn: City of Towers for D&D 3
Sigil in In the Cage: A Guide to Sigil for the Planescape setting
Sons of the Cities of Harn
Streets of Silver for D&D 3
Tarantis by Judges Guild
The City O' Gloom for Deadlands
The Old Ones for Palladium Fantasy
Throal: The Dwarf Kingdom for Earthdawn
Tredroy for GURPS
Tulan by Chaosium
Vimary for Tribe 8
Waterdeep City of Splender for AD&D
Edit Note: Added Gloomraught, The Old Ones, Cadwallon, Constantinople by Night, Requiem for Rome, Ptolus, Gareth, Tyr, Mega-City One, Laelith, Blacksand and Havenâ.
City State of the Invincible Overlord and if you can find it the old Thieves World boxed set from Chaosium is always good
http://www.thievesworld.info/roleplay/rpg-original.htm
I know for a fact that Lou Zocchi carries around a copy or two of Invincible Overlord in his booth, so if you can catch up with him at a Convention, he'll have it.
Cadwallon, from the RPG of the same name.
Laelith, system neutral, published by the French mag Casus Belli.
Sharn, City of Towers is indeed good.
Chicago by Night 2nd ed is a good recommendation as well. I would add:
Montreal by Night
Constantinople by Night
At least.
Quote from: Benoist;523603Cadwallon, from the RPG of the same name.
Laelith, system neutral, published by the French mag Casus Belli.
Sharn, City of Towers is indeed good.
Chicago by Night 2nd ed is a good recommendation as well. I would add:
Montreal by Night
Constantinople by Night
At least.
Oh yes, definitely Cadwallon. Actually, I'm going to add it to the list above, since I would have listed that one too. Just bound to forget a few of the better ones.
Of the Vampire ones, I think Requiem for Rome is close to being ok too.
Was Laelith ever published into a compiled form? The web based material is pretty great even without a hard copy.
http://www.aidedd.org/laelith-f99/ville-t1581.html (http://www.aidedd.org/laelith-f99/ville-t1581.html)
Agreed. Requiem for Rome is great. It's very Requiem centric, and more of a campaign toolkit, less of a gazetteer type supplement as one would expect, but it's really great for what it is.
PS: actually, in the by Night style for the NWoD, World of Darkness: Chicago is impressive as well.
Quote from: Benoist;523608Agreed. Requiem for Rome is great. It's very Requiem centric, and more of a campaign toolkit, less of a gazetteer type supplement as one would expect, but it's really great for what it is.
PS: actually, in the by Night style for the NWoD, World of Darkness: Chicago is impressive as well.
Very much agree.
Additional:
That list includes only the ones I would call the better ones, with probably a few more that will come to mind that I'll edit add. There could be two other lists: 1) the mediocre but amusing ones and 2) the actual bad ones. I'll pass on those lists though. There are a few games that never seemed to produce a specific city setting focused into a volume, though. It's odd that a few popular games can produce so much and not one full city supplement.
Quote from: Benoist;523603Sharn, City of Towers is indeed good.
Benoist endorsing an Eberron book? Surely the end must be nigh.
Quote from: Benoist;523603Chicago by Night 2nd ed is a good recommendation as well. I would add:
Montreal by Night
Constantinople by Night
I like it how WW had all sorts of fucked-up story-loving advice in its "how to GM" core book chapters, and then went on to release these awesome city-based, clearly sandboxy setting books.
Chicago By Night is the archetypal one, with Montreal By Night being the "OMG hardcorez" one (Toy FTW) and Constantinople By Night somehow manages to be gonzo and highbrow at the same time. The Prince is an insanely old Toreador Methuselah who believes himself to be transforming into the Archangel Michael. There's a Tzimisce who believes that the blood-borne suparnatural parasite gnawing away at his soul is God. And there's a Ravnos who creates clockpunk robots. It's like they're feeding the storywank non-gamers with one hand, and flipping them a giant bird with the other. Pure gold.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;522170Working in a city adventure campaign and looking for some good modules to use as inspiration. Preferably something that is quality but could have slipped under my radar. Any edition or rules system is fine. Not going to be running the modules, just combing them for good ideas.
Has the kitchen sink approach helped you find a couple that will help for your project? Is it for Gaius?
Quote from: The Butcher;523646Benoist endorsing an Eberron book? Surely the end must be nigh.
Actually the Eberron line has a lot of good stuff to it, like Five Nations, which I particularly liked. It's not your typical D&D setting that's for sure, but I actually like it, not as the baseline of the game, but as one of these crazy variants like Dark Sun or Spelljammer. Cool.
Quote from: Kuroth;523702Has the kitchen sink approach helped you find a couple that will help for your project? Is it for Gaius?
This is just for a regular campaign (not for gaius). So far i have some promising leads here and placed spme amazon orders.
Kitchen sink has been helpful in this case I think. City adventure material can come from multiple genres and settings.
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;523724City adventure material can come from multiple genres and settings.
Definitely. Very good to read that there were a few that looked about right.
That's quite the list of city-settings.
RPGPundit
Quote from: Kuroth;523604Was Laelith ever published into a compiled form? The web based material is pretty great even without a hard copy.
http://www.aidedd.org/laelith-f99/ville-t1581.html (http://www.aidedd.org/laelith-f99/ville-t1581.html)
It was. First through issues of the magazine Casus Belli (around issue 35 if memory serves), and later as a special issue entirely devoted to the Blessed City.
It's a fantastic city. The default assumption for scenarios based on Laelith back in the day was that you were using AD&D (it's medieval fantastic at its core), but there are hints to various different games in there, like Call of Cthulhu, jokes about Tolkien and the like. The special issue develops in great detail different ways to use the city for different games, such as Role Master, Mega, RuneQuest, Hawkmoon and post apocalyptic settings, even games like Star Wars are covered.
PS: Map of Laelith. (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Vu21moUMo9w/TL4SWi2rqYI/AAAAAAAAAQU/s2ksUQagvv8/s1600/Laelith-map-1000.jpg)
Quote from: RPGPundit;523810That's quite the list of city-settings.
RPGPundit
Indeed. Let Kuroth be known from now on as
Kuroth the Sage.
Quote from: GameDaddy;523825Quote from: RPGPundit;523810That's quite the list of city-settings.
RPGPundit
Indeed. Let Kuroth be known from now on as Kuroth the Sage.
Just years of interest in these games that's all, like most everyone one about here. Thank you all the same, always good to have mutual esteem about.
Quote from: Benoist;523820It was. First through issues of the magazine Casus Belli (around issue 35 if memory serves), and later as a special issue entirely devoted to the Blessed City.
It's a fantastic city. The default assumption for scenarios based on Laelith back in the day was that you were using AD&D (it's medieval fantastic at its core), but there are hints to various different games in there, like Call of Cthulhu, jokes about Tolkien and the like. The special issue develops in great detail different ways to use the city for different games, such as Role Master, Mega, RuneQuest, Hawkmoon and post apocalyptic settings, even games like Star Wars are covered.
PS: Map of Laelith. (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Vu21moUMo9w/TL4SWi2rqYI/AAAAAAAAAQU/s2ksUQagvv8/s1600/Laelith-map-1000.jpg)
It is very nice. It would have been cool if Dragon or Dungeon did an issue that was completely about a city for a whole issue. That still could be done, though. This link provides a good over-view of the January 1991 issue that Laelith had a full appearance in Casus Belli.
Contents of the January 1991 issue of Casus Belli (http://www.legrog.org/jeux/generique-medieval-fantastique/laelith/laelith-fr)
There probably is another from Das Schwarze Auge that would fit into the better category too, other than Gareth that’s already listed. I just recalled Blacksand from Fighting Fantasy. It is also one of the better ones.
There are quite a number I just can’t quite get myself to add to a list of the better setting supplements. It’s easiest to give examples.
Shadizar - City of Wickedness has a fairly typical presentation that just doesn’t quite standout. This supplement is a good example of the bulk of the lesser but not actually bad city settings. Complete but uninspired.
Vornheim by Zak S. does have aspects that make it stand out, but it lacks many other depth and layer qualities that would merit its placement with the settings on the better list. A second edition that would be viable for standard publishing could bring more depth and layers to the city. These problems likely arose from translating the author's world into a cohesive form, which often requires refinement. So, this is a vote of confidence in Zak to make it better with more of his vision in subsequent editions. Incomplete but inspired.
City Builder by Skirmisher Games is complete, but it is also somewhat like a greatly expanded version of a setting advice section in a core book. If a core book was published without an editor to trim it to a tailored final copy, the setting advice section in the hypothetical core book might look like City Builder. Loquacious to the point of bland.
These three cover the subcategories that make up the lesser but not actually bad city supplements, as I see them. They do have a lot of competition. So, it isn’t really a slight on them, and others may find these do measure up to some of the better published city settings available over the years.
In the end, the setting that works best in game is the one that everyone involved will remember as a great city setting. If the referee has a very clear vision what the city is like, impromptu creation works very well, as I’m sure almost everyone that reads this has done on many occasions. I recall an excellent Camelot that I ran without any written preparation. Notes are more important than usual once the characters are interacting with the city, though.
Recently, I have taken up the Ars Magica City & Guild supplement and the City of Greyhawk in tandem, and it is coming together really quite well under AD&D 1. So, this is an example of mixing supplements of a couple games and using them under a chosen system. Using City & Guild with the City of Greyhawk has helped refresh an old favorite setting too.
Quote from: Kuroth;523859There probably is another from Das Schwarze Auge that would fit into the better category too, other than Gareth that's already listed. I just recalled Blacksand from Fighting Fantasy. It is also one of the better ones.
Havena boxed set for Das Schwarze Auge. Outstanding city setting as well!
Quote from: Kuroth;523888Vornheim by Zak S. does have aspects that make it stand out, but it lacks many other depth and layer qualities that would merit its placement with the settings on the better list. A second edition that would be viable for standard publishing could bring more depth and layers to the city...Incomplete but inspired..
What kinds of things would you like to see added to a second edition or expansion? Just more of the kind of thing that's there or a different kind of content?
I purposefully wanted to avoid a lot of the "mundane depth" I saw in other city supplements that don't help or inspire me when I read them. ("In the tavern is a bartender his name is Marcus he serves ale and mead""The Aristocratic part of town is full aristocrats, they have more money than the people in the poor part of town. Security is better...""The Kingdom Of Tolkienripoffia was founded in the age of MoresoundslikeTolkien after the TotallynotagainstSauronwar" etc)
That is, if I ever expand Vornheim, I'd like to add things that are useful yet still practice what I preach (http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2010/03/evaluating-your-city.html).
Quote from: Zak S;523995What kinds of things would you like to see added to a second edition or expansion? Just more of the kind of thing that's there or a different kind of content?
I purposefully wanted to avoid a lot of the "mundane depth" I saw in other city supplements that don't help or inspire me when I read them. ("In the tavern is a bartender his name is Marcus he serves ale and mead""The Aristocratic part of town is full aristocrats, they have more money than the people in the poor part of town. Security is better...""The Kingdom Of Tolkienripoffia was founded in the age of MoresoundslikeTolkien after the TotallynotagainstSauronwar" etc)
That is, if I ever expand Vornheim, I'd like to add things that are useful yet still practice what I preach (http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2010/03/evaluating-your-city.html).
Just to say it again, Vorheim is reasonably good, and I do think it has inspiration. After all, the list before was one of the best city settings
ever, and I tended toward selecting ones that I know have general consensus as being great among the proponents of those systems. With all that has been written for role-play games over the decades, there are literally hundreds of city settings that did not make that list. That Vorheim can stand out from all that has been done is still noteworthy, and it is why I chose it as an example of a subcategory of those that I didn't include.
Reading between the lines of what you write here, I believe you know where to focus a revision or new edition of Vorheim. It isn't at all about adding mundane depth. That's certain. It could use more care to bring out the layers in your campaign. There is only a piece of that now. With those layers there would be real depth. There are great descriptions of the House of the Medusa, Immortal Zoo and the Library of Zorlac, and these are very nice. However, a few more short descriptions of locations that have the character of the city would help bring your setting to light. You must have many descriptions of locations in the city in your notes. They shouldn't have the same treatment as Medusa, Immortal zoo or the Library. For example, try to include a half page of narrative for a number of your better locations in the city, perhaps a collection of ones that have been used in a number of your sessions by players. Those will have the strongest character in your campaign. A collection of detailed NPCs in narrative, being stat free, would also help provide a clear picture of the power structure in the city, as well as bring the city to life at the most direct level. You have enough tables, which are good for what they are designed. So, a careful editing of what has been published with some further development will really help refine your vision, and the two combined would increase the page count in only a minor manner. I like the stylistic approach of the layout, by the way. Don't be tempted to a more conventional route in that part of a revision or new edition. So, these are some of my thoughts upon it.
Edit (March, 2013): Recently I acquired the hardcopy of Vornheim, rather than only the pdf, and there is a real difference to how this city book is perceived in hardcopy. It really is one of the better physical role-play game supplements I have purchased for some time. The unusual form factor really is a selling feature for players too. Vornheim is one of the best city supplement of role-play games, and I reassess my opinion based on my experience with the physical book. I definitely suggest acquiring the physical book.
Quote from: Benoist;523937Havena boxed set for Das Schwarze Auge. Outstanding city setting as well!
The port city Havenâ by Schmidt Spiele for Das Schwarze Auge is a good one alright. I knew that there was at least one I was forgetting. Das Fürstentum Albernia includes more information on Havena, and it works as a supplement to the previous boxed set. Am großen Fluss covers this area for the most recent edition Das Schwarze Auge, with a map and some other information about Havenâ.
Gareth is described in Herz des Reiches for the most recent edition of Das Shwarze Auge, as well as in Stolze Schlösser, dunkle Gassen that I mention on the list.
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Footnote:
For those that may read this thread by search or other means, I chose to give the three examples of those I didn’t include on the list to provide a clear idea of my selection process for the list. I don’t want it to seem that I singled those three out for disparagement, far from it. I felt I had to make an explanation why I didn’t include them. After all, I didn’t include Yggsburgh on the list. So, I hope this helps those that are looking for a published city setting. I have often used settings that many find actually bad too, using what is provided to just cut down on the amount of preparation. I'm not going to mention any setting that I find are actually bad. Even with all of these suggestions, sometimes its easier to go the impromptu route than use something that is a mess from the start or fails to fit in one's campaign. One of these days I’m going to use the Ingurian city of Bloomberg included in Superhero 2044 somehow. Fight On!