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Post by goodmush on Apr 2, 2016 23:11:53 GMT
Hello all! I have a bit of an issue with my city that I don't know if this is a workable format or if it has enough ideas for adventures. If you could review it and send me some feedback on anything, everything so i might be able to improve it. Thanks in advance! Attachments:Blackpine.pdf (274.28 KB)
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Post by dmsam on Apr 3, 2016 0:32:54 GMT
Looks pretty ripe for adventures. Just a few things that I thought about:
1. If you are going to confiscate people's magical items at the door and tax them 15%, this city BETTER have something the player's need, because I can see them turning around really quickly. What is this city famous for?
2. In your hooks you might want to add: How curious is this? There is a holiday and memorial dedicated to a heroic spell-caster, yet magic use is forbidden in this city. Might want to ask Ausas the Mage, because he gets to monopolize magic, apparently.
3. I can see conflict at the gates already. Might want to add a section about law and order/crime and punishment. What if someone is caught using magic? Do they get a fine? Do they get their hands chopped off? Are they publicly shamed in the town square? Death by hanging? How about other crime? How competent are the city guards? Do they really enforce their rules or do they turn a blind eye with a little bribing?
4. More sources of conflicts, please. Conflicts are essential to storytelling!
Pretty cool stuff overall, I like it!
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Post by blakeryan on Apr 3, 2016 0:45:31 GMT
Overall - Good spread of information.
Tax at the gate - i'd go for a flat 10 gold each. While it's not much for adventurers, its alot for commonfolk. Keep it simple and keep the game flowing.
Regarding magic use - after dark or all the time? arcane and divine magic? Is there exemption for within churches or the arcane guild?
Regarding the Nobility, Guild Leaders and City Council - 3 lists of completely different names. Wouldn't some of the nobility or guild leaders would be on the council?
Regarding the rumours - are 1 & 9 linked in some way? are 4 and 6 linked in some way?
Are Callan Blackpine's descendants still in the city? did they fall into disrepute and want to take back over the city?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2016 23:39:29 GMT
What is your intent in creating this?
Some additional questions to guide your answer... Is it just a cheat sheet for you? Is it meant as a resource for the players of your homebrew? Do you mean for it to be viable as a printed resource, or will do you intend it to be used mainly in digital form? Do you want it to be portable to other settings for other GMs?
dmsam and blakeryan's questions will help you develop this setting document, but the point of my question(s) is to determine if such development is even appropriate or necessary for what you want out of this creation.
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Post by goodmush on Apr 4, 2016 21:59:55 GMT
What is your intent in creating this? Some additional questions to guide your answer... Is it just a cheat sheet for you? Is it meant as a resource for the players of your homebrew? Do you mean for it to be viable as a printed resource, or will do you intend it to be used mainly in digital form? Do you want it to be portable to other settings for other GMs? dmsam and blakeryan's questions will help you develop this setting document, but the point of my question(s) is to determine if such development is even appropriate or necessary for what you want out of this creation. You raise a very valid question with the desired goal of the document. The end goal is to create a workable document that a GM can use to create several games or a campaign out of. And as something that I want to make to put out there for anyone to use, just for the joy of making something worthwhile. This is something I made about a year ago and I'm looking at it again in order to improve upon it as well as being the template for other similar works. I am currently reworking the document with all of the suggestions in mind in order to make it a more complete gameable area. Thank you for the feedback I enjoy getting to hear from others on how I can improve my skills so I can make better stuff later. |
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Post by Vulash on Apr 6, 2016 14:35:51 GMT
Just in regards to the tax - I'd leave it as a percentage and just put a cap of 10GP (or 50, or whatever you want). 10 GP is more than commonfolk make in a year, but I agree with keeping it a little simpler for the PCs. Otherwise your guards would have to have multiple appraisers as well at the gates.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2016 9:24:21 GMT
The main reason for the question(s) is that it seems really condensed, both in the layout and syntax used to convey information. It seems like you want it all to fit on one page. If you're going to expand on this resource, you're obviously going to need more than one page. On the other hand, it's perfectly viable in its current form for the intended purpose. Hence my remark, is further development appropriate or necessary? As it is, most GMs could plug this into their fantasy setting with a few cosmetic changes. If most of the action in a campaign is taking place outside the city, this document is sufficient to describe a base of operations or other prominent location within a larger area. If it's an urban campaign, the suggestions earlier in this thread point to some good areas to further develop it. Some additional thoughts: Stripping people of weapons and forbidding magic makes sense for a lot of settings, but rarely translates into a fun obstacle for the players. Adventures leading to Blackpine should include a method for smuggling people/equipment in, and bypassing the frankly exorbitant tax (more on that in a second). Maybe include a brief description of an NPC in an outlying settlement who can get the job done for a small fee. As to magic, creating the possibility for PCs to legally cast spells in the city would be another welcome addition. The city of Mulmaster in the Forgotten Realms setting forbids the use of arcane magic, except by members of the Cloaks. The only requirement to obtain membership is to swear fealty to the ruler of Mulmaster. Whether the PC's pledge is sincere or not is another matter. Regarding the tax on personal wealth, that's a very big deterrent to bringing trade and wealthy visitors into the city. Probably not what the powers that be actually want. Like Vulash, I think a smaller flat tax works better, but even 10 GP seems excessive. I think 1 GP is an effective deterrent to keep the riff raff out. I know modern real world and fantasy medieval economics don't jive well, but 1 GP translates to $20-100 depending on what's being purchased. That's a lot of money to a poor person, especially if its just for the privilege of entering a city. (edit: that said, further curiosity led me to this... price of tolls in New York City www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/tolls.html ) |
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Post by swordnut on Apr 8, 2016 14:14:30 GMT
London had laws banning weapons within the city. They re-issued that law every couple of months, which tells you no-one was obeying it.
Here is the basic breakdown of how the law changed over time:
You may not carry weapons in the city
You may only carry weapons to and from your place of residence/inn when entering or leaving the city
Nobles may only carry a weapon if it is carried by their servant
A nobles servant, carrying his weaponry must be at least 10 paces behind his lord
A nobles servant, carrying his weaponry may not use a cart to carry weapons
A nobles servant may only carry ONE weapon for his lord
You may not carry weapons in the city
repeat for 200 years
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