Citybuilding 101

Hey all.

Long story short, as a first time DM, my players are highly likely to encounter their first city in our campaign tomorrow. They've each been led to the island in which this is all taking place with the promise of a mysterious and vague treasure. They spent much of the last session navigating through a doppelganger's ruse and a creepy village, but this is their first encounter with the proper civilization on the island.

Though we're not a horror campaign per se, I'm planned most of the outer villages and territories be cursed or under some creepy type of enchantment. With that said, I'd really like to have all of the cities in this campaign to have a different vibe: a more civilized, political version of the dark forces marauding over the less-populous regions.

My question is: how to do this? I've got a few ideas: there will be a masquerade hosted by necromancers, a governor's council infiltrated by doppelgangers, and a city guard that seems to be quietly and efficiently making homeless people disappear in the night. But how can I give a general sense of menace and discomfort to my players when walking around the city?

My plan is for the city to currently be under lockdown due to bomb threats a la pic related, but how can I set this up with encounters and adventures for my players? What are different types of plot hooks and NPCs that can help bring them into this vision of a city under siege?

>Also feel free to post random tips on cities you've played in, what made them memorable, and how to build a convincing urban civ in a fantasy world

Bumping with character art

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bamp

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humbump

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zzz

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zoinks

Come onnnn guyssss if I had content to contribute to this topic I would have posted it earlier in the thread

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Bumping for interest.

Is this a Victorian or early modern setting? The only cities I have played were from the Renaissance although I am working on a WW2 campaign now. Personally, I would think the events you use should reflect the level of society progress.

Nah, it's straight up fantasy. Elves and shit. But my players seem to be playing it low fantasy, so I want to meet them there and see how far we can take it

There's an overarching threat on the island: three cults, using artifacts left behind by three great folk heroes, are gradually working to gain control of the island and uncover its secrets. I'm intended for each of the cults to have a "public face" i.e. representation/control of a major public institution.

With this city, I'm considering introducing a sub-conflict: native Islanders, rising up to gain control of the island by any means necessary. Think "the troubles" in miniature. That's just a thought though, I'm not wedded to it.

How overt is the effect of the artifacts? Are those in sway setting up legitimate cults/factions, or is it a more subtle mind control thing?

Also, this makes me think of Dominions, for some reason.

Haven't really plotted it all out, but my PCs have come across one vaguely mind controlled village thus far. I'd say I remain very open to different types of effects for each faction's artifacts.

Basically, the villages will be creepy overtly, while the cities will be secretly creepy (each faction is collecting corpses behind the scenes). Also, pray tell, what is Dominions?

Oh. As far as each cult's backing: the core of each will be people who believe they are saving the island/world - but the broader public doesn't know about that. Each cult is looking to establish its people in positions of power around the island, but not in the sense of a political party or anything. Indeed, each cult only has a public face when its claimants extoll the virtue of their cult's chosen Folk Hero. Think of it as a war of secret societies.

Guys guys for a shrapnel bomb, I'm going to have one of the rebels throw in a gem that, once shatters, activates an expanded and extra-damaging Cloud of Daggers. Because cafe bombings are an effective way to establish setting (IN GAME. NSA PLZ.)

bamp

>My question is: how to do this?
Dickbag guards. They shake down travelers, they run petty protection rackets, they beat up people in dark alleys.

Have them search the players for contraband, "find" something on one of them, then threaten to haul the PCs off to jail... unless they were willing to pay the modest "fine" right then.

Also, stop goddamn bumping every ten minutes. See the page indicator at the bottom? If it's not on 8 or more, you don't need to bump.

Bumping at 7 just because

I'd say the first thing to do is figure out what effects you want the artifacts to have, and then we can figure out what effects that has on the greater environment.

Like for the guards soliciting bribes, maybe that artifact is about Greed, and they're abusing their position for profit. Or maybe Dominance, to also explain abusing their position.

Dominions is a strategy vidya game where various Pretender Gods face off. One of the mechanics is Dominion, where the worship of a god in an area changes the landscape.

Bamp

Children or husbands running from alley to alley, trying to get to breadbakers or other food providers without getting spotted by the guards.

i'll bite, what's the page indicator?

Ooh that's good.

Do Ctrl+f "page: " - it tells you what page the thread is currently on within the board.

Nvm, that's only on mobile. It'll be one of the numbers on the far right of the "[post a reply]" hyperlink, the 4 numbers with slash marks separating them - but idk how to interpret them. First one is probably a reply count.

Seriously? When you hover over them, they are explained. Replies/Images/Posters/Page it says.

Also, if it's generally hard to find people (main streets being empty and stuff like that), it might make it menacing.