Cities: A Gamemaster's Guide to Encounters and Other Rules For Fantasy Games

Cities is a fantasy role-playing game supplement published by Midkemia Press in 1979.

Description

Cities is a role-playing supplement that is "generic" in nature — that is, it is not designed for any specific role-playing game system. Two editions of the book were published by Midkemia Press, in 1979[1] and 1983;[2] Chaosium published a third edition in 1986 titled Cities: Create and Explore Your Own Fantasy Communities.[3]

The book provides information about urban centres — villages, towns and cities — that can be used by a gamemaster to design an adventure or campaign.[1]

1st & 2nd (Midkemia) editions

These editions were written by Stephen Abrams, April Abrams, and Jon Everson,[2] and are divided into several sections. The first is "Encounters", a table of 28 encounters that might befall a party of adventurers — the town watch, an aristocrat, pilgrims, etc. Each encounter also has several specific events that can be used as story hooks to draw the characters into an adventure. For example, "Characters see a slaver beating a slave."[2]

The second section, "Cities, Towns and Villages: Building Your Own", provides details on how the gamemaster can design either a small village of up to 400 people, or —using a different system — how to design a town or city. These include details of the open market or bazaar, and typical businesses and shops that would be found, in three economic stratas: wealthy, merchant and poor. There are also descriptions of several specialized urban centres such as a fishing village.[2]

The third section, "City Catch-up Tables", is a series of tables to randomly determine how a character spends his or her time when not involved in an adventure, including employment status and earnings, savings and weekly costs. There are also tables to indicate whether an unusual event has happened to the character such as illness, being accused of a crime, or offending someone.[2]

The appendices provide a variety of tables and charts that cover a number of subjects, including information a selection of inns and taverns, stables, and occupational backgrounds.[2]

3rd (Chaosium) edition

The third edition was written by Stephen Abrams and Jon Everson, and follows a structure similar to the first two editions. The first section is still "Encounters", although the number and type of encounters has been expanded.[3]

The second section, "Populating Villages, Towns and Cities", is a set of charts and guidelines for randomly developing an urban area with shops and residences. [3]

The third section, "Character Catch-up", serves the same purpose as the first two editions.[3]

Reception

In the November 1980 edition of The Space Gamer (No. 33), Richard A. Edwards thought the first edition was "a great addition to any game master's library of fantasy playing aids."[1]

In the August 1983 edition of Dragon (Issue 76), Ken Rolston had words of praise for Midkemia's second edition, commenting, "I recommend that all campaign gamemasters examine Midkemia’s products; they will be pleasantly surprised by the lucidity of the presentation and the wealth of information and ideas they will find for town-based FRP gaming."[2]

Graeme Davis reviewed Cities for White Dwarf #83."[4]

In the July-August 1987 edition of Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer (Issue No. 81), Jeff Albanese thought that Chaosium's third edition of this book was an improvement over the first two editions, saying, "All in all, Cities is wonderfully done, and you should go out and get it. The saying, 'The third time's a charm' certainly applies to this work!"[5]

In the August 1987 edition of Dragon (Issue 124), Ken Rolston called the third edition "an essential reference for any GM interested in FRPG medieval villages, towns and cities."[3]

Reviews

References
  1. Edwards, Richard A. (November 1980). "Capsule Reviews". The Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (33): 28.
  2. Rolston, Ken (August 1983). "Research shows in Cities book". Dragon. TSR, Inc. (76): 79–80.
  3. Rolston, Ken (August 1987). "Role-playing Reviews". Dragon. TSR, Inc. (124): 14.
  4. Davis, Graeme (November 1986). "Open Box". White Dwarf. Games Workshop (Issue 83): 5.
  5. Albanese, Jeff (1987). "Third Time's A Charm". Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer. Diverse Talents, Incorporated (81): 47.
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