City Creation

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Tearstone
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City Creation

Unread post by Tearstone »

Hello there folks. It's been a while.

So I have a question for you fine fans and GM's.

Has anybody out there found good city creation tools, or are there any published by Palladium, that actually work in this setting?

I know there are spy organization creators, traveling shows, mercenary companies, and survivor outposts or Safe Havens from Dead Reign.

I don't necessarily want to use a city that already exists. I would like to do something new.
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Stone Gargoyle
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Re: City Creation

Unread post by Stone Gargoyle »

There are no rules for creating a city. The best you can do is look at what some of the books have and use those as a template. Or you can just look at an actual city similar to what you want and map out areas and figure out stats for it. But this game has nothing as far as creating your own setting in the rulebooks.
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Tearstone
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Re: City Creation

Unread post by Tearstone »

*sigh*

I figured that would be the answer I get. In this regard though, I have found some awesome tools to get city data and information. There IS an article in the Rifter - Rifter Issue #1 that has city creation for RIFTS. I don't know if it would be adequate, and it might need to be kitbashed. There are materials in DR as well.

I may decide to actually -make- a generator/creator and release it here, see what you folks htink and tweak it. I feel this is something that could be useful.

What say you folks? And if you want to see the tools I've found already, let me know and I will post the links here. ^_^
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Stone Gargoyle
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Re: City Creation

Unread post by Stone Gargoyle »

More materials are always welcome, whether through this forum or optional material published in the Rifter. The various PFRPG books also have towns in them I have converted. I was not aware of the RIFTS one, I might have to try and look for it.
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Razorwing
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Re: City Creation

Unread post by Razorwing »

Rifter #1 has rules for creating Cities... albeit that these cities are intended for the Rifts setting. With a little modification, it could work for other settings.

While most cities in democratic countries will have the Democratic Government feature, it is possible that the other forms of government provided could be used. Anarchy could happen with the fall of a Mayor and/or City Council (possibly the result of either revealing corruption of previous governments or a villainous plot that wasn't thwarted). Both Oppressive or Benevolent Dictatorships could result from declaring Martial Law or similar enactment of emergency powers... for various reasons. Even an Aristocratic Government could maintain the illusion of Democracy while only the rich or various corporations/lobby groups actually have any say in the government. Communes may be possible in smaller cities... but tend to become a different type when the reach larger sizes (anything above Town size).

Most cities will have been settled in an area because of one or more natural resources... with the possibility of others being found in due time... with Water, Forest, Agriculture or Mineral wealth being the initial reason for settlement. Many cities in a modern setting will also have access to Petroleum Products... either by being a source for such, a place where such items are shipped to... or through trade with other areas... especially if such a place is on a coast for the latter two.

The Location feature may not be much use in a modern setting... unless something has happened that causes many cities to become isolated from each other (the fall of a country's government... invasion or something as such.

Pre-Rifts History feature isn't likely to mean much in a modern setting, but it can give an idea of additional ideas for features the city may have.

Attitude towards outsiders can be used to determine the general attitude of a population... and can vary between neighborhoods... with some being more isolationist or wary, while others are more neutral or even open about people.

The racism feature is likely to be officially "Total Equality", but even in modern times we see people being treated as second-class citizens or even as slaves (if not in actual name then in attitude)... and there are more than a few communities in even large cities that can be covertly or even overtly racists in some way. This will be especially true towards mutants and similar beings... and with the appearance of Aliens, it could even evolve into Human Supremacy.

Even with all the marvels of science and technology in the modern world, the level of technology in a given city can vary... though the bigger the city, the more likely it will be higher on the technological scale.

Magic and Psychic levels are likely to be at the Limited Level at best... as both tend to be rare in the modern world. It is rare for modern cities to be mecas for the Supernatural or Paranormal... but it may be possible for some cities to have a large and thriving underground community of mystics or psychics... but these will be the exception to the rule in most cases.

Most cities in the Modern Age don't usually have a standing military... though they may have a military base near by. How big this base may be will depend on the size of the city (larger bases are unlikely to be near a small town)... however it should be noted that such a base isn't at the disposal of the city... it will deploy only when ordered by its own military structure... not at the whim of a City Mayor.

Unlike the military, law enforcement will be often be at the beck and call of the city... and the larger it is the greater the number of police it will likely have. Still... most cities and even small towns will tend to be considered on the level of Complex Judicial System due to being in part of a democratic nation... and even less democratic ones will have similar Judicial Systems... though the rights of citizens will vary depending on the laws of such countries. This feature should probably be modified to indicate the number of cops a city has to maintain the laws... with a small number for larger populations indicating an overworked (and likely underpaid) police force... and an overall indication of the city's crime rate (the fewer police in respect to population generally working out to a higher crime rate).

Notable businesses in a Modern setting will tend towards the more mundane or technological equivalents... though it may be possible to find hidden occult and less than legal establishments.

Power source for the city is probably a combination of sources from basic Water to Nuclear and Alternative fuels... with even more exotic possibilities (like the failed Cold Fusion generator from Century Station) being additional possibilities.

The wealth of a city is likely to vary... even within a given city. This feature may need to be purchased multiple times to represent different neighborhoods.

The criminal activity is probably going to be one of the major choices for a city... especially one where the players are going to be involved... as without crime, there is little need for heroes.

In the end, while these rules make good cities for the rifts setting, I think that these rules will be better for creating different sections of a larger city... more the Boroughs or even Neighborhoods of a city like Century Station... rather than an entire city like Lazlo.
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