Knights & Knaves Alehouse

Do you follow any particular process when creating a village, or do you even bother? I don't usually do more than jot down a tavern name and perhaps a couple of NPC names for whomever the party might run across (names to be assigned to whatever NPC I need a name for).

Mythmere wrote:Do you follow any particular process when creating a village, or do you even bother? I don't usually do more than jot down a tavern name and perhaps a couple of NPC names for whomever the party might run across (names to be assigned to whatever NPC I need a name for).

Pretty much the same. I just jot down a list of the staples: tavern, blacksmith, constable, a few farmers, trader/dry goods and maybe a shrine and will assign names at this time.

Unless the village will be a long term base, then I'll flesh it out quite a bit more.

I'm in the process of having to create one myself, so this interests me as well. Besides Hamlet and Bone Hill, what other modules have developed (or somewhat developed) villages or small towns?

The way I'm planning on doing it is developing the main places the PCs will go first (the taverns, stables, a few shops, prison and outpost (probably a small keep). Try to keep the same order as most groups would want to experiance it. I might also include a map of every building with a letter code. Then have a random generator to figure out the basics of it. So As will be farmers, Bs fishermen Cs merchants, Ds Craftsmen, etc. I don't see it being very useful for the DM to create an entire town if 90% of the time PCs aren't going to go to more then 2 taversn and 3 shops before heading out.

Just developed one for my Ithee module.

Bone Hill has the best approach, IMO. A list with every resident, but only the more important ones fleshed out...minor homes with little or no chance of interaction with the PCs get a simple mention of number, race, class if any, and alignment.

The thing that gives the town a little life is developing relationships between different citizens...so and so is the militia captain and so and so is his sergeant. So and so goes to this temple, etc. It doesn't take much room but little things like that give it flavor.

I take out my battered and well-thumbed copy of White Dwarf 31, open it to page 10, and re-read Paul Vernon's triffically fantabulous article on how to design quasi-medieval villages for AD&D -- which has to be the definitive work on the subject and deserves to be framed.

For towns and cities, I take out WD32 and 33 as well.

I was wondering about this the other day while reading through Temple of Elemental Evil. I'd like to run it one day but it's a shame because Nulb doesn't get the treatment Hommlet does. Sure, Hommlet is a good blueprint from which to construct other towns, but Nulb is so different... Plus I'd really have to rise to the occasion to create something as cool as Hommlet.

-Matt

PapersAndPaychecks wrote:I take out my battered and well-thumbed copy of White Dwarf 31, open it to page 10, and re-read Paul Vernon's triffically fantabulous article on how to design quasi-medieval villages for AD&D -- which has to be the definitive work on the subject and deserves to be framed.

For towns and cities, I take out WD32 and 33 as well.

That is certainly an interesting read. Thanks for pointing that issue out.

It takes a village...to...um, create...a.

Shit, that was funnier in my head, let me start over.

thedungeondelver wrote:It takes a village...to...um, create...a.

Shit, that was funnier in my head, let me start over.

No, I started there with the thread's title and couldn't make it work either.

What you two are looking for is:

"It takes a child to raise a village"

Also acceptable:
"It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a viking to raze a village."

The amount of time PCs will be spending in a village will influence how much time and effort I put into creating it. Basic locations and NPCs are pretty easy. I usually skip over any minute details and play them on the fly.