Marienburg, Sold Down the River for WFRP1.

I'll endorse the suggestion above re. the Palladium Fantasy supplement, 'Old Ones'. It is an incredible resource.

"Town" by Lisa J. Steele (and edited by S. John Ross) - a very good system-neutral sourcebook for those who want to play in actual medieval cities, or want to include more actual medieval elements in their fantasy cities.

Quote from: Ladybird;795015Blacksand, nominally for Advanced Fighting Fantasy (2e, although Blacksand! for 1e is similar); it's a grimy, slightly mad, fantasy pirate city that's very, very tightly controlled by it's guilds and it's authoritarian ruler; there's plenty of wierd to be had, plenty of politics to get into, but it also still feels like a place people could really live in.

I second that. The original Blacksand is more to the point and better at the general stuff about building fantasy cities, while the 2e update offers more detail and some cool methods for random features and their placement.

It is one of the few cases where having the sourcebook versions of both editions is worth it.

Quote from: Omega;795121Flying Buffalos Citybook series. Still in print even.

These, genuinely system free and yet with enough system for any game.

Dark Streets and Vornheim are both very good, in very different ways; but for me, Blacksand is still the hallmark by which I compare all other city books. It's utterly marvelous.

Quote from: Larsdangly;795045Pavis and the Big Rubble sets the curve for me.

Yes, I normally compare city writeups with Pavis & Big Rubble and have yet to find anything better.

Much as I may malign WW/SS's d20 Gamma World. Its city as a character system was pretty neet.

One aspect that could be adapted to any other game is this...

Fringe signs of habitation. Or signs of what type of community you are entering. Or signs of what sorts of "feats" the town has.

IE: A town with the infamous feat - youd notice visitors being nervous or showing respect around the townspeople for some reason. A library signs would be a building with books, scholars entering and leaving. Or a town with an advanced smith you might see townspeople walking around well armed and the shops have better crafted or more advanced gear for sale.

As said elsewhere. Some day I'll sit down and adapt this thing to 5e and a fantasy setting.

I always liked Flying Buffalo's Citybook series. They had these cool locales you could just throw into any random city environment to make it a tad special.

Quote from: pbj44;795110Cities by Midkemia Press for its endless amount of fun urban adventure hooks.

I'll second that. For more detailed bits, Flying Buffalo/Blade's Citybook series is rich in interesting creations.

Quote from: Frey;795122Marienburg, Sold Down the River for WFRP1.

Never can get my paws on it sadly, but I do recommend it's predecessor, Middenheim, The City of White Wolf.

Also, I'd highly recommend Bookhounds of London and The Occult Guide to London. Very well made books, useful even if you don't plan to go with Cthulhu Mythos, but want to set action in 30's London.

Harn World! The city maps are gorgeous, plenty of detail in the modules, and they are designed as perfect sand box elements, with little plot seeds and current events to spice it up if so desired.