I'm making a mid-size port city and I'm not sure how to lay it out: what a "district" is, how many of them, roads, and buildings there are, how it's all positioned, etc. What sort of research should I do and where?
In many D&D settings - at least since the publication of Forgotten Realms with its maps of Waterdeep, we've been attached to this idea of districts - which are really just neighborhood like you'd see in your local towns or cities.
They are sub-divisions of your city which usually have some sort of specific function: Residential Districts, Commercial/Market Districts, Dock Districts, Temple Districts, etc.
Basically if there is a function, or feature, in your town or city, it's probably contained in a district, or has a district or region specific for that. E.g. the local Baron's keep, and the law courts, and the guard keep are all specific functions or features that may be contained in a single City Government District - but you're likely to have multiple Residential Districts of differing economic stratification.
A lot of this depends on size of your municipality. A small town might have a general residential area with the few wealthier ( and poorer ) families merely having residences of atypical size/appearance within that singe residential zone. A large city may have The Rose District where wealthy families build their sprawling mansions, The Flats where lots of the middle class workers and ordinary people make simple homes, and The Sprawl outside the city walls; a shanty town where the poorest of the poor huddle.
As for laying out your districts, look at the Geography of where you are laying out your town. Also - look at how it is connected to the outside world: does it have trade roads coming into it? How about a harbor? Dock areas, ship construction areas, and sea market areas will lie along the seaside area. Trade markets, livery stables, carting and droving companies - these will all lie near the trade roads. Are there areas with particular natural beauty, or have picturesque views? These might be commandeered by the wealthier residential areas, or by notable temples.
Now businesses districts will fit in around these areas. Craftsmen and manufacturing areas will be close to the markets and supply lines of trade roads and sea ports.
Residential areas will probably take up the majority of the space, and will kind of "flow" around the trade, manufacturing, and commercial areas. Figure out the neighborhood "character" for these residential areas: a residential area alongside the dock areas, and near the shipbuilding dock will possibly have a lot of seafarer families, or craftsmen and laborers attached to the dock work trades. Don't forget to put in commercial lanes ( or squares ) where you'd find taverns and pubs to serve the residential areas.
Do you have large neighborhoods of "middle class" people? Maybe there's an arts or Theater District as well, near these.
How big are these districts? That will scale with the size of your city. A town might have a "Market District" of a single town square lined with shops, and an open farmers market in the center of the square once a week. A capitol city might have a large sprawling market district, with streets of shops, and multiple open markets, each specializing in a sub-set of the economy.
Look at your layout, where will there be a lot of road traffic? Make those roads bigger.
As for the level of detail for your city and districts, don't go too deep. There's no need. Creating a block on the map, labeling it Market District, and making a few "DM notes" as the kinds of businesses and goods are available there is probably enough. If the party needs to go exploring the district, you can describe what it's like as they walk through the streets, but you don't need a detailed street map. If they're looking for a particular kind of business, and you've not noted whether or not such exists within the district, decide on the spot, or make it a random die roll to find out. Make up the business and the NPC proprietor on the spot, and improvise it. Then make notes for that district about the business and NPC, so they can go back if they want.
This general approach holds true for all your district types: Just enough details to give it a distinct character, some general notes as to what is present there, and improvise & record details as needed to meet party inquiries.
Hope that helps some, and gets the ball rolling :)
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention this random city layout generator here.
You can create a semi-random layout of districts, of cities of varying sizes, with several different options, and then decide which blocks are which districts according the logic I laid out in my last post.
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I'm making a mid-size port city and I'm not sure how to lay it out: what a "district" is, how many of them, roads, and buildings there are, how it's all positioned, etc. What sort of research should I do and where?
In many D&D settings - at least since the publication of Forgotten Realms with its maps of Waterdeep, we've been attached to this idea of districts - which are really just neighborhood like you'd see in your local towns or cities.
They are sub-divisions of your city which usually have some sort of specific function: Residential Districts, Commercial/Market Districts, Dock Districts, Temple Districts, etc.
Basically if there is a function, or feature, in your town or city, it's probably contained in a district, or has a district or region specific for that. E.g. the local Baron's keep, and the law courts, and the guard keep are all specific functions or features that may be contained in a single City Government District - but you're likely to have multiple Residential Districts of differing economic stratification.
A lot of this depends on size of your municipality. A small town might have a general residential area with the few wealthier ( and poorer ) families merely having residences of atypical size/appearance within that singe residential zone. A large city may have The Rose District where wealthy families build their sprawling mansions, The Flats where lots of the middle class workers and ordinary people make simple homes, and The Sprawl outside the city walls; a shanty town where the poorest of the poor huddle.
To get a feel about how big your towns would be, I'd recommend Medieval Demographics Made Easy for reading.
As for laying out your districts, look at the Geography of where you are laying out your town. Also - look at how it is connected to the outside world: does it have trade roads coming into it? How about a harbor? Dock areas, ship construction areas, and sea market areas will lie along the seaside area. Trade markets, livery stables, carting and droving companies - these will all lie near the trade roads. Are there areas with particular natural beauty, or have picturesque views? These might be commandeered by the wealthier residential areas, or by notable temples.
Now businesses districts will fit in around these areas. Craftsmen and manufacturing areas will be close to the markets and supply lines of trade roads and sea ports.
Residential areas will probably take up the majority of the space, and will kind of "flow" around the trade, manufacturing, and commercial areas. Figure out the neighborhood "character" for these residential areas: a residential area alongside the dock areas, and near the shipbuilding dock will possibly have a lot of seafarer families, or craftsmen and laborers attached to the dock work trades. Don't forget to put in commercial lanes ( or squares ) where you'd find taverns and pubs to serve the residential areas.
Do you have large neighborhoods of "middle class" people? Maybe there's an arts or Theater District as well, near these.
How big are these districts? That will scale with the size of your city. A town might have a "Market District" of a single town square lined with shops, and an open farmers market in the center of the square once a week. A capitol city might have a large sprawling market district, with streets of shops, and multiple open markets, each specializing in a sub-set of the economy.
Look at your layout, where will there be a lot of road traffic? Make those roads bigger.
As for the level of detail for your city and districts, don't go too deep. There's no need. Creating a block on the map, labeling it Market District, and making a few "DM notes" as the kinds of businesses and goods are available there is probably enough. If the party needs to go exploring the district, you can describe what it's like as they walk through the streets, but you don't need a detailed street map. If they're looking for a particular kind of business, and you've not noted whether or not such exists within the district, decide on the spot, or make it a random die roll to find out. Make up the business and the NPC proprietor on the spot, and improvise it. Then make notes for that district about the business and NPC, so they can go back if they want.
This general approach holds true for all your district types: Just enough details to give it a distinct character, some general notes as to what is present there, and improvise & record details as needed to meet party inquiries.
Hope that helps some, and gets the ball rolling :)
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention this random city layout generator here.
You can create a semi-random layout of districts, of cities of varying sizes, with several different options, and then decide which blocks are which districts according the logic I laid out in my last post.
Good luck! :)
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
:O Thank you so much!