I am currently working on a Campaign for my players that all takes place in one city. The City has Districts like slices of a pie all converging on the Central District run by a Dragon and corrupt Elite members of the city. I have the adventurers starting in a Northern District Called Chillspire Marketplace that serves as the Trade District of the town. Through the campaign they unlock Districts in a clockwise direction until they finally take the fight to the center. There is also an Underground network of tunnels and subterranean cities. The city itself is the last bastion of the Mortal Plane, as a Blistering Everfrost has made living conditions outside the city unlivable. The city mines a special crystal known as the Firelight Crystal to keep them safe and warm, which is run by the corrupt Elite and the Dragon has a part in.
Here's my issue. I have the characters, sessions, and plot points all planned out. I have created a dense playground for my players (300 page google doc, I overprepare), but when I was mapping out their first point of contact with the city, Chillspire Marketplace, the map felt extremely empty and I'm unsure how to fill it, as I want it to still be an introduction and a Trade-centered District.
Here's what I have for the surface: 2 inns, a tavern, 2 apothecaries, a whole Bazaar, a performance plaza, a botanical garden, a residential section, 2 dungeons, a post, guard stations, 2 blacksmiths, an arcane shop, a bookstore, an alchemy shop, the gatehouse, an enchanter.
The District still feels so empty. The map has so much space as shops are just individual buildings and small, with the most space taken up by the Bazaar, the residential section, and the Mansion Dungeon. I need advice because normally I'd just add ponds and rivers and such, but geothermal piping is the only source of water in this campaign. Any suggestions?
FYI the other districts are Frosthaven (Forest and Farming), Elemental Sanctum (Religion), Glimmershade Arcanum (Educational and Magic Research), Crystalforge (Mining and Production), Sentinel's Stronghold (Military), and the Central Citadel (Politics and Big Boss)
There is no reason whatsoever to fill out every building in every block before you start playing and every reason not to. Just throw in a bunch of generic buildings or market stalls with possibly a few vacant lots and then grab some random tables and fill things out as you need them. There's a lot of great advice in Vornheim, even though it's not 5E specific. Not only does doing it this way save time up front, it also gives you somewhere to put things as they come up in the campaign.
Steal from actual cities. Look at some google maps that show businesses and check out downtown areas and surrounding neighborhoods. See what kinds of businesses they have.
And think in urban terms. Higher population density, can allow for two major impacts. One is lots of places filling the same niche. I guarantee you you''ll find more than 2 inns and a tavern in any neighborhood in any major city. There are some blocks with more than that. The other thing density can allow for is for very specialized stores. Like you might have a store that only sells tea. And sometimes, these kinds of businesses will cluster near each other. Like four furniture makers within a couple blocks. I'm unclear, can people cross from one district to another? Because if so, then there's even more reason to specialize, as they'll draw customers from across town.
Also, to answer the more specific question, I'd think a market district would have a temple to the god of trade or commerce, or something along those lines. Also, a mapmaker is a good store to stick in fantasy worlds.
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I am currently working on a Campaign for my players that all takes place in one city. The City has Districts like slices of a pie all converging on the Central District run by a Dragon and corrupt Elite members of the city. I have the adventurers starting in a Northern District Called Chillspire Marketplace that serves as the Trade District of the town. Through the campaign they unlock Districts in a clockwise direction until they finally take the fight to the center. There is also an Underground network of tunnels and subterranean cities. The city itself is the last bastion of the Mortal Plane, as a Blistering Everfrost has made living conditions outside the city unlivable. The city mines a special crystal known as the Firelight Crystal to keep them safe and warm, which is run by the corrupt Elite and the Dragon has a part in.
Here's my issue. I have the characters, sessions, and plot points all planned out. I have created a dense playground for my players (300 page google doc, I overprepare), but when I was mapping out their first point of contact with the city, Chillspire Marketplace, the map felt extremely empty and I'm unsure how to fill it, as I want it to still be an introduction and a Trade-centered District.
Here's what I have for the surface: 2 inns, a tavern, 2 apothecaries, a whole Bazaar, a performance plaza, a botanical garden, a residential section, 2 dungeons, a post, guard stations, 2 blacksmiths, an arcane shop, a bookstore, an alchemy shop, the gatehouse, an enchanter.
The District still feels so empty. The map has so much space as shops are just individual buildings and small, with the most space taken up by the Bazaar, the residential section, and the Mansion Dungeon. I need advice because normally I'd just add ponds and rivers and such, but geothermal piping is the only source of water in this campaign. Any suggestions?
FYI the other districts are Frosthaven (Forest and Farming), Elemental Sanctum (Religion), Glimmershade Arcanum (Educational and Magic Research), Crystalforge (Mining and Production), Sentinel's Stronghold (Military), and the Central Citadel (Politics and Big Boss)
Random tables are your friend.
There is no reason whatsoever to fill out every building in every block before you start playing and every reason not to. Just throw in a bunch of generic buildings or market stalls with possibly a few vacant lots and then grab some random tables and fill things out as you need them. There's a lot of great advice in Vornheim, even though it's not 5E specific. Not only does doing it this way save time up front, it also gives you somewhere to put things as they come up in the campaign.
Steal from actual cities. Look at some google maps that show businesses and check out downtown areas and surrounding neighborhoods. See what kinds of businesses they have.
And think in urban terms. Higher population density, can allow for two major impacts. One is lots of places filling the same niche. I guarantee you you''ll find more than 2 inns and a tavern in any neighborhood in any major city. There are some blocks with more than that. The other thing density can allow for is for very specialized stores. Like you might have a store that only sells tea. And sometimes, these kinds of businesses will cluster near each other. Like four furniture makers within a couple blocks. I'm unclear, can people cross from one district to another? Because if so, then there's even more reason to specialize, as they'll draw customers from across town.
Also, to answer the more specific question, I'd think a market district would have a temple to the god of trade or commerce, or something along those lines. Also, a mapmaker is a good store to stick in fantasy worlds.