[DF] City Adventures

[Crakkerjakk]

Originally Posted by ajardoor

Im thinking a really big city-state that would yield huge amounts of tribute and cultural prestige if conquered (like the historical Venice, for example). Some invading army plans to soften it up with hired mercenaries and spies trying to covertly stir up revolts, assassinate key figures and sabotage security measures.

Delvers have to chase them through the streets, find their hideouts, expose their secret identities, foil assassinations and so on.

Give the bands distinct personalities and group dynamics, with plenty of opportunities for roleplaying.

OR, they're the ones stirring up the revolts, assassinating people, sabotaging stuff, etc.

Spec-Ops forward element of an invading army. Sounds like DF to me. Mix DF and Action.

[Evil Roy Slade]

Originally Posted by SimonAce

I highly recommend a "band of thieves" sandbox campaign. The players basically do all the plotting work for you and thank you for it too.

For enthusiasts of this, I strongly recommend the long out-of-print-but-often-available-on-eBay Thieves' Guild, from Gamelords. Most of it (but alas, not the core rules) can also be ordered from Different Worlds Publishing. The essence of the game is that all the PCs are thieves, so the adventures are heavily city-based (pursuit, second-story jobs, etc) with the occasional break out of the city (temple lotting and tomb robbing, highwayman adventures).

Of course, this sort of thing requires a city setting, so they also produced the Free City of Haven. This was to be published in three parts, but only two were ever produced. The rights to this also went to a new owner in 1986 when Gamelords wrapped up operations. Tadashi Ehara, longtime editor of Different Worlds, holds the rights so far as I know, and has taken a fiendish delight in making me wait more than a quarter century for the final instalment.

EDIT: I am quite happily using Haven as the setting for both of my current DF games. There are few roleplaying settings I liked in 1981 and still enjoy now.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by arnej

Maybe he was going for something more pulpy, like this Dashiell Hammett novel.

Indeed. That's where Kurosawa got the plot of Yojimbo, which in turn provided (lawsuit-contested) inspiration for A Fistful of Dollars and (authorized) inspiration for Last Man Standing. The plot never gets old. I think there's even a fantasy one out there . . . um, what was it called? Ah, this. Terrible movie, but maybe worth a look for DF fans seeking urban plots.

[Anders]

One could even hope for an official DF n*: City Adventures some day?

*n is a whole number larger than 12

[Atreyu_Hibiki]

The heroes catch rumor of a racist town full of sorceror elves who have developed a spell that will get rid of all orcs, everywhere. A band of orcs hire them to go stop this so-called "banestorm" from being cast...

[Captain-Captain]

Razhmok's Scroll is what that other game coniser's an artifact. Indestructible despite it's condition, and undetectable as magic.

It is a ditrry, torn piece of parchment with writing on it. In actual use, the person possessing it acquires a(nother) level of magery and caps do not apply against this level and knows all spells of [college of GM's choosing] as if 4 points were spent on them. This effect lasts for 2 hours continous time (No, you can't be a wizard for 20 minutes at 10 am and then become one for 50 minutes at 4 pm - start at ten, end at twelve) after which, the scroll must be left out in the sun for at least one hour to recharge.

Being out in the sun caused problems. It got thrown out by mistake and is somewhere in the rubble strewn about town.

Good luck.