Citycrawl Mechanics

Roll once per day spent in the Big City, and once each time a player just goes wandering, looking for something interesting.

1. Recurring Character
2. Pointed Encounter
3. Pointed Encounter, but towards something else/a crowd
4. City Actions
5. The Weather
6. Advantageous Situation

Any time you hear about a particular person, make an enemy, or have an ally that lives elsewhere in town, add them to the Recurring Character list. If you meet someone and they make an impression, they should be on the list. If the players are on the hunt for someone and keeping an eye out, on the list.

A Pointed Encounter is one that cannot be easily solved by putting your head down, saying nothing and walking away. There are several reasons why this would be:

1. They are literally about to run into the PC
2. They really want something from the PC
3. They think the PC is someone else
4. They are either madly in love with, or infuriated by, the PC (bonus points if even you can't tell)

You can always just turn and run away from goblins. If the Big City, manners are a little more important.

City Actions are all about the trouble and strife that comes from moving from the Bucolic Countryside to the Big City. At the start, the list of City Actions is:

1. Hassled by bureaucracy
2. Weird public event gets in your way
3. Lost

However, if the players have started something in the city and are waiting for it to be resolved, or have heard of an event that will happen soon, add it to the City Actions list. Sending a letter, having an interview, putting up "Lost Puppy" signs, hiring someone to discreetly follow a rival, hearing about the Dreaming Moon Festival, all of these go on the City Actions list until they are resolved.

As more and more items are added to the list, the chances of City Actions being strictly detrimental to the players goes down. This represents the players slowly becoming a local, part of the constant ebb-and-flow of the Civic Tide.

The Weather is always crap in the Big City. Just a fact. Whenever this entry comes up, just remind them of the smell. (If there are any very slow, very long term threats, like The Plague or The War, tick those countdowns as well)

An Advantageous Situation is only one if you have a plan and specifically want something. If the player is on the lookout for something, they find it, or an opportunity to get at it. If not, the character just has a relaxing afternoon wandering the streets, not even getting mugged once.

How nice.