In nearly every genre, urban-focused games tend to be a bit different from the norm. There’s a feeling of being at the center of a vibrant, bustling place, and a sense that the party has near-limitless options for what to do next.
For more about urban campaigns in general, check out the Urban Campaigns page on our wiki, or the Urban Adventures thread in our forums. With this post, I’d like to briefly outline a campaign model that describes one way to tackle an urban RPG: the octopus.
What’s the octopus, in GMing terms? It’s a recognizable, limited number of fairly linear options radiating out from a core.
Let’s break that down a bit.
For the core, picture a circle. Inside that circle are the thematic elements that define the campaign, including NPCs, locations and central plot threads.
As an example of a core, let’s consider the city of Chicago in a cyberpunk game. You’ve decided to focus on the city’s corruption (a thematic element), the PCs have their home base in Chicago (a location), their nemesis, a soulless megacorp, has their headquarters downtown (another location), you’ve created a handful of memorable ally and adversary NPCs and there’s a central plot — overthrowing the corporation.
The options are the octopus’s tentacles, radiating out from the core. There don’t have to be eight options, but there should be a limited and recognizable number of them.
Why? Because having several options preserves the feeling of a wide-open, limitless environment — while avoiding option paralysis, which commonly goes hand in hand with option-heavy play.
Just as the tentacles radiate out from the core, the players should be able to see all of their options from the center of things. This is markedly different from the standard “A leads to B leads to C…” model used in many campaigns.
By default, the options are fairly linear. This keeps a nice balance between “holy crap, we have a lot to choose from” — the play experience at the center, before selecting an option — and “sweet, now we’re making progress,” the play experience while pursuing an option.
It’s worth mentioning that while I think this conceptual model is simple and sound, I’ve never tried it. It’s also not the only way to run an urban campaign — not by a long shot! But it should emphasize the best elements of urban games, while also avoiding some of the most common pitfalls.
And I can say for certain that if I’d used this model the last time I tried to run an urban game, things would have gone a lot better! I nailed some things, at least: The party had a solid hub (which I think they liked), and there were some clear allies and adversaries. But outside of the core, things got messy.
Instead of capturing the wide-open feel, I made things so jumbled that the party never really came around to the most interesting stuff that I’d prepped for the game. Instead, I should have put teasers leading to the cool stuff in the core, and turned each element into its own recognizable option-tentacle.
What do you think of this model?
Thanks for the links and the concept. My Urban game kicks off this Sunday. Still madly preping. 🙂
It looks like a decent model to follow in an urban setting. I’d be interested in your opinion regarding how independent the various options should be. For example, does the party choosing one option cause the others to disappear or do you see the options as being reusable at a later time? As a DM preparing for these options the latter would be the preferable choice.
You’re welcome, Rick! Let us know how it turns out. 🙂
Ed: Hmmm. Those all sound like viable approaches to me — following some options removing others, tentacles overlapping and interacting with one another and all options remaining open (though perhaps changing if they don’t get picked).
“Instead of capturing the wide-open feel, I made things so jumbled that the party never really came around to the most interesting stuff that I’d prepped for the game. Instead, I should have put teasers leading to the cool stuff in the core, and turned each element into its own recognizable option-tentacle.”
I’ve seen this, both as GM and player. I think you’re right– clearly marking a few options as good options helps everyone. If you can do “anything” without guidance, expect floundering while people seek out an interesting something to get tangled up in.
With my latest campaign being Arcana Evolved in Ptolus, I’m struggling just how to bring the urban factor in. See, my campaign will be a traditional “kill things and take their treasure” campaign.
Some of these ideas have some merit, but mostly they’re along the lines of a “plotted” campaign, which is just totally not my style. But there might be some bits that could still be of use.
Anyone else have thoughts on old school gaming and an urban setting?
Of course there’s always the feel the original City State of the Invincible Overlord gave me, of a vast “dungeon” of various shops and such, the main difference with typical dungeons being that most of the shops were not intended to be knocked over (but then how do you get the PCs to “the good stuff”?)
Frank
Frank: I don’t own Ptolus, but isn’t there a delvers guild and lots of dungeons below the town? That might get you through the beginning– the delver’s guild interactions can be kept short, but include recurring NPC personalities that grow with time.
Yea, I have hooked them up with the Delvers Guild. The included adventures didn’t excite me too much (for the level they’re at, 4th, the 4th level adventure looks like a heavily plotted adventure, totally not my style), so I’m using one from Dungeon Magazine.
I’ll definitely have to work on putting them in contact with groups, the big trick is how to make that contact meaningfull without getting into a heavily plotted campaign that isn’t my style.
Frank
This is why Shadowrun utterly avoids option paralysis and A-B-C play at the same time: its more freaking octopus than Call of Cthulhu!
(Yes, that was a really awful joke.)
In all seriousness, tohugh, Shadowrun is like this: your fixers call you, and offer you a few jobs. (As a group, I mean.) You all pick one that sounds interesting/fun/high-paying/whatever and go do it.
Bam. Octopus.
T
I tend to think of urban campaigns more like a plate of spaghetti. Same basic concept, but the noodles all twist around and over lap with each other. I guess maybe it is like an octopus wth very long arms.
Cadia134