Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Monster-slaying in Suburbia


Sprawling as the City is, its hegemony extends beyond the borders of the five baronies, into suburbs and to more distant, smaller urban areas. These areas face the same sort of challenges as the City, albeit on a smaller scale. Wandering monsters occasionally come in from the countryside, or up from ancient catacombs. Creatures which specifically hunt humans sometimes find isolated, small towns or suburbs easier pickings, at least for a time. Then there are human threats from rogue thaumaturges, strange drifters, robber gangs, and the like.

Many suburbs and small towns don't haven’t enough funds in their community chests to hire many former adventurers as law enforcement, if any. Often, they have to provide their own protection, and so form vigilance committees, sometimes with several “clubs” or branches under the auspices of an elected body. In some places, people from all walks of life practice with weapons to defend their community.

Just like in the old days, mob justice can be miscarried, so adventurers should take care. Get fresh with the wrong waitress in a two-bit town, or flash too much magic to scare the rubes, and they might find themselves facing a gang of armed townsfolk.

8 comments:

Xyanthon said...

As alawys, incredible stuff. I love the feel of the City.

christian said...

"Oh, hello ladies. I was just, um,, leaving. Yes, leaving. So sorry to have bothered you. No, I don't need any help. i know my way out of town."

Great post!

John Matthew Stater said...

Good stuff. I think there's much to be said for how adventurers interact with the larger, background society of game worlds.

Trey said...

Thanks, Johnathan!

@Christian - It seems like you may have practiced that a time or two. ;)

@Matt - Thanks. I agree. Thinking about that issue was sort of the nucleus of the post. That and finding that photo.

The Happy Whisk said...

This was good, I enjoyed reading it. Watch out for waitresses in those two-bit town.

Harald said...

Nifty. For some reason, this reminds me of Mad Men. Also, this does little to lessen my phobia of suburbia. There's something about the rows and rows and rows of seemingly identical houses that scares me. Some people fear clowns, I fear suburbia.

Chris Kutalik said...

It scares me how much the one on the far right looks like an ex-girlfriend. I utterly believe she would be a terror with the monsters.

Trey said...

Ha! Who knows. Maybe that woman's an ancestor. ;)