(UA) This Is The City (take 2)

[Markleford Friedman]

[oops: I garbled some keystrokes previously and sent part of this message
accidentally. my apologies for the repetition, but there's more in this
version...]

In the "What You Want" thread, I suggested "a sourcebook for a fictitious
city.  That way, everything that's printed is canon, and you need not worry
about making it 'true to life'".

In fact, this is how the main UA book should have been written (once again,
I'm late to this list: perhaps the following complaint has been made).  It's
nice to say, "yeah, we have a global conspiracy here", but it doesn't bear
out in the rest of the text.  The listed groups are so far separated in both
geography and power scope that there's little opportunity for them to
interact without contrivance.  If there was One City, and all the groups
listed resided there, it would make for a more "interesting" time!

Alex Abel versus Satan's Chosen Temple?  It could happen, but it seems a
stretch.  The New Inquisition probably doesn't have an eye on what a bunch
of goofball kids are doing in upstate New York.  And sure, Satan's Kids
could mount a covert assault on NIHQ, but can any of them put together
enough gas money for a road-trip to Seattle?  Besides, there's a big math
test coming up on Thursday...

The problem here is that the expansive range given does not force the issue
of resource contention.  Can't we all just get along?  Umm, well, actually
we *can* with the way things are presented.  Since the major factions are
generally in distant cities, how much overlap in operations is there going
to be?  Not much.  It's likely that artifacts are distributed evenly across
the continent, from what I've read, so you're likely to be able to do your
job within the area of an hour's drive.  After all, magick is everywhere,
right?

Well, this is convenient for some, but it doesn't make for good inherent
conflict between groups.

The example of "The Claws of the Tiger" (p 111) has it right in theory, but
the practice of the rest of the book does not bear it out.  The metaphor
starts out:

"Imagine you and three of your worst enemies are in a room together, and
your enemies all hate each other, too.  Pretty scary and chaotic, huh?  Now
imagine that there's a sleeping tiger on the floor between the four of you,
and you can't leave the room."

It's a good set-up.  But the important part is forgotten: YOU ARE IN A ROOM
AND CANNOT LEAVE.  Let's look at the two halves of this...

YOU ARE IN A ROOM.  The room represents a limited geographic area.  It puts
you in the path of your enemies.  This metaphor doesn't work if it reads,
"You're in a hotel room, your enemies are in others, and there's a tiger
stalking the halls."  You *need* to be in contact with your enemies for
conflict to arise with them!  It doesn't work if they give you a phone call
and taunt you from another room.

And sure, they can leave their room, stealth the tiger, and knock on your
door to kick your ass, but do they have a reason to?

YOU CANNOT LEAVE.  This imperitive indicates that there is a *reason* for
where you are, or reason why you're not elsehere.  Why are you in Room 326
and not 327?  Why doesn't it make sense to step across the hall to the other
room?  Good answers: because there's something here I want, because there's
something here that I can't get elsewhere.

As it stands, with cults across America (Atlas: do I get credit for the
subtle plug? ;), everyone has their own "hotel room", and they have little
reason to leave it.  They have sufficient resources in their own city to do
their job, and there isn't any local opposition to put in their way.

What I've decided to do is to put the Inquisition, House, Order, Sect,
Temple, and all the other groups (or at least a "local office" of each) in
one city (I like to call it "Reynoldsburg", not that you care!).  Now,
groups don't need to go out of their way (literally) to interact with each
other.  To sweeten the pot, this city is a hotbed for mystical
convergences.  Call it what you will: ley lines cross here, divination
points to here, prophets have visions of it, whatever.  Groups are *called*
here by some device or another.  That's why they've set up base in this
city.  There's something to be found here, something that everyone wants,
something that they can use to win the greatest prize of all...

That's why they can't leave.  It's here, man, it's HERE!

So what is "it"?  Theories can be divergent and even contradictory, and it
doesn't matter whose is right.  Each group will have their own reasons for
being there, but they're *sure* that every other group wants to get their
hands on it, too.

This is resource contention.  In terms of "Claws of the Tiger", I would
amend things to read: "You are in a room with your enemies and you can't
leave.  There's a tiger sleeping between you.  BUT... There's also a shotgun
on the wall... just ONE shotgun..."  I sure know I'd want to be the guy with
the shotgun, and I'd be damned if Alex Abel is going to grab it first!  But
it doesn't matter if you're in different rooms, and the room means nothing
if there isn't a shotgun.

One room, one shotgun.

One city, one prize.

This is why I suggest that a city sourcebook be written to cover one
fictional city, one with built-in cults/sects and a reason for them being
there.  This is where your PCs start, and they have no reason to leave.

And on the subject of PC travel: it sucks!  Most PCs aren't built for it,
either for their agenda or just financially.  Besides, many of these people
have "normal lives" that they aren't prepared to give up.  Forcing players
to go out of town to "follow the scenario" is often contrary to their plans,
and while the player might be willing they know that their characters would
never follow the plot.  Sure, there are some "wanderers" (like two of the
example PCs in the book), but the smarter approach is to bring the action to
*them*...

And if they're in Shotgun City to begin with, who needs to leave?

- m