After I first noticed the Kickstarter for Marketing campaign Builder: Cities & Cities, I’ve to confess I squeaked from happiness and was very hopeful. Somedays in the past I acquired the our preview copy and I’ve learn it cowl to cowl. Suffice it to say, I used to be not disillusioned! However I there have been some issues that made me a bit… nicely, unhappy.
“Marketing campaign Builder: Cities & Cities” is a 250 pages, a mighty tome of data. Extra impressively, there’s no pointless fluff. It’s crammed with info and concepts that may definitely show you how to create cities, deliver them to life, and play in them.
The ebook is separated into 5 chapters, plus the appendix:
- Metropolis Planning
- Anatomy of a Metropolis
- Metropolis Inhabitants
- Metropolis Campaigns
- Metropolis Heroes
I need to admit that each single chapter had a wealth of data I wasn’t anticipating to search out, and I didn’t know I wanted. There was some actually good modifying work to maintain the contents clear and nicely structured, which drastically improves its readability.
In Metropolis planning, you will discover some actually good gems and ideas of the right way to deal with magic (I’m SO utilizing this on my present sport), but in addition details about the inhabitants and measurement of a metropolis.
Anatomy of a Metropolis introduces the very fascinating and nicely thought out idea of the six climates. This idea completely checks out, and streamlines your metropolis constructing with out shedding any element. What made me a bit unhappy right here was a number of the concepts round districts: in my view, they wanted a bit extra thought. They’ve launched a default “district” system to ALL cities (which doesn’t permit for genuine variance between cities). Additionally the idea of a “guard district” is a bit odd.
Metropolis Inhabitants is an attractive and nicely organised useful resource that may populate your cities with dwelling, respiration organisms, and all of the bustle of actual life.
Metropolis Campaigns and Metropolis Heroes are the 2 chapters I didn’t know I wanted, but completely loved. A buttload of concepts for encounters, causes for the heroes to be there, but in addition concepts of the right way to stay within the metropolis as a celebration. Metropolis Heroes introduces some superb rulesets that may hold a marketing campaign rolling but in addition reward your gamers in artistic methods.
The illustrations of “Marketing campaign Builder: Cities & Cities” are immaculate. They provide the feeling of a fantasy metropolis and encourage you to suppose the way you’d like your metropolis to appear like.
The maps used are completely lovely and I beloved the maps that show how a metropolis grows.
I might have favored to see a bit extra assistance on the navigation of the ebook. The web page numbers are nicely positioned however such an enormous ebook wants one thing just like the page-edge navigation, like the most recent Pathfinder 2 books. This could show you how to shortly flip to the part you’re searching for.
There have been a simply few areas, although, that I believed might have used a spot of polish in “Marketing campaign Builder: Cities & Cities”. Granted, these areas are issues I’m actually enthusiastic about in RPGs, and different GMs may not have such a problem right here.
Commerce Items
This was one factor that I want was higher. I’m not certain what calculations had been executed within the background to ascertain base costs and the financial mannequin used, however a number of the costs made little sense.
The obvious instance is the truth that 1lb of Grain and 1lb of Flour (presumably made utilizing mentioned grain) each value 1 copper piece. It doesn’t make sense {that a} processed product like flour would value the identical as the bottom ingredient (grain). Do millers work totally free right here?
One other fairly apparent concern is that though the system provides costs for gold, silver and copper by the pound (lb), they don’t seem to be equal to the gold, silver and copper coin value! This is senseless to me.
Models had been additionally a little bit of a problem. There isn’t a clarification of what a barrel or a pallet are in quantity or weight which makes them fairly arbitrary.
Lastly Coal, Marble, Fish and so forth are all lacking from the checklist of Commerce good costs, though talked about within the metropolis manufacturing area. This felt prefer it was missed out in the course of the modifying course of.
Taxation
I really like the truth that it was included! And the concepts offered on tax calculation have some foundation. Nevertheless, in comparison with the costs of commerce items it appears unbalanced, and I’d be nervous in regards to the denizens of my metropolis going bankrupt by way of heavy taxation. Truthfully, this was slightly exhausting to guage as a result of, though we find out about how issues are taxed or bought, there’s no point out of wages. That may have been such an fascinating and useful addition to the ebook which could assist a GM or worldbuilder perceive the proposed financial stability offered right here a bit higher.
Positively should purchase
+5 Very well written and very detailed
+5 Attractive Maps
+4 Superb marketing campaign operating system
+3 Good paintings
+3 Good ideas on the financial system
-4 Ignorance on wages
-3 Commerce Items system was missing
-3 Taxation base worth and calculations had been off in comparison with the remainder of the costs
You’ll be able to choose up “Marketing campaign Builder: Cities & Cities” from the Kobold Press Store, and it actually is a superb learn!
Need me to evaluate extra issues? Have extra questions on this ebook? Depart a remark beneath!
