The Campaign Builder's Guild

Campaign Setting Almanac
One of the ongoing difficulties of creating a campaign is the sheer volume of work. Of course there are mechanical issues to deal with â,¬' variant and optional rules, prestige classes, new races, variant classes, and so on. And the basics of the world â,¬' cosmology, geography, weather. And the people â,¬' culture, religion, politics, trade.

Of course, it isnâ,¬,,¢t strictly necessary to have all of this done in excruciating detail before a setting is ready for play. What you need is to have the basics and generalities for much of this, and work on more detail for those areas that are expected to be relevant for the campaign in question. Then get right down to the specifics for the expected adventures and encounters.

This tends to leave large parts of the campaign world underdeveloped, at least at first. This can have some impact on the game. For example, if a random encounter goes bad:

Ornel: That wolf really chewed up my leg. Weâ,¬,,¢ll need to stop somewhere soon to rest and heal.
Garek: Yeah, and buy some new arrows. Whereâ,¬,,¢s the nearest town?
GM: Umm, letâ,¬,,¢s see, you passed a little village about three hours agoâ,¬Â¦
Garek: No point in going back, we might as well continue on to the next place.
GM: Gee, um, okayâ,¬Â¦ After a couple of hours you reach a larger village called, um (consults random name generator), Glenbridge.
Ornel: Nice. Whatâ,¬,,¢s it like? Is there a nice inn? Can Garek buy arrows here?
GM: (furiously making stuff up and jotting down notes) Well, um, thereâ,¬,,¢s a little tavern, nothing muchâ,¬Â¦ (insert generic town description here)

This works okay, but often the town seems a little generic, or the notes get lost. The whole thing just appears out of the mists, serves its purpose, and disappears again without ever becoming a real part of the campaign world. It works, but it is not ideal. Is it possible to do better?

Creating the Almanac
What is needed is a way to fairly quickly and simply create an almanac (or gazetteer if you prefer) for your campaign regions. Towns could be listed and briefly characterized in a format that is concise, easily consulted, yet provides just enough detail so the GM isnâ,¬,,¢t making everything from scratch. It could also provide a mechanism for the GM to add notes that might be a little less likely to get lost or forgotten.

My proposal is to create a format that includes just enough detail to be useful, but simple enough that a GM could create an almanac for a region fairly quickly, without having to delve into details. It doesnâ,¬,,¢t prevent the GM from extemporizing, or even remove the need for occasional improvisation. It just provides a solid basis for it, so the GM has somewhere to start from, and knows what the general theme of the region will be.

An almanac can be created at any scale desired, from the largest continental scales, right down to the local county or shire. It will start with an overview â,¬' this would provide a quick glance at the important features and an opportunity to set the themes and atmosphere for the area. This would provide some high-level facets: main geographic features, economy, wealth, current events, historical sites, ruins, etc. Then, it would have a more detailed listing of the towns and settlements in the region. Naturally, the level of detail will depend on the scale of the almanac â,¬' a village that would be important on a county almanac would not even appear in a national almanac.

That summarizes the concept of the almanac â,¬' the rest of this article provides some suggested formats and definitions to make the almanac maximally useful.

Overview Section
The main purpose of this section is to provide a quick summary and overall impression of the region. It can be written in a sort of travelogue style, that is, providing the details a traveler or visitor would want to know. What are the most prominent features? Is the area thickly settled with lots of small homesteads? More sparsely settled with highly defensible strongholds? Mostly wildlands, or mostly farmlands, or something in between? It may also include some statistical abstracts. For a fictional example:
[blockquote=Esep]
Population: 10,000
Area: 10,000 sq. km
Main Cities: Esep
Exports: Exotic hardwoods and furniture, wood carvings.
Imports: Grain.
Locally important industries: Fruit orchards, fishing, herbal products

The small kingdom of Esep is dominated by the city of the same name. Located in a protected harbor at the mouth of the Dimetrios River, Esep is the southernmost of the Hellenic cities, and a major trans-shipment point for trade between the Hellenes and the Oupun.

Settlements in Esep are concentrated along the coast, and in the area surrounding the city, out to a distance of about 30 km. Beyond this, the land is mostly wild rainforest leading up to the foothills; only isolated settlements are found in these areas.

The harbor of Esep and surrounding shores are littered with shipwrecks dating from the final defense of the city at the time of the fall of the Hellenic Empire. Battle sites are scattered throughout the countryside south and west of the city.

The people of the region are loyal Hellenes, although the common folk show a quite generous admixture of Oupun ancestry.
[/blockquote]
Short and sweet is the key here. It needs to have enough to suggest ideas without becoming too long and involved.

Listing Section
List all the major settlements in the area. What qualifies as major depends on the purpose and scale of the almanac. At the highest scales, it would include mostly major cities, provincial capitals, and maybe down to the level of county seats. A more detailed almanac would include all the significant towns and larger villages. For a region that will be the site of detailed campaign work, you might even want to include some larger homesteads and minor settlements.

To be as useful as possible, the listing needs to be fairly complete. If a place is big enough to appear on a map, it definitely needs to be in the listing. Listings are meant to include places that you donâ,¬,,¢t think will be needed, but are there to provide some bulk and solidity to the setting. And just in case the characters are stranded out in the sticks for a while, youâ,¬,,¢ll know what is there and what it is like, at least in general terms.
Without further ado, Iâ,¬,,¢ll provide you with a sample listing to continue the example above. The significance and meaning of the various terms are described in more detail below. The places listed are only an extract of what a full almanac would contain.

[table=Esep Listing]
[tr][th]Location[/th][th]Size (pop)[/th][th]Features[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Esep[/td][td]Small city (3,000)[/td][td]Good Governance, Good Fortification, Good Docks, Market, Trade (furniture), Inn[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Milios[/td][td]Large village (500)[/td][td]Docks, Market[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Pharika[/td][td]Village (300)[/td][td]Trade (agricultural)[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Klimasta[/td][td]Thorp (25)[/td][td]Primitive Docks[/td][/tr]
[/table]

Settlement Size
This would mostly follow the DMG categories for settlements, but they may be extended a bit more to include some things at both the smaller and larger ends. The population figure gives a rough estimate of the number of people present. Of course, some settlements might vary in size depending on season or other factors.

The size also determines the number and quality of the features present. Generally as a settlement grows, it will have more features to support the needs and businesses of the growing population. Larger, more elaborate features also need more workers and customers to support them.
This table lists various types of settlements, the roughly corresponding population levels, typical number of features. Of course, settlements may vary in size and composition, depending on geographic and cultural factors. It might be possible to have a larger settlement that remains under-developed, or smaller settlements that are unusually built up, for any number of reasons.

[table=Settlement Types]
[tr][th]Type[/th][th]Population[/th][th]Features[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Homestead[/td][td]< 20[/td][td]0 or 1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Thorp[/td][td]50[/td][td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Hamlet[/td][td]100[/td][td]1 or 2[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Village[/td][td]200[/td][td]2 or 3[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Large village[/td][td]500[/td][td]3[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Town[/td][td]1,000[/td][td]4[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Small city[/td][td]2,000[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Large city[/td][td]5,000[/td][td]6 or 7[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Metropolis[/td][td]10,000[/td][td]8 or more[/td][/tr[
[/table]
The numbers given here are probably reasonable for a medieval-ish feel. For a world with higher tech (steampunk, magitech, etc.) the population numbers would be higher. The number of features would remain about the same in this case, but the level of sophistication would be significantly enhanced.

Features
Features represent the notable aspects of the settlement. The features are listed by type and size/sophistication. Features not listed may be present, but at levels of size and sophistication that are below those listed.

When thinking about features, think about the most important aspects of the settlement and how it fits into the setting as a whole. For example, the city of Esep is the capital of a small kingdom, a trade center, and the southernmost defended point of the Hellenic Kingdoms. Hence, its main features are its harbor, fortification, and governance. Trade and market features exist to support the shippers and merchants, as well as surrounding populace.

There are many types of features possible. This list is hardly complete â,¬' you can list anything you want as a feature if it is an important part of the campaign. Possible types of features include: temple, governance, market, trade or craft, university, arcane, marketplace, inns, banking, docks, entertainment, underworld, warehouse/storage, fortification or garrison, nobility, etc.

The levels of features determine the availability and sophistication of associated goods. They would also be correlated to the typical level (NPC or PC) of the attendant practitioners. Some details would depend on the world and campaign type â,¬' for example, in a high powered, wealthy campaign, youâ,¬,,¢d expect average character levels and sophistication to be higher than in a gritty, darker campaign.

This table provides some suggestions. The supporting population figure indicates (for a typical setting) a rough idea of how many people are needed to provide suppliers, practitioners, customers, etc. to support a feature of the given level. Roughly speaking, the total supporting population for the features of a settlement should add up to less than the total population of that settlement. Details may vary substantially from place to place. Occasionally you might find an unusually skilled expert in an out-of-the-way village, for example.

[table=Feature Levels]
[tr][th]Level[/th][th]Support pop[/th][th]Description[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Primitive[/td][td]20[/td][td]Bare minimum, low skill[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Small[/td][td]100[/td][td]Minimally competent but unexceptional[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Normal[/td][td]200[/td][td]Acceptable feature, some variety and skill[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Good[/td][td]500[/td][td]Some sophistication or higher level services[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Exceptional[/td][td]1,000[/td][td]High quality goods and services[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Reknowned[/td][td]2,000[/td][td]Many experts and superlative quality[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Exemplary[/td][td]5,000[/td][td]Highest known quality[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Legendary[/td][td]10,000[/td][td]Unusual, heroic, beyond the normal[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Epic[/td][td]??[/td][td]Near god-like practitioners, one for the ages[/td][/tr]
[/table]

Okay, I only got time earlier to copy/paste this during my lunch hour, so here's a little motivation/background.

I find thinking in ways like this helps me to actually get a handle on the bigger picture in my settings. Otherwise I have a tendency to burrow in deeper and deeper on ever smaller aspects of the world, and the bigger stuff never gets done. So I thought I'd post it up here to get reactions.

Also, I'm thinking this could be a potential basis for an article in the Campaign Builder's Guide. So suggestions, proof-reading, editing, or just ideas on how to expand or cut back on the material to make it better would be appreciated.

And, of course, feel free to rip off and/or modify the ideas for your own campaign settings.

Interesting. Your formulation is very concise. Very useful for  the purpose it has here. Good work. Will you be expanding on this idea? One obvious question that is raised from the random encounter example is: how can I make sure that a settlement encountered unexpectedly does not feel generic. Saying "it has a good harbour" will hardly be shocking to players. In other words, what would be really useful to have is a shortcut to give a settlement something interesting with minimum prep time.

Túrin

To some extent it isn't possible to have a generic way to make a place non-generic. Anything to make a place truly unique or memorable has to spring from the GM's improvisational creativity.

But there are a few ways to support creativity, which might point the way to improve on my thoughts:

1) Ensuring that the basics are covered, so the GM can spend his time and mental energy on more creative stuff.

2) Suggesting new and different ways for the GM to approach the question.

3) Providing some "germ" ideas that the GM can use to sprout new ideas of his own.

One thing I've thought of is working into more detail on the different types of features. What exactly types of things and people will be found in a Good Temple feature? Stuff like that. There's lots of types of features, so it could get pretty big to cover them all. And I don't want to make it imposing. The idea is to make it quick and easy for a campaign builder to fill in this stuff. Inspiration serves a different purpose altogether. (Although it is a good idea as a companion piece.)

Another related idea is to provide a variety stock character stereotypes for each feature type. This would just be something to suggest different approaches. Not something mechanical like random encounter generators, but just some inspirational concepts.

Similarly, you could create a variety of stock "scenarios" for various feature types. Some ideas about things that are creating tension, or things the locals are talking about. These would be quick and dirty ideas that a creative GM could whip up into a couple of interesting scenes or a mini-adventure or something. (Primitive Docks: A recent storm has damaged docks and boats. Most of the locals are busy repairing or cleaning up, and they don't have much time for strangers.)

Anyway, those are some of the random thoughts that are still floating around in my head.

Thread resurrection!

As I find time and inspiration, I'll return to this to cover various types of features, and what they might be like at various levels of development. (If people are inspired to help out, feel free to put forth your own ideas. There's a large number of possible feature types, and I'm sure I've only thought of a few of them.)

For our first feature, the ever-popular Inn!

The Inn feature represents the care and feeding of travelers. Most decent-sized towns will have some kind of inn, even if it doesn't rise to the level of a notable feature. In places that don't have an inn, characters will have to camp out, or persuade someone to let them sleep in their house or stables or something similar.

A primitive inn feature will often be little more than a tavern where travelers might bed down in the common room for the night. If you're lucky, they'll keep the fire going overnight to keep you warm. Many small settlements might lack even this, but primitive inns are fairly common wherever you have a local watering hole.

A small inn feature would be a step up from this. This might be found in the same kind of place as a primitive inn feature. But due to increased traffic, or competition, the inn has been built with one or two rooms specifically kept for wayfarers. You might even get breakfast. Then again, you might get a case of lice.

A normal inn feature will have a few rooms, often with stabling and somewhat higher quality victuals. This is what well-off travelers would consider minimally acceptable, but even in a decent-sized town, you won't expect much better unless they really cater to travelers.

A good inn feature provides extra services. Here you can expect to have a decent bath, clothes laundered for you, possibly even a choice of good meals.

An exceptional inn feature represents a high level of comfort and service. A good bath to wash of the dust of the road is de rigueur, and various oils or perfumes might be purchased. Food will be of a high quality, and the management will probably send out for any other services you might need.

Higher levels of inn service can provide rare and gourmet quality food, special services, luxury baths, massage, barber and grooming services, special entertainments, and a variety of high quality services.

Of course, at higher levels of the feature, you'll find that you have more choice, including the possibility of choosing cheaper and less demanding accomodations. At low levels of the inn feature, you'll probably have to put up with what you can get.