We do not have enough city books for Mage the Ascension. Fallen Tower: Las Vegas was fun but it doesn’t have enough partners on my shelf. One of the main benefits you can derive from being in an online fan community is filling in the gaps your favorite RPG has.

To kick off discussions on city books for Mage the Ascension, I want to state what I do and don’t want in a city book.

What I Want in a City Book

What supernatural factions have noticeable influence. What mage and other supernatural factions have power, influence, or significant numbers? Does Iteration X hold the city in its grip? Perhaps the Order of Hermes has considerable influence in the city’s government and finance. A lot of Hollow Ones near downtown doesn’t give them any power in the city but it’s certainly worth mentioning. This kind of information helps the city stand out. It makes the place interesting without any story ideas or NPCs.

What mages consider the dangers of the city. Perhaps considerable Sabbat vampire control makes the city scary at night. The Technocracy may have ridiculous security against mages at the north edge of the city. A string of recent disappearances in Chinatown may be on everyone’s lips. Dangers will be the first things resident mages tell new visitors about. They also make the most obvious story ideas. They may be problems that need to be solved or part of the city’s character.

What attracts mages to the city. I don’t expect every city to have the same number of mages per x number of residents but is there anything that attracted the mages that do live there? There could be a particular attraction that defines the city or a collection of different things but either way, this is important information for Storytellers. Leaving this out makes Storytellers have to work harder. Nice weather can draw people. Travel hubs give mages opportunity for frequent travel. A lot of Nodes explains the density of mages & frequency of conflicts.

Individuals who stand out for being particularly powerful, influential or active. Interesting people make for interesting stories. Some Storytellers like a sandbox approach and that means there should be a number of things to do in the city. Few things give players something to do like NPCs to work for, oppose or avoid. Early city books for Vampire the Masquerade did this well. Avoid the persistent Arcanum member who watches the largest Node. Find something charged with quintessence to trade for information with the Orphan on 6th Street. The old Verbena with a manor house near city park is always looking for messengers.

Current conflicts that may interest or involve mages. What fights are active or simmering in the city is gold that I see left on the table too often in Mage books. The vampires may be quiet but the prince is just waiting for her chance to smash young vampires in the college district. A pack of werewolves is trying to kill the followers of a shaman but they’re not very good at telling mages apart. Changelings are waging a turf battle against Tradition mages near downtown. Longstanding conflicts define a city. New ones give opportunities or complications. Conflicts are the stuff stories are made of.

General map. Locations in the city must be named or it isn’t much of a city book. A map of the whole city with sections shaded or marked off somehow will be constantly referred to while reading the book. Landmarks that are mentioned more than once should be on the map. Having a detailed neighborhood map to start neighborhood descriptions isn’t necessary. We’re all using interactive online maps now. A whole city map with regions is important because large cities have so many named neighborhoods that readers can get lost. Authors should name regions of the city & use those names later in the book. This is a big benefit of a Mage city book. Don’t leave your readers in the dark by forgetting this.

Ascension War faction issues. When the leaders of the Council of 9 and the Technocracy are asked about a city, what will they say? I want to hear if they have any current projects in the city. The Council of 9 doesn’t have a project in every city and may even have more than one in a given city. This is something authors shouldn’t forget. Conventions and Traditions have projects of their own but the projects of the large Ascension War factions will have more resources behind them. Is the Technocracy trying to keep its experiment in Las Vegas a secret? There could also be things the Ascension War factions are watching for. A powerful Talisman was lost in Phoenix, Arizona but they’re keeping an eye out for its reappearance. Do the big factions have any goals or desires for a city? More influence in New York may be desired because its a travel hub and it’s easier to send acolytes on trips and safely receive what they bring back.

Story ideas. Interesting NPCs suggest story ideas but there should be a section in the book where the author specifically offers story ideas that build on material from earlier in the book. Tie it all together. Prove to the reader that what they read matters. A story idea may interest the reader in the Ecstatic colony in the artists quarter when the previous description didn’t.

Storyteller section. Having the secrets in their own chapter makes previous chapters player-facing. Players can either read those chapters without spoiling anything or Storytellers can lift material from there without worrying about revealing too much. This chapter encourages secrets that players will have fun discovering. The mage who keeps disturbing financial conferences? Not a mage at all but a mummy. The pogram to run non-Technocrats out of the city? It’s a plot by the Nephandi to keep agents busy so they can infiltrate the Void Engineer’s hidden group of astronomical experts. The data they’re hiding could compromise the entire Technocracy…

What I Don’t Want in a City Book

Author’s negative opinions. Leave your personal baggage at the door. If the author doesn’t like the city or certain neighborhoods, I don’t want to hear about it. If the author hates those people, I expect the author to keep it to himself. Did certain political party or segment of the population ruin the place? Yeah, I don’t want to know. Instead of trying to score points with your people, be a little professional. An author should pitch a big tent and attract a big crowd. Don’t risk pissing off a percentage of your readers regardless how much you love that soap box. An RPG box and your social media feed should not only be different places, they shouldn’t even be in sight of each other.

Too much history. Lots of us RPG fans love our research. We see the amazing potential of working the city’s history into every street corner, neighborhood and paradigm. Resist the urge. I’m going to be blunt. I am interested in the city’s present, not its past. On the rare occasion I consider bringing in some history, I’ll research it online myself.

Excessive map detail or local knowledge. A city book may be written by a long-time resident. I don’t consider that a prerequisite but neither does it turn me away. However, keep in mind I don’t share your intimate knowledge and don’t have time to pick it up. Constant references to places or city details I don’t know make the book opaque to me. Giving detailed info on exactly where a building is doesn’t matter. I may move it a few blocks away. When location detail is relatively light, Storytellers can move things around without worries.