Balancing the city’s power with structure is impossible. Structures are occupied by individuals of varying passion and ability. Attempting to stabilize power through laws and rules is like trying to balance a gladiator match by throwing more weapons and armor into the ring. The power of Doskvol has always been its bloody hunger. It is hunger that propels the powerful towards more power, and it is hunger that motivates their enemies to drag them back from it. The only real check against the power lust of the rulers is the power lust of those they rule.
If humanity ever does curb that starving ambition, then the inevitable transition from rulership by mortals to rulership by vampires will accelerate. Vampires have the long view, and experience, and a hunger no mortal can match. So far the main resistance to this inevitability has flourished in the vampire’s blind spot for the current moment. They get lost in future machinations and lose sight of unanticipated changes right before their eyes. The sharpening gift of mortality focuses humans and keeps the churn of power fresh, even when contained in ancient lines of aristocracy and tradition. Lo, before us is a new generation, and right behind it another. New faces, consumed in the oldest game.
From “Six Inevitable Truths of Rulership” by Lady Crolucia VenVaskell
Hrm. I’m writing a supplement on designing cities for games… do I need to add this to my research list?
Something to consider for a group of thiefs having Lord Scurlock as a patron…? Stephan Kannengiesser Jens Römer
Keith J Davies I write fiction for the Blades in the Dark setting, and each chapter begins with a quote from an in-setting source. It’s a way to get information about the setting to the reader in bite sized bits. So, sadly, the entirety of “Six Inevitable Truths” is not available. =) If it was a real book, I would absolutely recommend it.
Andrew Shields actually, I was thinking more of Blades in the Dark. The fiction here just reminded me of it and that it could well be relevant to what I’m doing.
Keith J Davies I absolutely would. Of particular interest, each neighborhood has a 2 page spread, with a 2 page picture of what a neighborhood looks like in profile, descriptions of locations, common scenes, and important NPCs. It is very evocative that way.
Andrew Shields Right now I’m looking a little more abstractly. Cities (and districts/city wards, but those are a refinement for later) have levels and ability scores (Might/Military, Trade, Infrastructure, Craft, Stability, Social), plus qualities/trappings (“high military means you probably have fortifications and troops around”, sort of thing).
I’m inverting things, though. The scores aren’t exactly prerequisites for the trappings, the trappings ‘justify’ the scores and provide specific benefits not covered by numbers.
Your description sounds like it might be what comes after what I’m working on. Still worth checking out, though.
The neighborhoods are rated on a 4 point scale for: Wealth, Security & Safety, Criminal Influence, Occult Influence.
They also have a specific way they affect a trait that matters for a heist, variable by neighborhood.