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    Canonfire :: View topic - Verbobonc:"canon" and "fanon"-what do yo
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    Verbobonc:"canon" and "fanon"-what do yo
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    Adept Greytalker

    Joined: Mar 13, 2008
    Posts: 563
    From: brazil

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    Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:59 am  
    Verbobonc:"canon" and "fanon"-what do yo

    dont know if the right word is "fanon" , and i know that is dificult to get all things canon, as authors dont agree with some stuff.

    i know that "Fate of Istus" and "RttToEE" have info about Verbobonc, but searching for more in the internet, i have found the "crayon painted" map, the 3d map, and months ago some friends here direct me to the "Verbobonc City" pdf.

    strange thing is that the pdf is not accurate to the "crayon map", but i thought that they originated from the same person.

    i love some of the stuff there, but sure theres a lot of "Verboboncs" around.

    after all, what do you use?
    whats fan made here?
    the 3d map and the annotations are fan made?

    anottations for the 3d and for crayon are not the same, right?
    Master Greytalker

    Joined: Dec 07, 2003
    Posts: 636


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    Fri Jan 23, 2009 6:40 am  

    Verbobonc's Living Greyhawk site had loads of information about the surrounding lands and may actually have some snippets of info about the city itself. I tend to use the entries from Istus with other stuff added on top as long as they are not contradictory.
    Apprentice Greytalker

    Joined: Dec 06, 2003
    Posts: 85
    From: Torrance, Calif.

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    Sat Jan 24, 2009 2:50 am  

    personally, I take what works for my game and what doesn't. Don't be afraid to make the world your own. However, the world of Greyhawk has certain tropes and qualities that make it distinct from Planescape or Forgotten Realms. There are several resources online that will generate the basic services and industries that you would find in a city of Verbobonc's size.

    I am basing a thief-centered campaign in Verbobonc. I have modeled my version of Verbobonc off of 15th century Florence in terms of the relationship of the trade guilds and the government. I also use Harn fanon to help flesh out the city itself. Using Harn as source material really gives any campaign a lot of depth that isn't otherwise there. The game system that I get most of my inspiration from, however, is Hackmaster. The thief's guide is exceptionally useful and very well written, as is everything put out by Kenzer. Heck, their DMG (or, Game Master's Guide) is one of the best role-playing books i'ver ever encountered.

    An exercise I found useful was taking a topic and writing about it. As in creative writing, you should have a great deal of material that will never be used directly in the game. This material is really for your benefit to get your ideas sorted out. For instance: as I running the Temple of Elemental Evil, I found writing about the Temple's supply system to be of interest. I figured, that since Viscounty has many rivers, tributaries and streams coursing through it it is reasonable to assume that there is a complex system of canals and man-made channels for barge traffic. I also know, from canon, that there are river pirates in the area and since there are pirates based out of Nulb, it is reasonable to assume that the Temple would take advantage of these pirates to help them resupply. Also, since there is a 10th level thief named Rannos running around, it is also reasonable to assume that he would have a network of spies in the Viscounty and ties with the pirates to help supply the Temple. Granted, the actual paper I wrote on river traffic is much, much longer than this and I wrote several other articles about the actions of the thieves guild and river pirates that were also rather long. Out of these writings I have constructed a much deeper understanding of the world of Verbobonc (Viscounty and City) as well as several adventure plots to boot.

    Personally, I wouldn't be sooo worried about the general graphic layout of cities than I would be about the personalities, services and interesting adventures that might be had by the players.

    Another thing I did, I arranged for the laws of Verbobonc to be permissive in nature. Meaning, everyone has VERY basic rights. The right to sell goods and services is granted by permission, most weapons are illegal, that sort of thing. That was the way it was back then, give the people too much freedom and BOOM, revolution. Can't have that, now can we? Giving the players a handicap like that forces them to be creative, challenges them morally and can level the playing field. Of course, players not used to this in a game can get rather upset, so you can use this bit of advice at your own discretion.

    ciao
    Journeyman Greytalker

    Joined: Jun 16, 2003
    Posts: 201
    From: Calgary, AB, Canada

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    Sat Jan 24, 2009 12:42 pm  

    GreyMouser wrote:
    personally
    Granted, the actual paper I wrote on river traffic is much, much longer than this and I wrote several other articles about the actions of the thieves guild and river pirates that were also rather long. Out of these writings I have constructed a much deeper understanding of the world of Verbobonc (Viscounty and City) as well as several adventure plots to boot.



    GM, ever consider submitting these articles to Canonfire!, or to the Oerth Journal? I'm sure that alot of people here would be interested in your essays... I know that I would be!

    Cheers!
    Apprentice Greytalker

    Joined: Dec 06, 2003
    Posts: 85
    From: Torrance, Calif.

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    Sun Jan 25, 2009 2:41 am  

    Perhaps. Mostly what I wrote was to help me get a better grasp on the demographics of the area, like monster populations, actions by agents of the Temple, that sort of thing. It was written in a free-write style. However, with some work I could turn it into something that would resemble a proper article(s).

    My first suggestion for anyone wanting to write their own material would 1) get a clear idea on what level you want to run the game; how much magic, what kind of monsters, how magical are the monsters are, etc. and 2) write it with a purpose; what are you trying to accomplish with this and 3) what kind of adventures can you create out of this.

    I start with writing down a list of ideas related to certain topic. Before I know it I'm writing about all kinds of things that are loosely related and boom, I have another topic thats being fleshed out.

    I'll post some of the adventures I have created. However, my campaign has taken a turn where its not really told in an adventure/chapter style, so much as an on-going sword and sorcery opera. I'll find something to post.

    ciao
    Apprentice Greytalker

    Joined: Aug 12, 2001
    Posts: 21


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    Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:07 pm  

    PaulN6 wrote:
    Verbobonc's Living Greyhawk site had loads of information about the surrounding lands and may actually have some snippets of info about the city itself. I tend to use the entries from Istus with other stuff added on top as long as they are not contradictory.


    Thanks for the plug. We tried to remain true to the established canon of Verbobonc, but we did what we thought was necessary when canon didn't make sense. For example - Verbobonc City as depicted in Fate of Istus is landlocked - it's not on the Velverdyva River at all, which would make it kind of hard for Verbobonc City to have a port.

    Given that we had 8+ years to develop the region, you can imagine that we have some specific thoughts on the area. My plan is for us to release a Verbobonc Gazetteer that covers the events and things that occurred in Verbobonc during the Living Greyhawk campaign so that others can use it as a springboard for their own home campaigns.

    The Verbobonc website (http://verbobonc.net) is still active, so if you want access to the regional documentation we released for LG, feel free to head on over.

    Vernon L. Vincent
    Verbobonc Triad (retired)
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