1001 Typical Townsfolk
No more vacant city streets; with 1001 Typical Townsfolk to at hand¸ urban areas are full of life and action.
1001 Typical Townsfolk
The adventurers¸ after days of hard riding in pursuit of the thief who stole the map to Ecalp¸ finally reach the gates of the city the thief was heading for. A brief chat with the sergeant of the gate guard (and a few silver coins passed unobserved) confirmed that the thief had entered the city only an hour ahead of them.
Party Leader: This is looking good. Now all we need to do is find that thief.
Lyry: There is a temple of my faith here. I'll ask for their aid.
Jarmak: I've got a few¸ um¸ friends here. I'll see what the word on the street is.
Party Leader: Let's the rest of us go to the town square and look around. Someone might have seen him.
GM: It's only a few minutes walk from the gate. There are several dozen people there.
Garin (aside to Party Leader): *the one with the information should be notable in some way*
Party Leader: What do the people look like?
GM: Well¸ the first one you notice is a young woman standing on a soapbox making an impassioned speech about something that makes no sense. Then there's a man who might be called tall¸ dark¸ and handsome except that he has a black eye and a split lip. There's an old man watching a city guard¸ who in turn is watching a tall man trying to pick a fight with a man who has been playing a flute for coins. There's an old man walking very slowly around the corner¸ about to collide with a woman whose looks and clothes show she's from the remote Tnatsid Islands¸ and who seems to be bumping into everyone. Then there's....
Party Leader: Wait¸ hold on.
Kalthros: This isn't going to be as easy as we thought.
Party Leader: I guess we're going to have to talk to everyone. Start with the old man watching the guard¸ Kalthros. Garin¸ you talk to the guy with the black eye. I'll see off the guy who wants to pick a fight and talk to the busker; they see everything. Then we just keep trying.
Welcome to the "1001 Things" collections
In a world where the major form of transportation (and possibly the only one allowed within town walls) is walking¸ the streets are filled with people as New York City streets are filled with taxicabs. Those people might be potential allies¸ potential enemies¸ or just nobody at all. And they don't wear signs saying which is which. The person the players need to talk to doesn't stand out by having a more detailed description than all the others - not if the GM has 1001 Typical Townsfolk.
A well-dressed man arguing with a street vendor is much more interesting than just "a person." Describing the people the party sees brings life and interest to your game. It makes your cities and towns more than just lists of services available and of course the usual inn. It provides handy hooks to hang adventures on. With 1001 Typical Townsfolk¸ you're ready to fill your towns and cities with life.