city-of-whispers

Introduction

You found a place to live? You know a good market to get food, yeah? Got a job? Between gigs? Ah, you’re practically homegrown, then. This city is home to hundreds of thousands of people. Our city – now your city – is the biggest stewpot in the world. If folk leave their place, they come here. That’s just how it is. You can walk down any street and hear ten different languages. In one neighborhood, every other storefront is a noodle shop run by someone from the southern countries. Turn the corner, now the air is thick with smells of the spiced meat of the northern nomads. This city is the crossroads of every culture in the world. If you can’t get it here, it don’t exist.

But hey – and I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this – in this city, you’re no one special. At least, no more special than anyone else. Even if you are one in ten thousand, there’s at least a dozen other people just like you. But hey, there’s something to be said for anonymity, for a certain amount of blending in. You don’t make any waves, you can make serious coin in this town. You lay low, there’s nobody telling you what to do. You can stick to the shadows between the streetlamps, that’s way better than everyone up in your business.

But if you want fame and notoriety, if you want to make your mark and get credit for it, that’s another story. It can be done. Sure. You’ve heard of Rolnar the Undaunted? Kisra Ptozlon, the Duchess of the Fourth Ward? Lord Wizard Jurlyn? You think they were born into renown and power? You think they showed up one day with their name on everyone’s lips? They worked at that. They paid their dues. You want to make a mark on this city, you can’t just sit back and wait for the opportunity to come to you. There’s ten other people waiting to grab it. You got to go grab it first.

Overview

City of Whispers marries my love of fantasy settings with my love of cities. Most fantasy games describe epic adventures, with characters embarking on a journey across harsh landscapes. Their stops in urban areas are brief – to stock up on supplies, enjoy the city’s amenities, and perhaps scrape up some information – before heading back into the wild.

But the city is home to thousands of interesting stories, too. The tales aren’t epic, but street-level. The risks aren’t to life and limb, but are (perhaps more deadly) social and political. The central conceit isn’t adventure, but intrigue. The characters get wrapped up in schemes, some of their own making. And inevitably, they find themselves embroiled in some of the city’s most nefarious conspiracies.

At the same time, the city boasts diversity and innovation. In the city, the characters will experience not a band of goblins protecting treasure, but a goblin cab driver haggling the price of a cross-town trip. They will see beasts and creatures not confronting them on the remotest cliffside, but (barely) domesticated for use by industry. They will experience a variety of cultures, not as they cross a political border, but as they turn a corner.

What the players do

In City of Whispers, players assume the role of denizens in a large fantasy city. As city-dwellers they have access to a range of people and resources typical in an urban environment. Likewise, they also have limited command over a source of power – the mystic arts, arcane technology, divine connection, and others. Finally, the characters know secrets about other people in the city – some with great power or knowledge, and some with access. Despite these advantages, characters are not immune to the city’s needs. And though they may not start out embroiled in any particular plot or scheme, the conspiracies of the city waste no time sinking their tendrils into the characters.

At the outset, characters are defined by their relationship to the city. Each playbook represents a different aspect of city living, from facilitating connections between people to providing crucial resources. In addition, through play the players define the various connections characters have to the city itself: where the character first fell in love, where they learned a life lesson, or where the city kept them safe. The players must keep their playbooks up-to-date with information about their characters – the secrets they have, the deals they’ve made, the schemes they’ve hatched.

Through the stories of their characters, the players also flesh out the city itself, establishing its geographic contours, its political and social landscape, and its history and lore. The players contribute to a map of the city, adding landmarks and neighborhoods

Finally, the characters each belong to a faction, a group that maintains interests throughout the city. The characters’ relationships with their factions is tenuous, but the players are responsible for determining the factions movements. The players also keep track of their factions, what schemes they have in motion and what resources they have at their disposal.

Do the characters know each other?

During character creation, you’ll establish relationships between the characters. Even if two of the characters do not know each other directly, they are all aware of each other, and may have some other connection.

Because the game explores intrigue, schemes, and plots, the assumption is that characters may not be allies, but find each other useful or valuable. So, while not inherently caring for each other, the characters

Defining city, fantasy, and intrigue

City of Whispers asks players to lean into tropes across the three main aspects of the game: city, fantasy, and intrigue.

City

Sprawling urban area, with layers of buildings and architectural features, hidden corners
Vast diversity, as cities attract folk from all over the land
And, as a consequence of diversity, cities allow for intersecting cultures
Which makes them a hub of innovation and creativity
Each neighborhood has a distinct feel, to the point where denizens of a neighborhood demonstrate provincial loyalty

Fantasy

Humanoids and creatures of all types inhabit the world
Magic and sorcery and arcane technology abound, but are not well-understood by most people
Making use of these powers is dangerous, and can have serious consequences

Intrigue

Cities are home to schemes, plots, and conspiracies, driven by various factions and groups
The characters find themselves enmeshed in (or the architects of) these schemes, and often in over their heads
The characters know things about other people in the city
Using those secrets can give the characters a powerful advantage, but can also backfire

Player responsibilities

Embody your character. Your character is complex, with competing needs and desires. They have relationships to other people, which puts pressure on them. They try to live according to their values, but often act according to their motives.
Interact with the city. But your character doesn’t exist outside their environment. Allow them to embrace all the city has to offer, to indulge in the amenities, and take advantage of the opportunities. Show the others how intimately your character knows their part of the city.
Make moves. Like other Powered by the Apocalypse games, the engine behind City of Whispers is a set of moves – rules for propelling the narrative through triggers and choices and sometimes die-rolls.
Clarify your boundaries. Tell the other players what topics are off-limits. Give yourself permission to step away from the game. Speak up in the moment or later when a part of the narrative doesn’t sit well with you. You are co-author of this story, so it must be something you, too, will enjoy.
Respect other players While the two previous points are important to the game, ultimately you must interact with the other players at the table. Your character may skirt the fringes of antisocial behavior, but you may not.

Magistrate responsibilities

Paint the city. Or ask the players to. That is, describe the city’s features and denizens. Show what people do day-to-day. Highlight aspects of the city that give it character.
Introduce complications. Nothing ever goes smoothly for the player’s characters. Just when things seem to be humming along, the unexpected shows up, usually in the form of an unwelcome or meddlesome person. As Magistrate, keep things just out of reach for the characters. Let them think their next score is just around the corner.
Resolve moves. When players make moves, the outcome of those moves may require you to step in to narrate what happens next. You may be called upon to give the player a tough choice, or make the situation much much worse for the character.
Notice move triggers. As the story unfolds, stay alert for moments in the fiction that trigger a move. As players narrate their characters’ actions, interject to remind them that a move has been triggered, even if they describe the consequences or outcomes.
Move the story along. City of Whispers largely happens at the “street level” with the characters performing actions and the assembled players narrating the outcomes. But your group does not have to play out every minute. Fast forward to the most interesting parts.
Enforce safety tools. Safety is everyone’s responsibility, but as the facilitator you should model the behaviors associated with the safety tools. In addition to checking in with the players (next item) keep an ear out for potentially problematic topics.
Check in with players.