Are you a busy GM? Does session prep take too long? Do you never have time to work on the cool little details that can bring your adventures to life? These focused lists give you, the time-crunched GM, the tools to effortlessly add verisimilitude and detail to your urban adventures.

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1: The General Store

Gart’s Place: Gart Kalpio (NE old male human) is a foul-tempered old man, but he is not an idiot. He knows he gets what he wants—wealth—by giving his customers what they want—cheap goods. It’s not Gart’s fault if his merchandise is stolen. This is a thieves’ haunt.
The Rat and Elephant: A sign depicting an enormous rat riding an elephant marks this shop. The owner, Etune Farstep (N middle-aged female halfling), claims to have travelled widely and seen a giant rat riding an elephant. She is drunk much of the time.
High and Low: The name of this shop refers to the owner’s, Alpo Kare (LN male human), business philosophy. He fills his shelves and sells at a low price. Consequently, he is a popular local figure. Alpo has big dreams—he wants his children to be “proper” merchants.
Narm’s: This store caters to the slightly more well-to-do townsfolk, and the items for sale are of higher quality than normal. The owner, Dorotea Narm (NG female half-elf), has contacts with many local artificers and can arrange custom items for a small fee.

2: Major Locale Features

This dingy shop is half buried in a basement located under another business. The sounds of the business above filter down into the shop.
The shop is gloriously disorganised; only the owner can find anything with anything resembling speed.
The shop comprises a number of interconnected cramped rooms—it has expanded over time to fill nearby businesses. Each room is themed to a certain room in a typical townhouse.
This shop employs a half-drunk half-orc, Aino Kylli (N female half-orc), as a guard. She is often hungover and rarely in a good mood.

3: Minor Locale Features

Rats or mice infest the shop; perceptive characters spot them occasionally scuttling about behind the shelves.
The shop is gloomy and grimy.
A skylight or large windows all along one wall let in an impressive amount of natural light.
The shop’s roof leaks; strategically placed buckets dot the floor—ready for when it next rains.

4: What’s Going On?

The shop is busy when the characters arrive—peasants browse the offering while the staff assist them. A perceptive character may spot a small boy slipping something into his pocket.
The shop is shut for some reason—perhaps the owner is ill or away—alternatively, the shop could be closed for repairs or because it has gone out of business.
The shop is virtually empty when the characters arrive, and the staff are attentive and eager to help.
The shop owner is desperate for quick cash, and they offer a discount on any large purchases.

5: Other Folk

Edvard Jutikka (CN young male human) visits the shop on a dare. He’s got to steal something valuable to impress his friends. Now that he has got to the shop, he’s not so sure; he fears getting caught and the ensuing inevitable beating.
Eleonora Tuuli (NG female human) browses the shop but has little actual money. She is an accomplished con merchant. If she thinks the characters are gullible, she goes to work on them, bemoaning her lack of funds, her children’s hunger and so on.
Mateli Viti (LE old female human) hates the shop’s owner for some slight rendered to her a decade ago. She sees the characters as excellent tools for her revenge. In conversation, she “accidentally” lets slip her “worries” about the owner’s secret deviant religious beliefs and practises.
Ambro Kulta (N male human) doesn’t have a clue—generally. Horribly spoilt as a child, his parents now force him to make his own way in the world. With an air of confusion, clothes of fine cut and a (relatively) bulging coin pouch, he stands out like a sore thumb.

Credit

This is a short system-neutral extract from Urban Locale #06: General Store by Robert Manson. The book is available from DriveThruRPG and Raging Swan Press’s own web store.

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Urban Locales: General Store