A house in the magical city
Once up on a time, a stranger appeared in the Magical City. This is not unusual, though many unusual events followed from it, for the Magical City attracts strange things by nature.
The stranger traversed the neighborhoods and squares with purpose. Observing more than observed, they noted each landmark in the way of someone who, though never having seen them before, follows a prescribed path to an expected destination.
They arrived at a certain house. It was, like many in the city, both stored and obscure. Obscure, in that uncounted residents passed it daily without thought or remark; storied in that any local, if questioned, might offer a different and even somewhat true account of its origin, past residents, and pedigree.
Later, it would be said that the stranger produced a threadbare parchment and a large brass key, regarded the residence thoughtfully, then ventured inside, but this is probably a fabrication. More likely no one noticed the stranger nor considered the mode of their arrival. Only later would the stranger and their house become important.
So you’ve inherited A House in the Magical City
Here's a story I love: You mysteriously come into possession of a new home in a distant Magical City. You are a stranger. The place is full of mystery, opportunity and danger. You must make your way as a newcoming, using only what you find waiting for you.
So You’ve Inherited A House in the Magical City is a little game for creating your new home in a landmark domicile in a distinctive neighborhood in a vast magical city.
It's great if you start with a character in mind. A recently-retired character from your favorite RPG is a good option. Or, roll up a fresh PC using your favorite game. D&D, Bastonionland, or Torika are all good options. Plansecape might also be a great sourcebook. Or, maybe the character is just You.
Begin by determining how you came into possession of the deed in the first place.
Tagging your new home
Next, roll three attributes for your new home. Roll 3d12 to select one word from each column. Write them down. This is a quick summary of the appearance and architecture of your new home.
But, homes aren’t just tags. Your home has a distinctive feature that sets it aside from the other houses in the Magical City. Roll 1d12 to find out what it is.
OK, that’s your house. You can flesh it out and figure out what all those tags and features mean and look like later. This is just a starting point.
Welcome to the neighborhood
The Magical City is a city of neighborhoods. Swallowed from myriad worlds, each is different, and many have seen waves of new immigrants, economic ups and downs, repurposing and change. So what does the neighborhood look like?
For each tag applied to your home, roll 1d6. On a 1-4, your neighborhood shares that tag. On a 5-6, re-roll that tag. When you have three, write them down. That’s a description of your neighborhood.
But every neighborhood has its own distinctive characteristics. Roll 1d12 to find out one thing that makes your neighborhood stand out. There may be more things to find and learn through play, but this is the first one you notice.
Whither next?
This version of So You’ve Inherited A House in the Magical City is a simple mini-game. I plan to lay it out as a two-page PDF. It can provide a few minutes of fun, be used as a quick generator in the context of another game, or provide prompts for drawing or writing.
But You’ve Inherited is also a pretext for a larger game. I love the story it sets up. I’d like to expand it. I envision a series of mini-games of varying levels of challenge and seriousness that let you play out, solo or group, the continuing adventures of the house and its inhabitants.
Among the mini-games I can see adding:
We need something specific to fix the house (gold, wood, labor, expertise); how do we get it?
A Neighbour shows up at our door. Who are they? A friend? A rival? A source of information?
A problem comes from outside. What do we learn about the city, our neighborhood, and our place in it?
A problem has become critical. How do we solve it?
Someone gives us a quest or opportunity.
There are dungeons in this city! Let’s go crawl one!
Wander the neighborhood. What do we find? What do we need?
We clean out a room. What do we find? Let’s do a Marie Condo on this and figure out what we can keep, toss, or garner lore from.
Someone new comes to live in the house. Who are they?
We deep dive into the life of on the residents. What are their problems and needs? Do they stay in the house or leave?
Touchstones
Here are some of the touchstones I considered while putting this together:
The Enemy Within Warhammer campaign
In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
The Count of Monte Christo
The Dragon Heist D&D campaign
Planescape
The House with the Clock in its Walls
Can you think of any more?