It’s no major secret that I like Zobeck. It’s one of the best fleshed-out cities in fantasy roleplaying (and that’s a lot of cities to compete with). I filed the serial numbers off of the adventures in Streets of Zobeck and Alleys of Zobeck and dropped them into my “Lankhmar noir” makeover of Skullport. Now Open Design has taken setting material from previously released Zobeck, stuff hinted at in other Midgard capaign settings, articles from Kobold Quarterly and their website, and created a nice, compact gazetteer.
The book is broken into 8 section. First is the Introduction, giving a brief overview and the obligatory “how to use it” bits. Chapter 1, A History, gives a broader overview. Chapter 2, The Free City of Zobeck, goes into detail on life in the city, festivals and events, education, religion, the law, and all of that good roleplayable stuff. Chapter 3, the Kobold Ghetto, covers what I think is the most interesting and unique part of the city (I like kobolds; I always have, all the way back to when they were sort of little dog-men and not really lizards). Chapter 4, Districts and Locations, breaks down the areas of the city in more detail, with maps, adventure hooks, and a dancing bear. Chapter 5, Gangs, Guild, and Guardians, goes into the organizations that have influence in the city. Chapter 6, Gods, Cults and Relics, well, that seems self-explanatory, doesn’t it? Chapter 7, Denizens of Zobeck, has a lot of characters I’ve seen in prior adventures, plus some new one, fully fleshed-out with stats and crunchy bits. Goldscale, the kobold paladin, may be my favorite NPC of all time, and I’m waiting for the perfect opportunity to introduce him in one of my games. Chapter 8, Magic of Zobeck, has new school, new spell,s new magic items, and notes on magic shops in the city.
I really like the layout of this; it’s a handy reference, and well-organized. As a gamemaster, I will get a lot of use from this. It’s also well-written and beautifully illustrated, making it a fun read. If you play Pathfinder, get it. If you like city settings, regardless of system, get it for the fluff and adapt it.
Buy the Zobeck Gazetteer from Open Design.
If I pick this up, do I get the material from Streets of Zobeck and Alleys? Or do they contain additional data?
Posted by Brutorz Bill | February 4, 2012, 5:23 pmThis has expanded fluff and the major characters, but not the adventures contained in Streets and Alleys.
Posted by Berin Kinsman | February 4, 2012, 5:28 pmThanks! I’m thinking about doing an urban campaign next, this sounded like it might be a nice resource.
Posted by Brutorz Bill | February 4, 2012, 5:51 pmIt is excellent. I would be using it straight up, but my group likes the Forgotten Realms setting. I’ve easily adapted the adventures for other cities, and used parts of Zobeck as a stand-in for parts of other cities.
Posted by Berin Kinsman | February 4, 2012, 6:02 pm