#119: Splashing around Eversink!
I. Dear Reader,
We are back to taking about cities! To learn more, read the introduction post. Previously, we looked at Doskvol, Spire, Endon, Infinigrad, The City (a|state).
Today we’re looking at Eversink from Swords of the Serpentine, a fantasy GUMSHOE game from Pelgrane Press, published in 2021. This article covers roughly a hundred pages (Pages 227 to 328) and the setting introduction at the front of the book.
Key Features
Eversink is a sort of fantasy Venice. But this could mean a lot of things, especially if, like me, you don't really know a lot about Venice. So in the intro section, the writers first try to give you a sense of the city through a series of around 20 scenes you might seen in Eversink. Scenes like "A sorcerer stares into the spilled intestines of his foe and sees the future within them" or "Thirteen anonymous shapes meet in a shimmering room of illusion and lies. Districts and guilds rise and fall on a single word" or "an outlander thief scales a crystal spire, empty sacks slung across her back. If she survives this, she’ll eat well for a year." It's an interesting technique and it really worked for me. I understood the kind of city Eversink was meant to be!
Also, shoutout to this boxed quote: “You have a responsibility alongside the GM to help create the world, so don’t be surprised when you ask a question and they answer, “You tell me.””
Once, we get to the actual setting chapters, the first thing is a tentpole chapter that lists the three pillars of the setting's worldbuilding: The Buildings Are Always Sinking (you build new floors on top of the floors that sink), The City and The Goddess Are One (people can literally feel the goddess' promise to look after the city, and it feels really good), Statues Are Everywhere, Because Statues Represent Souls (you can't bury people so you make these statues to house their souls in the afterlife)
We get brief notes on the general worldbuilding: people, climate, architecture, roads + canals + bridges, death + statues, sports, languages, food, wild animals, divine power, and the law (or lack of it).
There's a short chapter on the history of Eversink. A nice light chapter: some context and the foundation myth in greater detail.
There is the standard chapter that lays out the districts of the Eversink. There are 6 districts which is a nice manageable number. Each of these districts contains landmarks that are described in paragraphs - these landmarks aren't spectacularly novel or inspiring but they do explicitly come with brief plot hooks to inspire a GM.
There is a fun section about government in Eversink. On one hand, there's a goddess-chosen council of 13 mysterious figures who decide everything. On the other hand, they only make the law, the actual execution is done by a byzantine system of committees which means there's a lot of fun to be had with "how much of the law do the committees actually enforce".
Then there's the factions of Eversink. These aren't organisations necessarily, they're could also be much more loosely structured political powers. There is the Church and the City Watch, but there's also the Mercanti (merchants) and the Monstrosities (yes, they're a faction). But a nice part of the system is that you can spend points to be an ally of one of these factions in character creation. Each level of ally that you take, the book clearly spells out what kind of benefits you might hope to have.
There's an interesting section on economics (expect nothing less from the author of Dungeonomics) with a standout notes on "trade as invasion" and "trade as intelligence". This is a city where trade (or rather currency) is effectively intertwined with religion so it's good to have that section fleshed out.
There's a chapter of slightly generic threats to Eversink which talks about stuff like fires, disease, and ahem, class warfare.
After this, I thought we'd be done but then there's a whole section on the world outside Eversink. The book explains, "Heroes need vast overland (or seaborne) treks to distant wilderness ruins and mysterious foreign cities; it’s practically a tradition." Fair point! But these sections are intentionally generic so that GMs can fill in the details. But this also makes them much less useful. I think coming up with examples of the quests or plot hooks themselves might've been more helpful.
Closing Thoughts
Eversink isn't a city designed to do one thing. In previous cities, I've tried to conceptualize why Doskvol is designed for heists, a|state for community problems, Spire for rebelling, and so on. But Eversink’s focus is more broad: sword and sorcery adventures. You can have many kinds of adventures in that broad genre and for Eversink to cater to them, it paints with a broader brush.
You get a city of blood and money, of thieves (and merchants, who are but thieves under another name, no?) and sorcerers. In this city, people will steal your purse and try to corrupt your soul. This part is on brand for the genre, but there's more. This is also a city where a lot of people are honest, thriving and happy. This is a city full of people whose faith is genuine and they can potentially even see their goddess with their own eyes. This is a city where you can be cozy and it's not a rare moment.
But the fact that Eversink isn't ultraspecific in its goals a playground isn't a knock on it. I do like my designs specific but at the same time, I really like Eversink. It seems like a fun playground - not just fun, also funny. There's a humour in the design of the city that is very charming. Nonsensical laws (that players can make up), squabbling committees, bureaucratic corruption - these are played as amusing rather than gritty or oppressive.
I've liked all the settings I've discussed so far but Eversink might be the first city I've read so far that I might hesitate before razing to the ground.
Yours in sword and sandal,
Thomas
II. Listen of the Week
Another classic from Design Doc: what to do when you’re sick of your game
Toa Tabletop, who’s been doing this insightful critique of a very bad book about polynesia, speaks to Brian Yaksha about random generation, grimdark and more.
On the Daydreaming about Dragons, Judd talks about what kind of random tables help when making NPCs. And I make a small appearance on the reply episode, where Judd responds to my comments about tying NPCs to the central tension of the campaign.
III. Links of the Week
The first of my two contributions to Sandy Pug School is up: how to make your first website for your game design work.
Aaron Lim writes on cohost about a panel he was on at Big Bad Con: Speak Loudly, Ready Your Blade: A Politics of Violence in TTRPGs
Another cohost blog, Cam Burke writes about their journey to make their game more accessible
On the Age of Ravens blog, a set of worldbuilding questions for your table if you’re running Mutant: Year Zero or other post-apocalyptic settings. I love inviting players into the worldbuilding early and this is exactly the kind of thing that helps.
On the Molten Sulfur blog, taking inspiration for NPCs from the beautifully strange medieval book, City of Women by Christine de Pizan.
The Rolling Boxcars blog has a fun list of their top ten tables
On the Traveller subreddit, an interesting review of the Deepnight Revelation campaign.
IV. Small Ads
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