 Goto [ Index ] |
The city is a source of inspiration and a backdrop for many adventures. Even more so in science-fiction RPGs, as they often take place in a future where cities have grown ever larger. Adventurers find contacts, employment, training, entertainment and of course all sorts of adventures in the urban setting.
Cities on the Edge is a sourcebook published for Steve Jackson Games Transhuman Space RPG line. Written by the futurist Anders Sandberg and science journalist Waldemar Ingdahl, the sourcebook gives an interesting insight into the cities of the year 2100. As a prediction of current trends, Cities on the Edge feels plausible. It would not be too surprising if urban life in the year 2100 actually would look something like Sandberg and Ingdahl describe.
And that, ironically, is what has often been the weakness of the Transhuman Space line. It takes a very broad sweep at current trends and gives an interesting view of the future, while not providing gamers with material to play with. To better understand what to do with the future, you could read Wired instead.
What adventures can be found in science-fiction? Often the futuristic urban environments in RPGs are presented as similar to their 20th century counterparts. The space station taverna feels like the dingy back-alley bar of today, the corporate headquarter has the same look as the glass monoliths downtown. Adventures use well-tried formats, raiding the dungeon of the White wizard or cyber-fortress of the High Programmer. The occupations of characters seem remarkably similar to the present's. When serving as visions of the future, cities often project nostalgia and status quo.
Partially, this is an issue of genre. Post-cyberpunk sf rpg:s has only seen some few titles published. Also, the technological developments of the post-cyberpunk era give a different outlook for RPGs. Think of what a world used to hanging out on Facebook and Twitter will do to the well-tested scene of ”you all meet in a bar”.
Unfortunately, Cities on the Edge does not shake Transhuman Space's general problem completely. Tackling the full scale impact of advanced informatics, biotech, genetic modification and other concepts in the book does break many preconceptions, and it takes a lot of description to explain. To its credit, Cities on the Edge tries to provide adventure hooks and practical guidelines of how to use the setting.
Cities on the Edge explores the city after the city, when it has been divided into specialized neighborhoods and gated communities. Why do cities survive as a concept in a post-urban future were everything can be found online? The answer is apparently given by its citizens, a city survives if people find it a worthwhile project. Does its meme attract cultural and economic activity? This searching for purpose give rise to many useful ideas and conflicts for GM:s to get the setting into their gamers' heads.
The contents of the book are
Chapter 1: ”The City of the Future” describes developments in urban life until the game's present, radical decivilizationists and urban protectors.
Chapter 2: ”Architecture” explains biotech buildings and materials, new lines of architectural thinking and futuristic skyscrapers. Some of the descriptions may be more detailed than needed.
Chapter 3: ”Infrastructure” provides a useful look at everyday life in the most advanced cities of the 22nd century. How does trade work when robotic manufacturing is commonplace? How do police respond to threats against public safety? Are earthquakes as dangerous as they used to be? What is a visit to the airport like? What adventures are possible in the vast hospital arcologies?
Chapter 4: ”Urban Culture”, is where the sourcebook really shines. It gives a lot of background into urban life, while placing the various subcultures and exotic ideas in context for the players.
Chapter 5: ”Stockholm By Day, Night and Web” Stockholm in the year 2100 is more similar to the one depicted in Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo than with any sort of Nordic utopia. It is a gritty, yet not girm, setting, nicely making the Fifth Wave city come alive in ones imagination. You can also find some clues to possible future developments in the general Transhuman Space setting in this chapter.
Chapter 6: Urban Variations. Short vignette descriptions of seven cities on Earth like Bengaluru, Venice and Mexico City. The section could have been more developed, especially the more colorful examples such as the nanosocialist non-local metavillage that is presented.
Cities on the Edge is the longest e-book Steve Jackson has released for Transhuman Space so far. The text flows nicely, but at 93 pages it is quite a read. The illustrations are sparse and recycled from older sourcebooks. They are not bad, but they are just space fillers and do not add anything in particular to the text.
So, what to make of it? It can be read as a plausible vision of the future, but it really shines in finally giving a workable frame for adventures in the Transhuman Space setting . Gamers and science-fiction fans are more accustomed to post-cyberpunk ideas and settings than when the game was originally released ten years ago. Cities on the Edge brings these ideas down to a manageable scope, providing something both for veterans and beginners.
