Signature city
A common term in role-playing games set in the real world is the signature city, which is a setting in the game's world that is described in great detail so as to give he players a basis for creating their own cities. These will often be used as a center for continuous storylines or as part of the game's metaplot.
World of Darkness
The signature cities for World of Darkness games are as follows:
- World of Darkness Anthologies: San Francisco, California
- Vampire: The Masquerade: Chicago, Illinois
- Werewolf: The Apocalypse: New York City, New York
- Mage: The Ascension: San Francisco, California
- Wraith: The Oblivion: Atlanta, Georgia and Little Five Points, Georgia
- Changeling: The Dreaming: San Francisco, California
- Hunter: The Reckoning: -
- Mummy: The Resurrection: -
- Demon: The Fallen: Los Angeles, California
World of Darkness Anthologies and Fiction
The World of Darkness fiction anthology line's signature city in 1994-1995 was set in San Francisco, California. Ever since Changeling's The Splendour Falls, anthologies no longer all take place in a single city.
- Vampire's The Beast Within
- Vampire's The Beast Within Revised
- Vampire's Prince of the City
- Vampire's Dark Prince
- Werewolf's When Will You Rage?
- Werewolf's When Will You Rage Second Edition
- Werewolf's Wyrm Wolf
- Mage's Truth Until Paradox
- Mage's Truth Until Paradox Revised
- Mage's Tower of Babel
- Mage's Such Pain
- Wraith's Death and Damnation
- City of Darkness: Unseen
- Strange City
Vampire: The Masquerade
Chicago, Illinois was generally used as the signature city for Vampire, although Gary, Indiana was provided as the game's sample city in the Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook's First Edition. However, Chicago still provided the setting for most of the game's sample scenes. Chicago served as the setting for the game's first module, Ashes to Ashes, and the basis for the first city sourcebook, Chicago by Night. It's also the only city to receive a second edition, after Under a Blood Red Moon changed its status quo dramatically.
For much of the city's history, it was ruled over by Lodin, a controlling and often petty Ventrue who sired a number of childer to control various aspects of the city, from its organized crime, to its media, to its railways. While the suburbs are largely untouched by the books that have described Chicago, they were also nominally under Lodin's control. Following his death in 1991, the city was fought over by a number of other ambitious Kindred who vied for the title of Prince. The most notable among these were Horatio Ballard and Al Capone, but there has been no confirmation as to who ultimately gained the Princedom.
Vampire: The Masquerade books that are set in Chicago include:
- Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook
- Ashes to Ashes
- Chicago by Night
- Succubus Club
- Blood Bond
- Under a Blood Red Moon
- Chicago by Night Second Edition
These were collected in Chicago Chronicles Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse
While it may seem antithetical for Werewolf to include a signature city, given the Garou's canonical aversion to cities, but the Werewolf: The Apocalypse Rulebook featured an example of how New York City could be used as the base for a werewolf campaign. The book describes the Sept of the Green, a Garou Sept in Central Park, which is then elaborated on in Rage Across New York and also serves as the origin point for Rite of Passage.
The Sept Leader for Central Park is Mother Larissa. Originally controlled by the Wendigo, it was taken over by the Silver Fangs in 1855, and later by the Bone Gnawers during the Great Depression. Into the Modern nights, it remains a central point for Garou to visit.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse books that are set in New York include:
Mage: The Ascension
Although San Francisco by Night doesn't mention Mages at great length, the Mage: The Ascension Rulebook did feature a sample adventure set in San Francisco. That adventure was expanded in a later module titled Loom of Fate, but no book of San Francisco was ever released. However, a collection of short stories set in the city was published in 1994.
Mage: The Ascension books that are set in San Francisco include:
Wraith: The Oblivion
Wraith: The Oblivion books that are set in Atlanta and Five Little Points include:
Changeling: The Dreaming
Changeling: The Dreaming books that are set in San Francisco include:
Demon: The Fallen
Demon: The Fallen books that are set in Los Angeles include:
Chronicles of Darkness
The signature cities for Chronicles of Darkness games are as follows:
- Chronicles of Darkness: Chicago, Illinois
- Vampire: The Requiem: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Werewolf: The Forsaken: Denver, Colorado
- Mage: The Awakening: Boston, Massachusetts
- Promethean: The Created: -
- Changeling: the Lost: Miami, Florida
- Hunter: The Vigil: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Geist: The Sin-Eaters: New York City, New York
- Mummy: The Curse: Washington, D.C., District of Columbia and Rio de Janiero, Brazil
- Demon: The Descent: Seattle, Washington
- Beast: The Primordial: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Deviant: The Renegades: -
Chronicles of Darkness
Chicago is the major setting for Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken and Mage: The Awakening, showcasing how the various game lines function together as a single setting.
- World of Darkness: Chicago
- Chicago Workings
- New Wave Requiem (the story A Good Man Bad)
- Nomads (part of the story Route 666)
- World of Darkness: Chicago - Three Shades of Night (Fiction)
Vampire: The Requiem
Vampire: the Requiem books that are set in New Orleans include:
- Vampire: The Requiem Rulebook
- Danse de la Morte
- City of the Damned: New Orleans
- Nomads (part of the story Route 666)
Werewolf: The Forsaken
Werewolf: the Forsaken books that are set in Denver and Colorado include:
Mage: The Awakening
Mage: the Awakening books that are set in Boston and the state of Massachusetts:
Promethean: The Created
Promethean: the Created has difficulties providing a signature city setting, due to the very premise of prometheans inducing disquiet in humanity and their surrounding environments if staying too long in a location. Books for the line see stories in Phoenix, AZ, Chicago, IL, New Orleans, LA, Boston, MA, the Colorado Rockies, and Detroit, MI.
Changeling: the Lost
Changeling: the Lost books that are set in Miami include:
Hunter: The Vigil
Hunter: The Vigil books that are set in Philadelphia include:
- Hunter: The Vigil Rulebook
- The Hunt
- One Year Later
- Witch Finders
- Block by Bloody Block (Philadelphia is one of the possible locations given)
- Horror Recognition Guide
- Night Stalkers
- Spirit Slayers
- Collection of Horrors
Geist: The Sin-Eaters
Geist: the Sin-Eaters books that are set in New York City include:
Mummy: The Curse
Mummy; the Curse books that are set in Washington D.C. or Rio de Janeiro include:
Demon: The Descent
Demon; the Descent books that are set in Seattle and outskirts include:
- Demon: the Descent Rulebook
- Demon: the Descent Quickstart (Port Angeles, WA outside Seattle)
- Splintered City: Seattle
Beast: The Primordial
Beast: The Primordial books set in New Orleans.