Of Shadizar and Wickedness

[SableWyvern]

Hi.

I'm looking for suggestions on how to effectively portray Shadizar's "Wickedness". The information Vincent has presented has certainly helped me form a sense of what it is I want to evoke, but I'm having some trouble trying to come up with effective ways of getting this across.

Deviant sexual practices, the cheapness of life and brutality towards women are all fairly straightforward, but I don't want to just dwell on these. The first, without a larger, darker backdrop, will eventually be seen as humourous or simply an overly simplistic attempt to shock.

The latter two, while having a great potential to greatly disturb my players, will similarly become cheap and gratutious (or just plain inappropriate) if overused.

Drugs, (mundane) corruption and the like all have their place in helping to form a tapestry of ultimate Wickedness, but if anyone has any more specific ideas, I'd be grateful to hear them.

 

[VincentDarlage]

I would suggest that the best way is via description: describe the buildings in a threatening, decadent manner (borrow city descriptions from Lovecraft or other pulp writers), describe the people in an equally threatening, decadent manner. Describe the noise, the dirt, the stench. Make the place vivid by engaging all the senses in your description. Describe even touch - people brushing against the player characters, etc.

But no matter what, if the characters spend too much time there, they will likely become jaded to it all. Sparing use of the city is probably the best answer. Make a trip to Shadizar something to remember, but not someplace they want to dwell overlong.

 

[SableWyvern]

Yeah, I think evocative description from a more general standpoint, using a range of senses will help a lot. As I read more of S:CoW, I'm continuing to get a better feel for it as well.

Contrasting the various regions of the city (eg, the Maul vs the Temple district) will probably also help. Especially when the more sedate seeming Temple District is shown to be home to the same sorts of Wickedness, merely with a brighter veneer.

One technique I'm going to try and use is stark juxtoposition. Amidst all the decadence and immorality, a brief glimpse of true innocence and purity. The rewards for which will be pain and sorrow.

As to sparing use, I also agree. If I hadn't already formed my opening ideas for the campaign (or if I simply had the discipline to wait a while before using all this great material), I'd probably be better off introducing the group to a less exotic setting to begin the campaign, so that Shadizar stands out in comparison.

Anyhoo, the grand beginning is little more than a week away, and I'm getting excited. Should be fun.

 

[VincentDarlage]

One technique I'm going to try and use is stark juxtoposition. Amidst all the decadence and immorality, a brief glimpse of true innocence and purity. The rewards for which will be pain and sorrow.

What an EXCELLENT idea! I wish I had thought of it to include in the books.

Anyhoo, the grand beginning is little more than a week away, and I'm getting excited. Should be fun.

I'd love to hear how it goes.

 

[Pharoah Kromium]

Contrasting the various regions of the city (eg, the Maul vs the Temple district) will probably also help. Especially when the more sedate seeming Temple District is shown to be home to the same sorts of Wickedness, merely with a brighter veneer.

One technique I'm going to try and use is stark juxtoposition. Amidst all the decadence and immorality, a brief glimpse of true innocence and purity. The rewards for which will be pain and sorrow.

Those are great ideas, description and effort on the GM's part to make it convincing has to be a must. Vincent's mention of Lovecraft is also a good point, he and other Mythos writers have some good techniques for creating that sense of unease that would be felt, after all the Zamorians come from Zhemri stock and I want my Hyborian players to feel an "otherness" about the place and the people, even a resentment against the upstart younger cultures.
Peter Akroyd's "The Clerkenwell Tales" has some great descriptions of the dirty bustle of Mediaeval London that might be of use.

 

[Orkin]

Think of the great historical "Cities of Wickedness": Las Vegas, Olongapo, Shanghai. They've usually had a party atmosphere; if they weren't fun to go to, they wouldn't thrive.

 

[argo]

Maybe try describing how all the decorations and elegant things are taken from different sources, heaped together piecemeal, and then not taken care of. For example you might describe how in someone's boudiour there are nemediean tapastries and silk curtains of incompatiable color hanging next to each other, the chairs are aphoulstered in rich leather but don't match the table of dark oak which is too tall for it. The floor is covered in layered Iranistani carpets but you can see where when one got stained (with blood) or threadbare they just threw another over the bad spot. The citizens want to have the finer things in life but put no thought into what having them means beyond simple consumption.

Another trick, emphasize fakeness. You see a brightly painted facade of a fine two story hotel but when you walk in the front door you immediaetly realize it is actually a hastily built one-story shack (and not a right angle or level shelf to be found in the place). The prostitute over there has some mighty fine assets and is dolled up in makeup to look good but on closer inspection you see that the makeup is covering serious bags under her eyes because she hasn't slept in three days.

Hope that helps.