Town Creation

One of the fun parts of Kids on Bikes is to create a town together where the game will take place.

Everyone, please answer some of the questions below:


1. Our adventure takes place in… (name of town and state/province/territory/region)
2. The industry our town is best known for is…
3. Our town is famous for…
4. Our town is infamous for...
5. Economically, our town is… (e.g., prospering, floundering, starting to stagnate) and one effect of that is...
6a. A notable local organization is…
6b. A notable local organization is…
7a. A notable local landmark is…
7b. A notable local landmark is…
8. Our school is named..., our principal is..., our mascot is... and something notable about our school is...
9. The town closest to us is named… and our relationship with that town is…
(e.g., amicably competitive, unrestrainedly resentful, economically
envious, paternalistically helpful).
10. It is currently the month... of the year... (1990's)

Answer as a group with as much discussion as you need.



I would everyone also like to throw in a rumour about town.

I have a pitch that I’m not attached to, but I think it would be cool to play a town set on an island in the Pacific Northwest. It seems like treat wouldn’t be the standard setting, but a medium sized island is basically an isolated small town, there are lots of industry and plot hooks (tourism, fishing, weird boats or sea creatures, shipwrecks, the old abandoned lighthouse, etc.).

How does that strike folks?

I remember in the previous KoB game I joined, the GM found some random country generator and rolled on that to determine where we were playing. We ended up in Norway, which was fun.

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As for natknight's suggestion, I'm not too familiar with the different regions of the US and their differences, but I like the idea of being set on an island, fairly isolated.

I like the idea of an island of some sort. Been playing Oxenfree. Only way in or not of town is by Ferry that comes by 2x a week. Air shipment of supplies 3x a week. Town has only a few cars and trucks. Carts, bikes and scooters. ?horses?

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I cheated. I put all the questions into ChatGPT. This is what it came up with.



I can create a fictional town based on your prompt:

1. Our adventure takes place in "Harborville," located on Harbor Island, in the state of "Maritime Province."

2. The industry our town is best known for is fishing and seafood processing. Harborville is renowned for its fresh catches and delicious seafood products.

3. Our town is famous for its annual "Harborfest" seafood festival, which attracts visitors from all over the region to indulge in our delectable seafood dishes, live music, and vibrant cultural events.

4. Our town is infamous for a series of mysterious shipwrecks that occurred off the coast several decades ago. Locals still tell stories of ghost ships haunting the waters, adding an air of mystery to the area.

5. Economically, our town is prospering due to the thriving fishing industry. One effect of this prosperity is the development of a bustling harbor district, creating jobs and boosting tourism.

6a. A notable local organization is the "Harborville Fishermen's Association," which supports local fishermen and promotes sustainable fishing practices.

6b. Another notable local organization is the "Harborville Historical Society," dedicated to preserving the town's rich maritime history and artifacts.

7a. A notable local landmark is the "Harbor Lighthouse," perched at the entrance to the harbor, guiding ships safely to shore for over a century.

7b. Another notable local landmark is "Cliffside Park," offering breathtaking views of the harbor and surrounding islands, making it a popular spot for picnics and outdoor activities.

8. Our school is named "Harborview High School," our principal is Mr. Jameson, our mascot is the "Harbor Hawks," and something notable about our school is its strong emphasis on marine biology education, given our town's maritime heritage.

Well, I guess nobody could ever accuse the AI of being creative

Damn, the AI is coming for leisure activities now. 😂

I like the school it gave us, but I’d propose a different name than "Harbour Island" and "Maritime State".

A Pacific Northwest island could be in Washington state near Seattle (temperate climate, lush forests, mountains).

There would be a ferry a few times a day and possibly sea planes for fancier tourists (sport fishing, whale watching, B&B’s).

I propose that the lighthouse was automated in the seventies and is now full of electronics with a derelict light keeper’s house.

I’ll also add a location+rumour: the wreck of the Metro Morsk, a small cargo ship that ran aground on the island a decade ago in a massive storm. It’s rumoured that there was a government coverup during the cleanup. Maybe it was carrying something dangerous?

I use ChatGPT as a DM for a 1 on 1 Roleplay game that is DnD 5e style. I also DM a lot and use it to generate bounty boards, npcs, shops, and town basics.

I am not saying to use everything but was just trying to help with getting the juices flowing.


I also agree that I like that School but the town name is crap. 4, 7a, 7b, & 8 I kind of all like.

I'm not a fan of using AI for this in the first place. The whole point of the town creation is for everyone to add some setting details so everyone has some investment in the setting from the very beginning. Outsourcing that to AI kind of ruins the whole point of it.

I am happy to set this on an island.

I don't know much about the Pacific Northwest (and even Wikipedia says that "definitions do not agree" :), but think I would prefer the warmer climate suggested above to the assumption of frigid cold place.

Anything on the coast/seaside provides lots of grist for a game.

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There may be tidbits we can mine from the AI output, but they almost always result in the least interesting options, so I stopped reading what it said after a few lines. The school it suggests looks fine, but nothing special.

Maybe we can take any aspects from there that interest us and then talk about them as a group and come up with the actual answer.

ChatGPT can be a helpful tool at times. I am ping ponging with chatgpt a bit to get ideas for a D&D campaign setting.

But I agree with Bowlofspinach for Kids on Bikes. Town creation is often a lot of fun.
Letting AI do it would be like watching others play. Still, it can provide some inspiration.


I personally love natknight's island idea and it seems that everyone likes the ocean-vibe one way or another with suggestions for atwo different islands: temperate climate, lush forests, mountains or a warmer climate more tropical perhaps?


I like both ideas, but they would offer different experiences.
I admit when reading and island in the pacific, a volcanic/tropical/Hawaii-like land immediatelly popped in my mind, not really thinking about the Washington / Canadian coast.



In order to progress, I'd like to narrow it down.

Either a fictional island as natknight suggested; temperate climate, lush forests off the coast of Washington State.

Or more warmer / maybe semi-tropical island as suggested by vagueGM, possible a fictional island which is part of Hawaii.


As for the locations; being an island is also good, for it can have set partially on it's own traditions and customs.

While I would be as happy with a more Tropical island, I was meaning to agree with natknight about 'warmer Temperate' rather than suggesting even warmer than that. :) 'Pacific Northwest' seemed to include all the way up Alaska, and I was not feeling like that sort of frigid.

Are we assuming some form of slightly altered/alternate history? If so we can just make up an island that suits our desires. If we are setting it mainly in our own world, just with some weirdness, then using an existing island can be fun, but brings complications of 'historical accuracy' and such.

I'd prefer to just go for a fictional island, since that will get rid of any kinds of "Uhm, this isn't accurate" pitfalls. Climate-wise, I'm open for anything. I think the colder climate could be fun, but just warmer temperate or tropical all works for me as well, so I'll just go with what you others prefer.

I think it's best to make it a fictional island.

I have no objections to it being cold if we want, it was only a minor preference.

Warmer or Tropical Climates would have better weather to deal with. Trying to solve a problem during a Monsoon or Tropical Storm.

Always fun. :)

Let's set the game then on an

An island in the North Pacific, somewhere a good distance of the coast of Washington State

This way it is sufficiently isolated that the mainland does not seem to care much, but there would still be some connections.

What would the name be?

And how would the other questions fit on this island?

Is our town the only significant settlement on the island?

2. The industry our town is best known for is…
Maybe we are mainly a tourist destination? Though we may have to supplement that with other income during the off-season? Unless we have something special that means we don' really have an off-season? Fishing makes sense as an alternate income stream, or course, but I am thinking it could be interesting if we also had a military base that did something clandestine (they say it is weather balloons) and many people work there when not dealing with tourists?

I like the Military base idea. Top secret Hush Hush. They have a Small Airport to themselves and a Dock.

Instead of Fishing what about a specialized crop? A rare variety of peaches, or plums? Or even Our climate allows for Saffron or Vanilla to grow or some other rarish herb.

Yeah, saffron or another rare herb does sound cool. Or nuts of some sort. If we are far enough South we can do bandannas or pineapples.

An advantage of fishing is it takes grownups away for long periods, an advantage of crops is it could bring in migrant workers at various times.

If we have a tourism off-season we could also have parents leave to work on the mainland, adding instability to our families.

How about a salmon fishery that supports a few commercial boats based on the island, a fishing lodge (that’s mostly abandoned in the winter), and a controversial fish farm (that’s rumoured to be a front for a genetic experiment/secret weapons facility/paranormal research station)?

I do like the tourism idea as it can create a bit of tension/hostility between the residents and the tourists. And you never know what kinds of people come to visit the island...

Tourists

Fishing, with some traditional style fishermen but also fish farmers (maybe by some modern company)

And the growth of herbs like saffron

At the far end of the island there is a military (I would assume navy?) base


That sounds enough to support an island finacially, depending on size of course.
So overall I would feel it has a blooming economy.

1. Our adventure takes place in… (name of town and state/province/territory/region)
An island in the North Pacific, somewhere a good distance of the coast of Washington State
Named:...

2. The industry our town is best known for is…
Tourists
Fishing, with some traditional style fishermen but also fish farmers (maybe by some modern company)
And the growth of herbs like saffron
At the far end of the island there is a military (I would assume navy?) base

3. Our town is famous for…
4. Our town is infamous for...

5. Economically, our town is… (e.g., prospering, floundering, starting to stagnate) and one effect of that is...
Suggestion: Doing well

6a. A notable local organization is…
6b. A notable local organization is…
7a. A notable local landmark is…
7b. A notable local landmark is…
8. Our school is named..., our principal is..., our mascot is... and something notable about our school is...
9. The town closest to us is named… and our relationship with that town is…
(e.g., amicably competitive, unrestrainedly resentful, economically
envious, paternalistically helpful).
10. It is currently the month... of the year... (1990's)

Might be a bit cliche, but I think it works well as background in a mystery setting: A few years ago, there was a series of disappearances. Over the course of a few months, a large number of people (children?) disappeared. This was never solved, but the disappearances stopped eventually on their own. There are of course many rumors floating around about what happened, like a serial killer. The official story is that the children probably went out swimming and drowned.
A huge, modern lighthouse that is both functional but also a tourist destination. It gives an amazing view of the whole island from the top and it's on all the local tourist merchandise.
There is of course also the old, decrepit lighthouse that was replaced by it but never torn down, but nobody speaks of that...

Are we talking like a full-on barracks and capital ships navy base, or more like a few buildings, a big radar tower and maybe a couple of PT boats and a helipad?

Something cool about saffron is that the grownups make a big deal about it, but most kids don't see what the big deal is. It really is not special to us.
That seems most likely, but it could also be Airforce. Airforce might put too much stuff in the skies though.
Possibly 'recently booming' so only some areas are reaping the benefits and others are still poor and struggling. (Though we should take this to the Tone thread before deciding.)

Depending on when in the 90s we set this there could be interesting interactions with technology... and the internet and it could also be broadcasting something...

Knowing when in the 90s we are might help a lot with character concept. '93 is very different to '98, after all. If we are after '95 then we have 'the world wide web' (what many think of as 'the internet') if before that, then the internet is very niche and rare, and small.

Personally, I was thinking more the latter? A small base with some secret purpose?

What about if the internet is just starting to get know. The town has only a few computers with internet (Maybe thanks to the Military Base).


As for everything else I think it is a great idea. Modernish Lighthouse, Small Navy Base with a Secret Purpose, Kids went missing, and Saffron farms.

I think this would work great as a Landmark.
The Island being famous is more a non-physical thing.

Like:
- It attracts a lot of toursists because it is the best salomn fishing spot in the country.
- Or probably the legendary quality saffron farming.
I would figure it myself as a smaller base. A hand full of boats and maybe 2 helicopters.
We could make it like it houses aircraft carriers, but that would need such a crew that it would be very dominant on the island. I think smaller and more mysterious (why are they there anyway?) is more interesting.
Very true. I might remember it not entirely right, but I connect the whole internet thing to Windows 95 being released.
I like this idea. In the early days of internet you had to go places, in my town the library, to access a public computer which could access the internet/www.


With that in mind, how about we'd set it in 1995?

Yes, let's move it down to the landmark spot of the list.

Maybe they come for the fishing at one time of year, and come for the surfing at another? I would not mind being a surfer (if it fits the rest of my character).
True. There was not much 'www' in 95 and it really was not until '98 that Google brought us something like what we think of now. Though we don't need to be completely historically accurate, or even define the exact year, we could just say 'mid-to-late 90s'?

We could also rely on bulletin-boards instead of the web if we set it further back.
We may have parents that have special access for a reason, knowing that it exists means we can use that in our character creation ideas.

Yes! An island BBS seems great.

In terms of our closest neighbour city, how about the mainland city on the other end of our ferry route? We could have a bit of competition where they look down on us as backwards inside hicks, we look down in them as stuck up mainland city slickers, but we also generate a lot of traffic, jobs, and connections for each other (e.g. the island hospital is too small for most surgeries, mainland kids take the ferry over for the day and roam the island harassing local kids).

Not sure I have a great name. San Solano? Santa Playa? Arenas Doradas?

I like that town relationship a lot

Could be former military post and is now touristy, or both are active on opposite sides of the island.
A summer/seasonal festival.(?)
The military base, in the 50's, it's rumored to have housed a weapons research facility.

edit: i see a few chimed in on 3, 4 already.

I'll skip a few.
<whatever island> High
Principal Soaring - kids refer to him/her as Snoring Soaring, or simply Snoring.
Mascot is... The Oars. Cheers like "we're going to row you back, waaaaay back" and "either Oar, we're going to put the paddle to you!"

Just suggestions. 🙂

Maybe, in the past, the island has been a military base for a long time. There are old cannon forts dotted around and strange bunkers from more modern times. But since the deescalation of the Cold War (or was it after Nam?) the military base has shrunk to just one small installation?
It is a discussion, though, so we welcome your input and new suggestions. We can be famous for many things (though levels of fame can vary), and if we are touristy then there can be lots of reasons for the tourists to come at various times, so adding festivals seems like something we would do to fill in the gaps. :)
Good suggestions. And welcome.

I like that. Old bunkers and abandoned military installations means places to explore...

Or places for monsters to hide in! :)

I shall update the list in a few hours.

One thing that really seems to be missing is a name for the town/island.

Habortonville Cove

HaborMcHaborVille

CoastalHabortown

Let's summarize everything again. It's getting a lot of shape!
Lots of interesting ideas


1. Our adventure takes place in… (name of town and state/province/territory/region)
An island in the North Pacific, somewhere a good distance of the coast of Washington State
Named:... Habortonville Cove????



2. The industry our town is best known for is…
Tourists
Fishing, with some traditional style fishermen but also fish farmers (maybe by some modern company)
And the growth of saffron



3. Our town is famous for…
A summer/seasonal festival.(?) > How about big fisherman related festivals when the season starts/end. Also, as suggested, a surfing festival, annual competitions?



4. Our town is infamous for...
A few years ago, there was a series of disappearances. Over the course of a few months, a large number of people (children?) disappeared. This was never solved, but the disappearances stopped eventually on their own. There are of course many rumors floating around about what happened, like a serial killer. The official story is that the children probably went out swimming and drowned.



5. Economically, our town is… (e.g., prospering, floundering, starting to stagnate) and one effect of that is...
'Recently booming' so only some areas are reaping the benefits and others are still poor and struggling.



6a. A notable local organization is…
6b. A notable local organization is…



7a. A notable local landmark is…
A huge, modern lighthouse that is both functional but also a tourist destination. It gives an amazing view of the whole island from the top and it's on all the local tourist merchandise. There is of course also the old, decrepit lighthouse that was replaced by it but never torn down, but nobody speaks of that...

7b. A notable local landmark is…



8. Our school is named..., our principal is..., our mascot is... and something notable about our school is...
Principal Soaring - kids refer to him/her as Snoring Soaring, or simply Snoring.
Mascot is... The Oars. Cheers like "we're going to row you back, waaaaay back" and "either Oar, we're going to put the paddle to you!"



9. The town closest to us is named San Solano? Santa Playa? Arenas Doradas? and our relationship with that town is…
In terms of our closest neighbour city, how about the mainland city on the other end of our ferry route? We could have a bit of competition where they look down on us as backwards inside hicks, we look down in them as stuck up mainland city slickers, but we also generate a lot of traffic, jobs, and connections for each other (e.g. the island hospital is too small for most surgeries, mainland kids take the ferry over for the day and roam the island harassing local kids).



10. It is currently the month... of the year 1995. Internet is available, but extremely slow, on small scale and on select computers only. Internet can be accessed through the local library.
(indicating a month in which we'd start would be interesting; the game will look very different in summer / start of school / christmas / near end of the school)



Military presence
At the far end of the island there is a small navy base with a few boats and a helicopter platform. No one knows why they are really there. In the 50's, it's rumored to have housed a weapons research facility.

Could be former military post and is now touristy, or both are active on opposite sides of the island.

Maybe, in the past, the island has been a military base for a long time. There are old cannon forts dotted around and strange bunkers from more modern times. But since the deescalation of the Cold War (or was it after Nam?) the military base has shrunk to just one small installation?

There are now several Old bunkers and abandoned military installations means places to explore...

The [Town Name] Tourism Board. They're not an official city organization but instead a group of mostly older women dedicated to keeping the town as beautiful as possible for the tourists. They organize events where people pick up trash to clean the area or collect money to help some struggling business that caters to tourists. But they're also known for quickly getting quite vicious. They don't wield any official power, but if you paint your house in the wrong color and they decide it ruins the overall picture, or if your front yard is too unkempt for them, you'll be in trouble...

Maybe summer holidays are drawing to a close? (a few more weeks or holiday?)

Lots of tourists?

If we're thinking small, then maybe a detachment. If I were a GM for the game, maybe, just maybe, I'd make the soldiers not really know why they are there. It's known to them as Naval Base 'Nowhere' because it's not even known among many Navy personnel, and they just hang out, occasionally drill, but far from a Norfolk or San Diego. Or, it can be a simple Coast Guard or reserve station.

What else is still needing to be hashed out?

Festival names - events:
- Sailing Days - kicks off the warming season of summer, people are encouraged to sail to the event, many mark it as the first day to get out their boats. Music, food, and drink. One year they had Debbie Gibson!
- Good Neighbor Fest - fall months - something to break up the year from end of summer and into fall. Food, drink, also coincides with the Taste of Harbtonville Cove restaurant event.

Other ideas include
- Founder's Day or Founder's Festival
- Jams and Brushes - an art festival - music and crafts, even featuring some jelly jams as some have taken it upon themselves to stretch the purpose/name of the fest, often times poo poo'd by those on the art side
- Throw in different special events that are driven by tourism board - marathon/fitness events, row competitions, these may be tough without the infrastructure.
Men of the Knight - think free masons, knights of columbus, ELKs, fraternity thing, following certain principles and beliefs of Sullivan Knight, a founding member of the community back in 1800's,

Woman org - something complimentary of MotK. Seaside Ladies, :shrug: Trying to differ from x of the y.

I love the tourism board. Bunch of old ladies getting involved with about anything they think they should get involved with :)
Soldiers just follow orders. Officers know the real details. Usually.
Maybe the town is indeed famous for organizing a festival for like almost anything :)

I like that. Especially with those old biddies from the tourism board poking their noses into everything and making everything 'proper'. :)

I think my parents mightbe tour-guides, so they have deal with the board a lot more than they like. They do mainly wilderness/outdoors/camping tours to get away from these 'monsters'. :)

For an organization . I was thinking something like Bunker Hunters. A group of people that explore the island searching any of the lost bunkers. They explore as much of the bunkers as they can and map them out best to their knowledge.