Street Magic
System: I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic Author: Caro Asercion Supplement: Easy Streets anthology
Overview
A collaborative building-scale worldbuilding game. Creates neighborhoods, landmarks, and residents through sensory “True Names” built from collaborative vignettes.
Role in The Western Horizon
Primary Scale: Settlement (building and NPC level) Used For: Populating landmarks with sensory detail, creating memorable NPCs through vignettes Key Sections: Residents, Quick NPCs, Settlements Engine Connection: Artisanal — pins People layer nodes with sensory attributes
What Street Magic Solves
When Ex Novo generates a settlement or Hexmancer generates a feature, you need specific locations with personality. Street Magic provides a lightweight, collaborative system for creating memorable buildings and NPCs.
The Three-Tier Structure
- Neighborhoods → Broad areas with reputation and vibe → Districts
- Landmarks → Specific buildings/locations within neighborhoods
- Residents → Individual NPCs associated with landmarks → People layer
The “True Name” Concept
A poetic, sensory essence that makes something unforgettable. Ask: “What do you see, smell, hear, feel, taste?”
Examples:
- Neighborhood: “clockwork precision, chrome and glass, everyone’s in a hurry”
- Landmark: “sawdust floors smell of pine, firelight dances on copper mugs, laughter from the kitchen”
- Resident: “calloused hands, speaks in recipe measurements, smells of cardamom”
This maps to WFC — the True Name is the collapsed result of multiple player contributions, each adding a constraint.
Practical Workflow
Quick Landmark Generation (10 minutes)
- Title — What do locals call it? (30 seconds)
- Address — Where is it within the district? (1 minute)
- True Name — Close your eyes. What’s the first thing you notice? (2-3 minutes)
- Optional Resident — Does someone notable work/live here? (5-7 minutes)
Resident Vignette (5-10 minutes)
Full procedure in Residents. In brief:
- GM starts: “Let’s see [Title] in their element…”
- Players each contribute one sensory detail
- Extract True Name from the vignette
Quick NPC (90 seconds)
Full procedure in Quick NPCs.
Integration Notes
→ Beak, Feather & Bone: BF&B provides roles and relationships; Street Magic provides sensory details → Ex Novo: Street Magic populates the districts and landmarks Ex Novo establishes ← Hexmancer: When Hexmancer generates a feature (temple, tower), use Street Magic to detail it
What Street Magic Doesn’t Do
- Generate settlement-scale geography (use Ex Novo)
- Track faction relationships (use Ex Novo, Kingdom, Beak, Feather & Bone)
- Handle dungeon interiors (use Ex Umbra)