Pathfinder Campaign Setting: "Guide to Korvosa" [RPG]

Published under the "Pathfinder Chronicles" line (that would evolve into the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line), the Guide to Korvosa is a 64-page soft cover gazetteer of the city.  Its release was timed in conjunction with the release of the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path, but the text carefully avoids any spoilers.  Indeed, it was written so that players could take advantage of it as well--only a single small chapter at the end contains any secret GM-only information.  The book is also almost completely mechanics-free so that it could be used with any ruleset.  Although an older book (2008), it's still the best singe source for information on Korvosa that's available.

The interior design of the book is quite nice, with plenty of sidebars, maps, and headshots of important NPCs in the city.  The inside front- and back- covers are an in-depth timeline of events in the city's history.  One of the best things about the book is that it comes with a four-panel pull-out map of the city--I had mine laminated as it's still the best visible representation of the city I'm aware of.

Chapter One is a four-page introduction  It summarises some very basic things about the city, such as its symbols and motto, Korvosan slang, punishments for different crimes, and a useful few paragraphs about the "Korvosan Mindset".  Did you know Korvosans respect order, look down on Varisians and Shoanti, and that there's only one thieves' guild and that it's fully registered with the government?   Things like this are crucial for figuring out the "feel" of a fictional city, so when I run some adventures in Korvosa I'll do my best to make use of it.  I'm still trying to figure Korvosa out--it's not an "evil" Cheliaxian city, but comes across as darker than Magnimar while still being cosmopolitan.

Chapter Two comes in at a hefty 28 pages and covers various areas and buildings within the city.  The chapter has a good explanation of Korvosa's role in the region and a summary of its external holdings (Korvosa is essentially a city-state and controls several small towns and villages in the region).  Each of the city's neighborhoods are described and given individual inset-maps.  Key buildings are fleshed out, with particular attention to the Acadamae (Korvosa's most prestigious school of magic) and Castle Korvosa.  I could totally imagine running an Acadamae-focussed campaign someday!  There's good detail about Eodred's Walk, a plaza of fourteen shops that will likely handle most of what PCs will need when making purchases.  Neighborhoods like the Shingles and places like the Church of Aroden and the Pantheon of Many are memorable features.  Having read Curse of the Crimson Throne, I can tell how well locations that feature in that AP are incorporated here, but again in a completely non-spoilery way that wouldn't flag their importance to players. Overall, it's a well-written, detailed, and interesting overview of the city.

Chapter Three is a 14-page overview of important people and organisations within the city.  It's here you'll read about the city's government, military orders, prominent families, religious groups, and criminal gangs.  There's a complex separation of powers when it comes to the city's government, and with the influence of noble houses and legacy of the city as a Chelaxian holding, there's tons of rooms for intrigue, factionalism, and politics.  In short, it's a great setting for a non-hack n' slash campaign.  However, the chapter doesn't focus exclusively on the powerful elements in the city: there's a good description of what "normal" people are like in Korvosa.  The chapter provides important insight and is done well.

Chapter Four is a short, four-page history of the city.  It contains an account of the long series of clashes with the Shoanti after the city's founding, its origins as a Chelaxian colony, and how internal disputes in Korvosa led to the founding of Magnimar.

Chapter Five is a ten-page section on the city's secrets, and is best read only by a GM.  It goes into more depth on what's really happening in the Acadamae, on the ins-and-outs of dangers within the city (such as cults and underground vaults), and more on the city's criminal organisations.  I particularly like the idea of the Darklight Sisterhood, a Chelaxian-only rival to the Pathfinder Society!  I should note that there are some spoilers for Curse of the Crimson Throne (particularly Chapter Three) in this section.

The book ends with a little three-page appendix that contains the only game mechanics in the book: a list of what classes and levels notable NPCs are, a stat block for the Sable Company Elite Marines, and a (frankly not very good) random encounter table for different parts of the city.

Overall, I think the Guide to Korvosa is a fantastic sourcebook on the city.  It contains essential information on pretty much everything I would want.  I know some folks will differ, but I actually didn't mind the lack of "crunch" at all--there's so many feats, traits, spells, and NPC stat blocks scattered across hundreds of other Pathfinder books, so I was happy to just get a focus on the description I need in order to make the city come alive.  Although the book is long out of print, it's available for purchase as a PDF on the Paizo website, and I'd strongly recommend it.