Heldenhofen- City of Heroes

Fimm McCool

Member
Welcome to Heldenhofen, city of heroes. The gleaming metropolis of opportunity!

Since the Tale of Two Cities thread is now rather lengthy this is a thread to announce the games that are going on and background for explorers visiting the fair city of Heldenhofen. The information contained in this thread should be general knowledge for citizens and visitors. If you would like to run a game or join the GMing team for adventurers in the city (running WFRP, Mordheim, Age of Oldhammer, Frostgrave or any other game system you care to bring to it) then PLEASE POST IN THIS THREAD and send me a PM with details and I'll copy you into the growing sourcebook detailing all the hidden secrets of the city. As the event nears I'll be updating the Heldenhofen Gazette below with details of what's going on.

Here is what we think is going on so far:
Endless games of snorkleball and Bier Bowl in the stadium (Please bring a 5 man snorkling team or a 6 man BloodBowl team)
The world Giant slaying Championships. (Please bring a slayer)
Maybe some Giant on Giant fighting with any left over Giants. (Please bring a Giant)
The first Heldenhofen "Blood on the streets" Chariot race. (Please bring a chariot)
Squig Hopper racing in the under city. (Please bring a snorkling squighopper ...or not we have a few spares)
Jabberwocky hunting outside the city.(Please bring a brave adventurer)
WFRP scenario "Miss Tarkin's Identity" The first part of 'The Enemy Within Heldenhofen' Campaign.(Please bring a starting WFRP Character and a mini to represent them).
Smugglers Wanted: This Means You! Multi-player Mordheim scenario in the docklands (please bring a handful of minis statted up for Mordheim if you have time).
Warhammer skirmish(?) "Shadows under Heldenhofen" a Skaven incursion into the city.

We would like to invite contributions of buildings and townsfolk along with a short background to ensure that our city is diverse and detailed. If you have a building or villager you can bring along then please post a photo and tell us a bit about them. All contributions will be gratefully received and will be written into the background and history of the city.

HELDENHOFEN GAZETTE (11th July edition, sorry it's squished for some reason!)
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High quality PDF version- https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8pjGBiPJzvhZkJLYkdMTFNYNTQ/view?ths=true
 

Fimm McCool

Member
Let's kick off with the settlement that was here before even the tiny fishing village which became the sprawling city of Heldenhofen, the Halfling homestead of Coney...



The Halfling village of Coney predates Heldenhofen by several centuries and its inhabitants are still resentful of the cankerous city which has crawled up to its walls. As Heldenhofen sprawled from a small riverside town to the metropolis it is today it has brought wealth and opportunities to the Halfling folk and few of them would wish for it to be gone completely but most would like it to have stopped growing long before it engulfed their own little settlement. A nice neighbour to have, but now a little too close. To most of the citizens of Heldenhofen the village is just another part of the city and they refer to it as the ‘Halfling Quarter’, which really annoys the Halfling separatists. The village technically lies outside the city wall (which wraps around it and opens into Coney via the Lupt gate) and maintains its own wooden palisade, sheriff and village militia.



There are four large families in the Halfling community; the Hamfoots, the Sackbarrows, the Slaws and the Merriwinkles. The majority of the farmland bordering the western road to Heldenhofen belongs to the Sackbarrow family, the richest of the four and principle governing family in the village. The office of sheriff is a hereditary one passed down through the Hamfoot family. The Slaw family run the milling and baking industry which is the village’s principle trade. Unusually they do not work with grains but with the species of brassica which grows readily on the waterlogged fields to the south. This cabbage-bread is an acquired taste but seems to have become popular in certain far-flung regions of the empire and as a result the Slaws have become phenomenally wealthy. This in turn has made them most enthusiastic supporters of Heldenhofen. The other halflings are just glad so much of the cabbage-bread is now being exported and they can eat normal wheat bread instead. The Merriwinkles pride themselves in being the best rat-catchers in the world and supply the village with the majority of its dietary protein through their efforts. Rat on a stick is a favourite delicacy. This is another thing that Heldenhofen’s growth has provided for the Halfling population, there is never any shortage of rat.
 

Fimm McCool

Member
North of the bustling Gatehouse District is the secluded and quiet Academic Quarter. Here are to be found the august institutions such as the College of Magic, the School of Anatomy where young physicians are tutored, the library, museum and the shrine of Verena which offers respite and healing for the mentally distressed. The more privileged of these institutions can be discerned by their proximity to the city wall, for on the Eastern side of the Academic Quarter is the Industrial District. The tanneries and abattoirs can be smelt across the city when the wind blows from the North, but the rest of the time it is only this district and the neighbouring streets of the Academic Quarter that are plagued by the stench. Other industries practiced in this noxious part of town are weaving, saddlery, joinery and silversmithy.



The college is the seat of thaumaturgical learning for the region and students come from far and wide to confer with its academics and use its fabled library. Not only does the college deal with ‘cerebral’ magics such as sorcery and psionics but also ‘theoretical’ magics such as divination and ‘practical’ magics such as alchemy. The college itself is surrounded by a wall of crackling magical energy in which there is a single gate, marked by a tall, white archway. The gatekeeper, Baelthezar Hex, is a dour, gaunt man with lank, white hair and a small beard. His eyes are permanently hidden behind dark lenses, his already great height is amplified by a tall hat and long coat. He stands silent guard at the gate with a halberd in his gloved hand and the green heraldic sash of the college around his shoulders. Few have ever heard him speak and he only stands aside from his post for members of the college or when he senses a visitor is expected by one of the senior wizards. The college also employs its own enforcers (knowing that the City Watch pay very little attention to goings on in the academic quarter). They are serious, disciplined individuals who conceal their features behind cloaks, close helmets and scarves. Their standard armament is a brace of matchlock pistols and a pair of long, curved knives. The college enforcers patrol the entirety of the academic quarter, considering that their jurisdiction extends to the edge of the gatehouse district and into a section of the industrial quarter where a number of alchemists rent workshop space. Formidable though their defences are, there are areas of the college which are open to the general public. The substantial library attracts scholars from across the known world to the city and a number of the wizards hold surgeries where they can be consulted on their fields of expertise. Then there is the college belltower. The brass bell in its narrow tower lies silent most of the time, however whenever Heldenhofen or the college are threatened it tolls out with a low knell. During festival seasons it is rung by college members and sounds a bright, lively peal. The bell has been rung on the hour every day during the current Capricorn festival, but after each of the celebratory chimes have faded away a dull humming seems to continue and is growing stronger as if the bell is ringing a perpetual warning.

 
Cracking stuff Fimm! This is going to be a massive amount of fun to play pretend battles on :)

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Fimm McCool

Member


Some general residential housing and some inner-city allotments, grazing and stabling for horses. This is one of the nicer districts in Heldenhofen, away from the bustle of the port, the throng around the gates and the unpredictability of the academic quarter.

 

Fimm McCool

Member
Not dense enough yet, but some big pieces are coming. Best of all so far it all fits in my WFB5 box. Feel free anyone else to volunteer a building or two and a bit of background to support it. Or a townsfolk model, let's get this city thriving and inhabited!
 

Harry

Moderator
Jeeesss .... I go on holiday for a week .... :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

It all looks brilliant ... Really great. I will crack on with my bits.

(How big are your tiles ... and how thick?)

Anyone else wants to pitch in ... all contributions to the table will be greatly received and written into the history and background of the city.
 

Fimm McCool

Member


Imperial customs and excise:
Under normal circumstances the Imperial arm extends to the importing of goods via Heldenhofen and takes very little interest in the rest of the city. The small garrison, customs house, courthouse and jail cluster around the centre of the harbour where they are immediately visible to all inbound ships. The jail itself lies right in front of the mayor’s residence, perhaps as a reminder that the Imperial eye is not completely removed from the day to day running of the city. The mayor has since rearranged his dwelling so that his own quarters face the more appealing view along the statue walk of the central park and in doing so has literally as well as figuratively turned his back upon the doings of the port. Standard taxes and levies are applied to goods brought into the harbour and also upon cargoes being loaded up as exports to countries and regions downriver. Most of the ships which dock belong to merchants resident within the city and these individuals have standing arrangements with the customs officials so the customs house itself is usually only sparsely manned and often stands closed. Besides, so mundane are most of the goods brought in on a regular basis that the officials can make more money in fines for ‘non-payment’ than they could imposing normal duties so it is in their interests to make paying standard levies as difficult as possible. A tiny toll booth stands at the entrance to the warehouse district for regular importers, but this is almost never open.




The Duck's Head Inn is run by the jovial Roberte Houper. A popular local legend says that the coaching inn used to be called the 'Duke's Head' following a revolt against the local gentry which saw the hapless Duke's severed cranium carried through town and nailed above the city gates nearby as a warning. As trade and the wealth of the city increased it was felt this display of independence was detrimental to Heldenhofen's image and Houper decided to change the name of his hostelry. He made use of the original sign-writer's unique spelling, simply painting out the 'e'.
 

Fimm McCool

Member


The Dancing Donkey is one of Heldenhofen's more respectable inns and the choice resting-place of many visiting merchants. Naturally it is also here that some of the choicest work for discerning adventurers can be picked up. As acknowledgement of the city's smaller population the inn even has a couple of rooms set aside for halflings, on the ground floor with round windows.
 

Fimm McCool

Member
ardyer":2pjdmm86 said:
I love the dancing donkey! Any chance of a shot with some models, for scale?

It's all packed away now, but hopefully a trip to Harry's sometime soon will see the whole city so far put together with plenty of chance for nice shots with models. The blue doorway in the top picture is about 28mm high and the floorplan of the inn fits within a 20cm square.
 

Fimm McCool

Member


The Dropped Drum Tavern has a reputation for being one of the liveliest venues in the city. Their regular live music nights attract acts and audiences from across the known world and there are various... services? Well, favours of a dubious nature which can be procured if you know the right slang to use. Even Greenskins, Trolls, Ogres and other creatures which would normally be barred from the city find a welcome at the Drum, whose dockside location makes it easy for ne'er-do-wells to slip from ship to tavern and back without attracting attention.



Another rip-off of a famous literary fantasy pub, the Dropped Drum is probably my favourite building to date. Whilst it's not exactly flat-pack it does break down into four pieces so can be used to make a few smaller houses on a less-expansive board.



The largest buildings in the Gatehouse District are the Rathaus and Market Hall. Above the pillared courtyard of the Market Hall is the city guardhouse where the night and day watch take it in turns to sleep between shifts. The Heldenhofen Market has no set hours of business and the streets around the market are as noisy in the small hours of the night as they are at midday, so neither of the watches get a lot of shut-eye and they are renowned for being irritable, tired and prone to looking the other way whenever there's sign of trouble.
The Rathaus bears the City's motto, the origin of which is lost in time. It reads "Eine ziege und ein hammmer sind alles was ich brauche".
 
I can't believe how lucky I'm gunna be too be able to kill things, pretend like, in amongst this city. Can't wait! Looks great Fimm :)

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Harry

Moderator
OK so I had the fellas round and we spent a day building and painting some stuff .....
All very WIP but at the end of the day we through everything onto the table to see how it was all shaping up/coming together ....Bit crammed onto my 9ft x 5ft table so we will have a bit more space to play with on one of the directors tables but here is what we have so far ....

... A first look at Heldenhofen.

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Harry

Moderator
Mr Papafakis":a27rej5z said:
This is gunna be a whole lot of fun :)
It will be if a few more people jump on board .... to play small skirmishes, a little siege game, Mordheim, WFRP etc.
Otherwise we will have a lovely city with not very much going on. :grin:

We could really do with hearing from a few people with ideas for things to do in the city on top of what is already planned.
 
Wait! What? Do you need to sign up for this? I thought it was a just a rock up and play affair?

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Harry

Moderator
Mr Papafakis":35sn23w4 said:
Wait! What? Do you need to sign up for this? I thought it was a just a rock up and play affair?
It is absolutely a 'rock up and play' affair.
...and I think currently you can rock up and join in any or ALL of the following:

Endless games of snorkleball and Bier Bowl in the stadium (Please bring a 5 man snorkling team or a 6 man BloodBowl team)
The world Giant slaying Championships. (Please bring a slayer)
Maybe some Giant on Giant fighting with any left over Giants. (Please bring a Giant)
The first Heldenhofen "Blood on the streets" Chariot race. (Please bring a chariot)
Squig Hopper racing in the under city. (Please bring a snorkling squighopper ...or not we have a few spares)
Jabberwocky hunting outside the city.(Please bring a brave adventurer)
WFRP scenario "Miss Tarkin's Identity" The first part of 'The Enemy Within Heldenhofen' Campaign.(Please bring a starting WFRP Character and a mini to represent them).
Warhammer skirmish(?) "Shadows under Heldenhofen" a Skaven incursion into the city.

What we would like is to hear from more folks who would like to run games on this table .... for maximum Chaos. :grin:
 
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