Random Table PDFs for Fantasy City Environments

A look at pdf and book titles for Fantasy Cities on Drive Thru RPG, with sections for solo and underworld

[Image created from Medieval Fantasy City Generator]

Disclaimer: Rand Roll is an affiliate for DriveThru RPG and DM's Guild.

Starting Points

Fantasy Cities can look quite different, from typical King's Landing in Game of Thrones to the towers of Minas Tirith, to the sprawl of Ravnica on an entire world. From the spires of the island of Tar Valon to the ever-shifting fashions of Ankh-Morpork.

For some adventurers the city is a place to relax, resupply and network. To others it is the heart of their adventures. Temple politics, gang wars, dangers in the sewers, disappearances in the slums, fires in the noble quarter and whispers in the backstreets...

For a non-random title with information about cities there is City Builder: A Guide to Designing Communities from Skirmisher Publishing (240 pages and not cheap).

Also of interest will be the Random Tools Guide for Fantasy Cities. Finally for more PDF titles try Random Table Titles for Fantasy.

Mar 2024: Added sections for solo titles and underworld.

Major Titles

Some PDFs are much larger and comprehensive.

Spectacular Settlements is 482 pages of settlements from Nord Games, including tables, guidelines and pre-built settlements in a hurry
From LoreSmyth is Remarkable Shops and Their Wares , including dozens of random tables as well as pre-built shops and magic items.
For tables of city sites and scenes, Philip Reed Games has Fantasy City Sites and Scenes. Plus the sequel Fantasy City Sites and Scenes II
GM's Miscellany: Urban Dressing (System Neutral) from Raging Swan Press brings together lists to fill out urban areas from smaller titles. It is part of a how category of many Urban Dressing titles and has a sequel in GM's Miscellany: Urban Dressing II.
For a detailed guide (with tables) to creating cities and towns, Lucky Dice Games has Town Tables - The Game Master's Town Builder Handbook.
From Skirmisher Publishing is the hefty City Builder: A Guide to Designing Communities, with sections on communities and chapters on places for craftsman, entertainment, professional, tradesmen, mercantile, service, scholarly, religious, governmental and underworld

Solo Titles

Titles suitable for solo play in fantasy cities

Inkwell Ideas has a series of sidequest decks and one covers Political and Urban Fantasy, with 55 card versions in digital or physical cards versions. They've also published the image based Encounter Builder: City Scenes and DungeonMorphs: Cities, Ruins and Villages.
For a deck of detailed hooks and adventure ideas, Philip Reed Games has Deck of Rumors: D100 City Hooks. And they are also available in table form as 1d100 City Hooks, Fantasy RPG Encounter Ideas.
A deck of Concept Cards - Urban Locations from Artemis Games has 56 cards with ideas and four sections with numerical ratings
For a smaller scale WyldFurr has the Dark Mansion Map Cards, 20 square map tiles for mansions in a city (probably haunted)

Free and Pay What You Want Options

If you like free pdfs and random tables then there are some options. And where you find one you might find more...

Start off with a name from Pink Dice Bag Publishing with 100 Town and City Names in style of UK and UK cities.
Never Engine has two highly rated PWYW Encounter Generators, Urban (Rough) and Urban (Safe). As well as an Area/ Building and Room Generator and pwyw 300 Mundane Items and Objects.
Dicegeeks has a few free d100 lists including 100 Items found in a Fantasy Warehouse and Random Search Chart d100 - Fantasy Office.
The Town and City Builder from James Embry is 65+ pages of advice and tables for building all sizes of settlements, split into districts with extra tables for names and encounters. Has a price but currently showing as free.
For creating a trader of weird magic in a marketplace Gorgzu Games has The Transient Bazaar, a PWYW title.
For Buildings maps, Handiwork Games has pay-what-you-want Jon Hodgson Maps - Buildings Pack 1, a pdf of regular and VTT building maps

Smaller Titles

To find more related titles by a particular publisher the "Customers Who Bought This Title also Purchased" bar at the bottom of product description is useful.

If you like intrigue and events, then 1d100 Plus Social Events from Lore Wise Games offers several tables for events and events. With one tailored for towns in 1d100 Plus Town Events.
Grinning Skull Studios has the long titled 100 City Encounters & Adventure Hooks for all fantasy RPGs with 100 detailed encounters and sidequests. There is also 100 Places in Town for all fantasy RPGs.
Part of the D-Percent titles is 100 Fantasy City Rumors and Mysteries from Black Falcon Games, with substantial rumours. For pickpockets there is also 100 NPC Pocket Contents.
Atelier Clandestin have 100 Low Fantasy Merchants with names, description and what they might sell. As well as City Name Generator, Castle Generator and Guild Generator.
If you need rumours then 100 Rumours to Hear in a Town or Village from Azukail Games has ones with enough detail to interest characters. Other city-themed titles include 100 Merchants to Encounter, 100 Nobles to Encounter and 100 Strange or Unusual Encounters for Fantasy Cities
The Tables of Everyday Items from Standish Writes has tables for urban areas such as Bedroom, Garden Shed, Tavern and Cemetery.

Underworld and Crime Titles

For titles of crime, cults and the city underworld try...

True Mask Games has Dark Cities - 100+ Scenarios for Urban Adventures, with many encounters and detailed ideas. "a collection of political intrigues, murder mysteries, criminal undertakings, the plans of secret cults, supernatural powers"
Atelier Clandestin has the Book of Thieves, many tables for criminal endeavours. It also has a Criminal Organization Generator
Skirmisher Publishing helps with black markets and crime boss headquarters with 100 Oddities for a Thieves' Guild.
From Lore Wise Games there is 1d100 Plus Underworld Events.
For intrigue Azukail Games has 100 Secret Societies. Plus 100 Cults to Encounter and 100 Gangs for Your Urban Campaigns are from

Other Titles

Things that don't fit in the other categories.

From Black Scrolls Games is City Modular Map-Tiles, with 78 tiles to populate your city (or pick at random). They also have Sewer Map Tiles for adventures under the city.
From Crane Castles Publishing is A Collection of Fantastic Fantasy Sewer Random Tables, with 104 pages of sewers content.
Castle Oldskull - City State Encounters from Kent David Kelly has many pages of tables for city encounters, day and night, including monsters and npcs sections
Campaign Builder: Cities and Towns from Kobold Press is a large tome, with two chapters that are specific to D&D 5E
For more city maps, Handiwork Games offers Backstreet Tiles - Plain and Jon Hodgson Maps - Ruins Pack 1.
From Black Falcon Games there is Fantasy City - Random Generator Collection with six titles of d100 city and tavern related titles.