I've recently moved, and have decided to combine learning about my new home with roleplaying, and to write the place up as a Dresdenverse setting. This should evolve over time as my knowledge increases. Will be written in dribs and drabs.
Anything in italic is the equivalent of the notes/sticky notes in the book write upsThe Gold Coast - power at restThe state of Queensland grew rapidly when Australia abolished death duties in 1979 - vast numbers of wealthy seniors, especially Britons, swiftly migrated here to enjoy the climate and avoid taxes on their estates. Supernaturals found this even more appealing as the move simplified hiding immortality.
The resources available to the 'average' resident are considerable. The city was created for millionaires; and other forms of power flock to money. While few NPCs in the city will be directly combat capable, due to age, injury and so forth, the majority will be able to call on long decades of skill, resources and contacts.
Names and elementsNames here have largely been recycled; the Gold Coast itself refers to a section of the African coast; there is a 'Miami'; multiple names are generic("Southport", "Harbourtown"), others reference other Australian locations ("Anzac Parade"), or British locations ("The Tweed"). This is an excellent place for misleading summoned creatures as to your true location - an important consideration if you fear them stalking you later.
Given the popularity of time shares, there'd likely be summoners who move through a dozen plus homes every year, with each home having a clear view of the next, to let them know if someone if watching their next residence.All elements are here, openly, but fairly well balanced. Obviously land and water mesh; less obviously, the city sits on the biggest erosion caldera in the southern hemisphere, providing a strong fire element. Cyclones and hybrid cyclones are also threaten the coast.
The shifting sandsEverything is new, as the coast has constantly changed over the past century. "Southport" does not have a port, "Harbourtown" does not have a harbour. The river mouth has constantly travelled north, creating a long sandbar on which the beaches, tourist resorts and skyrise apartments sit.
Which in the past was a nightmare for shipping; multiple wrecks are buried under the sands, and some areas are named for the ships that perished there. Behind them the river is filled with a line of islands, each covered with luxury homes and ringed with personal docks; the far shore is the same; the Gold Coast has more canals than Venice does.
Yes, there are gondolas for romantic evenings.....of course, the changes can uncover ancient secrets!
Living off the land is very profitable. Fish, crabs and shellfish are all available in abundance. Inland there are rich gold fields. The only local resource to be avoided are the coconuts, as the weather is too mild to mature them properly - doing so should be a simple use of Summer/Nature magicThresholds are everywhereThe Gold Coast is on the border with New South Wales, and crosses the border - the airport is *on* the border, and a plane will cross the border multiple times while landing or taking off. Tracking magics in particular will be frustrated by the constant shift from land to sea, the countless rivers and local borders. Locals get very annoyed with daylight savings time, which applies in NSW but not Queensland.
Interestingly, although the borders don't cause the police any problems, the border is a crime hotspot - the belief that the state border will make life harder for the police encourages crime there. Tourists are sacrosanct All industries here are service industries, so any threat to tourism will draw the wrath of the rich and powerful. Counter-intuitively, a predator who 'brings their own food' may fall foul of this; the locals will hate the loss of a potential customer
far more than the death of a rival.This is a bit unfair, the local businesses look out for each other, and happily refer customers to each other; they know that everyone has to work together to build the city up.
enthusiastic desperation While understandably proud of surviving the financial crashes of the past, a city dependent on tourism cannot thrive when the entire world is in downturn. The entire city turns on being ready for 'the next big thing' and constantly adapting to new situations. It is an excellent city for finding anything you need, for buying or hiring anything or one you could possibly want; Resources are powerful here, and everything is cheap. However...
it's a long way to fall The only way to make money in this city is to be easy on the eye; numerous attractive, well presented candidates battle for every job. But only the incredibly snappy can succeed, and how to look incredibly snappy without a job?
I've seen more homeless people in this city than anywhere else in Australia! Also more smokers - and those statements are linked. Australia tries to take good care of our unfortunate citizens, but the resources that are meant to buy the poor food and shelter instead literally go up in smoke: 93% of homeless Australians smoke a pack or more of cigarettes. Knowing that their taxes are merely giving the homeless emphysema is a major reason that this city is one of the most right wing in Australia. As the presence of the homeless harms tourism, in Dresdenverse any predators who prey on the homeless will not be discouraged...they may find this a way to win favour with the locals!
There is no overkillThe Gold Coast will undertake vast projects without batting an eye. Drain an entire lake to catch a single dangerous creature? Did that in 2017. Smash a rail line straight down the middle of the city? Got the idea from Canberra, and had the light rail operating years before Canberra did. Dredge a harbour over the border and pump the sand from the bottom onto denuded beaches? Took the involvement of both State governments, but has been happening since 2001. Anyone raising hell in the Gold Coast should realise that the locals will resort to the big guns *first*, and only rely on subtlety if overwhelming might fails.
oh, a useful list of local legends and rumours provided by a local roleplayer!
https://www.theurbanlist.com/goldcoast/a-list/gold-coasts-creepiest-rumours?fbclid=IwAR2C-XmHa6ju3CUSZy5UYwEUZRT-kqXMeVBTNE9tVXZpLAZW8R7WXUkfUaIMore later, as I learn more.
