First of all, I will draw a map on a simple village/town. In fact, I will make the city/town just the same I usually do. I come with some kind of idea (perhaps a theme, an undergoing threat, some sort of problems within the city walls perhaps?), make up some interesting characters/places in the city/town.
The next step is the one that is important tough. You dont have to come up with so many ideas yet, you can save that part.
For now, imagine yourself entering a totally new city. What are the first things you will notice? Perhaps the architecture of course and the houses/buildings/monuments that sticks out. A castle? the marketplaces, the very big fountain in the middle and so on. And thats exactly what you want to tell the players right now.
But as the players spend time in the city, their information grows. You can put out the names on the places, perhaps add some places that the players didnt get at a start. This could be a small gambling hut, a mystical steel door that has never been opened (that is rather famous in the city), a portal to the feywild and whatever you want. You could also inform the players about the most outered layered information about how the city is being runed, bad/good politics? the king/landlord might not be such a nice guy, let them hear the rumour about how the goblins continuerly attacks the city. what are the absolut most talked things about right now? This could for example be at the players table after about one week in the city.
If the players stay even longer, add even more information! Perhaps they get to know the reason behind the goblin attacks and because of that, a new quest emerges. Perhaps they hear a rumour from the most inner circles in the city that the king/Landlord actually is being possessed by darker powers to rule by ironhand.
After a while when you as a DM has no further details about the city, the players could come up with their own rumours and information about the city. This is where the skill challenge and co-op telling comes in. Some information and/or specific information could be needing a skill check. Perhaps, lets say the player want to just scout the outside area of the city, nature could be a great choice. and by that they find a swamp. Now they wanna do some research about that, so with either streetwise or arcana they know their way to a library to find further information about the swamp.
An arcana skillcheck succes might perhaps reveal a secret wizard association (this could entirely be created by the player, the player might specificaly ask for some kind of magic guild, and by rolling sucessful dices for Arcana the player gets some free hands). Later the DM wanna use that guild in a conflict or quest of some sort and might let the player roll the dice again, about after another week or so in the city. Lets say the player sucess again and the DM says to the player that he heard the guild was in some sort of confligt with the authority, the people of the city, another guild or perhaps himself. and asks the player to decide what this conflict is. He dosnt need to tell the other players until his character tells the other, that way he can get some time to think.
I believe this will make towns/citys more alive and even more fun to stay in actually. since either the player or the DM knows what will happen to the city/town at all, it can go in all directions!
I'm not clear if you are making an announcement, fishing for ideas, or a little of both, but I compiled a big list a while back that might interest you.
I generally think of mechanics first, which generates ideas for fluff and flavor, and then return to mechanics to blend the two more seamlessly. For this reason, I find having a big list of technical details to generate story ideas a big help. YMMV.
For my Urban campaign, I've been tossing around ideas of a Guild system, similar to the MtG setting of Ravnica. This could also be a close cousin of Eberron's House system. There isn't a king/queen in charge, and the city is run by various guilds, each with areas of expertise. Friction between guilds is constant, particularly over areas that overlap between guilds.
For example, the Trader's guild works closely with the Civic Legion to guard their stuff, but they also argue over security for the city as a whole. The Legion likes everything neat and tidy, with fixed hours and all activity restricted to particular hours or schedules. The Trader's guild, however, wants the ability to adapt quickly to market changes. Many higher-level merchants also enjoy lucrative profits from the occasional smuggling job, which the Legion has never managed to stamp out.
So, the Legion is allies with the Tradesman's guild, but enemies with the Black Market. Meanwhile, the Tradesman's guild is allied with both, more or less.
The other important aspect is that joining a Guild is what makes you a Citizen. The Guildless (IE: peasants) have basically no power, and the laws make no effort to protect them. Despite this, skilled workers can earn the protection of a guild through a system of "honorary membership" for services rendered. This grants them protection from other guildless, but they will face serious consequences if they anger a member from another Guild.
Advancement of ranks is possible, but not especially common. Generally, a family owned business (such as a woodcarver or blacksmith) will remain allied with the Craftsman's guild for generations, but never advance to full membership. Full guild members become a member of their "party" and are expected to actively seek opportunities to advance the Guild's cause.
Players will have the opportunity to join a guild, or apply for the status of "Courier"
Couriers have the same status as full guild members, but are expected to maintain neutrality. When a guild needs to make contact with an enemy guild, they send a courier. Couriers have responsibilities as well, but they are mostly expected to remain discreet and keep their mouths shut.
For a real-world comparison, think about a contractor or CPA (Certified Public Accountant).
I once ran a two-year campaign in a city that was, essentially, Pusan, Korea. Right down to the location and general attitude of the bars.
Seriously, it will help a lot.
I once ran a two-year campaign in a city that was, essentially, Pusan, Korea. Right down to the location and general attitude of the bars.
Well, if you are going to steal, you may as well go the whole 9 yards. Great idea, that's an interesting approach.
For that matter, organizing ideas and making fake brochures for the players to look at might be a good idea...