INTRODUCTION
The Shifting City is an enchanted fantasy location that constantly teleports between planes of existence while shifting within itself, ready to be plopped into nearly any pre-existing campaigns or settings, but the product as a whole is something different. It’s actually an elegant blend of mediums, a zine along with a soundtrack, and we’re excited to look deeper into this experience. We’ll highlight some of the aspects of The Shifting City, take a look at some of the outstanding artwork, and discuss the inclusion of the soundtrack, below in our highlights. We hope you enjoy the read!
HIGHLIGHTS
Created by Dank Dungeons, The Shifting City is labelled as a “system agnostic RPG zine/LP” and is available both on itch.io and Bandcamp (which also includes the PDF zine, along with the soundtrack). You can find links to all this in the Wrap Up section of this page but there’s more to discuss!
You’ll notice in the introduction credits that Lex Mandrake (who handled writing this project, along with Chris Boudreau) lists out musical equipment that was used on the music production side of things. You might be wondering, how does this work, a mix of music and zine? Well, it’s simple – each section of the zine gives you a note of which track is associated with what you are reading. This clever inclusion of the recommended music tracks really drives home that these two products are really meant to be used in tandem as you explore the zine, and thus, the city itself. We absolutely recommend listening and following the track recommendations, it definitely adds to the entire experience.
The zine itself is beautifully presented and hits you right away with the cover artwork by Logan Stahl depicting a busy alley within Sarapesh, also known as The Shifting City (Stahl also handled two of the interior illustrations). Alien looking beings brush shoulders with humans from all walks of life, mysterious creatures take to the air (familiar animals as well!), and citizens bustle around the city to source, or sell, magical wares. You’re introduced to the city through a narrative passage, which coincides with the track “Out of the Mists”, and prepares you for the enigma of this enchanted city. The text is complemented by the track’s mysterious, but welcoming, warm synths. Digital bells chime, and the lead takes hold as you read about a character discovering Sarapesh for the first time.
Next, you’ll get a GM-view of The Shifting City. You’ll learn that it periodically teleports to new, undetermined, planes of existence – making it extremely easy to introduce into a pre-existing setting or campaign. The city is beautiful, and incredibly magical, as it constantly shifts within itself to create new space or to simply get you to where you’re trying to go. It’s almost as if the buildings and the walls have a consciousness that listens to it’s citizens. Want to travel from your inn room to the market, but have no idea of how to actually get there in this massive complex? Simply imagine yourself being there, while beginning your walk, and the city will get you there, with or without you noticing the city morphing to your will. This information is accompanied by the track “The Pandimensional Bazaar” – a great composition of mysterious stringed instruments with exotic precision work.
Following the overview description of the city, you’ll find useful lore, tables, and information about the going-on’s of the citizens. Tracks 3 through 5 accompany tables of rumors, desired wares from the merchants, a read of “Night of Skulls” (an important event that occurred in the city), and an outline of how to create a thieves guild (because every city needs one!). The track “Night of Skulls” on the music side of things is especially interesting, as it dips into a seamless blend of cinematic tension with natural instruments such as violins and catchy synth string prodding.
The rest of the tracks align with thought provoking narrative sections, an introduction to the Panjandrum, the powers at play within the city, and surprisingly deep generators / outlines for guild houses and Panjandrum villas. The latter is backed up by the track “Across the Rooftops”, which is definitely a highlight on the sound track. Darkwave-esque synth strings slowly melt into melodic synthwave melodies with deep tom and other percussion driving the vibe home. The blend of darker elements with hopeful, ear-catching progressions makes for a unique track that certainly compliments the subject. Who wouldn’t want to hop across rooftops with this song in your ears?
Last but not least, the zine wraps up with an outlined adventure, beautifully complimented by artwork and maps done by Daniel Walthall. This also includes the last track of the LP, which shares the name of the adventure, “The Dream Reliquary”. The song is a well put together mix of digital bells, swelling deep synths, and enchanting choir (this track was our personal favorite). It works well with the narrative of the adventure, which follows a brokered deal with an extra dimensional entity. Featuring a ticking clock mechanic, along with flashback points, this section of the zine is particularly well thought out and useful for just about any GM looking for a pre-made adventure. Walthall’s maps are excellent and perfectly depict the given areas with subtle stippling shading and strong linework; we really like these maps and we think you will too.
WRAP UP
We’re a big fan of material that is easily introduced into an already-running campaign in a given system, and The Shifting City hits that spot with precision accuracy. The included soundtrack is an extremely clever approach to appealing to more than just your eyeballs and it works great with the given composition of both the zine and the LP. They flow within each other and it truly creates for a unique reading experience. We highly recommend The Shifting City for those looking to inject some needed creativity into their sessions, or those that are looking for a method to transition from one setting to another, as the city phases in and out of potential campaign locations.
Although The Shifting City isn’t currently available in physical formats, Lex from Dank Dungeons has begun the process of creating such, so definitely follow the project if you’re interested in getting the zine (and a cassette!) in your hands. Mr. Mandrake has also confirmed that a second issue of the zine is in production and will feature a setting guide for fictitious countries around America and the Gulf of Mexico, intended for modern settings, and is inspired by 70’s era horror cinema.
Does all this sound as cool as it does to us?! If so, be sure to follow Dank Dungeons at their links below, and check out their other products available on the DM’s Guild.
The Shifting City on itch.io and Bandcamp:
https://dank-dungeons.itch.io/the-shifting-city
https://dankdungeons.bandcamp.com/album/the-shifting-city
Dank Dungeon on DM’s Guild:
https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Lex%20Mandrake
You can also follow Dank Dungeon on Twitter and Patreon here:
https://twitter.com/DankDungeons
https://www.patreon.com/dankdungeons
A big thank you to Lex Mandrake from Dank Dungeons for providing review copies of both the zine and the soundtrack, along with answering our questions about upcoming releases. We look forward to all that you are working on, Lex!