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{capitalCity}

References the capital city of the region - the settlement with the highest population. Use this when you need to reference a major political or economic center.

Basic Usage

{capitalCity}

Example

{ "readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>You must travel to {capitalCity}, the kingdom's seat of power.</p></div>" }

Result: "You must travel to Ironforge, the kingdom's seat of power."

Parameters

{capitalCity} does not accept any parameters. It always returns the settlement with the highest population.

How It's Determined

Just like {nearestBurg}, {capitalCity} draws from your party's generated regional map (seeded from that party's campaign seed the first time a location placeholder is needed) - or from a hand-authored data/maps/locations.json if you've provided one instead:

  1. Every town on the generated map has a population value
  2. The town with the highest population is selected
  3. Caches this value for the entire campaign
This is also the map's trade hub. Every other town's shop prices/inventory scale by real distance from {capitalCity}'s own position on the map - it's always the cheapest, best-stocked place to shop, by design (up to +50% pricier and thinner-stocked the further out a town sits). See {nearestBurg} for the details.

Characteristics

Note: Generated towns don't carry real geographic distance between them, so there's no way to know how "far" the capital is from {nearestBurg} in concrete terms. If you want a strong sense of distance in your narrative, describe the journey in prose rather than relying on any in-app distance calculation.

Common Use Cases

Political Missions

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>The king in {capitalCity} has summoned you.</p></div>"

Major Trade Centers

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>Only {capitalCity} has shops that sell rare magic items.</p></div>"

Far-Off References

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>News from {capitalCity} takes weeks to reach {nearestBurg}.</p></div>"

End-Game Destinations

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>Your final mission: deliver the artifact to {capitalCity}.</p></div>"

Complete Example

{ "sceneId": "ep3-scene1", "title": "The Royal Summons", "readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>A messenger arrives from {capitalCity} bearing the king's seal. Your deeds in {nearestBurg} have reached the capital, and the crown requests your presence.</p><p>The journey to {capitalCity} will take several days, but the reward could be substantial.</p></div>", "choices": [ { "text": "Accept the summons and journey to {capitalCity}", "nextScene": "ep3-scene2-travel" }, { "text": "Remain in {nearestBurg} for now", "nextScene": "ep3-scene2-stay" } ] }

Best Practices

Use for High-Level Content

Reference {capitalCity} for important political or economic narrative:

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>The king of {capitalCity} has declared war.</p></div>"

Consider Distance

Acknowledge that the capital is typically far from starting locations:

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>{capitalCity} is many days' travel from here.</p></div>"

Use Sparingly for Low-Level Campaigns

Low-level parties shouldn't travel to the capital often:

✓ Good: Reference news FROM {capitalCity}
✗ Bad: Level 1 party travels TO {capitalCity} constantly

Pair with Political Context

Use {capitalCity} when discussing rulers, laws, or politics:

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>This decree comes from the throne in {capitalCity}.</p></div>"

Contrast with Other Placeholders

Placeholder Use When...
{nearestBurg} Referencing home base or starting location
{randomBurg} Need a nearby or local settlement
{capitalCity} Referencing political power, major trade, or end-game destination

See Also

← {randomBurg} Next: {nearestDungeon} →