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{nearestBurg}

References the closest settlement to the party's starting location. This is typically the home base or starting town for low-level campaigns.

Basic Usage

{nearestBurg}

Example

{ "readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>You arrive in {nearestBurg}, a small settlement on the frontier.</p></div>" }

Result: "You arrive in Millhaven, a small settlement on the frontier." (where Millhaven is the closest settlement to the starting location)

Parameters

{nearestBurg} does not accept any parameters. It always returns the settlement closest to the starting location.

Tip: If you need more control over settlement selection, use {randomBurg} with parameters like withinRange or sameState.

How It's Determined

The first time your party needs a location placeholder, Campaign Cookbook generates a real regional map for that party+campaign - real terrain, real named towns positioned on it (each with its own shops and shopkeeper NPCs), seeded from the party's own campaign seed and biased by the campaign's theme field. The same party always gets the same map for a given campaign; a different party, or the same party in a different campaign, gets its own.

  1. The party's campaign seed determines the generated map (terrain, town positions, town names) for this playthrough
  2. The map is generated once, then saved - every later reference reuses it rather than regenerating, and the DM can browse it directly in the reading pane's Locations rail view
  3. {nearestBurg} resolves to the capital (the map's largest town, index 0 in the generated roster) - a stable choice, not re-rolled each time it's referenced
  4. That value is cached for the rest of the campaign

If you've hand-authored an optional data/maps/locations.json file, it's used instead of generation. If neither is available, this resolves to generic text ("the nearest settlement") rather than a literal {nearestBurg} - see Placeholders Overview for the full fallback behavior.

Shop prices and inventory scale with real map distance. Every generated town has a real position on the map - the further a town sits from the capital, the fewer items its shops stock and the higher their prices run (up to +50% at the most remote town), a deterministic function of that town's actual pixel distance on the generated map. Nothing to configure here; it falls naturally out of the same generation that places {nearestBurg}'s town on the map in the first place.

Characteristics

Common Use Cases

Home Base References

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>Return to {nearestBurg} to rest and resupply.</p></div>"

Starting Location

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>Your adventure begins in {nearestBurg}, where rumors of danger have been circulating.</p></div>"

Local References

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>The merchant last stayed at the inn in {nearestBurg}.</p></div>"

Contrast with Other Locations

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>The bandits fled from {nearestBurg} toward {randomBurg:maxPopulation=300}.</p></div>"

Complete Example

{ "sceneId": "ep1-scene1", "title": "The Adventure Begins", "readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>You stand in the town square of {nearestBurg}. The morning sun illuminates the cobblestone streets as townsfolk go about their daily business.</p><p>The local innkeeper, Gareth, approaches with a worried expression.</p></div>", "choices": [ { "text": "Speak with Gareth", "nextScene": "ep1-scene2" }, { "text": "Explore {nearestBurg} first", "nextScene": "ep1-scene1-explore" } ] }

Best Practices

Use for Starting Content

Reference {nearestBurg} in early episodes as the party's home base:

✓ Good: Episode 1 starts in {nearestBurg}
✗ Bad: Episode 1 starts in {capitalCity} (too far for level 1 party)

Establish Familiarity

Use it repeatedly to create a sense of home:

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>After days on the road, you finally see the familiar walls of {nearestBurg}.</p></div>"

Pair with Other Placeholders

Use {nearestBurg} as a reference point for other locations:

"readAloud": "<div class='read-aloud'><p>The dungeon lies three days north of {nearestBurg}.</p></div>"

Create Local Adventures

Keep low-level parties close to home:

✓ Good: "Investigate rumors near {nearestBurg}"
✓ Good: "Travel from {nearestBurg} to {randomBurg:maxPopulation=300}"
✗ Bad: "Travel from {nearestBurg} to {capitalCity}" (likely very far)

Contrast with Other Placeholders

Placeholder Use When...
{nearestBurg} Referencing home base or starting location
{randomBurg} Need a nearby settlement with specific characteristics
{capitalCity} Referencing political power or end-game destinations

See Also

← Placeholders Overview Next: {randomBurg} →