INTRODUCTION
I will absolutely forgive most readers for not have any clue about who I am about to introduce. This is a niche resource, but one I think prospective GMs and veterans alike will gain some benefits from; even if only a marginal amount. This is a YouTube channel for a topic that most TTRPG Players and Game Masters alike likely never came across, let alone think to search for. If you play within the setting of a futuristic mega-city (e.g. Chi-Town, Free Quebec, Australia, ruins of Madhaven), you are going to want to at least check out what DamiLee has to offer you. Trust me.
DISCUSSION
Who the Heck Is Dami Lee? From publicly available information, Dami Lee is a licensed architect who has also developed a YouTube channel and media company. Based out of Vancounver B.C. (fellow Canadian, huzzah!), she is the Owner/Creative Director of Nollimedia [Corporate Link], an architectural firm that also produces visual/media content to communicate about various architectural topics and issues. She couples an obvious passion for her craft with a phenomenal capacity to portray her enthusiasm with the topic at hand in very digestible ways. Given the professional tradecraft connection and her ability to communicate and speak to “geek culture,” the fact she has over 1.87 million subscribers for 222 videos is no great surprise. She also has an affiliated website: DamiLee [Website Link].
Link to TTRPGs. Not all videos from Dami Lee’s channel are sci-fi related. In fact, most of the earlier entries target tradecraft practitioners just entering the field of architectural design. Some may be of interest, but the more recent videos (in the last year) are the crux of this discussion. One of the first things you will notice is a clear link to media products you have likely already consumed: manga, anime, science fiction films, or authors that created seminal works in the genre, all are discussed.
There is a plethora of information you can tap into, with associated links to other resources. The videos are exceptionally well researched and produced:
Overview of the real-world sources of inspiration to the architecture
How architectural design influenced the genre media in question
Contemporary or historical influences the designers or architects may have had
(e.g. an architect was heavily influenced by H.R. Giger)
Selected Videos. I’ve not had the chance to explore more than a fraction of the over 200 videos. The following provides a sample to whet your palette:
Akira: Dawn of Cyberpunk Architecture. Taking you back to the setting of Akira, examining the phenomenal visual imagery used to present Neo-Tokyo. Rebuilt in a frenzy after a singularity explosion, the city itself is a key backdrop and symbolizes several key aspects of contemporary Japanese culture. I certainly didn’t need an excuse to go rewatch Akira, but hey, I’ll take it!
BLAME! Based on the eponymic manga, we explore The City. This desolate, ever-expanding megastructure (a series of Dyson Spheres) is controlled by AI-robotic overlords, and Humanity is no longer the directing power without the Net Terminal Gene. This McGuffin presents the plot, The City the setting. Concepts of liminal space, nomad versus ever-changing environment, and the twisting of familiar, comforting imagery and architecture into something alien through the concepts of scale and proportion, are among several topics discussed.
Nuclear Silo. Explores the concepts behind what is essentially a generation-ship megastructure by building down, to avoid a nuclear fallout on the surface. The idea of the “earthscraper“ is explored, along with examples of contemporary structures compared with our historical context (post-WWII era), and the one presented in The Silo. Ironically, this bunker mentality is now a resurgent trend. Leads nicely into some concepts that surely influenced Fallout!
The Great American Toilet Problem. I highly doubt this issue will EVER come up in an RPG session, but it an interesting examination on the function of public toilets in terms of how a city develops, and how it can influence the setting. Comparing North America with Japanese and Indian public toilets, it is an interesting, if not a tradecraft-specific kind of video. I don't expect to use this often/at all, but clusters of mini-restaurants around transport hubs can become an interesting backdrop for a scene. Some food for thought.
Leveraging Architecture for Your RPG. The Rifts RPG really allows the GM to go WAAAAY into left field in terms of setting and adventure design. The setting is hundreds of years in the future, after decades upon decades of chaos following the apocalyptic events that led to the return of magic, Ley Lines and Rifts, followed by a century of ‘relative’ stability (note: I don’t say peace). In that timeframe, Humanity could have built or developed any number of architectural wonders that has since then been turned to ruin, overgrown by local plant life, and/or been inhabited by any variety of animals, D-Bees or monsters. A few examples:
Buried Structures. A massive underground or “buried” structure has been discovered/hinted at and the PCs are sent to explore/clear the infestation. This could be a buried shopping centre, museum, apartment complex, abandoned mining operation, you name it. Go find the map of one online and start planning your encounters on whatever nasty gribblies you think would be fun to fight against!
Pre-Rifts Mega-Structure. One of the underground “Silo” mega-cities have been found. All that’s needed is a way to break in and loot the contents. The residents have long since perished, right? Right? Nothing could have possibly occupied this place to make it their own nest. Nah, it’s just going to be a loot-hoard adventure of Pre-Rifts artefacts. Nobody needs to know where we got all this stuff…. I’ve just detailed a full campaign broken down into four separate adventure modules.
Chi-Town ‘Burbs. Some of these cities are very advanced, hidden behind a giant physical wall, with their own security and surveillance systems. They are essentially a miniature version of Chi-Town sitting in the shadows, waiting for their turn at citizenship; perhaps they really resemble Neo-Tokyo? Some of DamiLee’s videos speak about hive structures, mega-cities, and the like. Perhaps the fabled city isn’t the paradise everyone thinks it is. Perhaps it more resembles the hyper-dense living conditions of Rangoon City?
Chi-Town. What about the megalopolis that is Chi-Town? How would you like to describe the inside of this setting? The same could likely be applied to other human settlements, like Free Quebec City, perhaps something at City of Iron (Iron Heart)?
Melbourne & Perth. The two major cities found in Australia, both are portrayed as massive walled cities characterized by a multitude of skyscrapers. How would you describe this kind of setting? What about the minutiae and details that add to Player immersion?
The NGR. The beauty with the NGR is that they are largely a pre-Rifts civilization that survived by luck, and solid infrastructure (German engineering, LOL). What it also means is that many structures discussed in these videos could be replicated as some sort of futuristic city-structure/military compound. You now have a home-base to run adventures from.
CONCLUSION
There are several niche markets for information both a new GM or veteran could use to develop the vision for their adventures. The fact that you can leverage an actual architect’s love for their craft and obvious interest in genre media that supports the TTRPG industry (e.g. science fiction, anime) is a step up. The quality of her videos and the ease in which you can draw upon the ideas she discusses, well, that’s just the cherry on top! Typically around 15 minutes long, they are easily digestible pieces that even those without architectural tradecraft can appreciate.
For anyone looking to create an adventure within the cityscape of Chi-Town or the ‘Burbs, there are a multitude of videos here that can provide great fodder for a GM. You don’t need an architectural degree to appreciate the settings, and the concepts discussed. They provide a great background that the GM can leverage to create great, immersive backdrops, giving your Players more atmosphere to chew on while they engage with the adventure’s plot.
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