Category:Small Businesses

International corporations, multi-billion dollar banks and high tech labs may grab headlines, but commercial enterprises are the chief component of the business scene in metropolitan San Angelo. Most ordinary residents will never sit in on an Eclipse Industries board meeting or visit Orion Labs, but they likely visit some of these businesses every day.

The San Angelo business community contains numerous local chain stores and franchises, characterized by almost identical building layouts and shared marketing campaigns.

In addition to franchises of nationally known companies, San Angelo is home to numerous locally owned chains selling everything from fast food to books, as well as several popular and interesting independent operations.

Campaign Tip
These stores, fast food eateries and other businesses can be used to add some color to your campaign. Inventive GMs can put them to all kinds of uses, from scenery for street battles to sources of employment for NPCs.

Instead of simply saying that some slob villain’s hideout is littered with fast food debris, a GM could specify they are Masked Bandit Pizza boxes. In fact, clever PCs might seize on such a trivial detail to open a new avenue of investigation, leading the adventure in a whole new direction. Even if this doesn’t occur, the added detail helps players envision the scene, and maybe even gives them a better feel for the villain’s personality.

While they’re unlikely to play a major part in adventures— supervillains in the comics rarely stoop to knocking over burger joints and record stores— these places can go a long way toward making players believe their PCs are part of a real, live city. The more interested they are in the city, the more opportunities you will have for some good role-playing