Decide how large the base town is and roughly how many inhabitants it has. The size of settlements generally depends on the level of technology available in the setting. The following sizes may be used as a guide.

Make some notes on the presence of the following services that adventurers may require:

• Black market: For selling treasure and contacting thieves or smugglers. An organised thieves’ guild may exist, that PC thieves can make contact with.
• Guard: A town militia or police force to keep the peace and protect the town. It may be useful to note whether the guards are open to bribery and how frequently they patrol various areas of the town.
• Healing: Sacred sites (e.g. temples, shrines) of various religions, providing a means for characters to cure their wounds, cure diseases, or raise the dead.
• Lodgings: Rooms to rent, inns, etc.
• Rumours: Places where notices are posted and gossip spreads.

Decide who rules the town: a local sheriff or mayor appointed by a lord, an elected council, a confederacy of merchants, etc. A town might also be ruled by a powerful NPC adventurer (9th level or higher, with attendant guards and magic).

Other important NPCs in the town should be noted, especially those associated with one of the services mentioned above or those who might wish to hire the PCs to undertake missions.

A few local rumours may be noted, to provide hooks for the player characters to start exploring the local area and possibly find their way to one of the placed dungeons.