This "dozen" was part of Wave 01 of a Kickstarter back in 2021.

It is a system agnostic book making it excellent for any system at all. I play with 5e, Level Up 5e and Starfinder. I have read Pathfinder 1 & 2 and I could see this book easily fitting to three of these and needing slight tweaking to fit Starfinder. I believe that this book could easily fit any of the other systems out there. Cairn, Shadowdark, Tales of the Valiant, Daggerheart, DragonBane, 13th Age and so on.

Don’t be fooled by the small page count. It might only be 12 pages of content but it does put other works of many more pages to shame.

As the title suggests it features a dozen city encounters.

An intro page explaining the premise of the booklet.

a second page including a four-step system detailing the anatomy of an encounter or how to assimilate the following 12 Encounters

1. A title, to help set the mood.
2. An opening block of text that may be used as read aloud text when using the encounter during your game session. Or, if you prefer, text that you will rework to better suit your personal style.
3. The encounter description, which is freeform and very open to interpretation. My goal with each and every encounter described within these pages is to provide you, the GM, with a fanciful and unusual encounter to toss at the party when you wish to shake up their world. Most of these encounters are useful only a single time and should not be repeated.
4. Each encounter includes a single illustration to help set the mood.

On the same page is the following excellent advice:

Using The Encounters The important thing to remember about all of the encounters that follow is that they are not fleshed out, complete adventure locations and events. Every single encounter includes just enough information to trigger your own imagination; it is my wish that as you read through these encounters, you find yourself overwhelmed with ideas of your own. Each one is a snapshot stolen from my own imagination ... and now we need for you to take these fragments and transform them into scenes that your players will never forget.

For additional inspiration when taking the encounter ideas that follow and making them your own, I highly recommend grabbing a scrap of paper or a journal and writing down every idea that comes to mind as you read the words I've provided.

Then, once you've got all of your thoughts in place, grab a 3 x 5 index card - or open a note file on your phone or tablet - and string concepts together one piece at a time to form a sequence of events that take my ideas and, with work, make them your own.

For example, in the encounter shown above, I've presented a conflict between a ranger and a goblin and a way in which the party may become involved in the scene. When preparing this encounter for your own group, you may find that it is best to change the goblin to a different race; perhaps goblins are terribly evil in your campaign and one would never be allowed in a city. In such an instance, you may find that a gnome or halfling works just as well. The important thing is to make each encounter your own.

I normally take the first example so as you know I have not picked a favourite but, in this review, I will use the referred Encounter above. Sections Numbered to help.

1. A title, to help set the mood. --->the ranger, the goblin, and the magic ring In the dark of night, as they search for a place to rest, the party hears voices in one of the city’s many alleyways. An argument between two, maybe three voices, catches their attention. When the group investigates, they find a human male engaged in heated conversation with a well-dressed goblin. What is happening?

2. Opening block of "boxed text" Danniell Jauric, an experienced woodsman and hunter who has devoted his life to defending the rights of the good and weak, asks that you and your friends stay out of the argument. “This is between me and he,” the ranger growls low when you step foot in the alley.

3. Encounter Description The goblin, dressed as if he were a fine gentleman and not the beast that you are sure that he is, holds something in his left fist; between the darkness and the distance, you can only see that his hand is clenched tight around something.

The two had an agreement; Jauric lost a magic ring and the goblin has found it. Since Jauric suspects no foul play, he set out to reward the goblin for finding the ring, but the goblin insisted that the only reward that he would accept would be if the ranger cleared the goblin’s sewer home of giant rats. Jauric hired a rat catcher and an apprentice wizard, and the three unlikely adventurers slaughtered the rats and cleared the goblin’s home as negotiated.

Jauric has since paid his hired help and has been trying to get the goblin to hold up his end of the deal for two days. The goblin was in the middle of promising to hand over the ring if the ranger completed another task . . . and that is where our party of adventurers joins the encounter.

The goblin feigns shock and claims the ranger is lying as Jauric, if convinced by the party, tells the tale. The goblin begs for the adventurers to believe him, even going so far as to offer them a reward – a ruby as big as his fist, he claims – if they will protect him from this madman.

Jauric is an honest man and telling the truth. Whether or not the party believes him will depend entirely on how well the goblin lies, and whether or not they are deceived.

4 Evocative image ---> Picture of a ranger

This is a strong word picture of a great encounter. None of the final decisions are set in stone allowing the party to choose freely and still get a good resolution.

Another quality work by Philip Reed.

I kickstarted this and I have not been disappointed with what Phil produced. If you're a casual player, this mignt not be for you. But, if you're a GM who is looking to build a rich world for your game, all of these books will help add depth and color to your story.