Expand to include all media?: Port Town

Hmm, we also have Not-So-Safe Harbor, a subtrope of Wretched Hive.

Is there really much to say about a Port Town that isn't a Wretched Hive? Just about any Port Town that is more interesting than "Town which happens to have a Port" is likely to be interesting because of its Wretched Hive elements.

There's a trade aspect of it. And the gateway to adventure part that isn't really included in Wretched Hive.

Actually, the more I think about it (and the more heretofore-unknown-to-me tropes like Wretched Hive that I see), I think Port Town might actually make sense as a video-game-only trope, though the description likely needs tweaking to something like "Launchpad for sea, boat, and water-based game tropes, and Gateway To Adventure."

Gateway To Adventure sounds good as the actual trope name since that's pretty much what the Port Town is in video games. I wonder if we should send this one over to YKTTW.

edited 24th Mar '11 7:31:35 AM by MC42

There's not really anything in this trope's definition that ties it to Wretched Hive, so I don't know how that's coming up. The significance of the Port Town is that it acts as a jumping-off point, a form of The Threshold if you will. It represents the end of the first leg of your journey. You're not just walking from Cornelia to the Chaos Shrine anymore—you are officially traversing the whole world.

In video games, the additional significance is typically that it fixes a Broken Bridge and makes a very large new area—like a whole new continent—accessible.

Threshold City, in other words.

Right, but specifically, with boats (or whatever boat substitute is appropriate for the setting).

And it often works the same way in other media. It's the point where the characters really start exploring their world and the plot becomes less linear.

Or galaxy, such as in Star Wars, with Mos Eisley being the Port Town.

Yep. It's the place that opens up the world.

Though this begs the question, if the Port Town is defined as the place that opens the world, does it have to even be a town? A teleporter in the middle of nowhere or an enemy fortress could have the same narrative significance.

I think those would really be a supertrope because it's so common that this is a port that I think it makes sense for those instances to be their own trope. I think it's because of the location's natural link with transportation making the connection easier.

Well I dont think that a town which frees up the game for exploration can be called a port town because not all of them are Dragon Quest VIII's Port Town is just a ferry. The real boat does free you up for exploration but that isnt till much later. Final Fantasy VIII it could be many places really Timber the train town, the garden and a few other places too (the real port town could be this too) It really depends on how you define "freedom" in a game (RP Gs most of all)

Overlap with Hub Town?

Yes, there are games that don't use this trope. If those were to be added they're bad examples. What's the point?

Hub Town isn't a trope so I have no idea if it overlaps or not.

^^ were you intending to link to The Hub?

Ah, no overlap with The Hub. That's a completely separate concept that has nothing to do with what we're talking about. They aren't even used in the same sort of games when they're used in games.

edited 24th Mar '11 1:38:38 PM by shimaspawn

IMOH, make a new article called Threshold To Adventure (the location where the first thirdish part of the story ends and the world opens up) and make the Port Town article a subtrope of it.

edited 2nd Aug '11 11:19:19 PM by Zeta

Bump. Seeing the thread about Capital City reminded me of this.