As the players build their characters, pay attention to any locations that get named or even specifically mentioned, such as Safe Places or places mentioned in Secrets. Immediately place these somewhere on the neighborhood map. In addition to these, most neighborhoods will have some of the following:
Elementary School
Named after a President, most likely, but possibly also after a prominent local generations ago. There is one teacher who is bright and attentive who kids have an easy time trusting. Who are they? Why can’t kids trust the other teachers?
Playgrounds
The Elementary School will have a Playground, but there may be other, more local play lots or even large city-funded playgrounds in affluent neighborhoods. What strange graffiti is carved there? Which of the neighborhood’s bullies holds court?
The Widow/er
An elderly person in the neighborhood is looked upon with suspicion and derision by the neighborhood kids. In the source literature, half the time it’s for good reason. The Widow/er makes a characteristic sound wherever they go; what is it? What’s a rumor the characters have heard about them?
Bus Stop
This far out of the City, the bus doesn’t come all that often, but it’s frequent enough that the neighborhood kids know the Bus Stop is the place with the most strangers. Someone left a duffelbag here that the police came looking for an hour later; who has it now? Did the police question anybody or did they try to stay discrete?
The Forest
The Forest wraps tight around the neighborhood like a shawl, isolating the neighborhood from the City in a warm embrace of impersonal and cold ignorance. We all know the Forest hides the worst things. What’s a song that kids sing about the Forest? If none of the grownups know that song, how did the kids learn it?
The Bridge
It goes over a stream or a busy road or even just a deep ravine. It is a crossroads, one thing crosses over another but the two never meet. What does the old story say you should do before you cross the Bridge? What will happen if you don’t do it?
The Church (Optional)
If using a church in your game, be sure to discuss appropriate content during campaign creation (“session zero”) and establish appropriate boundaries around religious trauma in your game.
The Corner Store (Optional)
Not every neighborhood has a Corner Store, but many do. In the suburban wasteland, commercial zoning is at a minimum, and most Corner Stores are relics of bygone times. How do the bad kids get cigarettes here? What is the arcade game back by the bathrooms and who has the high score?