It contains information about the city and its districts, factions and guilds, major characters, and the Nehwon gods and monsters, as well as encounter tables and adventure ideas.

[2] The book goes on to detail the political factions, guilds, and religions of the city, as well as a chapter on how to adventure in Lankhmar with rules on haggling, bribery, its legal system, and Social Levels.

A series of set-piece encounters is included to represent random incidents, or even starting points for further adventures, as well as a scenario for 9th-12th level characters titled "The Karvian Elephant".

[2] Lankhmar – City of Adventure was designed by Bruce Nesmith, Douglas Niles, and Ken Rolston, with a cover by Keith Parkinson and interior illustrations by Jeff Easley, and was first published by TSR for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game system in 1985 as a 96-page book with a back pocket on the back cover, a 32-page districts book with record sheets, handouts for players, and pre-generated player characters from the novels, and a full-color poster-size map showing the city of Lankhmar.

[2] Davis was concerned whether the AD&D game system "could fit a pre-existing, detailed fictional setting without the obvious strain that showed in the Conan AD&D modules", but said the chapter on conversion rules eased his fears, continuing: "There is a little spanner-work necessary, especially with spellcasters, but the adjustments work surprisingly well once you get used to them, and little or none of the flavour of the original setting is lost".

[3] Bambra described it further: "It's a living and breathing city, a place where Leiber's heroes Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser can really feel at home.

[3] In the October 1988 edition of Games International, James Wallis called this "a carefully compiled description of a metropolis with its roots firmly in traditional fantasy".

Wallis found that "the design of the city is well executed if a little blocky and monotonous, and the map contains a reasonable layout coupled with areas for the referee to insert their own ideas and creations".

Wallis concluded: "All the same, this is an excellent basic package with a good overall feel, enjoyable for Leiber fans and non-fans alike".