The Mad Mage created what now? Let's roll and find out...
This is the tenth table of the What Is This Table? Table.
What Did the Mad Mage Create This Time?
Roll 1d8
1. An antmanticore.(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)
This question was inspired by real life. The table results were not. (I think it was caused by sinusitis.) This is the ninth table of the What Is This Table? Table.
Why Is the Room Spinning?
Roll 1d8
1. You had perhaps a wee bit too much to drink.(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)
We interrupt this mega-table with a table inspired by a certain total solar eclipse just witnessed by the author. This is the eighth table of the What Is This Table? Table.
What Does the Eclipse Portend?
Roll 1d12
1. Unity against a common foe.** See the solar eclipse from June 16, 1806. To quote from Wikipedia:
It has been called Tecumseh's Eclipse after the Shawnee chief, Tecumseh. He realized that the only hope for the various tribes in east and central North America was to join [in a federation]. He was assisted by his brother, Tenskwatawa, called The Prophet, who called for a rejection of European influence and a return to traditional values. This tribal unity threatened William Henry Harrison, the Territorial Governor of Indiana and future 9th President of the United States. Harrison tried to discredit the Shawnee leader by challenging Tenskwatawa to prove his powers. He wrote: "If he (Tenskwatawa) is really a prophet, ask him to cause the Sun to stand still or the Moon to alter its course, the rivers to cease to flow or the dead to rise from their graves."
Tenskwatawa declared that the Great Spirit was angry at Harrison and would give a sign. "Fifty days from this day there will be no cloud in the sky. Yet, when the Sun has reached its highest point, at that moment will the Great Spirit take it into her hand and hide it from us. The darkness of night will thereupon cover us and the stars will shine round about us. The birds will roost and the night creatures will awaken and stir." On that day [in Ohio, probably near the Indiana border], there was an eclipse, and Harrison's attempt to divide the Shawnee people backfired spectacularly. Then Tecumseh ordered the Great Spirit to release the sun.
(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)
There comes a time—perhaps many, many times—when adventurers will find the opportunity to gamble their loot, their heirlooms, or even their souls. But first, "What is this game of chance?" This is the seventh table of the What Is This Table? Table.
What Is This Game of Chance?
Roll 1d12
1. Poker(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)
Will the adventurers casually eavesdrop or will they join the conversation? This is the sixth table of the What Is This Table? Table.
What Are They Discussing? 2
Roll 1d12
1. The campaign against literacy launched by some out-of-town barbarians.(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)
One cannot always help overhearing the conversations of non-player characters in their natural habitat, whether it's guards at their post, clergy behind the altar, servants at the well, or just about anyone at the tavern. Naturally, one wants to know, "What are they discussing?" This is the fifth table of the What Is This Table? Table.
What Are They Discussing?
Roll 1d12
1. The archery contest incident involving the intrusion of crossbow hooligans.(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)
Sometimes adventurers cannot leave well enough alone and insist on dawdling in the name of "a thorough search," leaving no stone unturned and no barrel or cask unopened. If they refuse to accept your helpful hints, roll to see what they find. This is the fourth table of the What Is This Table? Table.
What Does This Barrel Contain?
Roll 1d30
1. ale(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)
"What is this plane of existence?" is a question that adventurers might ask as they ponder the nature of reality and their place in it, but it could equally be a legitimate inquiry if they plunge—for whatever reason—through an interdimensional rift. The table below might provide an answer. This is the third table of the What Is This Table? Table.
What Is This Plane of Existence?
Roll 1d12
1. The Pastoral Plane(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)
The adventurers are browsing in the market and they want to know, "What is this stall selling?" Roll to find out! This is the second table of the What Is This Table? Table.
What Is This Market Stall Selling?
Roll 1d30
1. apples, peaches, and pears(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)
What Is This Business?
Roll 1d12
1. Armand Armour's Half-Priced Armory ("Pre-Owned Arms & Armor")(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)
Once again, it is April Fool's Eve, and this time the foolishness will be doubled! Here, in Applied Phantasticality, you are invited to the madness of the What Is This Table? Table. (You'll see...) There, in Savage Arts & Sciences, you may enroll in the Build Your Own Space Opera Table (inspired by the likes of Flash Gordon). Two mega-tables for the price of one! Which will win? Read them both to find out...
What Is This Table? Table
Roll 1d?
1. Roll on the What Is This Business? Table!N.B. Results of the What Is This Table? Table are being added [almost] daily (starting on the 1st of April).
As I mentioned in "Phantastical Dodecahedral Anniversary", this year (and this month, in fact) marks the twelfth anniversary of Applied Phantasticality. I mentioned possibly dedicating this year's Random Generator Month (a.k.a. April) to the splendid d12, and I dashed out about twenty d12 tables to this end, but alas they all insisted on being part of something called the Build Your Own Space Opera Table (COMING SOON!) in one of my other blogs, Savage Arts & Sciences. Instead of cross-posting them to both blogs, I think I'll leave the d12 tables to Savage Arts & Sciences and post more recklessly to Applied Phantasticality. I might not even use a theme. That's how wild and crazy I am. (Let's hope I post something, though.)
Carry on.
This year marks the 12th anniversary of my oldest extant blog, Applied Phantasticality (and my 25th anniversary of blogging in any capacity, as shocking as that is to me). In honor of this event, I think I might dedicate this year's Random Generator Month (a.k.a. April) exclusively to the noblest of platonic solids, the dodecahedron, or, as it is known amongst gamers, the d12. I am undecided about the theme of this year's Random Generator Month, but all of the tables will require the service of your loyal twelve-sided dice.
Huzzah!
The controversies surrounding Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast and its dominion over recent, current, and imminent versions of Dungeons & Dragons leave little room for optimism for those of us who like earlier editions, later variants, and different role-playing games altogether, but I can't say it's surprising. I haven't trusted TSR since it published Zebulon's Guide to Frontier Space for Star Frontiers (and I ought to have distrusted them starting with the bifurcation of D&D and AD&D), but I've never trusted Wizards of the Coast with or without Hasbro's overlordship. As media personalities jump ship from D&D and launch their own vessels of variable seaworthiness, I think it's worth looking at the craft of great designers, young and old, who have been perfecting role-playing games without regard to, or interest in, Hasbro/WOTC's self-defeating nonsense. There are so many satisfying alternatives from the very beginning of the hobby to the present, and more are being created right now by actual independent game designers who actually play the games. The best part of role-playing is that it's a hobby. The best publishers of role-playing games are hobbyists themselves. The corporations don't care about hobbyists. In turn, we owe them nothing. We can do it ourselves.
The Kickstarter project for Martian Crawl Classics, Tim Snider's alternative setting for Mutant Crawl Classics RPG, is in progress and obtainable for the reasonable price of $5.00 for the PDF and the option to purchase an at-cost, print-on-demand copy. Add-ons include the 0 level funnel Dead in the Water, the 1st level adventure The Desk in Room 8-10, and the 2nd level adventure Phage from Below at $5.00 each for the PDF and the same hard copy option. The deadline to back the project is 24 February 2024.
Here is the explication of my Random Fantasy Campaign Generator demonstrated with an example of its use. Suppose you wish to run some adventures that have no predetermined setting (or none you care to use), and you would like the world to grow as the characters explore it rather than spending countless hours beforehand building it from scratch. Where do you start? You start with the location of the very first adventure and gradually expand from there. You start with a roll on the Starting Place table.
Starting Place
With a roll of 2, the adventure starts in a village. It could be the player characters' home village, or it could be a village they are visiting or through which they are passing on the way to their destination. In this case, we'll say the player characters are visiting a friend.
Landmass
With a roll of 4, the village is located on a supercontinent. There may be islands, but most of the world's landmass consists of a single Pangaea-like supercontinent. This suggests that the world might be geologically younger than our planet Earth, and it might even have megafauna or dinosaurs (or weird variants thereof).
Nearest Waterway
With a roll of 4, the nearest waterway is "Sea," which would mean a world-spanning super-ocean. So, our village is on the coast, which means fishing and trade are probably important to its economy.
Nearest Geographical Feature
With a roll of 12, the nearest geographical feature is "Volcano." The villagers may believe the volcano is dormant, or they might not know it is a volcano. In the real world there are actual communities built in the craters of "extinct" volcanoes (e.g. Mt. Tabor in Portand, Oregon, U.S.A.), but we'll set our village at the base of the volcano at the edge of a bay since we established that it is a port. If the volcano were to erupt, there would be time for people in the village to react.
Most Prominent Architectural Achievement
With a roll of 6, the village's most prominent architectural achievement is a library. In general, the impressiveness of a location's most prominent edifice depends on the location's size, prosperity, cultural priorities, and level of technology. Given that our location is a fishing village near a volcano on the coast of a supercontinent, perhaps we could make the library the only building that (miraculously) withstood a previous eruption. A village was gradually rebuilt from the ruins of the destroyed city, and it was decreed that no building shall ever rival the library in magnificence. The importance of the library has grown as a consequence, and scholars from near and far come to the village to study there.
First Patron
With a roll of 6, the player character's first patron will be a local official. In this case, it would be logical to make that local official the Head Librarian, a person of importance with vast knowledge. Regardless of the adventure's premise, it ought to be easy to think of way to link it to the Head Librarian's interests.Best Place for Rumors
With a roll of 12, the best place for rumors in the village is the well. Sure, there may be gossip aplenty amongst the scholars at the library, but the rumormongering at the well is more reliable.
Summary
In a coastal village at the foot of a volcano, the adventurers have come to meet a friend who is connected with the Head Librarian of a famous library that is the sole remnant of an ancient city. The community well is the best source of information of a non-academic nature, as the hardworking villagers are honest folk and more cosmopolitan than most. All of this is taking place in a world dominated by a single supercontinent.
These initial details provide the ingredients for a larger world of interconnected places, cultures, and adventures that can be expanded as needed.
The Random Fantasy Campaign Generator can be used as a prompt to create a setting and situation for a party's first adventure, and, perhaps, the initial focal point of a new campaign world that will expand with the party's travels.
Random Fantasy Campaign Generator
Starting Place
Roll 1d4
1. OutpostLandmass
Roll 1d4
1. ArchipelagoNearest Waterway
Roll 1d4
1. StreamNearest Geographical Feature
Roll 1d12
1. BarrowMost Prominent Architectural Achievement
Roll 1d12
1. AbbeyFirst Patron
Roll 1d12
1. AbbotBest Place for Rumors
Roll 1d12
1. CastleThere is a debate amongst some in the hobby—if not the industry—whether a review of a role-playing game is legitimate if the reviewer did not first play or run the game. The crux of the problem is this: Is it the game or the product that is being reviewed? Take chess for instance. One could review the rules of the game and the experience it produces as an activity, or one could review the physical components of the game such as the board and the pieces. Most role-playing game reviewers rely heavily on the latter because there is the added complexity that no two groups of gamers play exactly the same way. When they do address the rules (as opposed to the details of a rule book such as font, binding, type of paper, or quality/quantity of illustrations), they typically concentrate on how they think they will help or hinder the gameplay. Without experiencing the effect of the rules firsthand, they can only theorize whether a given rule is good or even necessary. And this will vary from gaming group to gaming group. One group might respond favorably to a game in which each player controls multiple characters whereas another might find it a nuissance. One group might consider an initiative rule to be novel and entertaining whereas another group might find it too time-consuming. All reviews are subjective. It is in their nature. I would merely suggest that reviewers draw a distinct line between a review of a role-playing game as a product versus a review of the same as an experience, because both are valid. Sometimes a rule looks better on paper than in practice, and sometimes the rules as written work better than you could have imagined. Too often I have made assumptions about a rule only to be proven mistaken at the game table. The proof is in the actual play. You can a) review the game itself, b) review just the physical product, or c) review the product and speculate about how it might work at the table. Just be clear about your approach.
[This article has been cross-posted here in Creative Reckoning.]
Sometimes a location in an adventure has secret doors that will never be discovered by the player characters using conventional means. This can be made easier for player characters who are actively searching in the correct area by giving them clues or by bestowing a bungling bonus, but if you need something a little more obvious, you could roll on this table...
Secret Door Status
Roll 1d12
1. Ajar.N.B.: This can be used when creating an adventure location (such as a dungeon), but it's especially useful when applied to published adventures that might abound with dead ends and bottlenecks caused by the injudicious use of secret doors. Just make them impossible to miss.
The usefulness of reaction rolls and tables is the topic of "Reaction: Action Rolls, Take Two..." in Pits Perilous. There is wisdom in the comments, too.
