What is Heroes & Other Worlds?

Heroes & Other Worlds is a game of adventure inspired by Metagaming's classic Melee/Wizard/TFT system combined with inspiration from the Moldvay edited basic game. The rules are easy to learn and use standard six sided dice. The system is simple, sensible and flexible in the spirit of classic role playing games from the early 80's. Become a Hero, Other Worlds await!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

What's in the Woods? A d66 table

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One of the thing I like most about sandbox games as a Referee are the random charts that can spur ideas or create adventures out of a few words uttered to Players.  I find the Players make much more of these simple things than I do and their excitement and interest helps fire my own imagination.  Thus big things have small beginnings.

Below is a d66 chart for what Players might find while exploring the woods.  They may seem trivial or mundane but you may be surprised at how Players react and that might generate unexpected adventure.

d66 roll 10 20 30
1 Lone grave stone Dead Body, No Boots Cold Campfire Ashes
2 Strange footprints Desiccated body Shallow Grave
3 A Ravaged Hut Circle of Stones Empty Pack
4 Idol made of sticks Fresh Scat, Small Water Damaged Map
5 A Sprung Trap Sacrificed Bird Fresh Scat, Large
6 An Empty Pit A Large Nest Splintered Shield
d66 roll 40 50 60
1 A Small Snare Idol made of Stones Blood and Fur
2 Broken Ax A Medium Snare Blood and Hair
3 Burned Down Hut Bloody Blanket A Freshly Dug Hole
4 Warm Campfire Ashes Broken Manacles Skinned Humanoid
5 Empty Wineskin Shredded Rope Fresh scat, Huge
6 Torn Blanket Large Pile of Bones Idol made of Bones
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10 comments:

  1. Lee LawrenceJanuary 13, 2014 at 2:58 AM

    I found an idol made of stones! I agree with what you say about tables firing the imagination. For a while it seemed like Random tables had fallen out of fashion, and were even looked down on, because people saw them as a crutch for crappy GMs or too silly, or badwrongfun ROLL playing, but I think they're a great spur to the imagination. Also, as a GM it's nice to be surprised sometimes.

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    1. Fenway5January 13, 2014 at 4:13 PM

      Preach on Brother Lee! Like any tool it can be used or abused, but I afree its a nice surprise for Referee and Players if handled correctly.

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  2. ewookieJanuary 13, 2014 at 7:37 AM

    [heavy breathing, deep voice] Impressive.
    to those who diss Random tables...
    [heavy breathing, deep voice] I find your lack of faith in the force disturbing.

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  3. ewookieJanuary 13, 2014 at 7:43 AM

    seriously though, i'm in awe of your ability to conjure up such mundane but incredibly varied and interesting items to fill tables like this. you've got some pretty good ones in the HOW Core too.

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    1. Fenway5January 13, 2014 at 4:15 PM

      Well I don't know anything I have done is worthy of awe really. I think the key to these tables (IMHO) is trying to combine the mundane with the strange and a bit of the supernatural. That way you get a good blend of possibilities.

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  4. ewookieJanuary 13, 2014 at 5:15 PM

    i guess i'm easily impressed then :)
    whenever i try to come up with things strange and supernatural, i get things that are not mundane. i get things that are over-the-top.

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    1. Fenway5January 13, 2014 at 5:54 PM

      No not at all Adam, I very much appreciate the kind words! Thank you sir.

      I think over the top has its place and should be a included! I guess what always keep in mind is what might I find in a dresser, the common (sox, t-shirt, underwear), something odd (women's locket, old pocket watch running backwards, 4 bullets, all different caliber), and then what would be weird to find (handkerchief with a bloody tooth, a mummified cats corpse, a burnt voodoo doll).

      I thanks C.S. Lewis and the wardrobe I always wished to find somewhere for constantly providing a "what if" to the mundane in my every day life.

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    2. ewookieJanuary 17, 2014 at 1:03 PM

      i appreciate the insights. as you say, the items in your chart may be trivial or mundane but each one of them sparks my imagination. as a player, i would start asking all kinds of questions about the items and searching them. MY reactions to them would definitely inspire you with all kinds of ways to toy with me :P
      if i had been generating this table, there would be no mystery. I would have jumped straight to the conclusion with the items and players wouldn't get that spooky or WTF feeling...which is what i think i enjoy the most as a player.
      thank you for opening my eyes to this!

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  5. ewookieJanuary 29, 2014 at 7:30 PM

    it may seem ridiculous but i can't express how awesome this chart is to me. i keep coming back to it for inspiration. i just realized that this chart isn't really specific to 'exploring the woods'...it can be used in any terrain!

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    1. ewookieJanuary 29, 2014 at 7:35 PM

      ...except maybe deserts...can't imagine how a map gets 'water damaged' in the desert...i'm thinking 'Blood-stained Map'...

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