I asked in the Resources thread before I really looked and realized how dead it is, so making a new thread here: what roll tables and random generators do you use for your games, and especially the worldbuilding for your settings, any why those in particular? I’ve heard good things about the Without Number game line and their roll tables for example, do you agree or does your own experience with them say otherwise?
>>98339977Yeah, the worldbuilding and GMing stuff in Crawford's books are the best parts. The system is mid-to-bad.Other things I'd recommend:The Perilous Void by Lampblack & BrimstoneAugmented Reality by Paul D GallagherMaking spark tables (see here https://behindthehelm.bearblog.dev/building-spark-tables/)One Page Solo Engine by Inflatable Studios for general oracle use
>>98340049I would have a hard time to get a group to run the more intesive adnd style campaign, but reading WWN it did feel a bit bloated weird 1e-2e-3e mishmash. But maybe it works, I cant tell.I can tell that Crawford's Scarlet Heros system was was nicely streamlined, but that is a different sort of d20 game. Also Im biased because I am partial to career systems where you just right down a handful of general experiences your character have and the GM declares if they are relevant to what you want to roll or not.>>98339977I mean they have some decent tables but they are nothing special and I find the formating inefficient. They are definitely inspirational but they aren't particularly large if you want really encompassing material.
>>98340174If it helps, I ran a brief Mini Six game in a small hexmap area of space, mostly going off SWN's tables and vibes (although the setting was homebrew/the Mini Six Firefly knockoff). My players still ask me to run a continuation campaign, and this is like five years later.
>>98340212Fair enough, I remeber the vibes were very much on point and inspirational when I read Worlds without number, and they really made me want to run SPECIFICLY a dying earth setting, ancient ruins, long forgotten alien overlords, irradiated wastelands, and pastel forests with trickster fairies in a world that has experienced every age and is winding to its end. If what you are going for is the specific vibe his book is covering, I think its pretty good. but it does feel rather limited TO that specific vibe.But I didint read stars without number, what sort of sci fi vibe is it? more star wars, star trek, traveller, 40k?
>>98340275It's... I'd say it's most like Traveller. Somewhere between SW and 40k, perhaps. It's got a galaxy-wide near-apocalypse leading to a fractured empire with lots of independent actors jetting about in ships doing (space) hood shit. I'd probably call it a premise more than a setting, because the existing canon is very vague and it's up to the GM to build their sector of space and fill it with their own truths.
>>98340318THIS. Perhaps the best description of SWN I've read. Crawford has stated that he wanted to do a Traveller game/setting but the assclowns at Mongoose nixed it. Mongoose hadn't yet bought the IP at that time, but they did have veto power on anything that might use the OTU.Like many here, I use SWN's tables with other RPG systems.
>>98340318Ah OK. I do think traveller-like is a good default general space setting since its particularly open to a lot of premises. just from a meta standpoint I think a lot of the big name settings have somewhat exclusive elements. for 40k personal interstellar travel is very limited, for star wars its ultra accessible. For star trek there are a lot of staple technologies that invalidate shit like replicators and universal translators. While having a scattered former empire allows you to pick and choose what elements are more universal and what are more particular to sub sections.Of topic, but a small thing I liked in traveler was the use of space sand shotguns to disperse/destroy incoming fire.>>98340656Eh, desu, its probably better as its own IP, the without numbers already has a very traveller like skill system, just with a combat d20 stappled to it, so it would be weird to have two games in the same setting that have very similar mechanics.
>>98339977Does anyone have any links or anything for the compiled tables from any of the games please?
>>98340049Are there any scifi games in a similar vein to Stars Without Number that are better? One with psychic powers preferably, and that isn't OSR (though Nu-SR might be okay).
>>98344531uh, anon, you know the game that SWN takes half of its inspiration from right... the 2d6 half?
>>98344531Traveller and Mini Six (using any and all material from other Open D6 games including Star Wars you want).I like Mini Six, but it really is personal taste.
>>98344272Seconding this please.
>>98344272>>98345757They're free fucking games you demented dipshit. Do it yourself.
>>98344840ofc I know about Traveller but the psionics are pretty wimpy [at least in Mongoose 2e] so I'm looking for others options.>>98344874i'll look at Mini Six thanks
>>98340049>The system is mid-to-bad.what don't you like about it?
>>98349318Class and level based D20 for combat but then Traveller for everything else, just aping popular systems without thought or curationBad to boring opposition/ encounter design but it's class and level so you can't just vibe itBad to boring equipment (in the core book) so wizards still have to do everything I'm sure there's more.
Starforged has a lot of tables built for facilitating space exploration, I picked it up for worldbuilding, Ironforged presumably has the same for fantasy. Sprawl Sites for shadowrun 2e is still a go-to reference for city encounters, that game or any other.
>>98349684I like levels as a shorthand stat for how dangerous a character is, PC or NPC.
>>98350447That's not something I need summarised but I can't fault you for it.
>>98349684Is it like Worlds without Number where the classes are super broad and just cut into combat focused, skills focused, and magic focused? Then optional half classes for those between the extremes?I thought that was a pretty pleasent middle ground that got away from class ultra specialization, but still gave you a bit of structure and allowed a sense of clean progression. In non level rpgs, you just dont get the same sort of meaty sense of progression.>D20 for combat but then Traveller for everything else, just aping popular systems without thought or curationI think thats fine enough, separating combat stats and non combat stats has a nice mix between more chaotic combat outcome, and more reliable non combat outcomes.>Bad to boring opposition/ encounter design but it's class and level so you can't just vibe itthat is a problem I have with level based games, I find it hard to estimate both as a GM and as a player what is a relitive or unbalanced match up.
>>98350650I find your tastes degenerate and contemptible but I can't give you a factual basis for being objectively wrong.
>>98350710I wouldnt even say its my tastes. I prefer the gameplay of some less level based games, but I do apreciate the sear sense of progression you get that levels can provide. My go to game for testing out characters is barbarians of lemuria WITHOUT doing any of its (bare bones and desu after thought) level mechanics. Its a game that functions perfectly without any sort of milestone advancement system.
I have gotten the most use by far from the old Judges Guild books. See Wilderness Hexplore by Jed McClure for all of the best of those tables collected and very well-formatted.For something similar but much simpler there is the Castle occupant/guards/retainers table from OD&D.There are a few multi-table generators from Mazes and Minotaurs that I have also gotten good us use from. They are mythical ancient Greece content-wise but can easily be reskinned. Mysterious Islands Updated and Expanded (from an issue of Minotaur Quarterly)TemplesCity-StatesAdventure PlotsJust about the entirety of Ruins of Hyboria from the older Conan game is useful.If you want new monsters, see the Random Esoteric Creature Generator for LotFP.Maze Rats and Knave have a bunch of NPC background/appearance/personality type tables that are useful an the fly.On a related note: does anyone have any experience with die-drop tables? What are some good ones for creating an underworld or dungeon?
>>98355482>maze ratsgod I love the random spell tablesAnyone got any hex flower tables? I remember a thread about them a few years ago and they looked really cool
I forgot to include this in >>98355482(me). It was posted to /osrg/ by anon.I really like its inter-connected structure--it's like an encounter table merged with a reaction table. Sorting it out as a template that can be reskinned as needed is on my to-do list.
