For February posting daily with collections, tomes, blogs and rpgs with random tables at rpg_generators subreddit. Building on previous Generator Months.
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All the 28 Days of Random Tables with links
- Day 1 - Meaning Tables of Mythic GM Emulator 2e
- Day 2 - The Tome of Adventure Design
- Day 3 - Knave 2e and Maze Rats
- Day 4 - d100 Subreddit
- Day 5 - Table Fables by Madeline Hale
- Day 6 - Tables of Shadowdark
- Day 7 - Cyberpunk Random Tables
- Day 8 - Ironsworn, Starforged and Sundered Isles
- Day 9 - Chartopia - Making Your Own Tables
- Day 10 - Tables of Dicegeeks
- Day 11 - Category on DriveThruRPG for Random Tables
- Day 12 - Worlds, Cities, Stars and Ashes without Number
- Day 13 - What are YOUR favourite tables for RPGs?
- Day 14 - Perilous Wilds Tables
- Day 15 - 2d6 Dungeon and 2d6 Realm
- Day 16 - Science Fiction Random Tables
- Day 17 - Tables of OrkishBlade and d4 Caltrops
Day 1 - Ironsworn, free Solo RPG by Shawn Tomkin
Kicking of 28 Days of Random Tables is Mythic Gamemaster Emulator (2e) by Tana Pigeon. It's a system for playing an RPG without a gamemaster, whether that's solo, co-operative or group-based.
We're interested in the many d100 tables of the book. There are the Actions Meaning tables (2 linked d100 tables) and the Descriptions tables (two d100 tables). Then there are 30+ more d100 Meaning tables with different themes, from Object, Animal and Character Appearance to Gods and Scavenging Results.
The book comes in Hardcover, Softcover and PDF (link to word mill games). There are also several apps and tools that support Mythic.
Day 2 - The Tome of Adventure Design
The Tome of Adventure Design Revised (drivethru link) by Matt Finch is a huge collection of system-neutral fantasy tables. There is an older version which has mostly the same tables but different presentation.
I have the (revised) pdf and this is 514 pages, with sections for Monsters, Dungeon Design, Non-Dungeon Adventures (castles, cities, planar, sea, wilderness, caravans), and an introduction with advice and mission tables. Each page of tables also has small snippets down the side to help with inspiration.
Mythmere games also has two more tomes of tables with the Tome of World Building and The Nomicon (names for people and places).
Day 3 - Knave 2e and Maze Rats
Knave 2nd Edition (drivethru) is an old-school rpg by Ben Milton (Questing Beast) with many random tables. (There's a first edition but it's six pages with only a couple of tables). I've played 2e a little bit but mostly just use it for the tables. (it will probably be on sale at some point if you want to get it cheaper)
Lots of d100 tables (with 100 entries) covering dungeoneering, encounters, travel, spells, alchemy, equipment, treasure, cities, Inns, NPCs and monsters (75+ish total). Many of the tables have a few reference to other tables so you can get quite unusual results (in a good way)
By the same author is Maze Rats (drivethrurpg), a lightweight rpg known for it's compact d66 tables. These cover characters, monsters, city, wilds and dungeon.
Day 4 - r/d100 Subreddit
If you want to create collaborative tables, then the d100 subreddit is a great place to do it.
It's also a source of weird and specific tables, and a place to mine ideas. Many of the tables that power DnD Speak and OSR Vault also come from here.
Day 5 - Table Fables by Madeline Hale
Tables Fables are a series of books of random tables, smaller than many rpg tomes, with a variety of useful and quirky tables.
There are several titles, including Table Fables (1&2), Arcane Artifacts, Table Fables Modern and Inns & Taverns. The easiest place to find them is on Amazon (and a few on ebay in the UK).
I've got the first Table Fables, which is 84 pages with sections for Characters, Items, Areas, and Miscellaneous. There are tables such as noncombat encounters, a kingdom generator, character backgrounds, weather, dreams, scavenged items and festivals.
Day 6 - Tables of Shadowdark
Shadowdark is a modern rpg built on the bones of old-school D&D and popular with soloists, old-school fans and those looking for a lightweight alternative to Dnd 5e.
It's also powered by random tables. From random characters, talents, 80ish pages of tables in the gm section, treasure and other assorted, it's got lots to play with.
It also has a Free official supplement for playing solo in SoloDark, including a few more tables.
Day 7 - Cyberpunk Random Tables
Some tables for Cyberpunk include...
- Augmented Reality from Geist Hack Games has over 50 tables of cyberpunk city goodness
- Cities without Number from Sine Nomine Publishing is an RPG with lots of support for random tables, and a Free Version (which still has many random tables).
- Cybersworn (itch.io link) is a hack of Starforged: Ironsworn set in a Cyberpunk setting
- JV Random Tables: Cyberpunk and Modern by JeansonVaars is a pay-what-you-want set of d20 tables for locations and characters.
- CY_BORG from Free League Publishing, cyberpunk/dystopian rules-light RPG based on MORK BORG. And supported by many random tables
- dicegeeks has The Book of Random Tables: Cyberpunk, and two sequels. Each has lots of d100 tables, including names, items and encounters.
- D-oom Products has pay-what-you-want adventure tables with the Cyberpunk Adventure Generator
- Kindof like random tables is the GameMaster's Apprentice 2e: Cyberpunk Deck from Larcenous Designs. A deck of cards, with each containing descriptions, NPC traits, keywords and dice rolls, all with a cyberpunk theme.
- From Fishwife Games, Overheard Cyber City Chatter is a pay-what-you-want title with d100 things you might overhear in a future city, such as
For more Cyberpunk tables and tools there was 29 Days of Cyberpunk a couple years ago.
Day 8 - Ironsworn, Starforged & Sundered Isles
The Ironsworn family of games by Shawn Tomkin are well known in the solo world.
Ironsworn, Ironsworn: Delve, Starforged and Sundered Isles are also packed with random tables.
Ironsworn has basic oracles (Action, Theme) to names, characters, locations and events.
The other books have more tables than the original starforged, being great for space adventures (Starforged), fantasy seas (Sundered Isles) and fantasy dungeons (Ironworn Delve)
Ironsworn is available for free in digital format.
Day 9 - Chartopia - Making Your Own Tables
Chartopia is a place to find online random tables created by others, and also Collections of those tables (such as this one for Starforged)
It's also a place to create your own tables, with various options for combining and mixing up tables.
There's a Docs / Help area, Developer API and a Code Playground.
Day 10 - Tables of Dicegeeks
Dicegeeks creates books of random tables (usually d100 tables), filled with names, npcs, encounters, items and other useful lists.
There are several genre-specific titles, such as
- The Great Book of Random Tables - Science Fiction
- The Book of Random Tables - Grimdark
- Fantasy NPCs
- Great Book of Random Tables (Fantasy)
- Book of Random Tables - Post-Apocalyptic
- Book of Random Tables - Cyperpunk
- Modern
They are available on amazon (kindle / paperback) and drivethrurpg.
Day 11 - Category on DriveThruRPG for Random Tables
Pretty niche today.
On DriveThruRPG there is actually a category for random tables. It's disguised as "Itemized Charts and Lists" under "Supplements and Expansions"
Here's a link to the category on DriveThruRPG.
You might find this useful if searching for random table titles or listing them yourselves.
Don't think there is an equivalent tag on Itch.io, but comment if there is!
Day 12 - Worlds, Cities, Stars and Ashes Without Number
The "Without Number" Roleplaying games from Sine Nomine by Kevin Crawford all have lots of random tables and a free version. They are compatible with other Old School Revival (OSR) games (such as Basic D&D. and each covers a different genre.
Worlds Without Number covers Fantasy, Stars without Number Science Fiction, Cities without Number is Cyberpunk and Ashes without Number is post-apocalyptic. Links are to free versions.
Each has support for lot of random tables in the free version, and more support and tables in the full version. The games can also be combined with each other as they use the same basic system.
Day 13 - What are YOUR favourite tables for RPGs?
Halfway through Feb, so curious about your favourite random tables to use in Solo,
Collections of tables, ones from published rpgs, your own tables, ones from blogs, whatever!
What are YOUR favourite rpg tables? (leave a comment)
[post with comments on reddit]
Day 14 - Perilous Wilds Tables
The Perilous Wilds - Revised from Lampblack & Brimstone by Jason Lutes and Jeremy Strandberg is a set of fantasy tables. Along with advice and procedures on creating places, weather, wilderness and dungeons (using Dungeon World procedures).
There's a version which is just the Perilous Tables, taking out all the advice and presenting 24 pages of compact random tables (I have this version).
The tables are compact and complete, giving a great range of possibilities. For a Place Name I rolled on the Place Name Template (d12) to get [PLACE] of the [ADJECTIVE] [NOUN], then rolling on subtables (d100 each) to end with "Keep of the Red Priest", which has many possibilities.
Day 15 - 2d6 Dungeon and 2d6 Realm
2d6 Dungeon isn't a collection of tables or an RPG with lots of tables.
It's a solo dungeon-crawler mapping-game, powered by random tables.
You play a single character, exploring, fighting and thinking your way through 10+ levels of dungeons, procedurally generated by d6, 2d6 and d66 tables. Rooms, monsters, loot, traps, events, opportunities, shrines, gods, town events... Sometimes too many tables! I did an intro and actual play if you're curious about it.
2d6 Realm is an expansion that takes it into the wilderness, making it into an overland crawl. With all the tables needed for that.
Many solo rpgs and similar games make heavy use of random tables, and this is one that takes it to heart!
Day 16 - Science Fiction Random Tables
Some tables for science fiction (cyberpunk is here) include...
- Ironsworn: Starforged is a solo rpg packed with random tables. There's also the pay-what-you-want Starsmith: Expanded Oracles to add more tables.
- The Perilous Void from Lampblack & Brimstone is a large system-neutral collection of generation tables and advice to go with them
- Stars without Number from Sine Nomine Publishing is an RPG with lots of support for random tables, and a Free Version (which still has many random tables).
- Dicegeeks has the Great Book of Random Tables with 138 d100 tables. Lots of names, items and encounters.
- Traveller RPG has many random tables and a procedural approach to many situations (could have been it's own day, but have never played or owned). It's had several editions, two of which are available via Mongoose.
- Paradiso has Hundreds: Essential d100 Tables for Mothership and Sci-Fi RPGs. It has a collection of d100 tables for a fairly grim future
- From Candlenaut is Entity, a solo game taking on the roal of a synthetic AI explorer, stranded in an expanse filled with alien ruins. It's powered by random tables and has a few expansions.
- Never Engine has a Planet Generator, with several tables crammed into a one page format.
- Ennead Games has Starship Maker with 100+ pages of tables
- A cheap option is Science Fiction Codex of Lists from JEN Games with 300+ pages of assorted lists of varying length
Day 17 - Tables of OrkishBlade and d4 Caltrops
A double feature today, each with lots of random tables.
First up is The Random Tables: Compendium of OrkishBlade (link to the reddit post). This is a pdf compilation of tables from r/BehindTheTables (which is no longer active). There's all sorts in there but its free.
Second up is d4 Caltrops, which has been a D&D blog with random tables for over 15 years. A collection of Random Tables is here. There's also a list of posts with random tables. The tables cover all sorts, from magical belts to faction features and random rivers.
