I prepared my SO for not hearing much from me as I begin the task of expanding the Referee's Manual with more bits of usefulness and stuff to roll dice for.
Case in point: 100 Archetypal locations with 10 sub-headings each, all to be utilised on the spot, or Empyrean-forbid, used in prep-work by the Ref'.
--The entries form a skeleton upon which to hang necessary scraps of meat as the questions are asked, or the events necessitate their delineation.
---Even with 100 locations, it would be easy to tire of the repetition. That's where the ten sub-headings come in. Each can be quickly adjusted, thus expanding the full kettle to a base of 1k discrete locales.
Each gives a gloss on: 1). environment, 2). resources, 3). security of locale, 4). culture, 5). artefacts, 6). relation to other locales, 7). beliefs, 8). peace/prosperity or lack thereof, 9). population's feelings regarding the government, and 10). the degree of power the government holds over the population.
--All of the above is generic and independent of Terrain rolls, and has no intrinsic effect upon Encounters.
---I write my usual encouragement/empowerment bit hoping to free folks from literalistic enslavement to RaW and die rolls, while still providing enough meat to sate a beast.
I'll be busy with this for a bit.
Wow, this is getting better and better
ReplyDeleteSean,
ReplyDelete--Thanks. :)
Reminds me of the Spinward Marches.
ReplyDeleteIn those days we didn't have computers; we rolled up our randomized star charts by hand. And then printed them and sold them as a game aids.
I still remember wanting to explore the Sword Worlds. Dang, I miss Traveller...
Yahzi,
ReplyDeleteI'll take that as an obscure compliment.
"The Sword Worlds: Where the men are men, and the women are, too." or something to that extent.
I was recently perusing my Traveller collection.
--What fortuitous timing.
Everything I say is obscure. :D
ReplyDeleteKids today are so spoiled with their RPGs and their interwebs. In my day we had to hike to the store to buy our d20s. Uphill. Both ways!
Actually, in those days we had to paint the numbers on the d20s ourselves. :D