Catch Your Hare

Jason Morningstar asked me, as a joke, why I hadn’t put a Random Encounter table in Play Unsafe.

The idea bothered me. The more I thought, the more I realised it’d be a really good thing. It connects with that “dice” section I wrote: randomness is good, because it stops you planning. A random encounter table would throw something unexpected into the mix. It’d be great.

Here’s some first attempts. I’d really like your input.

First, a random status change table. When a scene with another a character needs a twist, roll a d6.

1. Lower your status, suddenly (break down, cry, beg).
2. Lower their status, suddenly (humiliate them, hit them).
3. Lower your status, gradually, as the scene plays out.
4. Raise your status, suddenly.
5. Raise their status, suddenly.
6. Raise their status, gradually, as the scene plays out.

Second, a random emotion table. It works the same way: when you think a scene needs something, act out the emotion. Do it suddenly and justify it later: for example, suddenly break down in tears, then invent a reason afterwards.

1. Envy
2. Sadness
3. Fright
4. Anger
5. Happiness
6. Confidence

Note that these emotions could be played at different levels: Anger could be anything from irritation to rage; fright could be anything from foreboding to terror.

If you like, roll another d6 to determine the degree of the emotion. On an even number, the emotion will change over the course of the scene. (On an odd number, the emotion may change over the course of the scene, but it’s not fixed: play the scene and see what happens).

1. Mild
2. Mild, increasing to Manic over the course of the scene.
3. Moderate.
4. Moderate, increasing to Manic over the course of the scene.
5. Manic.
6. Manic, decreasing to Mild over the course of the scene.

Both these are drafts and I’ll welcome feedback. I’d also welcome ideas for other tables.

One table I’d like in particular (and which I’ll do) is a random element table. Jason often incorporates these into his games: you’ll roll a die and have to incorporate, say, a letter into your scene. If you’ve got suggestions, do let me have them.

Oh, one more thing. You see how both those tables include the instruction “when you think the scene needs something”? You could, of course, do this without the table. When you think the scene needs something, just do something random, and justify it later.