25 December 2014

RuneQuest 6 In Italian - Further (Good) News

The Christkind (or rather his earthly representative, Alephtar Games) has brought us an excellent piece of news for Christmas: the Italian version of RuneQuest 6 will be published next year, and it should be available by the time the 7th edition of the Play! gaming convention begins in Modena on 11 April.

As announced during the (failed) crowdfunding campaign, the Italian edition of RuneQuest 6 will be published as a three-book set. Watch this place for further news.

14 December 2014

Bookshelf-Based Random Adventure Generator, v3.2

It's that time of year again. Two years ago, I devised a simple, bookshelf-based random adventure generator. This generator was dubbed 'Giannirator' by imaginos, who also greatly expanded on it, until what we may consider its final version, v3.2, which he used to create forty, count 'em, forty original scenarios that he published on his blog.

Since v3.2 is in French I am translating it to English here, and obviously adding an example along to show how it works.

First, get hold of 1D6, 1D20, 1D30, and 1D100. Each adventure seed is based upon a mix of random results from two tables and from information randomly extracted from within six actual books of your bookshelf using the results of the dice rolls.

[NPC1 - from Book One] asks the PCs to go to [Location1 - from Book Two] to [Action - from Table One] [Person/Object - from Book Three]. Motivated by the [Motivation - from Table Two], the PCs will end up confronting [NPC2 - from Book Four] in [Location2 - from Book Five]. During the course of the adventure, [Element - from Book Six] will feature prominently.

For each of the aforementioned books, roll five dice, in the following order:

  • Roll 1D6. Check the results of the roll: 1-3: use the top shelf; 4-6: use the bottom shelf. Of course if you have more than two shelves use a different die.
  • Roll 1D6. Check the results of the roll: 1-3: start counting from the left; 4-6: start counting from the right.
  • Roll 1D30. Count as many books from either the left or the right, depending on the previous die roll.
  • Roll 1D6. Check the results of the roll: 1-3: start from the beginning; 4-6: start from the end. Ignore covers, indices, empty pages, etc.
  • Roll 1D100. Count as many pages. Using the guidelines from the blueprint above, choose the relevant element from within the page.


The random tables-based elements are to be rolled on these two tables:

 1D20 Result   Action 
 01   Retrieve 
 02   Deliver 
 03   Free / Liberate 
 04   Survive / Escape / Evade 
 05   Reach / Enter 
 06   Explore / Study / Discover 
 07   Investigate / Elucidate / Enquire 
 08   Avenge 
 09   Sell / Get Rid Of sb~sth 
 10   Humiliate / Bully 
 11   Protect / Defend 
 12   Convince / Convert / Recruit 
 13   Create 
 14   Hide 
 15   Blackmail 
 16   Destroy / Cull 
 17   Deceive
 18   Sacrifice oneself 
 19   Conquer / Invade / Raid / Pillage / Plunder 
 20   Other / GM's Choice 

 1D20 Result   Motivation 
 01   Obeisance (to a hierarchy, to one's master...) 
 02   Material Reward (e.g., money) 
 03   Intangible Reward (e.g., glory) 
 04   Spiritual Reward (e.g., blessing) 
 05   Survival 
 06   Obligation 
 07   Revenge 
 08   Pleasure 
 09   Fanatism 
 10   Succour 
 11   Selflessness 
 12   Excitement 
 13   Self-Inflicted 
 14   Curiosity 
 15   Malice 
 16   Sloth 
 17   Inevitability 
 18   Fear and Loathing 
 19   Mind Alteration 
 20   Other / GM's Choice 

Example

NPC1 (from Book One)
1D4 --> 4. Shelf No.4.
1D6 --> 6. Start counting from the right.
1D30 --> 2. Second book from the right: Carcosa.
1D6 --> 3. Start counting from the beginning.
1D100 --> 24. Space Alien.

Location1 (from Book Two)
1D4 --> 1. Shelf No.1.
1D6 --> 2. Start counting from the left.
1D30 --> 2. Second book from the left: Sorcerer's Apprentice, issue No.16.
1D6 --> 6. Start counting from the end.
1D100 --> 27. the darkened streets towards the Palace.

Action (from Table One)
1D20 --> 3. Free/Liberate

Person/Object (from Book Three)
1D4 --> 1. Shelf No.1.
1D6 --> 3. Start counting from the left.
1D30 --> 12. Twelfth book from the left: Imagine, issue No.22.
1D6 --> 4. Start counting from the end.
1D100 --> 52. Greater Vampire.

Motivation (from Table Two)
1D20 --> 20. Other/GM's Choice --> I think I'll decide that the PCs have been tricked into what they have to do.

NPC2 (from Book Four)
1D4 --> 4. Shelf No.4.
1D6 --> 2. Start counting from the left.
1D30 --> 4. Fourth book from the left: Casus Belli, issue No.4.
1D6 --> 2. Start counting from the beginning.
1D100 --> 63. Harlequin.

Location2 (from Book Five)
1D4 --> 1. Shelf No.1.
1D6 --> 4. Start counting from the right.
1D30 --> 28. 28th book from the right: Les Érudits de l'Ambigu, issue No.3.
1D6 --> 4. Start counting from the end.
1D100 --> 11. Dagori Inkarth.

Element (from Book Six)
1D4 --> 3. Shelf No.3.
1D6 --> 5. Start counting from the right.
1D30 --> 21. 21st book from the right: The Middle Sea Empire.
1D6 --> 3. Start counting from the beginning.
1D100 --> 56. tsunami.

Result: A Space Alien asks the PCs to go to the darkened streets towards the Palace to free a Greater Vampire. Tricked by the Space Alien, the PCs will end up confronting Harlequin in Dagori Inkarth. During the course of the adventure, a tsunami will feature prominently.

Ouch, this is a tough one. Given the disparate elements, I think the best setting for this scenario seed is Glorantha In Space:

A Space Alien meets the PCs in whatever shady town they're currently located. He has some metamorphosis powers that allow him to pass for human. He has a close relative who is a Rune Lord of Vivamort (a 'Greater Vampire'), and who is currently a prisoner in the Obsidian Palace on planet Esrola. The space alien tricks the PCs into believing that he is a quiet human space trader whose brother was kidnapped by rival Argan Argar merchants and who is detained in the cells beneath the Obsidian Palace on planet Esrola.
Whilst travelling towards planet Esrola, the PCs are caught in a geomagnetic storm (the 'tsunami'), and are blown off course to planet Dagori Inkarth instead, where they will have to defeat an Eurmali trickster (the 'Harlequin') before being able to leave the planet. The trickster being a trickster, he will reveal the PCs that the phoney kidnapped brother is actually a chaotic cultist.
The PCs will then probably want to take care of the space alien OR — should they not believe the trickster — they will have to fight their way through the dungeons of the Obsidian Palace and ultimately confront the Vampire, possibly on their spacecraft during the return trip!