What is up gamer dudes! I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Emergent Play, scenario improvisation, and how I love unexpected things happening within an adventure – from both the GM and player point of view.
Obviously random tables go a long way as Emergent Play enablers, as can a game’s core mechanics (simpler games tend to be easier to improvise, those with clear escape rules, simple stat blocks, and so on). But one tool I haven’t seen a lot of – and to be honest I didn’t even know about them until a few years ago – are DROP TABLES!
Personally I find Drop Tables SUPER FUN. I love rolling dice, and having them clatter onto the printed page comes with a certain somatic awesome that just makes me smile. They’re also very fast to use – the die location and roll gives you two pieces of information immediately, and if used with several dice, can very quickly tell you who’s in the tavern, what’s nearby on the street, or what loot the latest dead body offers up. I haven’t done much Solo RPGing, but I suspect these kinds of tables might also be highly useful as quasi GM/oracle devices.
Naturally, I had to have a crack at a making my own Drop Tables! I’ve put together four, based partly on existing tables from Low Fantasy Gaming, but they’re really system neutral and compatible with any Fantasy Adventure games.
They were great fun designing and playtesting. I hope you’ll enjoy using them.
Available via DTRPG: Link
Pickpocket Press 