The Pulp Civilization Random Encounter Chart
On the run in the desert, Mitara spots a glimpse of a city in the distance.
Cutting their way through the jungle, Honri and Klay find unmistakable traces of masonry.
Trekking across the Great Glacier, Hagner finds a snowed-over entryway to an underground citadel.
What kind of civilization have they just encountered… and where in its history is it right now? All you need to find out is 1d20!
I present to you, the improvising referee, the Random Civilization Encounter Wheel, tracing the rise and fall from Savagery to Empire, and back again.
Inspiration mostly Robert E. Howard, with some Fritz Leiber, Roy Thomas and Clair Noto thrown in to suit my tastes.
Just found this blog post, and I love it. I’ve linked to it from my Barbarians of Lemuria blog, and I’m actually thinking of using it as the basis for a homebrew S&S setting (i.e., each area on the chart becomes one of the starting locations for the setting and an origin point for player characters).
Ah, one chart closer to being able to devise a sandbox on the fly!
I’m glad you guys like this. I actually designed it with BoL specifically in mind.
Got here from Sword and Board, and I have to say I like this. Very sword and sorcery, and one I will definitely be saving to the HD.
This is a pretty cool chart. I think I’ll use this, but make it a 2d20 roll. With the descriptor (Grimy, Vital, Haunted) on the outside track of chain, and the civilisation type on the inside track chain. Then I could randomly generate:
vital city state or a haunted empire (which I would describe as one where the king is mad/possessed/a demon, etc)
Cool, that sounds like a neat use for it. 🙂