Random Encounters: 1890s Manaus

In the late 19th Century, the industrialized world's demand for rubber shot up exponentially. Suddenly poor jungle regions had a valuable cash crop — and that quickly attracted ruthless men eager to cash in on the boom. Manaus, on the Amazon, grew from a remote outpost into one of Brazil's biggest cities. It was a place where fortunes were made and lost overnight, where adventurers and opportunists from around the world gathered, and where the primeval jungle was half an hour's walk  from a bustling modern city.

ENCOUNTERS IN 1890s MANAUS

(Roll 1d20 when you're out and about in town.)

1. Bruxa: A self-declared witch and magical healer. Most likely a fraud, but may know about strange effects produced by plants or animals unknown to science.
2. Con Man:He's got a sure-fire scheme that just needs a few hundred realsas seed money. Are you in?
3. Doctor:Idealistic, fresh from medical school in Rio de Janeiro, trying desperately to cope with street violence, insanitary conditions, and competition from frauds and folk-doctors.
4. Explorer: Just arrived from Europe, recruiting rowers and guards for an expedition into the interior. Won't say what the expedition is looking for — a lost civilization? Mineral riches? Or something more sinister?
5. Gambler:A master of games of chance, he doesn't even need to cheat. The laws of probability and the fact that half his opponents are drunk out of their minds on cane liquor make it unnecessary to cheat. He does keep a derringer in his fancy waistcoat to deal with sore losers.
6. Indians:1d6 natives of the Amazon basin, curious but unimpressed by this metropolis which has appeared out of nowhere.
7. Military Officer:He's trying to keep order and maintain Brazilian authority — not an easy job when his best men keep deserting to join the rubber collectors, while his worst men abuse their authority and take bribes.
8. Missionary:A sunburnt American Congregationalist trying to save souls. Roll 1d6 to see how long he's been out here. 1: Just off the boat, utterly naive; 2-5: Knows the ropes, has useful contacts; 6: Burned-out, lost his faith, drunk.
9. Plot-Advancing Encounter:Something connected with the reason the party has come to Manaus.
10. Remittance Man: A British gentleman who did something back home and now his family pay him to stay far away. He knows the place very well, and may be looking for the chance to redeem himself.
11. Rubber baron:One of the new-made tycoons who controls a significant part of the rubber trade. He got his fortune by being brave and ruthless, and he aims to keep it. He's armed, and has 1d6 goons close by.
12. Rubber collector:An underling who does the dirty work of terrorizing Indians, bullying tappers, and threatening rivals to meet the ever-increasing demand for latex. It's a job for men who are good at being brutal. There is a 60 percent chance that a collector in town is drunk.
13. Scientist: A savant from Rio or Sao Paulo, collecting and classifying the animals, plants, and mineral resources of the region. Everyone suspects he's looking for something valuable, or he's an informer for the government.
14. Secret Agent: A quiet British visitor, employed by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew near London. He's just here to gather some plant samples — rubber plants, to use in establishing plantations in British-controlled lands.
15. Steamboat Pilot: He's sailed the Amazon for decades and knows the river and its tributaries. He knows there are places outsiders shouldn't go, but if you pay him enough he'll take you there.
16. Thunderstorm:Heavy rain, strong winds, and lightning for the next 1d6 times 20 minutes.
17. Touring Opera Company:They're in town to perform Aida. Wealthy locals want to be seen at the performance, some youngsters may fall in love with singers, and the company manager is trying to locate a key set which has gone astray somewhere along a thousand miles of river.
18. Tracks or Traces:Roll again to see who you just missed.
19. Were-dolphin: The pink dolphins of the Amazon River are said to take on human form and come ashore to seduce mortals. In a non-magical game, this person is an expert swimmer who has the hots for one of the party.
20. Roll Twice and Combine.

SITUATIONS IN 1890s MANAUS

(Roll 1d6, then consult the table above to determine who A and B are.)

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X