Just The Caffeine Talking

Random Encounters: The Crossroads at Midnight

The place where roads cross has always been the scene of strange encounters, and midnight is the time when the strangest things walk the land. If you're passing through the crossroad between midnight and cockrow, be polite but brief with strangers. And if you're hanging around there on purpose, waiting to see who comes by . . . you'd better have your wits about you.

ENCOUNTERS AT THE CROSSROADS AT MIDNIGHT

Roll 1d20 when you get to the crossroads.

1. Roll twice and combine
2. Brave Youth: a naive youngster who isn't afraid of anything, even things one should be afraid of. He (or she) is here in search of a particular contest — a test of wrestling, riddling, music, throwing, or quarterstaff fighting.
3. Dead Man: he doesn't rest quietly in the grave, but walks at night. Roll 1d6 to see what he wants. 1: a guide to the afterlife, 2: a missing item, 3: a proper burial, 4: one last drink, 5: someone to perform a task, 6: your blood!
4. The Devil: a well-dressed stranger with one misshapen foot. He's ready to make a deal. You get what you want (knowledge, love, matchless skill with your instrument), and he gets to take you when you die. Sign right here . . .
5. Extra Road: from the time the clocks strike midnight to the first crow of the cock, five roads meet here instead of just four. To find out where the extra road leads, you'll have to follow it. If you don't get back by cockrow, you may be gone a long, long time.
6. Fortune Teller: a wise old woman, or possibly a wise young one, she can read your future in the cards, or the lines of your hand, or perhaps just by looking at you. Give her silver and you'll hear your fate.
7. Ghost: she haunts the crossroads where she died. Though terrifying, she will do you no physical harm, and her sad wails may hold useful clues.
8. Lights in the Sky: roll 1d4 to see what's up above. 1: angels bidding you be not afraid, 2. black helicopter piloted by Men In Black, 3. flying ship crewed by fairies, 4. saucer piloted by Greys. Use the Reaction Table to see if they're hostile or friendly.
9. Lost Traveler: this traveler is really lost — he's wandered into the wrong world, or the wrong time, or perhaps the wrong game system. Use the Reaction Table to determine how dangerous the Lost Traveler is.
10. Magician: a wizard or a witch, possibly old and wizened, possibly young and attractive. Use the Reaction Table to see if the Magician is looking for help, looking to make a deal, or looking for someone to sacrifice in some hideous rite.
11. Mysterious Stranger: He's either old and bearded with one eye, or young and preternaturally handsome, but either way he wears a wide-brimmed hat and a concealing cloak. Roll 1d6 to see what the Mysterious Stranger wants. 1: a task performed, 2: to give you some cryptic advice, 3: to give you a gift, 4: to lead you to the afterlife, 5: to punish you, 6: to warn you of some approaching peril.
12. Peddler: a jolly old fellow with a cart full of strange things for sale. He doesn't take cash, but will trade for wonders, or service, or a year of your life, or maybe your soul.
13. Riderless Horse: it's a noble-looking beast with a fine saddle and a silver bit. If you choose to mount up, roll 1d6. 1: accursed man in horse form will be your steed for a year and a day, 2: bewitched horse gallops to the cemetery where the dead are dancing to the Devil's fiddle, 3: enchanted steed takes you to where a fairy princess needs a champion, 4: ghost horse carries you to a tomb, 5: ordinary horse belongs to a traveler murdered on the road, 6: Puck in the form of a horse takes you on a wild ride that ends in a dungheap.
14. Ruin Appears: the light of the moon strikes a building that isn't there during the day. What's inside?
15. Someone In Need of Help: a young woman whose lover was taken by the fairies, or a man who sold his soul and knows the Devil is coming to collect, or a luckless fellow who spied on the witches at their Sabbat. Whoever it is needs some heroic help.
16. Trooping Fairies: The Queen of the Fairies and her court are riding at night. Roll on the Reaction Table to see if they're hostile or friendly. Either way you're in peril of your life and your soul.
17. Vampire: he's out hunting, accompanied by 1d6 wolves and a flock of bats. Roll 1d6 — on a 1-4 you're his prey, on a 5-6 he's already caught someone and is carrying him or her off.
18. Weird Weather: a sudden tempest with oddly-colored lightning lasts 1d6 times 10 minutes. At the height of the storm roll again to see who turns up.
19. Will-o'-the-Wisp: strange blue lights bobbing about. Roll 1d6 to see what they are. 1-2: corpse lights burning over the location of buried treasure, 3-4: mischievous spirits trying to lure you into a quagmire, 5-6: St. Elmo's Fire (followed by a thunderstorm).
20. Tracks: roll again to see what just passed by before you arrived.

 

REACTION TABLE

Roll 2d6 to see how your encounter responds. Modify as appropriate for the party's condition and personal qualities.

2-3: Immediate attack!

4-5: Unfriendly

6-8: Neutral

9-10: Friendly

11-12: Very Friendly

Random Encounters: Ayaviz

In honor of the forthcoming mass-market paperback edition of Arkad's World, here's a random encounter table for the city of Ayaviz, where the story begins. Ayaviz stands right on the twilight line of the tidally-locked planet Syavusa. To the east the planet's ice-capped night side stretches away to the spaceport; to the west the Sun sits perpetually on the ocean horizon.

ENCOUNTERS IN AYAVIZ

(Roll 1d10 if the visitors are staying in one place, 1d20 if they're exploring the city.)

1. Roll twice and combine
2. Plot advancing encounter: Someone or something connected with the reason the adventurers have come to Ayaviz.
3. AaaAa: A huge bipedal organism with a shaggy egg-shaped body and three trunks. It is an authority on some field of knowledge and responds favorably to requests for information.
4. Itooti: 2d6 small winged Itooti, exchanging banter and insults with each other and passers-by.
5. Machine Activity: The great machines which the city is built on and around momentarily come to life. Roll 1d6 to see what they're doing. 1: All metal becomes too hot to touch for 1d6 hours; 2: Electrical interference shuts down electronic devices for 1d4 hours; 3: Entire city warms up by 10 degrees C; 4: Loud noises make conversation impossible for 1d4 hours; 5: Powerful magnetic pulse freezes all metal in place for 1d20 minutes; 6: Subsonic vibrations cause disorientation and nausea for 1d6 hours.
6. Off-world Visitor: An alien which has come to the planet Syavusa. Most come to trade, but others are looking for something or someone, or are just sightseeing. Roll 1d6 to see what kind of being. 1: Elmisthorn accompanied by 1d8 servitors; 2: 2d6 feathered Hakhaha; 3: Machine Civilization unit; 4: Ouyaoi with 2d4 limbs; 5: Qrel in environment tank on treads; 6: 1d6 Roon traders.
7. Pfifu: 2d4 tentacled Pfifu pirates in town to fence some stolen goods. They are armed with acid-sprayers and cleavers.
8. Scavenging Machine: Unintelligent device gathering up metal scrap.
9. Street Urchins: 1d6 youngsters of various species looking for employment, trash to scavenge, or something to steal.
10. Vziim: One of the serpentine, clawed Vziim who have settled on Syavusa. Roll 1d6 to determine sex. 1-3: Female Vziim accompanied by 1d4 servants, engaged in business; 4-6: Male Vziim armed with steel claws, looking for employment.
11. Ambush: 2d4 armed Vziim burst from hiding, bent on robbery.
12. Bath-House: A dive (literally) where Pfifu sailors and road-train drivers gather to soak in scented water, watch satirical puppet-shows, and consume snacks.
13. Graffiti: A message painted on the wall in English! But there are no humans in Ayaviz . . . or are there?
14. Hazard: An electrical arc extends from one huge ancient machine to another. Getting past it risks being fried by millions of volts.
15. Repair Shop: 1d6 Pfifu run a business fixing anything. Unless your device is incomprehensible Machine Civilization technology, they can get it working again in 1d20 hours.
16. Ruined Machine: A vast device of unknown purpose. It might contain usable salvage — or repair robots which treat intruders as trash to be incinerated.
17. Shaft Down: A shaft leading down into the lower levels of the city.
18. Stalked By Psthao-Psthao: 1d6 Psthao-Psthao are following the party, always staying in the darkest shadows. They lay their eggs in corpses and are said to be able to tell who is about to die.
19. Trap: A cunningly-prepared trap which sprays the victim in quick-hardening adhesive foam. Roll 1d6 to see who prepared it. 1-3: Vziim property-owners concerned about thieves; 4-5: Pfifu bandits who intend to rob those they catch; 6: Itooti pranksters who will mock the victim and paint rude slogans on the foam.
20. Tracks or Traces (roll again to see what left them).

 

SITUATIONS IN AYAVIZ

(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

 

REACTION TABLE

2-3: Immediate attack!

4-5: Unfriendly

6-8: Neutral

9-10: Friendly

11-12: Very Friendly

 

Note: I have no idea why I didn't think of doing a whole series of Arkad-themed Random Encounter tables when the novel originally came out. I will not make that mistake again.

Yale, Academia, and Power

This is a fascinating article by Natalia Dashan about her own experiences at Yale and the endless, seemingly pointless political/social controversies there. Read the whole thing; it's a bit long but very insightful.

One thing which struck me very profoundly was her point that the Yalies (both faculty and students) are actively abdicating power. This is odd because the whole point of a liberal-arts education is to prepare students to hold positions of power. Seriously: that's what it's about. You learn history and rhetoric and logic so that you can understand and, yes, influence other people. At least, that's what it used to be about. Now, I'm not sure.

Anyway, read the article.

Initiate Teaser #1

A little amuse-bouche to get you ready for the main course, which arrives in February — an excerpt from the beginning of my new modern fantasy novel The Initiate (now available for pre-order on Amazon, or at your friendly local bookstore):

 

         "It wasn't a bear, was it?" The voice on Samuel Arquero's phone was reedy and precise. Whoever it was hung up before he could answer. Sam tried to call back, but got a recorded voice telling him the number was not in service. He tried again with the same result. Then he just sat there in the dark living room, looking at the fire in the wood stove. A half-empty pitcher of Bloody Marys stood on the coffee table in front of him.

         That was how Sam spent most of his evenings, trying to drink himself to sleep without incurring a crippling hangover. He made his Bloody Marys with V-8 juice, so they were almost good for him.

         Half an hour later the phone rang again. Sam had it on the couch next to him and snatched it up before it could ring a second time.

         "Mr. Samuel Arquero?" asked the same voice.

         "Who are you?"

         "I want to meet with you. Name a time and place — but it must be private."

         "Can you come here? Now?"

         The voice chuckled a little bit. "If you wish. Expect me in half an hour. Needless to say, you will be alone." The call ended.

         It had to be a prank call. A very nasty one. Sam was sure the joker wouldn't show. He'd have to be crazy to do that.

         But . . . Sam turned on the porch light and tried to tidy up the living room a bit, just from habit. Since he spent most of his time there it was pretty messy, but by shoving things behind the couch and making neat piles he got it marginally presentable. There was nothing he could do about the front window — pulling down the pink insulation stapled over it would just expose the bare plywood nailed to the outside. Probably ought to get that fixed, he thought yet again.

         Of course it had been a bear. Probably rabid, according to the cops. It was crazy to think otherwise. Just his memory playing tricks. Sam knew enough about psychology to figure the bizarre image in the doorway (which never went away, never) was just a manifestation of his guilt. If he'd just looked through the window before opening the door, if he hadn't frozen in astonishment that first instant, if he'd done something the house might not be so silent and empty right now. But he never spoke of what he'd seen — what he thought he'd seen — to anyone.

         Twenty-nine minutes later there was a knock on the door. Sam hadn't heard a car pull up. He opened the door three inches, with his foot planted to keep it from swinging wider, and his right hand just touching the kindling hatchet he'd placed with the coats and boots.

         The man on the doorstep was nearly Sam's height, with sparse gray hair. He was smiling, and wore dark glasses despite the late hour. Except for the glasses, his appearance was so utterly nondescript that if Sam looked away for a moment he thought he'd forget what he looked like. The visitor pulled his hands out of his overcoat pockets and held them up for Sam to see.

         "Good evening, Mr. Arquero," he said. "May I come in?"

         "Who are you?" Sam's mouth was dry.

         "I'm the man who has taken an interest in what happened to your family last summer. You can call me Mr. Lucas."

 

Random Encounters: Port Royal!

(In honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 19.)

In the late 17th century, the capital city of piracy was Port Royal in Jamaica. It was the biggest city in the Caribbean, and sympathetic governors turned a blind eye to British, Dutch, and French Hugenot pirates preying on the Spanish treasure fleets in exchange for their help defending the colony. Port Royal quickly became the original wretched hive of scum and villainy. It was called the "wickedest city in the world" where pirates came to spend their loot on rum, women, rum, women, rum, women, and rum. In the summer of 1692 it all came crashing down, literally, when an earthquake (followed by a tsunami) flattened Port Royal and killed half the population. The government and the port moved to Kingston, and tolerance for pirates waned as European politics shifted.

ENCOUNTERS IN PORT ROYAL

(Roll 1d20 if you're wandering around Port Royal during its glory days, 1d10 if you're staying put watching the newcomers pass by.)

1. Roll twice and combine
2. Plot advancing encounter: Someone or something connected to the reason you're in Port Royal at all.
3. Bats: A swarm of bats envelops the party. They're harmless but distracting.
4. Crocodile: A magnificent 20-foot male croc, wandering through town as if it's looking for someone.
5. Cryptic Map: A treasure map written in some kind of cipher.
6. Monkey: A clever capuchin monkey, whose owner has trained it to fetch unattended jewelry. It will naturally sieze the most valuable thing in the heroes' possession, then flee across the rooftops.
7. Pirate Captain: One of the legendary pirate leaders accompanied by 1d6 henchmen. All are armed.
8. Pirates: 2d6 drunken pirates, equipped with fearsome knives. They're mostly interested in finding more rum, but are also interested in loose women or a satisfyng brawl.
9. Soldiers: 1d6 British soldiers. They turn a blind eye to most of the criminality going on, but will intervene if anyone's using firearms or if someone's trying to burn down a building.
10. Tropical Storm! Without warning the wind picks up and the rain starts coming down. For the next 2d6 hours the streets are rivers, flying debris is everywhere, and it's impossible for ships to leave the harbor.
11. Ambush: Why go out and steal Spanish gold when you can just rob drunken pirates in Port Royal? 1d6 local toughs armed with cudgels spring out and attack, hoping to subdue and rob the party.
12. Armed Drunkard: A pirate sitting on a keg of rum with a pistol in each hand. Every passer-by has to drink a half-pint mug — or else!
13. Fire! A house is in flames, and the wind could spread it to other buildings. As always, a crowd gathers.
14. Ghost: In a supernatural setting this is a real ghost, possibly seeking vengeance on whoever killed it. In a realistic Caribbean, this could be someone pretending to be a ghost as part of some scheme.
15. Ladies of the Evening: Actually, they ply their trade at all hours. 1d6 filles de joiedressed in scandalous outfits (with stilettos tucked in their stockings in case of emergency). They know all the latest news, and quite a few secrets, as well.
16. Pursuit: Someone you don't want to meet has spotted you and gives chase.
17. Recruiter: The quartermaster of a pirate (excuse me, "privateer") ship is calling for men to sign on for a voyage. It's supposed to be a short cruise and easy money. Of course it will.
18. Ship's Chandlery: A shop selling equipment for mariners. This one is fully-stocked, and also has a good sideline selling items given in barter by pirate customers. If they don't have what you need, it probably isn't available in the Caribbean.
19. Tavern: One of many, many taverns in Port Royal. It's just a house with kegs of rum. Some of the more high-end joints have wine and home-brewed beer. The perfect place to find someone with a shady mission.
20. Tracks: Roll again to see what you find traces of.

SITUATIONS IN PORT ROYAL

(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

REACTION TABLE

(Roll 2d6 and apply appropriate modifiers.)

2-3: Immediate attack!

4-5: Unfriendly

6-8: Neutral

9-10: Friendly

11-12: Very Friendly

AlbaCon 2019!

This Friday and Saturday I'll be a guest at Albany's long-running local science fiction and fantasy convention, Albacon 2019.

On Friday I'm doing two panel discussions. At 3:00 p.m. I'm talking about worldbuilding in fiction along with a stellar panel (including Debra Doyle, Ryk Spoor, and Ian Strock). Then at 7:00 p.m. I'm on a panel about why airships have become the iconic technology for alternate history stories.

Then on Saturday morning I'm doing an autographing at 10:00 a.m., and at 11:30 a.m. I will be reading from my upcoming modern noir fantasy thriller, The Initiate. 

Beginning at noon I'm running a classic Traveller roleplaying adventure, "Salvage Mission."

See you all in Albany!

Random Encounters: The Undersea City

Three-fourths of Earth's surface is covered by ocean, so it seems almost inevitable that people will someday try to live in the sea. This undersea city is funded by the inevitable eccentric billionaire, but is at least intended to become a self-sustaining, economically viable settlement. It's built in the shallow water atop an undersea plateau in the Indian Ocean, southeast of the Seychelles and due west from Diego Garcia. The city consists of a dozen large steel domes linked by travel tubes, with submarine docks, powerplants, and industrial facilities. Food comes from the sea itself.

ENCOUNTERS IN THE UNDERSEA CITY

(Roll d20 when moving, d10 when stationary.)

1. Roll twice and combine
2. Plot advancing encounter: Someone or something connected to the reason you've come to the Undersea City.
3. Crabs:Instead of rats, the undersea city is infested by crabs. Individually they're harmless and kind of cute, but sometimes they gather into a swarm of dozens of individuals, and can do real harm to an unwary visitor.
4. The Mosasquid: A bizarre hybrid of extinct reptile and giant cephalopod, the Mosasquid is huge, powerful, tentacled, and has human-level intelligence. Good thing it's kept inside an escape-proof enclosure.
5. Mystery: What do the strange symbols written in squid ink mean?
6. Researcher: Smart, enthusiastic, and a little naive. The Researcher will happily talk about the important scientific work going on in the undersea city, even though some of it is supposed to be secret.
7. Security: 1d4 security guards who seem to be trying to keep you out of a particular area. Inside the habitats they carry tasers, but out in the ocean they're armed with spear guns.
8. Sentient Dolphins: 1-4 dolphins with human-level intelligence and strap-on robot arms for manipulating objects.
9. Shark! Inside the city habitat sections it's a leopard shark or hammerhead in a laboratory tank. Outside, it's a great white attracted by the city's growing herds of fish.
10. Storm: The surface is lashed by high winds and heavy rain, but down here the water is calm. It does mean that nobody can leave via surface ship or aircraft for 1d12 hours.
11. Archaeological Site: In a realistic setting this is an ancient shipwreck being carefully studied. But it could be something stranger, like a sunken Lemurian city or even alien artifacts.
12. Davy Jones's Locker: Forget the fancy pubs catering to rich tourists. This rough dive is where the fish-herders and manganese miners hang out. You can find some of the best sub pilots in the ocean here, but watch your back.
13. Flood! There's been a hull breach in this compartment and the sea is surging in. Automatic doors slam shut — can you get out in time?
14. Moon Pool: This is an entry and exit point where divers and minisubs can leave the city.
15. Octopus: It's cleverly camouflaged and almost impossible to spot until it lunges out to grab prey. This could even happen in the air-filled sections of the city.
16. Pursuers: Roll again to see who's stalking you.
17. Strange Sighting: You could have sworn you saw a human swimming outside with no air tanks or diving gear. But that's impossible . . . isn't it?
18. Trap! Inside the city it's a knockout-gas bomb. Out in the ocean it's a forest of bioengineered kelp with sticky strands that trap the unwary.
19. Workshop: The grouchy technician who keeps the whole city running works here. There are tools and materials to fix or build just about anything.
20. Tracks or Traces: Roll again to see what left signs behind.

SITUATIONS IN THE UNDERSEA CITY

(Roll 1d6, then roll on the above table to see who and what is involved.)

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

REACTION TABLE

(Roll 2d6, applying bonuses or penalties based on the circumstances.)

2-3: Immediate attack!

4-5: Unfriendly

6-8: Neutral

9-10: Friendly

11-12: Very Friendly

 

Get Initiated!

My forthcoming novel The Initiate is now available for preorders from Baen Books. You can see the listing here. As you can see, there's cover art already — Sam has longer hair than I imagined him, but the lightning-dragon and the inimitable Isabella both play important roles in the story. I just handed in the final revisions, so we're on track for a February release.

So . . . what is The Initiate about?

It's about a man waging war against a secret society of wizards who have ruled the world for six thousand years. There's monsters, evil magicians, a magical market, demons, and an adorable little girl named Isabella.

Lovecraft and Claptrap

This past weekend I attended (as a humble paying member) NecronomiCon 2019 in Providence, Rhode Island. If you know anything about horror fiction or games you can probably guess that NecronomiCon is a convention focused on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, the father of modern horror. I had a great time and plan to go back for the next iteration in 2021.

In connection with the con I decided to re-read Lovecraft's famous essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature." It's a good comprehensive survey of horror fiction up to HPL's time, with a fascinating introduction laying out his theory of what horror (or as he calls it, "weird fiction") should be.

As I was reading it, something struck me. Lovecraft knew a hell of a lot about horror fiction, and his analysis of it was quite thorough and profound. But when he touched on other subjects, I started to realize that he wasn't as erudite as his scholarly fictional characters — and probably not as erudite as he thought he was.

H.P. Lovecraft was mostly self-educated. He read widely and exhaustively. He really did know a lot.

BUT . . .

He had the problem common to many autodidacts: without any formal teaching, it's very hard to tell serious scholarship from bogus. So Howard evidently read, and uncritically swallowed, Madison Grant's The Passing of the Great Race. If you're hoping it's a "Shadow Out of Time" novelization, I'm sorry to disappoint you: it was a work of racist pseudoscience popular in the 1920s. It even gets a shout-out in The Great Gatsby, of all places. (F. Scott Fitzgerald is using it ironically, though: his vapid, decadent character Tom Buchanan is worried about the decline of the Nordic peoples.)

In "Supernatural Horror in Literature" Lovecraft refers to the grimoire "The Key of Solomon" as some immemorially ancient text, but by the 1920s serious medievalists knew it was no older than the 14th Century. He also makes reference to Margaret Murray's Witch-Cult theory as fact, though it was always controversial. He believed Charles Fort's accounts of paranormal events, even though (somewhat sadly) Fort's credibility suffers as soon as you start looking at the sources he cites. His views of the Middle Ages are the standard erroneous 19th-Century mix of Enlightenment anti-Catholicism and Victorian self-congratulation. And anyone who took high-school geometry can recognize that one of his favorite shuddersome adjectives, "Non-Euclidean," isn't quite as sanity-blastingly unnatural as he seems to think.

This is all quite ironic because of course HPL considered himself a great skeptic and materialist, and planned (unsuccessfully, alas) to write a series of "debunking" works with none other than Houdini himself!

Now, I'm not just making fun of a dead man's mistakes. As I mentioned, I think Lovecraft's self-education suffered from a lack of guidance. The only reason I can spot his errors is that I did have the benefit of many very good teachers, both in high school and in college. Without that advantage, he wound up siezing on authoritative-sounding works which were nevertheless wrong.

This is not a problem confined to people named Lovecraft in the early 20th Century. It is a HUGE problem today. We all probably know at least one person who has just read the One Book That Explains Everything. In past decades that book was usually either something by Noam Chomsky or something by Ayn Rand. More recent examples are left as an exercise for the reader.

There is a difference between ordinary "punditry" and the One Book That Explains Everything. It's hard to pin down precisely, but I think a key feature is that pundits — be they Rush Limbaugh or Rachel Maddow — make no secret that they are expressing their own opinions. They are making a case, attempting to persuade. Whereas the authors of the OBTEE genre simply assertthings as true, in a very authoritative way, with just enough evidence that only a real expert can spot the flaws.

This is where it gets good. I propose that not only did Lovecraft absorb some intellectual claptrap from writers like Grant and Murray, I think he also (perhaps unconsciously) learned from them how to convincingly put across his own made-up lore in the same way.

He's got all the tropes of bogus nonfiction in his fiction: the casual allusions to things as true (like the existence of "pre-human civilizations" or lost continents), the appeal to bogus authority (e.g. the Mad Arab Abdul Alhazred himself), selective use of quotations (Lovecraft mixes real occult bits with made-up lore of his own and makes extensive use of fictional newspaper clippings), and specific-sounding but vague details (we get directions to both Dunwich and Innsmouth, but you can't quite find them).

These are hugely effective ways to sell the reader on your story's background details in fiction (or in games). One reason we're still reading Lovecraft in a new century is the extremely convincing way he plants his fantastic horrors in a base of reality. Do likewise, and people may be organizing conventions in your honor in 2119.

Random Encounters: Lawless Martian City

The city stands at the junction of two great artificial canals bringing life-giving water to the dying seabeds of the Red Planet. Though ruled by an absolute monarch, the city is virtually lawless, as the tyrant cares about nothing beyond the walls of his palace and all his underlings are corrupt. Here, thieves from the lowland cities, bandits from the upland deserts, and smugglers from the blue planet Earth all meet to make deals, hatch plots, and boast of deeds they would kill to keep secret elsewhere.

 On this version of Mars, the air is as thin as that of Tibet, the temperatures are about as cold as central Alaska, and the climate is as dry as Upper Egypt. Even Martians have to wrap themselves in furs during the winter, but find the summers pleasantly hot. Space travelers from Earth dress properly in sheepskin-lined leather jackets and jodhpurs, with ray-blasters in quick-draw holsters. None of that nonsense about space suits. 

ENCOUNTERS IN A LAWLESS MARTIAN CITY

(Roll 1d10 if the adventuring party are stationary, 1d20 if they're moving about the city.)

1. Roll twice and combine
2. Plot advancing encounter: Someone or something related to whatever brought you to a lawless Martian city.
3. Ancient Inscription: On the floor of the room there's an ancient inscription and mysterious symbols. If deciphered, it may convey an important message.
4. Bloodsucking Flies: You're attacked by a swarm of deadly bloodsucking flies! Even a ray-blaster can only burn a few of them at a time. Did some enemy arrange for them to be released here?
5. Cave Martians: 1d6 dwarfish Cave Martians, wrapped up and hooded for protection from the sunlight, armed with knives and glass dart-launching pistols. There's a 10 percent chance one of them has an item of ancient Martian super-technology.
6. Martian Princess in Disguise: Wearing desert traveler's garb to hide her identity, though a perceptive observer could spot the regal way she moves. Roll 1d6. 1: Cave Martian Clan Princess (clever and secretive), 2: Hidden Imperial Dynasty Princess (courageous and determined), 3: Impostor (roll again), 4-5: Lowland City Princess (stoic but kind), 6: Upland Tribe Princess (fierce and passionate).
7. Sandstorm! Martian sandstorms last 1d20 days; during that time it's risky to even go out in the streets, and downright suicidal to venture beyond the city walls.
8. Savage Desert Apes! The red-furred apes of the desert combine near-human intelligence, superhuman strength, and diabolical ferocity. 1d6 Desert Apes armed with their own fangs and crude clubs.
9. Terran Space-Pirate: 1d6 space-tanned pirates from Earth. Male or female, the pirates are fast on the draw, stick their necks out for nobody, and lust after loot and adventure. There's a 10 percent chance this pirate is in league with your enemies.
10. Upland Martian Mercenaries: 2d4 tall Uplanders in leather cuirasses, armed with spears and glass dart-pistols.
11. Ambushed by Slavers! 2d4 desert bandits armed with black-market Terran rifles pop out of hiding on all sides. They're hoping to sell you to the Cave Martians or as fighters in the arena.
12. Ancient Crater: This section of the city was destroyed in the ancient wars which nearly destroyed Martian civilization. It's 1d100 yards across and still glows faintly at night. Have you taken your rad-pills this week?
13. Ancient Supertech: A mysterious device of the mighty Canal Builder civilization, seemingly intact but of unknown function. Dozens of fortunes have been made from investigating ancient supertech — and hundreds of lives lost.
14. Catacombs: An entrance to the ancient tunnels running under the city, and extending far into the desert. Their purposes are obscure, and now they hold all manner of strange beings.
15. Gang of Thugs! 2d6 Lowland Martian thieves armed with long knives are after you. There's a 10 percent chance that one of them has a smuggled ray-blaster pistol.
16. Low Dive: The inevitable hive of scum and villainy. They shamelessly water the smuggled Terran whiskey but the Martian wines are strong and spicy — and the grilled sand-hoppers are the best on two planets. The clientele includes Space-Pirates, Mercenaries, Slavers, and Thugs, with a 10 percent chance each of a Cave Martian or a Princess.
17. Noble Estate: A vast private garden and palace sprawls across this part of town. You'll either have to go around or risk cutting through a nobleman's residence.
18. Sand-spider! A vicious sand-spider has laid its web under the dust in this part of town. Anyone who steps into the web is suddenly caught as the strands contract. Then the spider approaches . . .
19. Tower of the Science Priests: This crystal tower is one of the fortress-libraries of the secretive Science Priests. Getting inside isn't easy or cheap — the Priests demand payment in many odd forms — but this place has the answers to almost any question involving Mars, its history, and the science of the ancients.
20. Tracks: Roll again to see what just passed by.

SITUATIONS IN A LAWLESS MARTIAN CITY

(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

REACTION TABLE

(Roll 2d6, apply bonuses for personal charisma, intimidation value, desperation, and superior or inferior numbers.)

2-3: Immediate attack!

4-5: Unfriendly

6-8: Neutral

9-10: Friendly

11-12: Very Friendly