Cairn is great…the core rules are simple (derived from Into the Odd) and there’s a ton of useful tables in the book for starting the creative processes for games.
The rules are all online, and printed copies are inexpensive. I have the boxed set and it comes with three copies of the player’s guide and further copies are available very reasonably, how’s that for user-friendly?
If you haven’t checked it out yet…it’s definitely worth it.
One of the most interesting sets of tables is the Setting Seeds for inspiring the process of creating your own setting, and as part of that you create settlements.
I was creating a setting, and for the theme I rolled “Struggling, Power”, this made me think of a forest in which humanity is struggling to maintain a foothold.
This led me to think about why humanity would be struggling, why would they leave settlements, people don’t abandon settlements without a very good reason…whether that’s because it’s too difficult to eke out a living or because of threats - leaving your home is hard.
So…tell me more about this abandoned settlement:
1. The Reason for Abandonment (d6)
Understanding why a settlement is empty tells the players what kind of danger might linger there.
| Roll | Cause | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Blight | Rotting food and black mould on the walls. The water is poisoned. Anyone eating or drinking here must make a STR Save or suffer 1d4 STR damage |
| 2 | The Tithe | A nearby power (dragon, giant, or cult) demanded too much. Houses are intact, but all valuables and people are gone. |
| 3 | The Night-Scream | Doors are barricaded from the inside. There are no bodies, only piles of clothes. It feels like someone is watching. |
| 4 | The Migration | The soil turned to sand or the well ran dry. Signs of a slow, orderly exit. Most useful gear has been taken. |
| 5 | The Raid | Scorched timbers and skeletal remains. Arrows or strange obsidian shards are embedded in the trees. |
| 6 | The Overgrowth | The Wood simply reclaimed it. Vines have crushed the roofs; trees grow through the floorboards. |
2. Points of Interest within the Ruins (d6)
| Roll | Location | Potential Find / Danger |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Tavern | Find: A hidden cellar with 1d6 bottles of wine. Danger: The floor is rotting; DEX Save to avoid falling into the cellar and losing 1d4 DEX damage. |
| 2 | The Smithy | Find: A heavy iron sledgehammer or scrap metal. Danger: The soot is still “alive” - a Fire Elemental nests here. |
| 3 | The Manor | Find: A locked chest with 3d20 Gold and a Trinket. Danger: In front of the chest lies a mummfied body of a man kneeling on the floor. The chest is trapped, if the trap is not disarmed, tampering with the lock releases a tiny needle which stabs the tamperer causing d4 STR damage. |
| 4 | The Well | Find: Someone threw a Relic down here to hide it. Danger: The bottom is a nest for a Giant Centipede or similar vermin. |
| 5 | The Granary | Find: 1d4 usable Rations (preserved). Danger: Swarms of starving rats that carry disease. |
| 6 | The Apothecary | Find: 1d4 Poultices or a strange Spellbook. Danger: Unstable chemicals. Any open flame causes a small explosion (1d4 STR damage). |
3. Scavenging the Ruins
When a character spends a wilderness turn searching the abandoned settlement, roll on the Scavenge Table.
You could also roll on the Grisly Reminders table and find a memory of the people who lived here (a personal locket, a child’s toy, a journal entry).
The Scavenge Table
Roll a d20 when searching the remains of a previous traveller or a long-forgotten cache.
| Roll | Item Found | Note/Mechanical Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Rotten Rations | 1 use. Must make a STR Save to eat without becoming Deprived. |
| 3 | Spent Torch | Can be used as a club (d4 damage), but provides no light. |
| 4 | Cracked Mirror | Useful for looking around corners; 50% chance it breaks if used roughly. |
| 5 | Bundle of Rags | Can be used as a makeshift bandage (restores 1 HP) or a wick. |
| 6 | 25ft Hemp Rope | Frayed and unreliable; snaps if supporting more than one person. |
| 7 | Empty Waterskin | Must find a water source before it is useful. Die of Fate determines whether or not it leaks. |
| 8 | Dagger (d6) | A simple, rusted blade. |
| 9 | Iron Spikes (1d4) | Useful for wedging doors or climbing; takes up 1 slot. |
| 10 | 3d6 Gold Pieces | Found in a hidden pouch or loose in the dirt. |
| 11 | Common Tool | Roll d6: 1. Hammer, 2. Saw, 3. Shovel, 4. Pliers, 5. Chisel, 6. Crowbar. |
| 12 | Wolfsbane | A dried herb bundle; can repel certain beasts or be used in tea. |
| 13 | Flask of Oil | 1 use for a lantern or to coat a 5ft area as a fire hazard. |
| 14 | Shiny Key | A key with nothing to indicate what it’s for. |
| 15 | Worn Map | Shows 1-2 adjacent hexes and one “Curiosity” POI. |
| 16 | Padded Armour | 1 Armour. Smells of mould and old sweat. |
| 17 | Shield (+1 Armour) | Scarred wood, but still functional; occupies 1 slot. |
| 18 | Odd Trinket | Roll on the official Trinkets table; often has no value but much lore. |
| 19 | Spellbook (Random) | A scorched or damp tome containing a random spell. |
| 20 | Relic (Minor) | A strange object with a single, limited magical charge. |
The wilderness search action takes 8 hours to do a thorough search.
- Finding “Petty” Items: Small items (like a single gold coin or a button) can often be bundled into a single inventory slot or kept in a “petty” category that doesn’t count toward your 10 slots until they become numerous.
- The Burden of Wealth: If players find heavy gear (like a suit of chainmail), remind them that filling all 10 inventory slots reduces their HP to 0, making them extremely vulnerable to the next encounter.