Your PCs are making their way down a classic fantasy road, you roll for an encounter:
- Is it an ambush by humanoid forces who have no motivation other than murdering people and taking their stuff?
- Is it a military force on patrol keeping the road safe?
- Is it a group of adventurers seeking their fortune?
Perhaps its a train of caravans…either making their way slowly or on a bit of flat land just beside the road.
Frontier locations have settlers…the lands are not settled, and as we’ve seen over history - if there’s unclaimed land, there’s an incentive to carve out a bit of space for people to live.
Caravans will be found in hex crawls, making their way towards unclaimed land…or perhaps (unfortunately) to force someone else from their claimed land.
Who are these people, and where are they going?
To create a caravan for your game, roll once on each of the following tables.
Caravan (d20)
| d20 | NA | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ragtag Refugees: Fleeing a disaster with only what they can carry. | 2d6x15 |
| 2. | Extended Clan: Multiple generations of one family in sturdy ox-carts. | 2d6x5 |
| 3. | Religious Pilgrims: Moving to establish a shrine; carry sacred relics. | 2d6x6 |
| 4. | Guild Outpost: Artisans and labourers sent to exploit a specific resource. | 2d6x3 |
| 5. | Exiled Court: Fallen nobles and their remaining loyal servants. | 2d6x5 |
| 6. | Pioneer Scout Train: Mainly young, hardy scouts and surveyors. | 4d6x2 |
| 7. | Monastic Order: Seeking isolation for study or meditation. | 4d4 |
| 8. | Penal Colony: Prisoners and guards sent to build a frontier fortification. | 4d6x10 |
| 9. | Herding Nomads: Moving an entire village along with massive herds of livestock. | 3d10 |
| 10. | Merchant Syndicate: A corporate venture seeking new trade routes. | 4d10x10 |
| 11. | Failed Colony: Survivors returning from a site that didn’t work out. | 4d10x5 |
| 12. | Utopian Seekers: Ideologues looking to build a “perfect” society. | 1d20x10 |
| 13. | War-Torn Remnants: Soldiers and their families seeking peace. | 2d6x5 |
| 14. | Scholarly Expedition: Academics following ancient maps to a “lost” city. | 4d6x2 |
| 15. | Cultural Preservationists: Fleeing assimilation; carrying historical archives. | 2d6x6 |
| 16. | Bounty Hunters/Trappers: Moving to a region rich in rare game. | 2d10 |
| 17. | Cursed Village: Moving because their previous home became “haunted”. | 4d10x10 |
| 18. | Secretive Cult: Keeping their true purpose hidden from outsiders. | 4d10x5 |
| 19. | Mining Prospectors: Loaded with heavy tools and explosives. | 4d10x10 |
| 20. | Rebels in Hiding: Disguised as commoners to avoid detection. | 2d6x5 |
Sub-Tables
| d20 | Protection | Primary Need | Reason for Settling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Unarmed (High risk) | Food: Rations are low | War: Escaping conflict |
| 3-4 | Hired Mercenaries | Water: Casks are dry | Famine: Soil turned barren |
| 5-6 | Militant Settlers | Medicine: Plague outbreak | Discovery: “Holy” land found |
| 7-8 | Trained Guard Beasts | Tools: Repair kits needed | Exile: Banished from home |
| 9-10 | Primitive Traps/Wards | Fuel: For winter warmth | Wealth: Rumors of gold |
| 11-12 | Hidden Weapons | Draft Animals: Lost a beast | Freedom: Escape high taxes |
| 13-14 | Faction “Agents” | Knowledge: Maps/Guides | Safety: Fortified location |
| 15-16 | Divine/Magic Aura | Lumber: For building | Vision: A leader’s dream |
| 17-18 | Professional Soldiers | Iron/Ore: For smithing | Overcrowding: Old city full |
| 19-20 | Ancient Automaton | Seeds: For first harvest | Contract: Fealty to a Lord |
Every NPC or group should have a Want. When the players encounter this caravan during a Wilderness Watch, roll on the “Needs” table to determine what they immediately ask the players for (e.g., “We have plenty of gold, but our last ox died; do you have a way to pull this cart?”).
Example
Roll 4d20…14, 12, 10, 17.
Scholarly Expedition: Academics following ancient maps to a “lost” city. Protection: Hidden Weapons Primary Need: Fuel: For winter warmth Reason for Settling: Overcrowding: Old city full
So, we have a group of Scholars and their retinue, rolling 4d6x2 we find there 34 of them, let’s say there are 6 caravans.
They are armed for protection, and they’re currently running short on fuel - do the PCs have anything they can sell or provide, they’re armed so perhaps they’re desperate for fuel and would take what they can’t get.
They left for pastures new as they felt their city was getting too full..perhaps they couldn’t get the land they wanted to farm/build a religious temple etc, maybe they left with the city’s blessing and encouragement as a way to ease overcrowding, maybe they didn’t…are all the retinue keen to be there…how long have they been searching for this “lost city”?
They have a map which they acquired…perhaps they stole it, and there is a group after them for it, or maybe they purchased it at great expense (after the group raised lots of money in the city), but is it real, how accurate is it? How long will it take to get there?
Is the “lost city” really lost? Does it exist at all? Have the PCs ever heard of this place?
All these questions can be resolved (or not) by the GM and players…dig out that old map you picked up in a multi-purchase and put it to some use.
Don’t forget to roll on your RPG’s “reaction table” but put this result through the filter of the Primary Need, what will the group do to acquire their primary need?
So…next time you roll a random encounter on the roads, it doesn’t have to be a humanoid tribe just killing people and taking their stuff, it can be so much more.
Enjoy!