Story Building Oracles

Turn a random encounter into a quest

My previous post on combat oracles got quite a bit of traction.

I’m happy that many of you found them interesting and/or valuable for your own gaming. As an avid solo player and sometimes GM, I love having plenty of oracles. Adding a bit of randomness to how the opponents operate in combat is fun for the combat oracles.

But what about when you're prepping for a game and get stuck? You might need a quick prep or a side quest and need a little nudge to get it going.

Or, imagine playing a solo hex crawl where you encounter 1d6 mercenaries. The reaction roll suggests they’re friendly, so the party starts a conversation.

What exactly are they concerned about? Are they on a job? Where are they going?

The same is true for role-playing in a town or city environment. A discussion with the bartender could lead to a cool adventure hook.

An immersive world implies that events would occur with or without the players. These oracle tables don’t assume you know anything about the NPCs yet. Use the tables to generate a storyline then build them on the fly.

Here’s how it works: during an encounter with an intelligent being or group roll on each of these d66 tables. (That’s two 6-sided dice with one counting as the one’s digit and one counting as the ten’s digit.)

First, there’s motivation – What’s the primary concern of the person or group?

Second, there may be complications – What’s standing in the way of them achieving that goal?

Third, there are states or conditions – What’s a significant feature of the situation?

Let’s take an example.

I’m playing a fantasy game and encounter 2d6 townsfolk on the road. I know that they’re neutral to me from a reaction roll.

But is that all?

Motivation: Roll 23 – Authority

Complications & Conflicts: Roll 63 – Time

States, Conditions, and Features: Roll 25 – Artificial

The town of Eldon, just a two-day ride from here, has been taken over by an evil mage, Seruthlan. He came in disguise, using magic to control the population. The townsfolk encountered are the former community leaders.

They saw through the deception and tried to warn others but were ostracized. It isn’t just that they lost their authority. The mage is kidnapping townsfolk and travelers for vile magical experiments. Most are never heard from again.

He must be stopped, and time is of the essence.

Just a super quick one, but you see how it works.

Filter the rolls through your genre, world, and game vibe, then build a story. If the rolls give you something that doesn’t make sense, then roll again or pick something.

I didn’t come up with this idea. Many solo games and sandbox games have prompting systems built in or included as supplements. I prefer using my own sometimes based on the kind of stories I enjoy.

If you find these useful, then let me know!