Comments on: Random Ruins for Gothic (and Fantasy) Adventures https://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/2018/06/18/random-ruins-for-gothic-and-fantasy-adventures/ Daniel James Hanley's Creations For Gaming. Home of the Ghastly Affair RPG. Mon, 25 Jun 2018 03:58:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Daniel James Hanley https://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/2018/06/18/random-ruins-for-gothic-and-fantasy-adventures/#comment-6170 Mon, 25 Jun 2018 03:58:26 +0000 http://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/?p=2001#comment-6170 In reply to sunlessnick.

Of course, if you roll a “14” on Table 3…

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By: sunlessnick https://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/2018/06/18/random-ruins-for-gothic-and-fantasy-adventures/#comment-6168 Sun, 24 Jun 2018 01:36:47 +0000 http://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/?p=2001#comment-6168 Very neat! (Except in the sense of being tidy – ruins are rarely tidy – but you know what I mean).

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By: Daniel James Hanley https://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/2018/06/18/random-ruins-for-gothic-and-fantasy-adventures/#comment-6163 Thu, 21 Jun 2018 21:18:25 +0000 http://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/?p=2001#comment-6163 In reply to Ynas Midgard.

There’s definitely no need to apologize for your enthusiasm! Also, thanks for pointing out the typos. It’s another reminder why editors are wonderful people.

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By: Ynas Midgard https://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/2018/06/18/random-ruins-for-gothic-and-fantasy-adventures/#comment-6160 Thu, 21 Jun 2018 15:43:30 +0000 http://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/?p=2001#comment-6160 In reply to Ynas Midgard.

Of course I meant the extra “s” is in “Bandits(s)”.

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By: Ynas Midgard https://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/2018/06/18/random-ruins-for-gothic-and-fantasy-adventures/#comment-6159 Thu, 21 Jun 2018 15:40:54 +0000 http://engineoforacles.wordpress.com/?p=2001#comment-6159 Nice!

A little nitpicking: Table 6 is missing full stops, and there’s an extra “s” in “Beggar(s)”. “Nobody” shouldn’t start in capital in Table 13.

Here are three ruins I just rolled up to test it:

The ruin was originally a stone grand house. The place became a ruin on account of a conflict or war. A notable feature of the structure is how the wind blowing through the structure makes a peculiar sound. Overall, the building is three-quarters intact (or on three sides). The roof is completely gone. The interior walls are mostly intact. The doors are all missing. The furniture is completely gone. Long shorn of their roof, the exterior walls are intact in some places, with holes in others. The windows have intact frames, but most of the panes are broken. The floor is intact, but strewn with debris. The vegetation about the structure is wild and overgrown. The ruin is inhabited by 1d12 Bandits.

The ruin was originally a concentric castle. The place became a ruin on account of the owner (or ruler) dying without a clear heir. A notable feature of the structure is the intact statuary of great artistic merit. Overall, the building is basically intact. The roof is completely gone. The interior walls are mostly intact. The doors are mostly gone, and those few remaining are heavily damaged. The furniture is somehow mostly intact, and in place. Long shorn of their roof, the exterior walls are three-quarters their original height. The windows are completely missing. The floor is long gone. The vegetation about the structure is profuse, but sickly and dying. The ruin is inhabited by nobody, but is frequently used by local lovers for trysts.

The ruin was originally a monastery. The place became a ruin on account of a deadly disease that struck the household. A notable feature of the structure is the mass of skeletons still strewn about. Overall, the building is three-quarters intact (or on three sides). The roof is partially gone. The interior walls are completely ruined. The doors are all present, wherever there are intact frames. The furniture is still present in part, but mostly ruined. Under the remains of the roof, the exterior walls are seemingly about to completely collapse. The windows have intact frames, but most of the panes are broken. The floor is intact, but strewn with debris. The vegetation about the structure is twisted, grotesque, and unnatural in appearance. The ruin is inhabited by 1d2 Fox(es).

I like the results. These tables could be used to populate the wilderness quickly (with mini-dungeons and simple lairs, that is). I’d probably use it in conjunction with some other tables, because this one mostly described mundane details. However, interpreting the results in context might just give one enough juice to work with. Like the same disease that made the plants twisted also killed the monks in the last ruin; and those foxes are probably not just mundane foxes. Or the eerie sounds in the first ruin might actually be the bandit’s pipes, and they could be deserters.

Uhh, sorry for the long comment.

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