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Mark S. Cookman

Sep 23, 2015
2 min

20 Animals to Encounter in the Desert

Today we will venture out into the desert wastes. Today's table is a list of animal encounters that your PC's might have in the desert. Why are we talking about desert animals today? Take a second, think about it. Is today Wednesday? Why yes, yes it is. Happy hump day, ya'll. Here's the table. ; ) 1d8 Camels (1-2 They are wild, 3-4 They have been broken, but have no markings, 5-6 They have saddles, saddlebags, and markings, but no riders) 2-12 Aardwolves (Use a coyote or medi

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20 (or More) Upper Class Desert City Citizens

Mark S. Cookman

Sep 21, 2015
2 min

20 (or More) Upper Class Desert City Citizens

Today we return to the desert to meet 20 (or more if you want to mix and match your rolls) upper class citizens. The idea here is to provide a collection of NPC's that might be main villains, evil henchmen, exotic patrons, or just background colors in your own desert story. I have tried to make the table as flexible as possible so that it could be used regardless of the rpg or system. Additionally, it should be understood that these NPC's is that they are in a social class th

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Mark S. Cookman

Sep 18, 2015
4 min

20 Heinous Pirate Tortures

Although we have been exploring the desert with our tables, today we shall return to pirates as our main focus since this is International Talk Like a Pirate Weekend. If you aren't familiar with this "famous" pirate holiday, then please visit the link above and learn about International Talk Like a Pirate Day. 'Tis a lot of fun for all who dare participate. In today's age we idolize the age of pirates. We see them as spirited rebels and make them into mascots, cartoons, and m

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20 Things to See in the Caravan District

Mark S. Cookman

Sep 16, 2015
3 min

20 Things to See in the Caravan District

The Caravan District is a separate part of the city. The sultan is keen to keep his people pure, as the desert gods are harsh masters to follow. For this reason, both citizens seeking to go into the Caravan District and travelers seeking to enter the Main City are registered at the gates to the section and provided an appropriate pass medallion: copper for daily visits, silver for week-long visits, and gold if you are a permanent resident of the Caravan District with access t

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20 Entertainments Held in the Amphitheater

Mark S. Cookman

Sep 14, 2015
2 min

20 Entertainments Held in the Amphitheater

Continuing the desert theme, today's post provides some insight into what the PC's might see if they go to the amphitheater. Usually, like a football stadium today, it will be empty. However, once a week or once a month, depending upon the richness of the city, some sort of event or festival is likely to attact enough of a crowd to use the amphitheater. Some events may well start as processions or parades outside of the amphitheater, but end up inside for their finale. Not al

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20 (or More) Shops to Find in a Desert Bazaar

Mark S. Cookman

Sep 12, 2015
2 min

20 (or More) Shops to Find in a Desert Bazaar

The PC's are searching the desert bazaar. What shops and businesses are they likely to find? Here is another list of 20 (or more) merchants meant to inspire GM's who are looking for material to enhance their desert-based games. The table was meant to be generic enough to be used for nearly any rpg system, but you may have to adjust the Races to be right for your game. Roll them up straight or mix and match results for more variety. I hope that you can find some inspiration he

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Mark S. Cookman

Sep 11, 2015
1 min

20 Locations Inside a Large Desert City

In past blog entries, I had been doing sea-side and port town tables of various sorts, but now I am going to take you far from the sea, into the deep desert sands. This will be the first in a series of tables for creatures, people, places, and things that your PC's might find in the desert. We will start with 20 places that your PC's might find in a large desert city. This table is generic and can be used for either fantasy or scifi themed games. Enjoy. A Guild Hall (1-Mercha

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Mark S. Cookman

Sep 4, 2015
2 min

20 Encounters on a Busy Dockside

This week's theme has been what would the PC's see in a busy port. Continuing that theme, today's table is a collection of encounters with other, busy people on the docks. I hope this helps to bring some life and "sea salt" to your RPG's. Enjoy. A sorcerer's apprentice is going from ship to ship looking for fresh fish eyes. A newly-promoted ship's officer is heading out with his mates to celebrate. An old woman on the docks begs for food for both her cat and herself. A pair o

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Mark S. Cookman

Sep 2, 2015
2 min

20 (or More) Ships to Find at the Docks

We've been discussing things that one might find on the dockside this week. One cannot ignore the fact that the reason most people go to the docks is to find a ship. If you find yourself in need of a few quick ships, then you can use the table below. A few rolls on this table and you'll have your whole harbor filled up before you know it; just don't forget WHY the PC's are on the docks to begin with. Without further flapping, here is today's table -- Enjoy. Name

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Mark S. Cookman

Aug 31, 2015
2 min

20 Businesses to Find Along the Docks

When the ships dock at port, everyone knows there are bars filled with loose women and thirsty men. Of course, there must be some sort of a fort or barracks filled with soldiers to keep things from getting too rowdy. Beyond those things, however, what might the PC's find if they explore along the docks in a port town? This is the simple theme of this week's tables. We will start off with a list of 20 dock-side businesses. Bait and Tackle shop Rope and Sailmakers Guildhall Bar

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20 Trail Signs to Find When Tracking a Group

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 25, 2015
1 min

20 Trail Signs to Find When Tracking a Group

Here's another little table that I hope that you find useful. Here's a scenario it could be used in. The party is looking for a monster (or a group of monsters) that is running away or perhaps sneaking through the borderlands of the kingdom. The ranger makes her roll and it's a success! She comes up with some sign of the trail and the party is off tracking the monsters again. Yay!!! "What did I find?", asks the ranger. Oh man, there's always at least one player that thinks

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Mark S. Cookman

Aug 20, 2015
1 min

20 Items to Find in the Captain's Cabin

The PC's are victorious! They have taken the enemy ship. This little table is to help GM's with one of the questions that comes next ---> "I search the Captain's cabin; what do I find?" A golden pocket watch that runs backwards A small scrimshaw figurine of a mermaid A monogrammed silk handkerchief A small hourglass The ship's log book 1d6 nautical maps and charts A 3/4 full bottle of fine wine A 1/2 full bottle of aged whisky A monkey-fist throw rope A small, covered, oil la

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Mark S. Cookman

Aug 19, 2015
4 min

Troublesome Treasures

In a previous post we examined some ways to add different kinds of treasures to the adventuring party's hoard. In this post we are going to look at some real treasures that are troublesome to the party in some way or another. As stated in the previous post, these suggestions are meant to be used infrequently to spice up and expand the description of treasures obtained by your RPG party. Treasure is supposed to be fun, so don't over-use these tricks. Even though treasure is su

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Treasures That Aren't -- 5 Different Kinds of Treacherous Treasure

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 12, 2015
6 min

Treasures That Aren't -- 5 Different Kinds of Treacherous Treasure

Nearly every adventurer loves treasure. So much so that "kill the monster and take its loot" is the most common adventuring trope. Treasure is an expected part of almost every role-playing game. In games with more modern settings, treasure might be information or special equipment, but in old school fantasy rpg's, treasure meant coins, gems, jewelry, and magic items. After a while though, even the treasure can become boring if it always the same. . . . "The party finds X silv

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Mark S. Cookman

Jul 22, 2015
4 min

5 Basic Tips for Beginning GM's

It can be intimidating to try to run a role-playing game, especially if you and your friends are new to the hobby. Here are 5 basic tips for those new to running role-playing games that can help you over the rough patches of starting out. Following these tips will help you to become a better gamemaster no matter what game you play. Know the Rules and When to Use Them If you are running a game, then you must know the rules of the game. It seems No one expects perfection. It'

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The Wharf Rats and Their Rumors -- Additional Content for Tavern Workers

Mark S. Cookman

Jul 20, 2015
4 min

The Wharf Rats and Their Rumors -- Additional Content for Tavern Workers

This post contains additional material for our supplement Tavern Workers. If you aren't familiar with it, please click on the link or the picture to become enlightened. We thank you for your support. If you are familiar with it, then here is some additional material that fits in with the text of that supplement. If you don't have the supplement, don't worry. You will be able to use all of the stuff below without having it. Enjoy and Happy Gaming! The Wharf Rats Here are the s

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Mark S. Cookman

Jul 13, 2015
1 min

Tavern Workers Coming Out This Week

This week will see the release of multiple products from Black Shark Enterprises. The first will be Tavern Workers. This book goes hand-in-hand with Shady Patrons to provide interesting NPC's for the workers at the bar. If you enjoyed Shady Patrons, then you are sure to like this one as well. #rpg #pirate #5e #gmadvice #dmadvice #NewRelease #pirates

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