Cafe Prost and the Little Red Notebook

The Jackalope is here, and requires a SACRIFICE.

Anne requested the following gift:

The Coffee House - Cafe Prost!

It is well known in Regensburg, city of culture, that revolution is brewing. The Duke’s tyranny can only continue for so long, and the Secret Police can only stamp down so hard. The Coffee Houses are the breeding houses of these anti-establishment ideas, the most famous of which were penned by the Revolutionary thinker Jedermann Prole.

The Secret Police know this; Jedermann Prole is the pen-name for maybe a dozen authors, and their names are shared in the so-called ‘Red-Ledger’. If they can find this ledger, the beating heart of the revolution can be torn out, and the growing movement will be set back decades.

Cafe Prost is to be the scene of the pivotal moment, an exchange that will see the Red-Ledger disappear out of the city, unless the Secret Police can snag it first!

Rollen das Schauspiels

Offizer Armand Schnekt

Commander of the Secret Police, head of the Sting operation. Undercover as Ernando Teste.

Normally finely polished and pristine, but becoming more frazzled as the handover time approaches. Highly competent, if paranoid, and has a tendency to charge off alone and leave his supporting team behind.

He knows the Handover will be at the Cafe Prost!, and soon, but the exact time and the people involved are as yet a mystery to him.

Accompanied by two other officers, Yurgen Tauwen, and Thurn Ingmar; both reasonably competent, but crack under pressure.

Comrade Lucia Moll

The leader of the local resistance chapter. Will hand over the ledger to Comrade Neimor.

Tall, dark, confident. She dares not wear any Resistance iconography, and has slowly built up a believable pretence of being a struggling artist trying to write a book.

She knows who Neima Opell is, and will wait patiently for the perfect time to make the delivery. However, her over-caution might make her wait too long, and have to perform the delivery quickly if any trouble breaks out.

Utterly dedicated to the cause.

Comrade Neima Opell

Arrived on horseback this morning; is relaxing in the Coffee house before continuing on her journey, will carry the ledger out of the city in the morning.

Wiry and light, she can’t wait to be out of the city. She knows no-one in this town, or its chapter of the Resistance, she only knows she will be delivered a Red Notebook today, and where she needs to take it.

If trouble breaks out, she will wait for as long as she can to receive the Notebook, but will leave if forced; she won’t risk her chapter being exposed.

Utterly dedicated to the cause.

Comrade Karl Queitz

Having second thoughts, might sell out the resistance to the Secret Police.

Doing his best to keep it together, but his paranoia grows daily, and exponentially.

He doesn’t know who will take the ledger, but does know Lucia currently has it. As the Handover approaches, he will seek out the Secret Police and try to give them the information he knows in exchange for safety. However, he doesn’t know who the secret police are. He could well end up approaching the gangster Hanz Frommel, or the Party, if they look like what you might expect undercover secret police to look like.

Citizen Hanz Frommel 

Member of a local crime ring, the Blackstreet Brigade. Is attempting to intercept the Ledger to either ransom to the Secret Police, or extort the resistance, whichever pays better.

Slicked back hair, confident half-smirk, a couple of tasteful face piercings. Perhaps a little too punky to be obviously Secret Police, a little too much cruelty in his eyes to be convincingly Resistance. 

From an informant in the Secret Police, Hanz knows as much about the Handover as Officer Armand Schnekt.

Other (Unaffiliated) Characters Of Potential Interest

1 - Brother Antalli and Brother Humvei: Foreign ascetic monks who have traveled far to meet each-other half-way between their respective homes. They sip curious beverages while they describe all the many wonders they have contemplated in their hermitages. Due to their shaky hold on the local language, and the esoteric topics they discuss, they could well sound like they are talking to each other in code. 2 - Citizen Shamvoelli: In the decades to come, he will be recognised as a titanic genius of literature. For now he is recognised as someone who pours his coffee on the floor if it isn’t brewed to his precise requirements. When he isn’t scowling out the window, he scribbles in note books. Today, it is a red notebook. 3 - The Industrial Spy: An Agent of Cafe Prost!’s biggest rival Cafe Enchante, out to discover the secret to Cafe Prost!’s success. Scours the room with their eyes, drinking in every detail, considering every possibility. In truth, there is no secret, the Revolutionaries picked it arbitrarily, with the side-effect of boosting Cafe Prost!’s prosperity. 4 - The Charming Cardsharp: Though well dressed, beautiful, and dripping with deliciously honeyed words, the Cardsharp runs a dreadful racket. Slowly, they will build up friendships with other gamblers, before viciously rinsing them for all they’re worth. Having finished their most recent con, they are on the lookout for new rubes. 5 - The Exhausted Baronette: Just, everything is going wrong for this guy, and his desperation is reaching a tipping point. He will tell anyone who will listen to the cavalcade of disaster that has befallen him, and eventually he’ll even tell the people who won’t listen. If prodded in the wrong way, he will cause quite the scene. 6 - The Merchant Venturer: Hardship has drawn harsh lines on their face, even as their sumptuous dress and expensive effects speak of a life of luxury. They seek couriers for a long and possibly dangerous trek, taking valuable documents to a distant country. It's merely schematics for an invention, but they are deadly secretive about it, on today of all days.  

General Patrons of the Cafe Prost!

	1	2	3	4	5	6
1	A well dressed couple, a pampered puppy at their feet.	A bald priest, reviewing a new edition of a prayer book.	A pair of young lads, eyeing up the pretty ladies.	An elderly gentleman, enjoys a cigar and a newspaper.	A group of financiers, haggard, downing coffee after coffee.	A sleeping nightwatchman, fresh from his duties, cold coffee.
2	A distressed alchemist, pouring over pages and pages of notes.	A member of the city guard, dressed in armour, off duty.	A doe eyed man, enraptured by a ruthless seductress.	Two illicit lovers share a pot of coffee, their time is nearly up.	A cat curls contentedly on a table with a well chewed fish.	A very nervous man, has been stirring his coffee for hours.
3	A natural philosopher, drawing a painstaking diagram of a butterfly.	A blind man and his caretaker clean up a spilled cup, apologising.	A small woman and a very large dog both sit politely at a table.	A stern eyed hawk sits proudly on the shoulder of its handler.	A stern man informs his younger friend, the letter must make it out.	Three elderly women, playing an unknowable card game.
4	Two young, recently married women, gossiping scathingly.	An elderly gentleman quietly reads, as a cage rattles beside him.	A pair of young ladies pour over a book of puzzles, engrossed.	A man, impeccably dressed, endlessly adjusts his attire.	A severe lady sips her tea, thin lipped, as her "friend" rambles on	A plain man and dull women, staring blankly at each other.
5	Two tired financiers, arguing over the details of a contract.	A widow, sadly sipping across from an empty chair.	An Artiste, sketching a delicate scene of the Coffee House.	Rich, young gents loudly bragging of the vast range of their travels.	A cold woman, a teary-eyed man, it will be their final meeting.	Two elderly men, playing an intense game of chess.
6	A heart- broken man, red rimmed eyes, cold coffee.	A factory worker, no coffee, whittling wood with a large knife.	Three school-age boys, buzzed off their first real coffees.	A demure mother and two demure daughters, sipping softly.	Clearly exhausted, barely presentable, staring at the wall.	A gaggle of university students, playing cards, bets of shots.

Moods of Cafe Prost!

1 - Light Rain, dark clouds. Punters pushed in by the cold and the hubbub drowns whispers. Everything is slightly too crowded, everything smells just a tiny bit damp.

2 - A Fresh Delivery. The rich, deep scent of coffee suffuses the air, and a little smoke has leaked from a roaster. A fine grain haze settles in the air.

3 - Beaming Sun outside means many customers sit outside at small tables. A few remain inside, but it is sweltering, even with the windows thrown wide.

4 - Thick Cloud has settled over the city, and the humidity has risen to just become uncomfortable. Less coffee is being served, but they are making a killing on chilled drinks.

5 - A Slight Chill in the air means that pots of steaming coffee are being ferried out at a prodigious rate. With all these servers rushing about, it's a wonder no-one’s fallen yet. 

6 - A Quiet Day, for whatever reason. The loyal regulars remain of course, but the floor is mostly empty, and the staff are relieved to have a chance to clean things properly.

What the Party May Know

In general, they should have the general idea of what’s going on. They probably won’t know who is who, but given that the most likely way they will be brought into this is through one of the Factions involved, they will probably know those people.

If brought in by the Secret Police - they will know Armand Schnekt. They won’t know the appearance of the Notebook.

If brought in by the City Resistance - they will know Lucia Moll, and might know Karl Quietz.

If brought in by the Resistance from outside the City - they will know Neima Opell.

If brought in by the Gangsters - they will know Hanz Frommel. They won’t know the appearance of the Notebook.

It should be about 3 days before the handover when the party first discover it. For each day of reconnaissance performed, roll on the following table.

If a result indicates something the party already knows, they then discover that their foes have found this out as well.

D6\D6	1, 2, 3	4, 5, 6
1	The identity and motives of an Unaffiliated Character, ruling them out.	The identity and motives of an Unaffiliated Character, ruling them out
2	The Secret Police are sending three undercover officers. Their leader doesn’t work well in a team.	The Secret Police are sending three undercover officers. The two lackeys crack quickly under pressure.
3	The Leader of the local resistance is the one handing over the Notebook.	The Leader of the local resistance is disguised as an artist of some kind.
4	The Resistance Courier is called Neima Opell, but her appearance is a mystery. She is paranoid about being caught.	The appearance of the Resistance Courier, but her name and role are a mystery.
5	Karl Quietz is a member of the local resistance, but is beginning to have doubts about the whole thing.	One of the Resistance members is looking for a way out, and is willing to trade valuable information for it.
6	One of the Gangs of Regensburg have learned about the handover, and want to intercept it.	Hanz Frommel is out to collect the Notebook, but no-one really knows which side he’s on.

When the day comes, each faction should know some people of the other faction, but no-one should have all the information.

Everyone wants the Notebook, and everyone is willing to do desperate things to ensure they are the ones to get it.

Eventually, chaos must break out, and the future of the Duchy will rest on one small, red notebook.

Random Encounter Table Design

Introduction

Roll up, roll up, welcome to Honest Mart’n’s New and Used Random Encounter Emporium. Here I’ve got a whole range of Random Tables that you bet your butts I’ve got one just right for you! Come on in, let’s have a gander and see what I got, and if it fits what you need!

Types of Table

D6 Table

This is a Table I Promise
1
2
3
4
5
6

Right, so this one is your bog standard, roll and done kinda deal. Does that mean its bad? Of course not. Its stood the test of time. Its quick to understand, and easy to make. I recommend this kinds dealio for smaller, more intimate environments that you won’t be visiting too often, or have a limited scope, such as smaller dungeons.

Its main advantage, and disadvantage at the same time, is that it has a limited number of options that come up with exactly the same chances. Hence why I say use it for small environments, so that you aren’t as likely to waste mental effort on results that will never be rolled.

These same principles apply to any table where you roll 1 die.

2D6 (and XD6) Table

Ooh, look here, this one isn’t the same
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Ooh, okay now we’re getting somewhere.

This one is much the same as before, but with one key difference. The unkey difference is that there are more results. The key difference is that the statistical distribution of results isn’t flat like the D6 table.

In short, results towards the middle (7) are more likely than the results at the end (2 and 12). This becomes more pronounced the more dice you add, and the larger the dice sizes you use if you go for that sort of thing.

This “Bell Curve” is good for environments where you want to have encounters that are more likely, and ones that are less. Middling to larger dungeons and more limited overworld environments I would suggest. There are enough different results for some variety, thus an environment you’re more likely to spend some time in, whilst also making some events rarer than others, creating some procedural storytelling in the table.

D6D6

Okay this table is beginning to get a little out there I’ll admit
	1	2	3	4	5	6
1
2
3
4
5
6

Here is where we start to hit the cutting edge of Table creation.

Now, D6D6 (which is just the notation I use to denote the type of table able as opposed to 2D6) is in essence, just a D36 table. Each result is equally probable, but by producing it in this table form we make it a little easier to mess around with and visualise the probabilities with, since it is displayed, well, visually.

Let’s get into that.

Different Distributions of D6D6

D3D3

This is sort of the same jobie, but with less numbers, phew
	Onneee		Twwooo		Thhrrreeeeeeeee
1	9		Different		Cells
2	With		Equal		Chance
3	Of		Being		Rolled

This one isn’t really all that interesting, again it has a flat distribution, but it illustrates the point here. You can see visually that they all have the same probability of being rolled since each space has the same spatial area.

Honestly I wouldn’t use this one as it is unless for some reason you really have to have nine results on your table.

D3D6

Erk, more numbers than before, send help, I’m frothing at the mouth
	Onneee		Twwooo		Thhrrreeeeeeeeee
1	This		One		Is
2	Is		A		Bit
3	Like		The		One
4	Above		But		It
5	Has		18		Cells
6	Instead		Of		9

Again, demonstrating the same principle as with the D3D3 table.

1,23,45,6

Alright, this one I’m actually pretty proud of.
	1	2 & 3		4 & 5		6
1	Not Very	A Bit Likely		A Bit Likely		Not Very
2 & 3	A Bit Likely	Quite Likely		Quite Likely		A Bit Likely
4 & 5	A Bit Likely	Quite Likely		Quite Likely		A Bit Likely
6	Not Very	A Bit Likely		A Bit Likely		Not Very

Now, this is the cutting edge of Table design. [Editor’s Note: If you pay attention, you can actually *hear* the exact moment the author’s head/ego reaches maximal inflation.]

This Blends some of the best parts of the flat and the un-flat distributions together, you can see how much the different results are going to be different in terms of their probabilities. The four central spaces are twice as likely as the eight “edge” spaces, which are themselves twice as likely as the four “corner” spaces.

This gives you some room to present some encounters/results that are much more likely, and some that are again, much less likely to be encountered.

As such, I recommend this for spaces that you anticipate spending a lot of time in, such as larger overworld areas, or much larger dungeons. You could even do something along the lines of using the four “quadrants” of the table to be different factions, each with four encounters of differing probability.

We will now have a peak at some more ways we can manipulate the tables to create novel distributions of results. 

123,45,6

The Hee-yuuge Corner v The Teeny Weeny Widdle Corner
	1 & 2 & 3			4 & 5		6
1, 2, & 3	Quite Likely			A Bit Less		A Bit Less More
4 & 5	A Bit Less			A Bit Less Still		Even More Less
6	A Bit Less More			Even More Less		Unlikely

As you can see with this table, we have very heavily favoured the top left corner compared to the bottom right corner, with a fairly even-ish shrinking distribution of probability as you transition between the two.

This one could perhaps be good for an area where one faction is dominant, so you can have some encounters that are quite likely, and some that approach very rare indeed, to encourage further engagement with the faction.

1,2345,6

The Big Boi and their Many Tiny Siblings
	1	2 & 3 & 4 & 5				6
1	Not Very	Sort Of				Not Very
2, 3, 4, & 5	Sort of	Very				Sort of
6	Not Very	Sort Of				Not Very

This one is something of a variant of 1,23,45,6, in that we have one HUGE space in the middle, instead of four, and even more extreme differences between the edge spaces and the corner spaces. I’m not even sure what you could use it for, since the centre space would be so dominant, but I’m sure there’s a use for it somewhere.

1,2,34,5,6

Many Tiny Little Ones and a Few Less Tiny Ones
	1	2	Three & Four		5	6
1	Less	Less	Some		Less	Less
2	Less	Less	Some		Less	Less
3 & 4	Some	Some	More		Some	Some
5	Less	Less	Some		Less	Less
6	Less	Less	Some		Less	Less

And now, the sort of inversion of 1,2345,6. Lots of unlikely results, and a few results that are more likely, and one that is a bit more likely still. This would suit a more diverse kind of area, while still retaining some sort of bias towards a few results.

A Truly Bizarre Table

D6xD6

HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP
Result	Chance of	Percentage Chance	Resultant Rolls
1	1/36	~3%	11
2	2/36	~5.5%	12, 21
3	2/36	~5.5%	13, 31
4	3/36	~8%	14, 22, 41
5	2/36	~5.5%	15, 51
6	4/36	~11%	16, 23, 32, 61
8	2/36	~5.5%	24, 42
9	1/36	~3%	33
10	2/36	~5.5%	25, 52
12	4/36	~11%	26, 34, 43, 62
15	2/36	~5.5%	35, 53
18	2/36	~5.5%	36, 63
20	2/36	~5.5%	45, 54
24	2/36	~5.5%	46, 64
25	1/36	~3%	55
30	2/36	~5.5%	56, 65
36	1/36	~3%	66

This one is so hard it needs its own supplementary table.

Chance of Appearing	Number of Such Appearing
1/36	4
2/36	10
3/26	1
4/36	2

Ppphhhhffffpppp where to even start with this one.

Its cool? It has some weird, really weird distributions that kind of really defy expectation to be honest. No one result is going to be really, really high off the charts either direction, and at 17 different results, there’s a lot you could put on there without it being overwhelming.

But at the same time, since it's so hard to wrap your head around, I suggest you ignore it for the reasons I’ll get to below.

And Now, A Simple, But Effective Table Effectiviser Tool

D6&D6

Simple, But Effective with the Info-Packing
1	Main Encounter	1	Encounter Modifier
2	Main Encounter	2	Encounter Modifier
3	Main Encounter	3	Encounter Modifier
4	Main Encounter	4	Encounter Modifier
5	Main Encounter	5	Encounter Modifier
6	Main Encounter	6	Encounter Modifier

And indeed, one could add considerably more columns, assuming one could remember which die is assigned to which column… colour coding could help.

This one is less a table on its own and more of an add on force multiplier. You can attach additional results to any of the above tables to help nest more information into a single roll. Of course, the more information you have, the better, to a point presumably. There’s only so much information a human brain can hold in active use at any time, and you can only process new information so quickly.

But the key use here would be to add another column or maybe two to each roll you make, to provide some useful information, such as Best Left Buried’s Monster Moods (or indeed, Troika!’s miens), or the terrain of the fight, how far away the encounter is, tactical considerations, all sorts.

Consider

What are Random Encounter Tables for?

First you should ask yourself:

What am I actually doing here? Is this useful? Is it worth the brain effort and page space?

I hope that usually the answer is yes but let’s look at why. Much has been said on the purpose of encounter tables, such as;

• Constant resource drain throughout the dungeon to limit exploration
• Constant threat to keep players on their toes
• Represent the overall populace of the dungeon
• Reinforce storytelling
• Generally keep the Players on their Toes
• Keep the DM on their Toes
• To help present parts/themes/moods in the world or environment (thanks to Ahistorian from the OSR discord for this one!)

Worthwhile pursuits one and all, but a curious dichotomy emerges for me at least, the tension between the desire for randomness (and thus unpredictability) and careful design (to reinforce themes of the dungeon).

What is the use of Randomness?

One of the most common tenets of Old School Play that I’ve seen, and one of the core enjoyments is the desire for procedural and emergent storytelling, the stuff that might be anticipated in part, but never planned for in its entirety. Randomness thus serves us well in this regard, you’re never sure what’s going to come up next.

But this can only go so far. One of my favourite results from old DnD random encounter tables is Bandits, no. appearing: 30 to 300 (!). This is clearly the seed of a cool random encounter, but to see it pop up too often, or in places that don’t make sense, are either the catalysts for truly special moments, or for the breaking of the communal kayfabe.

Thus, to minimise the prospect of the truly outrageous, we have already partly answered

What is the use of Design?

As we have just said, a truly random random encounter table would at the very least, not be a benefit to play. There must be some form of design to the tables we use. This is partly what my breakdown of types of random table is for; by looking at things like probability distribution we can add some for of modulation for results. Maybe D6 patrolling bandits is sort of likely, a 3D6 patrol of bandits, and the 30-300 horde quite unlikely. There we go, somewhat fixed and a nice start to a random encounter table!

But then, overdesign would work counter to what we have said the benefits of randomness are to an extent right? So what are we really working towards with this middle of the road design?

Put them together and what do we get? 

Verisimilitude

I posit thusly, that we don’t really want randomness, we want the unexpected.
We don’t really want design (as such), we want believability.

In short, verisimilitude.

(Note, that in this case, I think verisimilitude is quite different to realistic.)

We want to be able to come across true curve-balls, as life is oft want to pass around, but we also want some sort of restrictions on them so that they conform to the ideas we have of each area. We want things to have the appearance of realism whilst still being able to hand out interesting and overall gameable encounters.

Thus, I provide this sort-of comprehensive list of general ways to organise your tables to offer your random encounter rolls some verisimilitude through design of randomness.
And all in a way that you don’t have to think too hard about it!

Key Take Aways/Final Thoughts

• Only actually put in as much effort as you need to in a table, no point giving a D100 table to a 6 room dungeon.
• Put in enough effort, a D6 table is going to get boring in a large overworld area the party crosses often.
• Consider the shape of your table - it can be easier to visualise probabilities rather than strictly by numbers.
• Consider different distributions of results to include rare/more common results on the same table for reduced notes-space.
• Consider nesting a few table columns together into a single table: push comes to shove you can always read across the table rather than roll for each one!
• Aim for Verisimilitude: realism can be boring and true randomness overwhelming.

Further Reading

Quite an interesting way to further modulate random results by party level:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxxIbZkFu4wdYWRhYzQyMTUtOGIxZS00NzljLTgyMzEtMGQ2YTc4MjBjMWYy/view

The oft-quoth classic; the Overloaded Encounter Die:

http://www.necropraxis.com/2017/11/22/hazard-system-v0-3/

An interesting variation of the Overloaded Encounter Die:

http://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2019/07/encounter-stew.html

“What if it isn’t an uncertainty of the occurrence of encounters, but a dread, ever-ticking certainty!?”

https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-inverted-random-encounter-roll.html

A bit of my inspiration for the “why” reasons of the way we do random encounters:

https://monstersandmanuals.blogspot.com/2012/12/on-philosophy-of-randomizing-tables.html

Further reasonings for the nesting of information in encounter rolls:

https://monstersandmanuals.blogspot.com/2014/07/random-tables-as-tools-to-compress-and.html

If you think there are other tables or links about table design that could do well in this, let me know below!