Best of the Web: Quick Primer for Old School Gaming

A Quick Primer for Old School Gaming by Mathew J Finch.
The short, free, pdf that everyone who role plays should read to understand what role playing was like back in the day.

Social Class: The Lower Classes

Townsman
A Freeman that lives in a town. Generally considered higher than a Freeman peasant because they have skills in crafts or are merchants.

Yeoman
Poor farmers that paid rent to work their land. Also known as a Freeman. As a culture gets more civilized the number of yeoman increases as the incentives of wealth for their efforts encourages harder work and greater crop yields than Serfs ever produced. A yeoman that moved to a town would be considered a townsman.

Serfs
Poor farmers that owe a debt to the lord and must work the Lord's land for him (might include mines as well). They can depend upon the Lords protection to an extent. The children of a Serf are also Serfs. After the black plague reduced the population of Serfs in England the peasants revolted resulting in a large number becoming Yeoman. A serf that escaped their lot and made it to a Freetown, and avoided capture for a year would be considered free and be considered a Townsman.

Slaves/Thralls
One that is owned by another. Slavery was common in the Dark Ages but mostly gone by the medieval period. The main difference between Slaves and Serfs is that slaves are protected because they are property, not because the owner has an legal requirement to do so.

Human Culture: Primitive, Nomad, Barbarian, Civilized

In RuneQuest 3 they used the concept of Culture to help determine a characters background. The cultures were culled from archeological or sociological research so they sound a bit 'harsh' to modern ears but they are specially referring to the size of settlements, cohesiveness between settlements, and available occupations and not to the morality or civility of the folks within. As far as I know there are no other labels that fit as accurately so take no offense. Also, within a game nobody is likely to use the terms as described here (Cimmeria from Conan the Barbarian is more of a Primitive culture for example).

• Primitive - Hunter Gatherers, barter economy, leadership based on clan and tribe. No serious settlements above a village unless its because they overran the place. Examples, pretty much any group referred to as tribes. Germans and Celts during the Roman Empire, most First Nation peoples, Bantu and Zulu peoples.
• Nomad - Culture with no permanent settlements of their own, constantly traveling and stopping at settlements run by others. Examples, Beduins, Mongols, Sioux Nation.
• Barbarian - Generally barbarian equals Feudal but not always. They may have coins or a barter system. They have settlements but they tend to be small towns or smaller unless they inherited the settlement through conquest or a collapsed Civilized culture. Examples, Dark Ages Europe, Mogul India.
• Civilized - Administrative government with major settlements and, coins, a permanent military, & regulated and documented taxation. Examples, Romans, Byzantine Empire, Europe after the Norman conquest, Islamic Caliphate, China, Japan, Ghana Empire, Mali Empire, Egyptians, and the Aztec and Inca Empires.

A note about cultures

Typically an Empire will be a mix of cultures For example the Roman Empire is civilized (Greece, Italy, Spain, Anatolia) with sections of Barbarians (Gaul, Britain, North African Coast), with spots of Primitive at the fringes (Picts and Germans). The Abbasid Caliphate was civilized in the Levant and Persia, with Nomads in Arabia and barbarians across North Africa. The Mongols were a Nomadic Empire that contained Civilized China, Civilized Persia, etc... Hopefully you get the point. The cultures should be used to define regions more than peoples or nations and things change over time.

Best of the Web: Mastering the Megadungeon,

Megadungeon Design
This week we have a single link for the Best of the Web, but that link will take you too Dungeon Fantastic's posts on mega dungeon "Best Practices" all of which are well worth reading.

NPC: Name NPC

Name NPCs are the NPC important enough that the GM should give them a bit more detail. The ones that the GM expects the characters to talk to. The idea is to give them enough personality and some kind of recognizable feature or quirk to spur the memory when and if they are encountered again.

Table 1: NPC Personality

1d100	Personality
01-02	Says everything in a profound way
03-04	Know-it-all
05-06	Constantly apologizes
07-08	Makes lots of threats but swiftly backs down
09-10	Very mellow
11-12	Barely speaks
13-14	Laughs at the misfortune of others
15-16	Nicknames everyone
17-18	Prays a lot
19-20	Tosses a coin to make decisions
21-22	Has a list of numbered rules or maxims
23-24	Tells people the ôrealö reason they do things
25-26	Asks for advice or opinions about very unlikely situations
27-28	Speaks with great formality
29-30	Easily distracted by minor events in the area
31-32	Usually needs someone to explain a joke or metaphor
33-34	Likes to count things
35-36	Always tries to compromise
37-38	Always eating
39-40	Very bad liar
41-42	Asks rude questions without realizing they cause offense
43-44	Very sensitive to criticism or conflict
45-46	Absent-minded
47-48	Always agrees (but changes mind just as easily)
49-50	Sniffs or tastes nearly everything
51-52	Cannot keep a secret
53-54	Easily moved to tears
55-56	Easily angered
57-58	Terrified of disease and sick people
59-60	A connoisseur of fine food and drink
61-62	Very superstitious
63-64	Never turns down a dare or challenge
65-66	Never uses one word when ten will do
67=68	Always has a reason why something won't work
69-70	Dotes on an obnoxious pet
71-72	Name-drops constantly
73-74	Complains about smells no one else notices
75-76	Can't stop drinking once starts
77-78	Asks about price, constantly
79-80	Gossip
81-82	Act mysteriously
83-84	Avoids making any kind of physical contact
85-86	Always tries to be the center of attention
87-88	Makes snap judgments about people or situations
89-90	Very jealous and possessive
91-92	Continually mentions a heroic battle he was in and how nothing else compares
93-94	Makes token bets about minor things
95-96	Refers to self in third person
97-98	Says people's names a lot when speaking
99-00	Haggles over everything

Table 2: Physical Characteristics

1d100	Stock Character
01	Warts
02	Bad breath
03	Big nose
04	Long fingers
05	Stubby fingers
06	Boils
07	Very clean
08	Very white teeth
09	Dazzling eyes
10	Sweet smile
11	Beautiful curves/muscles
12	Dirty nails
13	Dirty hands
14	Calloused hands
15	Eye patch
16	Glass eye
17	Glasses
18	Bushy sideburns
19	Yellow teeth
20	Scratches a lot
21	Sneezes a lot
22	Compulsive blinking
23	Bites nails
24	Obviously dyed/unnaturally colored hair
25	Avoids making eye contact
26	Sweats a lot
27	Giggles
28	Hobbles
29	Jolly looking
30	Cracks knuckles often
31	Whistles when talking
32	Cross-eyed/Lazy Eye
33	Harelip
34	Rotten teeth
35	Generally filthy
36	Distinctive Tattoo
37	Many tattoos
38	Covered in tattoos
39	One pierced ear
40	Pierced ears
41	Pierced nose
42	Pierced lip
43	Tribal scar on forearm
44	Winks a lot
45	Hacking cough
46	Spits a lot
47	Dreadlocks
48	Different colored eyes
49	Missing teeth
50	Scarred
51	Twitches
52	Laughs nervously
53	Lisps
54	Limps
55	One eye
56	Missing a finger
57	Scarred face
58	Picks teeth nervously
59	No teeth
60	No fingers on one hand
61	Bald
62	Comb-over bald patch
63	Shaved head
64	Curly hair
65	Long hair
66	Short hair
67	Blonde hair
68	Black hair
69	Red hair
70	Gray hair
71	Big ears
72	Fat
73	Tall
74	Thin
75	Short
76	Homely
77	Handsome/beautiful
78	Mustache
79	Beard
80	Stubbly
81	Obscenely fat
82	Strangely tall
83	Unusually short
84	Double-chinned
85	Thin-lipped
86	Very hairy
87	Eyebrows meet
88	Wide mouthed
89	Missing a hand
90	Club-footed
91	Missing a leg
92	Missing an arm
93	Horrible facial scars
94	Clawed hands
95	Webbed hands
96	Scarred from pox
97	Terrible facial disease
98	Covered in cysts
99	Covered in pustules
00	Major deformity

Casting the part - It can be helpful to imagine an actor or fictional character as playing the the Name NPC (Frank Constanza or John Wayne for example). This gives the GM an instant graps of the character's appearance and possibly personality.

NPC: Stock Characters

NPCS need to have personalities so they can engage with the PC and not seem identical to each other, but every single NPC doesn't need to be totally unique. Some are there to fill a role in the campaign the way certain stock characters fill a role in each of Shakespeare's plays. That's the concept of Stock Characters, just a quick easily grasped personality based on stereotypes used in movies, novels, and plays for hundreds of years.

Table 1: Cleric/Priest 

1d100	Stock Character
01-15	Mad scientist - An insane or highly eccentric priest
16-30	Senex iratus - A parental figure prone to rages and threats
31-45	Whisky priest - A priest who shows clear signs of moral weakness
46-85	Wise Elder - An elderly Priest who provides wisdom
86-00	Roll on Mundane table

Table 2: Military

1d100	Stock Character
01-05	Arrogant Soldier - Overly confident soldier
06-10	Bitter Veteran - Bitter but experienced soldier
11-15	Black knight - An evil fighter
16-20	Crazy General - Crazy war leader
21-25	Drill Sergeant - Tough as nails veteran man-at-arms
26-30	Elderly master - A wise, powerful man
31-35	Hotshot - A reckless character
36-40	Incompetent Soldier - Good hearted but incapable
41-45	Incompetent Commander - Commander who bought their position
46-50	Jolly Veteran - A daft military leader
51-55	Miles Glorious - A boastful soldier
56-60	Pompous Colonel - A blowhard commander
61-65	Raw Lieutenant - A confused, idealistic, commander
66-70	Raw Recruit - New soldier who knows nothing
71-75	Ringbanger - Obsessed with class and upbringing (represented by ring)
76-80	Rough Sergeant - Tough, knowledgable, and dependable
81-85	Solid Non-com - A dependable sergeant
86-90	Spear carrier - A minor military fellow
91-95	Supersoldier - A soldier who operates beyond perceived limits or abilities
96-00	Roll on Mundane table

Table 3: Mundane

1d100	Stock Character
01-03	Bad boy - A roguish macho man
04-06	Battle-axe - A domineering woman
07-09	Boy next door - A nice guy
10-13	Cat lady - An old woman who lives alone
14-16	Contender - A competitive underdog
17-19	Everyman - An ordinary individual
20-23	Farmer's daughter - A naive young woman
24-26	Femme fatale - A beautiful but mischievous woman
27-29	Girl next door - An wholesome but average girl
30-33	Grande dame - An elderly socialite
34-36	Hag - A wise old woman
37-39	Harlequin - A clown
40-43	Hooker with a heart of gold - A moral person in immoral occupation
44-46	Ingenue - A young wholesome person
47-49	Jock - An athlete who is not very smart
50-53	Momma - Matronly woman
54-56	Manic Pixie Girl - Girl with eccentric personality quirks
57-59	Mother's boy - A man who is excessively attached to his mother
60-63	Nerd - A socially-impaired, or overly-intellectual person
64-66	Noble savage - A wild outsider with noble characteristics
67-69	Outlaw - A romanticized, often charismatic scoundrel
70-73	Princesse lointaine - A romantic love interest
74-76	Senex iratus - A parental figure prone to rages and threats
77-79	Soubrette - Vain, girlish, mischievous, lighthearted, girl
80-83	Straight man A sidekick to a funny person
84-86	Swashbuckler - A joyful, noisy, and boastful swordsman
87-89	Tomboy - A girl with boyish and/or manly behavior
90-93	Tortured artist - A character who is in constant torment
94-96	Town drunk - A character who is drunk more often than sober
97-00	Village idiot - A person known locally for ignorance or stupidity

Table 4: Noble

1d100	Stock Character
01-10	Bad boy - A roguish macho man
11-20	Battle-axe - A domineering woman
21-30	Grande dame - An elderly socialite
31-40	Mother's boy - A man who is excessively attached to his mother
41-50	Princesse lointaine - A romantic love interest
51-60	Senex iratus - A parental figure prone to rages and threats
61-70	Soubrette - Vain, mischievous, lighthearted, girl
71-80	Tortured artist - A character who is in constant torment
81-90	Wise Elder - An elderly noble who provides wisdom
91-00	Roll on Mundane table

Table 5: Rogue

1d100	Stock Character
01-05	Bad boy - A roguish macho man
06-10	Battle-axe - A domineering woman
11-15	Elderly master - A wise, powerful leader
16-20	Femme fatale - A beautiful but mischievous woman
21-25	Gentleman thief - A sophisticated thief
26-30	Hotshot - A reckless thief
31-40	Incompetent Thief - Good hearted but incapable thief
41-45	Miles Glorious - A boastful thief
46-50	Jolly Veteran - A daft but fun old thief
51-55	Raw Recruit - New thief who knows nothing
56-60	Rough Sergeant - Tough, knowledgable, and dependable
61-65	Solid Non-com - A dependable sergeant
66-90	Spear carrier - A minor dependable thief
91-95	Superthief- A thief who operates beyond human limits
96-00	Roll on Mundane table

Table 6: Wizard

1d100	Stock Character
01-20	Absent-minded professor - An absent-minded Wizard/witch
21-40	Crone - A malicious old Wizard/witch
41-50	Nerd - A socially-impaired, or overly-intellectual Wizard/witch
51-60	Wise Elder - An elderly Wizard/witch who provides wisdom
61-00	Roll on Mundane table

Personality Modifier
Not everyone with the same base personality is the same. After all one can be an Abusive Drunk Priest or a Cowardly Drunk Priest. Adding the modifier gives quick, but subtle shades of personality to the stock characters. Details for the modifiers are left to the GM.

Table 7: Personality Modifiers

1d100	Personality
01-02	Abusive
03-04	Affectionate
05-06	Aggressive
07-08	Ambitious
09-10	Anxious
11-12	Bossy
13-14	Brave
15-16	Cautious
17-18	Confident
19-20	Cowardly
21-22	Creative
23-24	Cruel
25-26	Cynical
27-28	Determined
29-30	Direct
31-32	Easygoing
33-34	Emotional
35-36	Enthusiastic
37-38	Extroverted
39-40	Funny
41-42	Generous
43-44	Gentle
45-46	Greedy
47-48	Gullible
49-50	Happy
51-52	Honest
53-54	Impatient
55-56	Impulsive
57-58	Introverted
59-60	Lazy
61-62	Modest
63-64	Moody
65-66	Nervous
67-68	Nice
69-70	Optimistic
71-72	Patient
73-74	Pessimistic
75-76	Pompous
77-78	Rational
79-80	Reliable
81-82	Sarcastic
83-84	Secretive
85-86	Selfish
87-88	Sensitive
89-90	Shy
91-92	Sincere
93-94	Stubborn
95-96	Superficial
97-98	Tactful
99-00	Tactless