I’m stuck!
If you’ve arrived at an impasse in your adventure, simply roll 1d12 and apply the results to
get things moving again.
1 The “Raymond Chandler” solution
2 Villain thought defeated reappears
3 Environmental catastrophe
4 Betrayal
5 Ally comes to character for help
6 Villain comes to character for help
7 New faction arises, shifting balance of power
8 Find a mysterious item
9 Important item is lost/missing/stolen
10 A sudden death
11 Affairs of the heart
12 Roll twice and combine the results
Notes on interpretation
Not every entry should be taken literally. Different game settings require different
interpretations; what works in Mörk Borg is probably not appropriate in a game of Regency.
The “Raymond Chandler” solution Raymond Chandler famously wrote, "When in doubt,
have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand." In many cases this is just a
combat encounter, but social “combat” is often more fitting. Or you could keep it literal: a
footman bursts in with a smoking musket – there’s been a hunting accident! Or someone
challenges your PC to a duel. Or they challenge an ally, in which case your PC is the second,
or must try to stop the madness! The ‘duel’ need not be pistols at dawn; it could be spell vs.
spell, a high-stakes game of cards, a speeder race, a bake-off...
Villain thought defeated reappears This can either be from the campaign or your PC’s
backstory. If you don’t have a convenient villain, it’s time to roll one up, and decide how
they were defeated. The more melodramatic the proceedings, the more likely it is that they
were (presumed) dead.
Environmental catastrophe Fire, flood, earthquake, locusts, warp storm, a rain of frogs…
make it big. Or don’t: heavy rains make the country roads into a mire, and father can’t
return home before the christening! Perhaps it’s very localised: someone spills a drink /
throws paint/ splashes mud down the front of your new gown!
Betrayal Someone you thought an ally stabs you in the back, literally or otherwise. Why?
How? Are they working with the villain now, or this a separate issue? How will you succeed
without their support? How will you take revenge?
Ally comes to character for help Someone close to you needs help badly. It may or not
have any relation to the main plot. Who is it? How do they get the message to you (in
person, telepathically, a thug delivering a ransom note…)? What do they need? Can you
afford to drop everything to help them right now? What are the consequences if you don’t,
or can’t, or refuse?
Villain comes to character for help In addition to the questions of the entry above, you
also need to figure out what could possibly motivate them to ask you for help. Does this
mean you’re friends now, or will things go back to normal once the crisis is over? The
problem should be dire enough that not helping would cause more, perhaps even worse,
problems for your PC and/or the world.
New faction arises, shifting balance of power Who are they? What do they want? Why
are they opposed to you and the villain? Could either of you court their favour?
Find a mysterious item It could be anything: a brand new datapad, an ancient and
indecipherable scroll, a locket with pictures inside, an abandoned ship, an obelisk in the
midst of a field, a shoe… Where did it come from? Whose is it? How did it get there? What
does it do? Is it dangerous? Is it intrinsically mysterious, or only mysterious because of
where it was found?
Important item is lost/missing/stolen Yours or an ally’s. It could be your +5 sword or
FGMP-14, your secret diary, all your iron rations, the bishop’s signet ring, your favourite
hat… Is it bad that it’s missing because you can’t succeed without it, or is it just dangerous
in the wrong hands? Where did you see it last? Can you even remember? Did someone else
want it? Is it incriminating if you left it in the wrong place (think Lady Windermere's Fan)?
A sudden death This actually is meant to be literal. Kill off a random NPC, important or
otherwise -- maybe even a generic one. Was it natural causes? murder? the start of a plague?
Don't kill off the main villain unless the power vacuum created by their demise gives you
more to do.
Affairs of the heart Someone declares their undying love for the PC or an ally – or an ally
for the villain! Maybe an ally needs your help, Cyrano de Bergerac-style.
Roll twice and combine the results It may or may not all happen at exactly the same time.
It’s possible that one result will preclude or forestall the other. Just keep the unused one as a
new plot thread to introduce as soon as it becomes convenient. And the results may or may
not be connected. Maybe being caught in the hyperspace flux is the reason the villain needs
your aid… or declares their undying love for you!
Alea iactanda est, March 2024
