I did this as a guest blog some time ago and thought I'd reblog it here.
I came upon the idea of using dice in writing when I was
Gamesmaster in a selection of role playing games [the pen and paper kind, not
the computerised sort, because I’m really that old] and I made some tables for
random events and personality traits because the player characters very rarely
stuck to the plot as laid out in either published adventures or those I had
written, and wanted to go off and talk to people who were mentioned in passing
for local colour. So, rather than be wrong
footed, I developed the ability to quickly roll a few personality traits to see
how these random people would react to being spoken to by a bunch of [usually]
scuzzy looking strangers with big weapons and bigger attitudes.
I confess there may be a bit of an art in adding the traits
together and building a whole personality and –if need be – back story to them,
but if you talk to yourself in the role of this person, often enough it just
builds itself. Especially, oddly enough,
if any of the traits seem contradictory.
Eg, X is weedy, a sportsman and determined. Plainly he was a younger son, born rather
weedy and grew up, probably bullied by a big, sportsman of a father and older
brothers and bullies at school. He
decided to train secretly so that he could fight back against the worst bully,
who relied on body mass and intimidation, and was defeated by the determined
wiry strength of our hero. Does X hide
his sportsmanship behind dressing like a dandy because wiry strength or no he
is never going to look good in a Corinthian’s many caped coat? Or does he dress quietly and without attempt
to ape any fashion? Is he either
ridiculed in the first case, or overlooked in the second? Does the despised
dandy have the chance to knock down the villain who is mauling the
heroine?
I also include tables of incidents, mishaps and events, and though it is entirely possible to write a whole story using this method [see my story HERE] I generally use the method for sub-plots when I feel a need to add a distraction, if one is needed.
I normally work from a table 10x10 with a pair of 10 sided
dice; however, I have things like that at home because of all the RPGs I’ve
been involved with over the years, so I’ve reworked this into two tables of 36
characterisics, one for men and one for women because most people have at least
one ordinary die knocking around somewhere.
You can roll one twice for x and for y, or two different coloured ones
together. If you have 10 sided dice,
then by all means expand this… or swap out traits you don’t like for others.
I’ve constructed this using an informal analysis of the people in Heyer… it is
the sort of people who might be met in the upper classes; servants and
tradesmen should really have a table to themselves.
Male
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
|
1
|
Weedy
|
Sportsman
|
Dandy
|
determined
|
short
|
boring
|
|
2
|
Foppish
|
Rakeish
|
stylish
|
capable
|
generous
|
careless
|
|
3
|
gambler
|
Good natured
|
erudite
|
military
|
miserly
|
witty
|
|
4
|
Horse mad
|
misanthrope
|
stupid
|
sarcastic
|
Tone deaf
|
poet
|
|
5
|
commanding
|
Graceful
|
opinionated
|
tall
|
Pugnacious
|
musical
|
|
6
|
charismatic
|
Softly spoken
|
shrewd
|
hospitable
|
dishonourable
|
pacific
|
Female
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
|
1
|
Bluestocking
|
stylish
|
Good natured
|
graceful
|
chatterbox
|
boring
|
|
2
|
Well-read
|
dim
|
spirited
|
clumsy
|
deceitful
|
talented
|
|
3
|
Opinionated
|
Clever
|
Good figure
|
generous
|
truthful
|
witty
|
|
4
|
Horse mad
|
shrewd
|
Poor figure
|
miserly
|
whines
|
poet
|
|
5
|
gambler
|
tall
|
Tone deaf
|
spiteful
|
ambitious
|
musical
|
|
6
|
accomplished
|
spoilt
|
Fine needlewoman
|
pleasant
|
determined
|
quiet
|
Use a 6-sided dice to determine something more about a
character: can roll once on each column [age may have been determined
beforehand of course].
|
1
|
Old
|
Has child[ren]
|
impoverished
|
ugly
|
Flaw*
|
|
2
|
Middle aged
|
widowed
|
Ruined by debt
|
plain
|
Noble family
|
|
3
|
Past youth
|
unwed
|
competence
|
unremarkable
|
Awful family
|
|
4
|
Young
|
betrothed
|
Comfortably off
|
Well enough
|
Family of the Manse
|
|
5
|
youth
|
Married happily
|
Wealthy
|
attractive
|
Military family
|
|
6
|
child
|
Married unhappily
|
Very wealthy
|
gorgeous
|
Absorbing hobby
|
* eg slight deformity, birth mark, unpleasant voice, too
tall, too short, too thin, too fat, stutter, wall-eyed, red hair etc
I also use a dice-driven decision path when writing
mysteries. I usually use it for the odd short story to fill in, if I’ve had
several stories write themselves and I need one or two to fill in. However, I’ve developed a decision path for
odd irritating incidents to carry a regency story forward. This can create tension inside a story, add a
chapter or two and may even change the direction of the plot. The main rule is, if something feels wrong,
discard it. Nothing is hard and fast;
this is just a starting point for a side plot or two! I confess I tend to just be inspired by plot
bunnies by random facts about the period, but this is handy too for backstories
about why a secondary character may be in disgrace or acting as they do.
Incident and mishap table
This set of tables
shows an initial incident, then details [if required] about that incident, and then who
was responsible, if anyone.
1
a secret is
betrayed
2
a rumour is
started
3
a
compromising situation arises
4
a mysterious
letter arrives
5
belongings
are lost/stolen/damaged
6
a costume
disaster occurs!
Secret betrayed
1
family secret regarding a black
sheep
2
family secret regarding
legitimacy or otherwise
3 the character has a scandal in their past
4 the character or family member has written a book
5 something the character has said and now wishes unsaid
6 it’s someone else’s secret and that person thinks the character is
the only person to know it
Rumour started
1 The character is a flirt/rake
2 the
character is the author of some scurrilous publication OR has spread scurrilous
tales
3 the character is much richer OR much poorer than he/she really is
4 the character has a love child OR is a love child OR has behaved
scandalously
5 the character is mad or has madness in the family
6 the character is not who he/she says he/she is
Compromising situation
1 the character loses way and goes to the wrong bedroom
2 the character is directed [by accident OR maliciously] to the
wrong bedroom
3 the character is locked in somewhere with member of the opposite
sex [by accident OR maliciously]
4 the character gets into the wrong carriage
5 the character is lured somewhere by letter or other means
6 the character is abducted or drugged to arrange a compromising
situation
Mysterious letter arrives
1 from someone out of the character’s past wishing to rekindle
friendship/love
2 from someone out of the character’s past begging aid, financial or
practical
3
from a family member who needs something
4 the letter is a blackmailing letter threatening to reveal
something
5 the letter brings unwelcome news of financial problems/ruin for
the family
6 the letter brings news of an unexpected legacy which may or may not
be an encumbrance
Belongings lost/stolen/damaged
1 the all-important finishing touch for meeting the love of the
character’s life has gone missing. It
may have been removed maliciously, misplaced or tidied away
2 clothes have been cut up and ripped. Could be deliberate or it might be some
animal…
3 small valuable items are going missing and appear to be stolen. They probably are.
4 small items of no particular value are going missing. Could be anyone for a number of motives from
kleptomania to annoyance value.
5 Something gets ripped on the way out, and it’s too late to mend it
6 Letters have gone missing.
Have they been stolen, misplaced, or slid into a secret drawer by
mistake? If the last, what else is in
there?
Costume disaster
1 something is spilled down a costume; if it’s white, it’s bound to
be red wine
2 a costume catches on a projection and tears, and it’s somewhere
public
3 a lady’s décolletage is insufficiently well engineered and her
bosom makes a public appearance.
4 a gentleman’s trouser flap isn’t buttoned properly and threatens
to descend
5 the character is responsible for catching a part of the apparel of
a member of the opposite sex in a pin or fob, or through tripping, and rips it
6 the character manages to spill something down another person
Who, if anyone, is responsible for the Incident?
For this, use 3 dice, and add them, giving a range from 3-18. Most frequent occurrence will be 10-11, and
as many incidents are going to be caused by enemies, I have assigned them to
the most likely spots. If you prefer a more random chance, place those
responsible where more than one choice is given into 2 more categories to make
18 not 16, and list the people in 3 groups of 6: rolling 1-2 for the first
group, 3-4 for the second group, and 5-6 for the third group, and then one die
for the group determined.
3 stranger or mischief maker
4 animal agency or child
5 social inferior
6 neighbour
7
distant family member
8
sibling or close family member
9
family enemy/rival
10 jealous lover/ex lover/wannabe lover
11 rival
12 servant, for personal reasons or paid by another
13 former friend
14 friend
15 social superior
16 underling in position of trust
17 someone from the past
18 someone trusted like a
parent/guardian/governess
NOTE if someone who should be ‘on the character’s side’ does
something that seems mean, potentially either the character has offended this
person and a rebuke got out of hand, or a situation may have been engineered
with good intentions, and may, or may not, go according to plan. Eg, Lady Peacock locks Miss Scarlet in the
conservatory with Colonel Mustard because they have quarrelled and she knows
they are made for each other. This may
lead to worse quarrels or let them make up their differences. If Lady Peacock locked her daughter Miss Scarlet in the conservatory with Colonel
Mustard because she wants to engineer a good match with the wealthy and titled
colonel, an entirely different scenario ensues…
However, just in case inspiration
fails, here is a table of motives: use 2 dice and add them, giving a range of
2-12. 7 is the most frequent. Once again this may be broken into two tables
of 6 with an additional motive if need be.
Motives
2 knowledge
3 hatred
4 family
reasons
5 revenge
6 for gain [material or social or to attract someone]
7
jealousy
8
sudden anger
9 fear
of something the character might do or know
10 fear of what someone else might do
11 bribed or threatened
12 good motives to help character.
Random incidents that may be witnessed by characters
Random things can happen to kickstart a struggling
plot. Here I’ve put together 36
incidents which can happen, by rolling one die to get the number of the table,
and a second to get the incident on that table. Really there should be one table for the
country and one for the town; where an event is specific to the town I have
tried to put a country alternative.
Discerning readers may notice some incidents borrowed with my tongue in
my cheek from Heyer or from my own stories.
This is simplified from my much more extensive tables where I roll first
what sort of person is encountered based on the area… These can be used to add
a bit of local colour, or to start a subplot.
Table 1
1 climbing boy descends into character’s chamber
2 street urchin knocked down by coach/labourer’s child
knocked down by cart
3 a beggar asks for money.
On 4-5 he is crippled and may be an ex soldier/sailor. On 6 he is a
false cripple
4 there’s a very young prostitute crying, who has been
beaten up
5 a thief tries to
pick the character’s pocket; 1-4 it’s a child
6 a street entertainer is trying to get people to bet on
thimble rigging or similar
Table 2
1 there’s a parade of performing beasts and acrobats from
Astley’s Amphitheatre
2 two rival theatre companies/performances have people out
crying the attractions of their entertainments; a punch-up ensues
3 a tradesman is beating a dog/donkey/pony pulling a cart
which has become lodged in a rut or on a stone
4 a man accuses another of cheating at cards or dice
5 A troop of soldiers march by. 1-4 they look very smart in their scarlet
coats 5 they look scruffy but proud because they are fresh from the wars 6 the
appearance is spoiled by one who marches like a ploughboy/is dirty/is drunk
6 sailors in a press gang are looking for ‘recruits’
Table 3
1 two carriages or carts have collided and a dispute ensues
2 somebody barges rudely past the characters and may knock
them over
3 A Whig and a Tory have taken a dispute in a pub onto the
street and a crowd has gathered to see the fun
4 a street preacher is telling anyone who will listen about
eternal damnation
5 a rabble rouser is urging the masses to throw off the yoke
of the damned aristocrats; he’s about to be arrested, if the masses don’t protect
him. This could mean a riot.
6 there’s a new consignment of some special muslin in an
emporium and women are ready to tear out eyes and hair to get to it first
Table 4
1 a gentleman takes out a snuff box which should NEVER be
seen in mixed company and several ladies faint at its improper shape.
2 a wealthy woman wants it all and she wants it NOW and is
telling everyone so loudly.
3 a wealthy man has hurt someone with his curricle 1 he is
taking care of the unfortunate injured person personally, 2-3 he has offered
money to them, 4-5 he’s trying to buy off witnesses, 6 he’s blustering that it
was none of his fault
4 there is to be a talk by a member of the Royal Society
trying to raise money for something like an expedition to Egypt to dig tombs, to
fly a hot air balloon across the channel studying weather patterns, or to study
the volcanoes in Italy and Sicily.
5 Some wealthy ladies are giving the cut direct to another
lady. [roll on the mishap table for why, perhaps…]
6 He seems like a bona fides nabob but is he really an
imposter?
Table 5
1 is that really Daniel Mendoza in person?
2 the female is an opera singer; you may meet her anywhere
[indeed you just have] but there are plenty of rumours attached to her, and her
liaisons…
4 He’s plainly a gentleman, but he’s drunker than a lord.
1-2 he’s amiably fatuous, 3-4 he’s aggressive, 5-6 he’s about to pass out.
5 The girl is plainly a lady but she has no maid or footman
with her and is attracting unwanted attention
6 a very intimate letter turns up between the pages of a
book from the lending library. Was it left there by accident, and will someone
want it back, or was it a means of passing clandestine letters and the
character picked the book before the recipient could manage to get it? Is there a plan of an elopement?
Table 6
1 a gentleman is thrown from his horse and is injured
2 a horse bolts, frightened by a military band/ sounds of
shots from shooting game
3 There’s a big society wedding at St George’s Hanover Square. 1 bride and groom look deliriously happy 2-4
bride and groom look as satisfied as might be expected with an arranged
marriage 5-6 bride and groom are mismatched, probably young girl sold to old
rich man [but might be personable young charmer marrying a rich old widow]
4 There’s almost a riot outside a cartoon shop as some
leading figure is lampooned
5 there’s a balloon ascent at Vauxhall!
6 The new debutante is a mystery woman. Is she all she claims to be?
