Truck Stops of the Uncanny Highway

Tags

20th Century, American Horror, Americana, Ghastly Affair, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, GROOVY Ghastly Affair, Groovy Horror, Middle America, Midwest Horror, Prairie Horror, Road Trip, Rural America, Seventies, Sixties

Heaven and Hell meet in the truck stops of the Uncanny Highway – sometimes, literally. During the “Groovy Age” of the 1960s and 1970s, American truck stops were generally smaller – and more numerous – than the massive ones to be found on highways today. The road-weary trucker could pull in to get gas, have their rig weighed, get repairs done, have a meal, take a shower, rest in the lounge room, rent a bed, do laundry, clean their truck, buy supplies – and possibly indulge their vices.

“Groovy Age” truck stops constituted a demimonde largely hidden from the eyes of non-truckers, and the following tables can set up some extremely dark and gritty scenarios. Naturally, you should edit the results to reflect the comfort level of your group.

Truck Stop Theme

d20	The overall design of the main building is…
1	Tiki.
2	Space-Age “Googie”.
3	Old West Boomtown.
4	faux adobe.
5	a rustic log cabin.
6	Art Deco chrome.
7	a faux castle.
8	faux Chinese.
9 – 10	plain brick, and in good repair.
11 – 12	plain brick, and in a state of disrepair.
13 – 14	plain clapboard, and in good repair.
15 – 16	plain clapboard, and in a state of disrepair.
17 – 18	stucco-faced brick, and in good repair.
19 – 20	stucco-faced brick, and in a state of disrepair.

The Parking Lot

d20	The parking lot is built for…
1 – 2	10 rigs
3 – 4	15 rigs
5 – 6	20 rigs
7 – 8	25 rigs
9 – 10	30 rigs
11 – 12	35 rigs
13	40 rigs
14	50 rigs
15	55 rigs
16	60 rigs
17	65 rigs
18	70 rigs
19	75 rigs
20	80 rigs

d12	and is currently occupied..
1	10%
2	20%
3	30%
4	40%
5 – 8	50%
9	60%
10	70%
11	80%
12	90%

d20	Besides trucks, the other cars in the lot include…
1 – 2	a motorcycle.
3	a “chopper” motorcycle.
4	a highway patrol car.
5	a highway patrol motorcycle.
6	a decorated “Hippie Van”.
7	a rock band’s Tour Bus.
8	a 2-door coupe.
9	a Camper Van or Motorhome
10	an El Camino.
12	a plain white van with blacked-out windows.
13	a family station wagon.
14	a plain four-door sedan.
15	a 1950s model Cadillac Eldorado – with big rear fins.
16	a sporty convertible.
17	a muscle car.
18	a Volkswagen Beetle.
19	a European sportscar.
20	a pickup truck.

There is a 50% chance per hour spent (sleeping or idling) in the Parking Lot that a “Lot Lizard” (prostitute) will knock on the car (or truck) door.

Truck Cargoes

d100	This rig is hauling…
1 – 2	Auto Parts.
3 – 4	Beef.
5 – 6	Beer.
7 – 8	Bicycles.
9 – 10	Birdseed.
11 – 12	Books and Magazines.
13 – 14	Cameras & Film Equipment.
15 – 16	Cars.
17 – 18	Chicken.
19 – 20	Children’s Clothing.
21 – 22	Cigarettes and Tobacco.
23 – 24	Distilled Spirits & Liquors.
25 – 26	Flour.
27 – 28	Frozen Foods
29 – 30	Fruits and Vegetables.
31 – 32	Furniture.
33 – 34	Gasoline.
35 – 36	Guns
37 – 38	Hazardous Chemicals.
39 – 40	Heating Oil.
41 – 42	Household Cleaners.
43 – 44	Lawn Supplies.
45 – 46	LP Records and 8-Tracks.
47 – 48	Lumber.
49 – 50	Makeup & Beauty Supplies.
51 –52	Men’s Clothing
53 – 54	Motorcycles.
55 – 56	Movie Reels.
57 – 58	Non-hazardous Chemicals.
59 – 60	Nuts.
61 – 62	Orange Juice.
63 – 64	Paint.
65 – 66	Pharmaceuticals.
67 – 68	Plumbing Fixtures.
69 – 70	Pork Products.
71 – 72	Record Players and Radios.
73 – 74	Salt.
75 – 76	Snack Foods.
77 – 78	Televisions.
79 – 80	Toilet Paper and other Paper Products.
81 – 82	Tools & Hardware.
83 – 84	Toys and Novelties.
85 – 86	Wine.
87 – 88	Women’s Clothing.
89 – 90	Gravel or Asphalt.
91 – 92	Batteries.
93 – 95	Illegal Drugs. (Roll again to determine cover cargo, ignoring results above 92.)
96– 97	Illegal immigrants. (Roll again to determine cover cargo, ignoring results above 92.)
98	1d6 kidnapped young women being sold into sex slavery. (Roll again to determine cover cargo, ignoring results above 92. Women are imprisoned in the trailer, behind a false wall.)
99	Dead Extraterrestrials and parts of a Flying Saucer. (Roll again to determine cover cargo, ignoring results above 92.)
100	A Vampyre’s coffin. (Roll again to determine cover cargo, ignoring results above 92.)

Gas & Diesel Pumps

d12	The gas and diesel are…
1	cheap, but high quality.
2	cheap, and average quality.
3	cheap, but low quality.
4 – 7	average price and quality.
8	average price, but high quality.
9	average price, but low quality.
10	expensive, but high quality.
11	expensive, but only average quality.
12	both expensive and low quality – a real rip-off!

Mechanic

d6	The on-site mechanic is…
1	barely competent.
2	a mechanical genius who can fix anything cheap.
3	an arrogant a**hole who thinks he’s better than everyone else.
4	an ex-con out on parole.
5	rude and crude, but knows his stuff.
6	a shady character who will look the other way at anything illegal – for a price.

Carwashing

d6	Trucks can be washed by…
1 – 2	the patrons themselves, with provided rags and soapy water.
3	the owner’s grumbling son.
4	a young man with a bad attitude.
5	an ex-con who needs the job.
6	the owner’s flirty daughter.

Restaurant

d20	The waitress is…
1	sassy,
2	kind and understanding,
3	educated and well-spoken,
4	tired and weary,
5	gruff,
6	very pretty,
7	a chain smoker,
8	always gossiping,
9	a thief,
10	sickly-looking,
11	heavy-set,
12	foreign,
13	a teenager,
14	an ex-con,
15	also a prostitute,
16	very flirty,
17 – 18	the owner’s wife,
19	the owner’s daughter,
20	actually a supernatural creature in disguise, (Angel, Devil, Vampyre, Terrestrial Sprite, Amorous Revenent, etc.)

d8	…the food is…
1 – 3	greasy and typical for the area,
4	typical but disgusting,
5 – 6	typical for the area and surprisingly tasty,
7	an unexpected foreign cuisine,
8	only one thing (hamburgers, chili, etc.),

d6	…and the coffee is…
1 – 2	mediocre.
3	strong and tasty.
4 – 5	like burning rubber, but it gets the job done.
6	weak and watery.
7	filled with grounds.
8	vile and fishy.

75% chance the Restaurant has a section where only truckers are allowed to sit.

The Lounge

d20, d6 times.	Besides [2d8] chairs, you see…
1	a radio.
2	a black and white television.
3	a color television.
4	a couch.
5	unemptied ashtrays everywhere.
6	1d8 magazines.
7	1d4 small tables.
8	a pinball machine.
9	an electric fireplace.
10	a cross on the wall.
11	cheap framed paintings.
12	1d4 cheap paperback books.
13	a newspaper.
14	a bible.
15	1d6 religious tracts.
16	knotty pine paneling.
17	taxidermy deer heads on the wall.
18	taxidermy fish on the wall.
19	Teamster Union literature
20	a pool table.

Lounge, Restaurant, and Shop Encounters

d8+d12, 1d6 times	The current patrons include:
2	Jesus or Satan himself, disguised as a trucker. (50% chance of both, playing cards or chess for souls)
3	a lost family on vacation.
4	a women on the run from her bad marriage, or abusive boyfriend.
5	a recently discharged soldier.
6	a highway police officer.
7	1d4 teenagers. (Runaways, hippies, etc.)
8	a happy trucker.
9	a mean trucker looking for trouble.
10	a lonely trucker, looking for company.
11	a biker.
12	a “lot lizard” (prostitute).
13	a trucker couple.
14	a traveling salesman.
15	a pimp. If the prostitutes working this truck stop do not have a pimp, he is looking to recruit them – or else to find runaways he can “turn out”.
16	1d6 musicians on tour.
17	a desperate father, looking for his runaway daughter.
18	a cargo pirate. Looks like any other Trucker. Will be very interested in finding out what any truckers are hauling, so they can steal it.
19	a couple on an interstate crime spree.
20	a serial killer looking for victims. 75% likely to look just like any other trucker.

Bathrooms

d20	This bathroom is…
1 – 3	clean and bright.
4 – 5	clean, but drab.
6 – 7	dreary.
8	disgustingly foul, and looks like it is seldom cleaned.
9 – 10	very dimly-lit.
11	covered in graffiti.
12 – 13	decorated in a nautical theme.
14	covered in newspapers.
15	in the middle of a renovation.
16	oddly modern and fashionable.
17 – 18	a mess, from what looks like a recent fight or struggle.
19	spattered with fresh blood.
20	literally a gateway to Hell.

65% Chance that a Truck Stop actually has separate bathrooms for men and women.

Bathroom Patrons

d20	Besides yourself there is…
1	nobody else.
1 -2	a Biker, or Biker Mama/Old Lady.
3	a Biker, or Biker Mama/Old Lady, taking drugs.
4	a drug dealer.
5	a highway patrolman.
6 – 11	a trucker, or trucker’s wife/girlfriend.
12	a trucker, or trucker’s wife/girlfriend, taking drugs.
13	an ordinary traveler.
14	a teenage runaway.
15	a child by themselves.
16	a migrant worker or musician on tour.
17	a couple having sex in a stall.
18	a “lot lizard” (men’s room) or a pimp (women’s bathroom).
19	a nondescript person apparently waiting for someone else, or someone looking for casual gay sex (late night only).
20	a supernatural creature (Vampyre, Werewolf, Restless Specter, Phantom, etc.)

Showers

d20	The showers are…
1 – 6	clean and cheap.
7	clean, but expensive.
8	clean, cheap, and regularly used for prostitution.
9	clean, expensive, regularly used for prostitution.
10	clean, cheap, and a meeting place for casual gay sex late at night.
11	clean, expensive, and a meeting place for casual gay sex late at night.
12	clean, expensive, and used for prostitution.
13 – 15	filthy and cheap.
16	filthy and expensive.
17	filthy, cheap, and used for prostitution.
18	filthy, expensive, and used for prostitution.
19	filthy, cheap, and a meeting place for casual gay sex late at night.
20	filthy, expensive, and a meeting place for casual gay sex late at night.

Bunks

d6	The bunks are…
1	just 2d6 beds in a single room.
2	small individual rooms, little bigger than the beds.
3	small individual rooms, little bigger than the beds, and very dirty.
4	almost like regular motel rooms.
5	almost like regular motel rooms, but very expensive.
6	almost like regular motel rooms, but very dirty.

Laundry

d12	The laundry facility is…
1	small, but clean.
2	small and filthy.
3	small, filthy, and the floor is wet.
4 – 5	average in size, and clean.
6	average in size, but filthy.
7	average in size and the floor is wet.
8	large, but clean.
9	large and filthy.
10	large, filthy, and the floor is wet.
11 – 12	full-service, and truckers can drop off laundry to be picked-up later.

Vending Machines

d20, 2d4 times	The vending machines dispense
1	adhesive bandages.
2	antihistamines.
3	aspirin.
4 – 5	caffeine pills
6	candies (other than chocolate).
7	chocolate bars
8	coffee.
9	cola.
10	deodorant
11	ginger-ale.
12	iced-tea.
13	knives.
14	peanuts.
15	potato chips.
16	pretzels.
17	shaving razors.
18	shoelaces.
19	soap.
20	toothpaste.

Repeated rolls indicate a wide selection of the indicated item.

Shop Items

d100, 2d6 times.	In the shop you’ll find…
1 – 3	8-track cassettes.
4	a guitar.
5 – 6	air fresheners.
7 – 8	bibles.
9 – 10	blankets & pillows.
11 – 12	boots.
13 – 14	chewing gum.
15	children’s clothing.
16	children’s toys.
17 – 23	chocolates & candy (other than gum).
24 – 29	cigarettes and tobacco products.
30 – 31	comic books.
32 – 33	condoms.
34 – 35	dashboard ornaments.
36 – 37	flowers.
38 – 39	guns & ammunition.
40 – 41	incense.
42 – 47	jerky and dried sausages.
48 – 49	knives.
50 – 51	magazines.
52 – 53	men’s clothing.
54 – 55	money orders
56 – 57	newspapers.
58 – 63	novelty mudflaps.
64 – 65	painkillers, allergy medicine, & adhesive bandages.
66 – 67	paperback books.
68 – 69	plastic sheeting.
70 – 72	portable radios.
73 – 78	potato chips, pork rinds and pretzels.
79 – 80	rope & duck tape.
81 – 82	seat covers.
83	shovels
84 – 85	soap.
86 – 90	soda / pop.
91	souvenir spoons.
92 – 93	surprisingly cheap cigarettes.
94 – 95	tire irons.
96 – 97	tire repair kits.
98	women’s clothing.
99 – 100	wrenches.

A repeated result indicates an especially large selection of the indicated item.

Drugs

d6	If you’re looking to score something stronger than coffee, you can get…
1	nothing else here – the owner doesn’t tolerate drug dealing.
2	Speed (amphetamine pills)…
3	Crank (methamphetamine)…
4	Cocaine
5	Marijuana…
6	Speed, Crank, Cocaine, and Marijuana…

d10	from…
1	a Biker stationed in the parking lot.
2	a guy in the Lounge.
3	the shopkeeper (or owner).
4	the cook in the restaurant.
5	the waitress in the restaurant.
6	the mechanic.
7	the car washer (or a guy hanging out by the washing station)
8	a “lot lizard”.
9	the local pimp.
10	the back of a truck that never seems to leave the lot.

“Lot Lizards”

d10	At this truck stop, the prostitute(s) is/are…
1 – 2	not welcome – the owner calls the police as soon as they show up.
3 – 4	1d4 adult(s) working for a pimp. (Ages are 17+d12.)
5 – 6	1d4 adult(s) working independently. (Ages are 17+d20.)
7 – 8	1d4 middle-aged adult(s) working independently. (Ages are 35+d20.)
9	1d4 foreign adult(s) working for a pimp. (Ages are 17+d12.)
10	1d4 adolescent(s) working for a pimp. (Ages are 11+d6.) (Naturally, you should ignore or re-roll this result if you find the possibility too distressing, or you’d rather not play out any “Taxi Driver”-like vigilante scenarios.)

• 95% chance a prostitute is female, and 5% chance a prostitute is male. (If the prostitute is male there is a 50% chance he is cross-dressed.)
• 50% chance the prostitute is an alcoholic.
• 50% chance the prostitute is a drug addict. (Determine alcoholism and drug addiction separately. Many prostitutes are both alcoholics and drug-addicts.)
• 25% chance a prostitute will attempt to steal money or valuables.
• 25% chance a prostitute carries a sexually transmitted disease.
• 10% chance a prostitute is a distraction for something else. (Cargo theft, a CIA mind control experiment, etc.)
• 5% chance an adult prostitute is actually an undercover cop.
• 1% chance a prostitute is actually a supernatural creature in disguise. (Angel of Mercy, Seducer Devil, Terrestrial Sprite, Amorous Revenant, Restless Specter, Witch, Werewolf, Vampyre, the Incarnation of Death, etc.)

Face of a Female (or Cross-Dressed) Prostitute

D6, five times	Skin	Eyes	Hair Color	Hair Style	Makeup
1	Very pale	Blue	Blonde	Bouffont or Beehive	Heavy and garish
2	Pale	Green	Light Brown	Afro	Heavy eye-makup only
3	Tanned	Gray	Red	Short, pixie or bob	Surprisingly well-done
4	Olive	Light Brown	Black	Long and straight	Badly-applied
5	Dark Olive	Dark Brown	Dirty Blonde	Flip	Surprising, non-standard colors
6	Black	Hazel	Dark Brown	Pigtails	None

Clothing of a Female (or Cross-Dressed) Prostitute

d6, four times	Jacket	Shirt	Pants / Dress	Shoes
1	Denim	Unbuttoned shirt or blouse, tied in the front	Mini-skirt *	Platform shoes
2	Leather	Brassiere / babydoll / lingerie top.	Hot-pants *	Mary janes
3	Short fur	Peasant blouse	Tights	Pumps
4	Suede, with fringed sleeves	Dashiki	Tight, bell-bottom jeans	Slippers
5	Short wool	T-shirt	Plaid skirt *	Flip-flops or sandals
6	Long wool	Camisole	Culottes *	Go Go boots

*d4: 1 = knee socks, 2=fishnet stocking, 3=pantyhose, 4=thigh high stockings, 5 – 6 = bare legs.

Male prostitutes not cross-dressed will usually look like any other Truck Stop patron.

“Lot Lizard” Hopes and Dreams

d20	If you catch them off guard, they might confess they want to…
1	go to Los Angeles and become a movie star
2	go to New York and become a Broadway star.
3	become a clothing designer.
4	open an auto shop.
5	open a bowling alley.
6	save up enough to buy a little cafe.
7	become a trucker themselves.
8	become a hairdresser.
9	escape “the life”, but it doesn’t seem possible.
10	become a madam / pimp themselves.
11	eventually get married and have a family.
12	become a preacher, and bring the good news of Jesus to other prostitutes.
13	get revenge on the relative that abused them as a child.
14	get revenge on the guy /girl who first got them hooked on dope, and made them start turning tricks.
15	get revenge on the serial killer they once escaped from.
16	get revenge on the cop who keeps extorting “freebies”.
17	write a book about their experiences.
18	contact the extraterrestrials, and escape this “sh*thole planet”.
19	find the Vampyre that supposedly hunts along this highway, and beg to be made immortal.
20	just go home, but they’re too ashamed.

Pimps

d20	The local pimp is…
1 – 3	an obviously violent and abusive monster.
4	actually the owner of the Truck Stop
5 – 6	a flamboyantly-dressed man.
7 – 9	a smooth-talking, well-dressed seducer.
10 – 11	a twitchy drug-addict.
12 – 13	an apparently even-tempered man in a suit.
14 – 15	a biker.
16 – 17	dressed like any other trucker.
18	actually the father or mother of a prostitute.
19	a nondescript man who looks like a typical suburban dad.
20	actually an extraterrestrial, or supernatural being.

Rumors and Gossip

d20	The current rumor around the Truck Stop is…
1	there’s a ghost rig that’s got no driver, but tries to run cars off the road.
2	there’s a killer working this highway, preying on girls.
3	U.F.O.s are constantly seen along this stretch of road.
4	every Wednesday night the parking lot becomes the place where every pimp in the state comes to trade prostitutes.
5	there’s a pack of werewolves that roam the area.
6	Jesus drives a rig that occasionally pulls into this lot!
7	the lot is built atop an Indian Burial Ground, and cursed.
8	the owner actually works for the C.I.A.
9	the owner takes a cut of every illegal deal that occurs here.
10	the owners wife /husband is buried under the parking lot.
11	the place is used as meeting ground by foreign spies.
12	the “Lot Lizards” all work for the KGB.
13	the road nearby is haunted by a Phantom Hitchhiker.
14	after 2 AM, a man with no face sometimes wander the edge of the parking lot.
15	the Apocalypse will begin soon, with a battle of Angels and Demons in the parking lot.
16	the ghost of a legendary driver still pulls their phantom rig into the parking lot.
17	unmarked military vehicles drive by occasionally. They don’t look like the U.S. Army, or even the National Guard.
18	One of the Lot Lizards is murdering truckers.
19	The Government puts tiny tracking devices into the gas, so they can track you everywhere you go.
20	The highway exits for Heaven and Hell are both nearby.

Truck Stop Events

d20	Unexpectedly…
1	a truck careens into the parking lot, hitting several parked rigs.
2	a bloodied woman escapes from the sleeping compartment of a parked truck.
3	1d4 police cars arrive to arrest the Lot Lizards (and their pimp if present).
4	you see a “lot lizard” douching with cola in the parking lot.
5	a Rock n’ Roll or Country & Western band’s tour bus pulls in.
6	a U.F.O appears overhead.
7	rival truckers (or bikers) begin shooting at each other.
8	there’s a stabbing in the Lounge (or Laundry Room).
9	blood is bubbling up from the drains in the showers.
10	a rig explodes in the parking lot.
11	a black luxury car with blacked-out windows and government license plates pulls into the lot. Out of it come 2d4 men in black suits and sunglasses, who proceed to break open the back of every trailer, and interrogate every trucker about their cargo.
12	a body falls from the sky.
13	an armed gang of obvious former prostitutes starts shooting at the pimp who runs the “lot lizards” here, or a violent pimp appears and begins roughing up a “lot lizard” until she agrees to work for him.
14	Mindless Revenants begin encircling the Truck Stop.
15	a rabid dog wanders into the parking lot, and begins attacking.
16	a van (or bus) full of “Jesus Freaks” pulls into the lot.
17	a van (or bus) full of nuns singing hymns pulls into the lot.
18	a van (or bus) full of Hare Krishnas pulls into the lot.
19	a film crew shooting a documentary wants to interview truckers and travelers.
20	a car full of rich college kids pulls in, looking to buy drugs and/or pickup prostitutes.