Tags
1960s, 1970s, Americana fantasy, Gothic America, magic realism, Midwest Horror, modern fantasy, Prairie Horror, Road Crawl, Road Trip, Roadcrawl, Roadtrip, Seventies, Sixties, Small Town Horror, Southern Gothic, Urban Fantasy, Weird America
Your lonely and desperate characters have pulled into a small town that promises some temporary refuge from the seemingly endless asphalt prison of the Uncanny Highway. What do they find there? Do they really want to know?
The tables presented here will take you “around town” to define its businesses, establishments, and locations – including the local Unsafe Teenage Hangout, and Lover’s Lane. Tables 1 to 9 (presented in Part I) give you a general overview of the town. Tables 10 to 13 (presented in Part II) define the predominant people and culture of the town. Tables 20 to 22 (upcoming in part IV) define the town’s major organizations and social institutions. Tables 23 to 32 (to be presented in Part V) define the Archetypal NPCs that seem to inhabit every small town, such as the “Most Beloved Person in Town” and the “Town Bully”. Finally, Tables 33 to 38 (in the final Part VI) generate the encounters that PCs will have if they spend time wandering the streets.
Table 14a: Essential Businesses & Establishments of a Small Town
|
Town Population |
This town has at least…. |
|
Less than 1,000 |
1d4 Churches, and a General Store (with gas pumps). |
|
1,000 – 2,000 |
1d4+1 Churches, an Eatery or Diner, a Gas Station, a General Store, a Bar, a Town Hall, and a School (all grades). |
|
2,000 – 5,000 |
2d4 Churches, an Eatery, a Diner, a Gas Station, a Drug Store / Pharmacy, a Grocery Store / Supermarket, a Bar, a Post Office, a Town Hall, an Elementary School, and a High School. |
|
5,000 – 10,000 |
3d6 Churches, an Eatery, a Diner or Restaurant, a Gas Station, a Bank, a Drug Store / Pharmacy, a Grocery Store / Supermarket, 2 Bars, a Post Office, a Newspaper Office, a Library, a Town Hall, a Volunteer Fire Department Hall, an Elementary School, a High School, and a small Hospital. |
|
10,000+ |
4d6 Churches, an Eatery, a Diner, 2 Restaurants, a Gas Station, a Bank, a Drug Store / Pharmacy, a Grocery Store / Supermarket, 4 Bars, a Post Office, a Newspaper Office, a Library, a Town Hall, a Police Station, a Volunteer Fire Department Hall, an Elementary School, a Middle School, a High School, and a Hospital. |
Determine the Denomination of Churches in town with CHURCHES Table 3: Apparent Denomination of a Church.
75% likely any Catholic Church will have a Bingo Night.
25% likely any Church will have a regular Flea Market or Swap Meet on Saturdays.
Table 14b: Additional Businesses & Establishments of a Small Town
|
d100, once per 1,000 residents. |
In addition, there is a(n)… |
|
1 |
accountant’s office… |
|
2 |
agricultural / garden supply store… |
|
3 |
amusement park… |
|
4 |
arena… For football, concerts, rodeos, swap meets, etc. |
|
5 |
art gallery… |
|
6 |
arts & crafts shop… |
|
7 |
automotive garage… |
|
8 |
bakery… |
|
9 – 10 |
bank… |
|
11 – 12 |
bar… |
|
13 – 14 |
barber shop… |
|
15 – 16 |
beauty shop… |
|
17 |
bicycle shop… |
|
18 |
biker’s clubhouse… |
|
19 |
book store… |
|
20 |
bowling alley… |
|
21 |
butcher shop… |
|
22 |
candy shop… |
|
23 |
car dealership… |
|
24 |
carpet and flooring store… |
|
25 |
children’s clothing store… |
|
26 |
coffee shop… |
|
27 |
delicatessen… |
|
28 |
dentist’s office… |
|
29 |
diner… 50% likely to be open all night. |
|
30 |
dress maker… |
|
31 – 32 |
doctor’s office… |
|
33 |
drug store / pharmacy… |
|
34 |
dry cleaner’s… |
|
35 |
eatery… Smaller and less formal than a full restaurant, with a more limited menu. |
|
36 |
electronics shop (sales & repairs)… |
|
37 |
ethnic social club… |
|
38 |
exterminator / pest control specialist… |
|
39 |
five and dime store… A discount variety store. 25% chance the store also has a lunch counter. |
|
40 |
florist… |
|
41 |
fortune teller / psychic… |
|
42 |
fraternal organization… |
|
43 |
furniture store… |
|
44 |
general clothing store… |
|
45 |
gift shop… |
|
46 |
golf course… Covers d100+100 acres. |
|
47 – 48 |
grocery store / supermarket… |
|
49 |
gun shop… |
|
50 |
hardware store… |
|
51 |
headshop… Sells books, posters, incense, music, and paraphernalia related to marijuana. Both the shop and its patrons will suffer regular harassment from the police. |
|
52 |
ice cream parlor… |
|
53 |
insurance agency… |
|
54 |
jewelry store… |
|
55 |
junk yard… |
|
56 |
lawyer’s office… |
|
57 – 58 |
liquor store… |
|
59 – 60 |
laundromat… |
|
61 |
locksmith… |
|
62 |
lumber yard / building supply… |
|
63 |
men’s clothing store… |
|
64 |
motel… |
|
65 – 66 |
movie theater… Single screen. |
|
67 |
museum… |
|
68 |
music shop… |
|
69 |
novelty shop… |
|
70 |
pet shop… |
|
71 |
photography shop / picture developer’s… |
|
72 |
printing shop… |
|
73 |
private school… |
|
74 |
race track. d4. Track is used primarily for… 1 – 2=cars. 2=horses, 3=greyhounds. |
|
75 |
radio station… |
|
76 |
real estate agency… |
|
77 |
recreation center… |
|
78 |
record store… |
|
79 |
restaurant…. Full menu, regular tables, and full waitstaff. |
|
80 |
roller rink… |
|
81 |
rooming house… |
|
82 |
shoe store… |
|
83 |
shoe repair… |
|
84 |
shooting range… |
|
85 |
small private hospital… |
|
86 |
sporting goods store… |
|
87 |
synagogue… |
|
88 |
tailor… |
|
89 |
taxidermist… |
|
90 |
telephone company office… |
|
91 |
television station… |
|
92 |
toy shop… |
|
93 |
trucking company office… |
|
94 |
tuxedo rental shop… |
|
95 |
Union hall… |
|
96 |
utility company office… |
|
97 |
warehouse… |
|
98 |
waste management company office… |
|
99 |
women’s clothing store…. |
|
100 |
Y.M.C.A… Roll again if town population is under 10,000. |
|
d6 |
…which… |
|
1 |
is in such bad condition you wonder if it’s still even open. |
|
2 |
has obviously seen better times. |
|
3 – 4 |
is doing moderately well. |
|
5 |
seems to be prospering. |
|
6 |
is apparently one of the most successful and beloved institutions in town. |
Note: you can get off of a bus or a train along the Uncanny Highway, but there are no bus or train routes that pick up passengers. It isn’t that easy to go back to Normal America. Likewise, there are no Travel Agencies in any of the small towns along the Uncanny Highway. GMs should call attention to this fact.
Table 15: The Local Cemetery
|
d8 |
The dead are primarily buried… |
|
1 – 2 |
somewhere else. |
|
3 |
in scattered family plots, some of which adjoin their homes. |
|
4 |
in 1d4 old churchyards, according to their faith. |
|
5 – 6 |
in a small municipal cemetery of just graves and headstones. |
|
7 |
in a small municipal cemetery, with several tombs of locally prominent people. |
|
8 |
in a small municipal cemetery, with several tombs of locally prominent people, and a small mausoleum. |
|
9 |
in a large cemetery that serves several communities. There are many tombs of locally prominent people. |
|
10 |
in a large cemetery that serves several communities. There are many tombs of locally prominent people, and a large mausoleum. |
Table 16: The Public Park or Play Ground of a Small Town
|
d6 |
A public park or play ground is located… |
|
1 |
nowhere in town. |
|
2 |
near the center of town / town square… |
|
3 |
on the east side of town… |
|
4 |
on the west side of town… |
|
5 |
at the north end of town… |
|
6 |
at the south end of town.. |
|
d20, 1d6 times |
…and other than the flagpole there is /are… |
|
1 |
a playground slide. |
|
2 |
a merry-go-round. |
|
3 |
monkey bars. |
|
4 |
a see-saw. |
|
5 |
1d4 swings. |
|
6 |
1d4 drinking fountains. |
|
7 |
a patch of grass with 1d4 benches. |
|
8 |
a baseball diamond. |
|
9 |
a football field. |
|
10 |
a basketball court. |
|
11 |
a pond. |
|
12 |
a flower garden. |
|
13 |
a lightly wooded area. |
|
14 |
a public pool. |
|
15 |
a monument statue. |
|
16 |
a gazebo. |
|
17 |
a band shell. |
|
18 |
chessboard tables. |
|
19 |
charcoal grills. |
|
20 |
an ancient tree with a name and a story. Possibly a large cactus in the Southwest. |
Table 17: The Local Library of a Small Town
|
d20 |
What’s notable about this small town’s Library is… |
|
1 |
the avant-garde, modernist building. |
|
2 |
its Gothic architecture, complete with gargoyles. |
|
3 |
the building is in very poor condition. |
|
4 |
its extremely skilled librarian, who could be working in a major academic institution if they wanted. |
|
5 |
the librarian is deeply knowledgeable about occult subjects – and also looks like they could handle themselves in a fight! |
|
6 |
it also displays a large number of historical artifacts. |
|
7 |
it is always pin-drop silent inside, even when filled with children. |
|
8 |
it is surprisingly noisy inside. |
|
9 |
the large collection of occult books. |
|
10 |
it looks like the collection includes many valuable first editions stretching back to the Revolution! |
|
11 |
the large selection of books about U.F.O.s |
|
12 |
it’s also an art gallery. A very good art gallery. |
|
13 |
the prominent display of books on progressive causes and Eastern religions. |
|
14 |
it’s surrounded by a beautiful garden. |
|
15 |
it displays books by a local author who is now well-known |
|
16 |
the numerous statues of historical figures around the building. |
|
17 |
the building seems much larger than is necessary, and most of the interior seems to be off limits to the public. |
|
18 |
its housed in an old mansion, and is reputed to be haunted. |
|
19 |
all the staff share a single distinguishing physical characteristic. d6: The staff are all… 1=redheads, 2=albinos, 3=little people, 4=green-eyed, 5=unusually tall, 6=disturbingly thin. |
|
20 |
it’s apparently “cool” around here to hang out in it. |
Table 18: The Local Lover’s Lane
|
d8 |
Around here, young lovers make out… |
|
1 |
by a river or stream. |
|
2 |
by a lake. |
|
3 |
on a high bluff outside town. |
|
4 |
next to a thicket of trees. |
|
5 |
in the parking lot of the high school’s football stadium |
|
6 |
by a bridge |
|
7 |
in a cemetery. The nearest cemetery, if there isn’t one in town. |
|
8 |
in the parking lot of an abandoned factory. |
Table 19: The Unsafe Teenage Hangout
|
d12 |
Though the authorities try to stop it, teenagers tend to gather at… |
|
1 |
a nearby cave. |
|
2 |
a clearing in the woods / patch of woods on the prairie / canyon in the desert. |
|
3 |
a gravel pit. |
|
4 |
a trash dump. |
|
5 |
a junkyard. |
|
6 |
an abandoned warehouse or factory. |
|
7 |
a long and lonely stretch of back highway, where they race their cars. |
|
8 |
an abandoned house. |
|
9 |
an abandoned asylum. |
|
10 |
an empty storefront. |
|
11 |
an empty church. |
|
12 |
the reservoir. |
The Engine of Oracles 