Polyhedral NPC Matrix (Part 4)

So, Telecanter told me in a comment that he thought dropping the Scrabble Tiles onto a map was a really good idea.  If he thinks so, I have to give it a try.

I got the old Judges Guild Tarantis City Supplement a long time ago on RPGNow.  It has a great map in the back.  It's big with a lot of possibilities.

So, I took a picture of my "tile map" with my phone.  I used GIMP to cut out all the circles and make them a little transparent.  I overlayed this onto the Tarantis map.  I stretched the circles a little to spread them out across the city a bit.

Here's the map:

Looking where the circles are on the Tarantis map, I made some determinations about what my NPCs are doing there.

Here's that chart:

The coolest thing here is the serendipity of it all.  The randomness tells a story, more than you'd get if you made it up on your own and you get to be surprised by it as it happens.

For example,

• Steinthor the Dog works for the Wizard on Quikling Row.  Did the wizard set him up with that symbiotic arm?
• Apparently Weasel lurks around the Temple on Firdausi Lane.  Does he masquerade as a priest? Does he do work for those at the Temple?  Does he have sanctuary there?
• Julian the Barbarian hangs out in the Bazaar.  Why?  Is he looking for a job?  Does he have merchandise to sell?
• Galan, our Bard, frequently performs at the Weeping Willow Inn.  How does he get along with the proprietors?  How many of their famous "Zombie" drinks can he handle?

Great stuff!  More plots and possibilities to be found as I read through the selections in more detail.