Opals & Oddities

You open a small red leather book that glints with magic. Shopping in the OSR. A date is stamped inside, Sat Dec 11 2021.

o & o

Night market generation in Cyberpunk RED manages to capture the game's vibe in a few tables and rules.1 Eclectic and limited results make night markets feel ad hoc and alive. I wanted to do something similar in a fantasy setting.

I started with items from the OSR game Knave, by Ben Milton.2 I sorted things into groups based on occupation. I added a few things so each group had twenty items. And I changed a few adjectives to make the tables format nicely.

Instructions

Pick two occupations from the list below. Roll 2d6 on each to figure out how many items that character has in stock. Roll a d20 to figure out which items they're selling.

Shopkeeper

  1. Pole (10 feet)
  2. Ladder
  3. Rope (10 feet)
  4. Pulleys (pair)
  5. Stake (wood)
  6. Bottle / Vial
  7. Bucket
  8. Large Sponge
  9. Grease (jar)
  10. Tar (pot)
  11. Shovel
  12. Fishing Rod
  13. Dice Set
  14. Whistle
  15. Horn
  16. Candle (4 hours)
  17. Torch (1 hour)
  18. Lantern
  19. Lamp Oil (4 hours)
  20. Tinderbox

Blacksmith

  1. Gambeson
  2. Brigandine
  3. Chain Mail
  4. Half Plate
  5. Full Plate
  6. Shield
  7. Helmet
  8. Cooking Pots
  9. Chain (10 feet)
  10. Padlock
  11. Small Bell
  12. Spike (iron)
  13. Nails
  14. Hammer
  15. Pick
  16. Bellows
  17. Iron Tongs
  18. Crowbar
  19. Chisel
  20. Metal File

Armorer

  1. Dagger
  2. Cudgel
  3. Sickle
  4. Spear
  5. Shortsword
  6. Mace
  7. Axe
  8. Halberd
  9. Long Sword
  10. Sling
  11. Marbles (20, bag)
  12. Bow
  13. Crossbow
  14. Arrows (20)
  15. Quiver
  16. Caltrops (bag)
  17. Net
  18. Bear Trap
  19. Drill
  20. Saw

Tailor

  1. Assorted Clothes
  2. Standard Clothes
  3. Noble Clothes
  4. Exotic Clothes
  5. Winter Clothes
  6. Hat
  7. Cloak
  8. Belt
  9. Boots
  10. Bedroll
  11. Sack
  12. Oilskin Bag
  13. Waterskin
  14. Tent (personal)
  15. Tent (3 person)
  16. Chalk (10 pieces)
  17. Twine (300 feet)
  18. Glue (bottle)
  19. Wax / Oil (jar)
  20. Soap

Butcher

  1. Rations (1 day)
  2. Feed (1 day)
  3. Bacon (2 pounds)
  4. Cod (whole)
  5. Eggs (24)
  6. Lamb (5 pounds)
  7. Lard (5 pounds)
  8. Air Bladder
  9. Flour (5 pounds)
  10. Grain (1 bushel)
  11. Bread (1 loaf)
  12. Cheese (1 pound)
  13. Fruit (1 pound)
  14. Onions (1 bushel)
  15. Garlic (bunch)
  16. Herbs (1 bunch)
  17. Salt (1 bushel)
  18. Sugar (1 pound)
  19. Cider (4 gallons)
  20. Wine (bottle)

Merchant

  1. Hourglass
  2. Book (reading)
  3. Ink and Quill
  4. Parchment
  5. Journal (blank)
  6. Manacles
  7. Spiked Boots
  8. Grappling Hook
  9. Lockpicks
  10. Fake Jewels
  11. Mirror (silver)
  12. Makeup
  13. Perfume
  14. Incense
  15. Holy Water
  16. Musical Instrument
  17. Spices (1 pound)
  18. Tarot Cards
  19. Spyglass
  20. Lens

Design Notes: Compared to a shopkeeper, a merchant sells items that are more expensive or harder to acquire.

    1.See page 338 of the Cyberpunk RED book for the night market generation process. It's published by R. Talsorian Games. https://rtalsoriangames.com/cyberpunk/

    2.See page 3 of the Knave PDF for the original lists, including item prices in copper pennies. You can get a copy from DriveThruRPG. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/250888/Knave

    o & o

    If you're looking for something else, you can browse the catalogue.

    Or you can ask the owner about herself.

    Whimsy & witchery by Opal Mitchell. © 2021.