some tables look simple on paper but after coding them they mutate to unwieldy monsters.
Interview with creator of many Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP) tools at Paco's Miscelaneous Stuff
Q&A with Creator of Paco's Miscellaneous Stuff
How did you get into creating random generators?
For the current run of random generators, I got the new Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP) 4th edition and got wild with it.
It was new and shiny and it didn't have any tool for it so I created a simple character generator.
To do it, I used simple JavaScript, in a single file with no external dependencies and that could be downloaded and used offline. The result is a big bunch of spaghetti-like code but it works.
If I go back further, I got into random generators as a MERP (Middle-Earth Roleplaying) and Rolemaster DM (30 years ago). The game has a lot of random tables mostly to generate encounters and treasures and I used them every game session to have ready the monster-of-the-week and its hoard. When I created my own campaign, I also created my random tables too.
And in between I used excel and various programming languages to create random RPG stuff.
What generators are you most proud of creating and why?
There are some of them that make me prouder:
The character generator is nice, but it still doesn't have all the features it needs or I wanted.
I really like my Zweihänder creature generator, the code to create the creature traits by sets with pairs/groups or exclusions was fun to do.
But I'm prouder of my WFRP treasure generator. It was heavily inspired by the Dave Graffam WFRP treasure Generator (Winds of Chaos » Encroachment of Chaos) but I wanted to make it more random and with values and 4th edition stats.
I started with jewellery and slowly added most common non-magical valuables you could find in the game.
What is the most fun thing about creating generators?
The unexpected combinations that make sense in some non-cliche way. Like generating a random treasure stash and you get a nice set of items that seems to be from a common source.
What are the most painful lessons you've learnt from creating generators?
That some tables look simple on paper but after coding them they mutate to unwieldy monsters.
Lists of skills, trappings and similar things can get easily out of hand.
Also, translating things is difficult. I tried to create a Spanish version (as a native speaker) of my treasure generator and the results are not so good. Gendered language and verbs makes things very difficult!
How do you use random generators yourself?
When DMing Warhammer I use them to have a few instant NPCs or Monsters and create colourful mundane treasures on the fly.
I have a local copy of the files on my phone and tablet and could be used easily even with no internet connection.
Also I used them to create those pesky PC's background people, friends and family for the session 0.
What is the most interesting generator or tool you've seen?
I really loved the WFRP 2nd edition character generator from silverghost. It is a piece of art and even gives you a pdf as the final output.
The dungeon generator of watabou is also an incredible piece of work.
What are your next big projects (generators or otherwise) that you can talk about?
I have an early version of the Advanced Heroquest dungeon generator, mostly started to check if I was able to create the vector graphics with Javascript code. It has been there for some months as my current availability is too low.
Also [after original interview] I created a cult simulator for the September challenge of the rpg generators sub-reddit
Where can people find you on social media?
You can find all my generators at my blog Paco's Miscelaneous Stuff. The code for them in Github.
I also maintain a Twitter account (@StuffPaco), and an Instagram one "Paco Miscellaneous Stuff (@pacomiscellaneousstuff).
More Interviews
You can find more more Creator Interviews on Rand Roll.
I have a discord for discussing random tools and tables and I'm also on instagram as rpg_generators with random tables and gens.
