2018/09/26

OSR: Giant Impractical Table - Of the London Street Folk

This table is too large and too unwieldy to print, but it should work fine on the web.
Hopefully.
Maybe.

Anyway, the text is taken from Henry Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor (1861). It's suitable for livening up a street scene, rolling up a background or a retirement profession, or just reading in awe and bewilderment. If an entry says to "roll twice", roll on the most recent table unless otherwise prompted. I haven't edited the text beyond tabulating it. "Spotted boys", "Sapient Pigs" and other oddities are presented as found. I might do an annotated version one day explaining the stranger entries.



1d20 Of the London Street Folk
1-15 1d10 Street Sellers
1 1d6 The Street-sellers of Meats
1 ”Wet” fish
2 “Dry” fish
3 Shell-fish
4 Poultry
5 Game
6 Cheese
2 1d8 The Street-sellers of Vegetables
1 “Green” fruit
2 “Dry” fruit
3 Flowers
4 Trees and shrubs
5 Seeds and roots
6 Water-cresses
7 Chickweed and grun’sel
8 Turf
3 1d20 The Street-sellers of Eatables
1 Fried fish
2 Hot eels
3 Pickled whelks
4 Sheep’s trotters
5 Ham sandwiches
6 Peas’-soup
7 Hot green peas
8 Penny pies
9 Plum “duff”
10 Meat-puddings
11 Baked potatoes
12 Spice-cakes
13 Muffins and crumpets
14 Chelsea buns
15 Sweetmeats
16 Brandy-balls
17 Cough drops
18 Cat and dog’s meat
19 [roll again twice]
20 [roll again three times]
4 1d10 The Street-sellers of Drinkables
1 Tea
2 Coffee
3 Ginger-beer
4 Lemonade
5 Hot wine
6 New milk from the cow
7 Asses milk
8 Curds and whey
9 Water
10 [roll again twice]
5 1d20 The Street-sellers of Stationery, Literature, and the Fine Arts
1 Flying stationers
2 Standing and running patterers
3 Long-song-sellers
4 Wall-song-sellers (or “pinners-up,” as they are technically termed)
5 Ballad sellers
6 Vendors of play-bills
7 Second editions of newspapers
8 Back numbers of periodicals and old books
9 Almanacks
10 Pocket books
11 Memorandum books
12 Note paper
13 Sealing-wax
14 Pens and Pencils
15 Stenographic cards
16 Valentines
17 Engravings
18 Manuscript music
19 Images
20 Gelatine poetry cards
6 1d6 The Street-sellers of Manufactured Articles
1 1d10 The vendors of chemical articles of manufacture
1 Blacking
2 Lucifers
3 Corn-salves
4 Grease-removing compositions
5 Plating-balls
6 Poison for rats
7 Crackers
8 Detonating-balls
9 Cigar-lights 
10 [roll again twice]
2 1d20 The vendors of metal articles of manufacture
1 Razors and pen-knives
2 Tea-trays
3 Dog-collars
4 Key-rings
5 Hardware
6 Bird-cages
7 Small coins
8 Medals
9 Jewellery
10 Tin-ware
11 Tools
12 Card-counters
13 Red-herring-toasters
14 Trivets
15 Gridirons
16 Dutch ovens
17 [roll again twice]
18 [roll again three times]
19 [roll again, and also on subtable]
20 [roll again, and also on main table]
3 1d6 The vendors of china and stone articles of manufacture
1 Cups and saucers
2 Jugs
3 Vases
4 Chimney ornaments
5 Stone fruit
6 [roll again twice]
4 1d8 The vendors of linen, cotton, and silken articles of manufacture
1 Sheeting
2 Table covers
3 Cotton
4 Tapes and thread
5 Boot and stay-laces
6 Haberdashery
7 Pretended smuggled goods
8 Shirt-buttons
5 1d12 The vendors of miscellaneous articles of manufacture
1 Cigars, pipes, and snuff-boxes
2 Spectacles
3 Combs
4 “Lots”
5 Rhubarb
6 Sponges
7 Wash-leather
8 Paper-hangings
9 Dolls
10 Bristol toys
11 Sawdust
12 Pin-cushions
  6 [roll again twice]
7 1d4 The Street-sellers of Second-hand Articles
1 1d6 Old metal articles
1 Old knives and forks
2 Keys
3 Tin-ware
4 Tools
5 Marine stores generally
6 [roll again twice]
2 Old linen articles
3 1d3 Old glass and crockery
1 Bottles
2 Old pans and pitchers
3 Old looking glasses
4 1d3 Old miscellaneous articles
1 Old shoes
2 Old clothes
3 Old saucepan lids
8 1d6 The Street-sellers of Live Animals
1 Dogs
2 Squirrels
3 Birds
4 Gold and silver fish
5 Tortoises
6 [roll again twice]
9 1d8 The Street-sellers of Mineral Productions and Curiosities
1 Red and white sand
2 Silver sand
3 Coals
4 Coke
5 Salt
6 Spar ornaments
7 Shells
8 [roll again twice]
10 [roll again twice]
   
16 1d10 Street-Buyers
1 Hareskins
2 Old clothes
3 Old umbrellas
4 Bottles
5 Glass
6 Broken metal
7 Rags
8 Waste paper
9 Dripping
10 [roll again twice]
         
17 1d6 Street-Finders
1 Dogs’-dung
2 Cigar-ends
3 Dredgermen or coal-finders
4 Mud-larks
5 Bone-grubbers
6 Sewer-hunters
 
18 1d8 Street-Performers, Artists, and Showmen
1 1d4 The Street-Performers
1 1d3 Mountebanks—or those who enact puppet-shows
1 Punch and Judy
2 Fantoccini
3 Chinese shades
2 1d10 Street-performers of feats of strength and dexterity
1 “Acrobats” or posturers
2 “Equilibrists” or balancers
3 Stiff tumblers 
4 Bending tumblers
5 Jugglers
6 Conjurors
7 Sword-swallowers
8 “Salamanders” or fire-eaters
9 Swordsmen
10 [roll again twice]
3 1d10 Street-performers with trained animals
1 Dancing dogs
2 Performing monkeys
3 Trained birds 
4 Trained mice
5 Cats
6 Hares
7 Sapient pigs
8 Dancing bears
9 Tame camels
10 [roll again twice]
4 1d3 Street-actors
1 Clowns
2 “Billy Barlows”
3 “Jim Crows”
2 1d6 The Street Showmen
1 1d6 Extraordinary persons
1 Giants
2 Dwarfs
3 Albinoes
4 Spotted boys
5 Pig-faced ladies
6 [reroll]
2 1d4 Extraordinary animals
1 Alligators
2 Calves, horses and pigs with six legs or two heads
3 Industrious fleas
4 Happy families
3 1d3 Philosophic instruments
1 The microscope
2 The telescope
3 The thaumascope
4 1d4 Measuring-machines
1 Weighing
2 Lifting
3 Measuring
4 Striking machines
5 1d6 Miscellaneous shows
1 Peep-shows
2 Glass ships
3 Mechanical figures
4 Wax-work shows
5 Pugilistic shows
6 Fortune-telling apparatus
6 [roll again twice]
3 1d6 The Street-Artists
1 Black profile-cutters
2 Blind paper-cutters
3 “Screevers” or draughtsmen in coloured chalks on the pavement
4 Writers without hands
5 Readers without eyes
6 [roll again twice]
4 1d6 The Street Dancers
1 Street Scotch girls
2 Sailors
3 Slack rope dancers
4 Tight rope dancers
5 Dancers on stilts
6 Comic dancers
5 1d6 The Street Musicians
1 English street bands
2 German street bands
  (Players of the) 
3 Guitar
4 Harp
5 Bagpipes
6 Hurdy-gurdy
7 Dulcimer
8 Musical bells
9 Cornet
10 Tom-tom
6 1d10 The Street Singers
  (Singers of)
1 Glees
2 Ballads
3 Comic
4 Songs
5 Nigger melodies
6 Psalms
7 Serenaders
8 Reciters
9 Improvisatori
10 [roll again twice]
7 1d10 The Proprietors of Street Games
1 Swings
2 Highflyers
3 Roundabouts
4 Puff-and-darts
5 Rifle shooting
6 Down the dolly
7 Spin-’em-rounds
8 Prick the garter
9 Thimble-rig
10 [roll again twice]
8 [roll again twice]
 
19 1d3 The Street-Artizans, or Working Pedlars
1 1d3 Those who make things in the streets
1 1d4 Metal workers
1 Toasting-fork makers
2 Pin makers
3 Engravers
4 Tobacco-stopper makers
2 1d4 Textile-workers
1 Stocking-weavers
2 Cabbage-net makers
3 Night-cap knitters
4 Doll-dress knitters
3 1d4 Miscellaneous workers
1 Wooden spoon makers
2 Leather brace and garter makers
3 Printers
4 Glass-blowers
2 1d8 Those who mend things in the streets
1 Broken china and glass menders
2 Clock menders
3 Umbrella menders
4 Kettle menders
5 Chair menders
6 Grease removers
7 Hat cleaners
8 Razor and knife grinders
9 Glaziers
10 Travelling bell hangers
11 Knife cleaners
12 [roll again twice]
3 1d6 Those who make things at home and sell them in the streets
1 1d20 The wood workers
1 Makers of clothes-pegs
2 Clothes-props
3 Skewers
4 Needle-cases
5 Foot-stools
6 Clothes-horses
7 Chairs and tables
8 Tea-caddies
9 Writing-desks
10 Drawers
11 Work-boxes
12 Dressing-cases
13 Pails and tubs
14 The trunk, hat, and bonnet-box makers
15 The cane and rush basket makers
16 [roll again twice]
17 [roll again three times]
18 [roll again, and also on subtable]
19 [roll again, and also on main table]
20 [roll again twice, and also on main table]
2 1d12 The toy makers
1 Chinese roarers
2 Children’s windmills
3 Flying birds and fishes
4 Feathered cocks
5 Black velvet cats and sweeps
6 Paper houses and cardboard carriages
7 Little copper pans and kettles
8 Tiny tin fireplaces
9 Children’s watches
10 Dutch dolls
11 Buy-a-brooms
12 Gutta-percha heads
3 1d10 The apparel makers
1 The makers of women’s caps
2 Boys and men’s cloth caps
3 Night-caps
4 Straw bonnets
5 Children’s dresses
6 Watch-pockets
7 Bonnet shapes
8 Silk bonnets
9 Gaiters
10 [roll again twice]
4 1d3 The metal workers
1 Makers of fire-guards
2 Bird-cages
3 The wire workers
5 1d12 The miscellaneous workers
1 Makers of ornaments for stoves
2 Chimney ornaments
3 Artificial flowers in pots and in nose-gays
4 Plaster-of-Paris night-shades
5 Brooms
6 Brushes
7 Mats
8 Rugs
9 Hearthstones
10 Firewood
11 Rush matting
12 Hassocks
6 [roll again twice]
 
20 1d4 Street-Labourers
1 1d8 The Cleansers
1 Scavengers
2 Nightmen
3 Flushermen
4 Chimney-sweeps
5 Dustmen
6 Crossing-sweepers
7 “Street-orderlies”
8 Labourers to sweeping-machines and to watering-carts
2 1d2 The Lighters and Waterers
1 Turncocks 
2 Lamplighters
3 1d6 The Street-Advertisers
1 Bill-stickers
2 Bill-deliverers
3 Boardmen
4 Men to advertising vans
5 Wall and pavement stencillers
6 [roll again twice]
4 1d4 The Street-Servants
1 Horse holders
2 Link-men
3 Coach-hirers
4 Street-porters
5 Shoe-blacks
6 [roll again twice]

3 comments:

  1. C'mon this baby can be larger.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I thought it would be fun to have this on chartopia to make rolling easy, try it out here: https://www.d12dev.com/en/chart/3449/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, this is by far the chart with the biggest use of sub-tables on Chartopia. Certainly a good one to put on there.

      Delete