I
Each issue Close Encounters of the
Random Kind (CERK) features random
encounter/euent tables which the Game
Master can simply drop into his current
mmpaign. I will try to cover various gen-
res of gaming and keep the information
generic enough to be used with any sys-
tem. Readers are encouraged to con-
tribute to this column or suggest ideas
and topics forkture tables.
reetings! This issue's installment of
G CERK is a little different. I've become
in enthralled with West End Games'
new role-playing game, The World of
Indiana Jones. Indy is part of their new
MasterBook series of role-playing settings.
Here's one movie tie-in worthy of the effort.
I could hardly wait to crack the box and
begin e x p l o ~ gfabulous ruins while Nazis
followed close on my heels.
So far, West End Games has only
released the basic game and the first supple-
ment, Rising Sun,which takes lndy to the
land of the orient.
I only have one complaint, however. The
books are almost completely devoid of any
material on ancient i ins or tombs in which
the characters can don their pith helmets
and khakis and get down to some serious
dungeon crawling.
West End Games has an excellent track
record for supporting their game lines so -
I'm quite certaii such material is forthcom
ing. But what to do in the mean time?
My major in college was Anthropology
and Classical Culture so my personal libraty
is predominantly books on culture and
archaeology. lnspired by need, I set about to
compile a lit of ancient sites and ruins wor-
thy of any intrepid explorer.
While the following random tables were
written with Indiana Jones in mind, the
tables will be of use to virtually any gameset-
ting set in the real world. Thus fans of Call
52
of Cthulhu, Chill and other systems will
not feel left out.
As a bonus, we commissioned Ron
Jacobs to produce a treasure map for the
lost Tomb of Turases 1.The GM can
detail and equip the ruins to suit the feel of
hi campaign.
Using the Tables. '
I decided from the outset to keep things
simple. The following tables allow the GM
to instantly roll a few dice to determine what
part of the world and what particular in or
ancient site to place his next adventure.
If the results do not appeal to you, sim-
ply ignore the results and roll again. Alterna-
tively, of course, the GM can use the tables
as a handy reference of ancient sites. I've
left it up to the GM research the ancient
sites. Any decent library will have a horde of
books on any of the sites I've listed and can
provide much more detail and background
then I could ever hope to do so here.
One word of note - if any of you are
inspired by these tables and actually gener-
ate adventures from them, send them on in
and we will consider publishing them.
Myth and Magic
While the following tables were based on
actual locales, what fun would it be if there
weren't at least a few legendary sites or
relics? Throughout the tables you will notice
listing with an asterisk ('). These denote
mythical sites or relia such as King Arthur's
tomb, the ruins of Noah's Ark, etc.
Geographical Region [iozol
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Africa
. 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lascaux
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .British
. Isles
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .France
. 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Gaw3inii
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gemany
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Netherlands
. 6. . . . . . . . . . . .Carnac and Lounariaquer
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Scandinavia
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Eastem Europe
8. ..........................Iberia
9. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Central Mediterranean
10. ............Greece and the Aegean
11. . . . . . . . . . ..AnatoWSovietArmenia
i1
12. .........................Egypt
13. . . . . . . . . ..Mex,~~tamia/Arabia Gulf
14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Syria/Palestine
15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .India
.
16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .South
. East Asii
17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .North
. America
18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M
. merica
19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .South
.
Ahi~a[lDSl
America
20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Undersea
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Olduvai Gorge
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Olorgesailie
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .KalarnboFalls
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Ife
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Zimbabwe
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Tassili n'Ajjer
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Drakenskq
8. ............ .King Solomon's Mines*
British Isles [imq
1. ...................Creswell Crags
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cheddar
. Gorge
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Grime's Graves
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..He& Pegler's Tump
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Awbruy D i d
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stonehenge D i d
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Maiden Castle
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .King ArthwUTs
Tomb'.
France [iosl
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Les Eyzies
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .La Hougue Bie
.
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Grottedes Fe'm
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vix
.
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Underground Parii*
Volume I11 8 Number 5
Germany 11w
1. . . . . . . . . .Weinberghohlen bei Mauem
2. . . . . . . . . . . . ..Rijckholt-Sint Geemwid
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Toterfout-Halve Mijl
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..The ~eune6urg
5. . .Hitler3sEagles Nest (hey, could be fun)
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Charlemagne'~To&
Scandinavia 11w1
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Rock Scribings
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Megalithic Tombs
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Lindholm Hnje
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..TreUeborg
Eastern Europe IIDSI
1.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Mezhirich
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..KamnoVo
2.
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stara
. 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Abu
4. . . . . . . . . ..Kuiavian Megalithic Tomb
r..
5.. . . . . . . . . . . .:.. . . . . . .Biskupin
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Zavist
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Nqwa Slupia
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Sarmuegethusa
Iberia (Spain) 11061
1. . . . . . . . . . .Altamira/Cantabrian Caves
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. L a MillaresEI Argar
3. . . . . . . . ..Lower Tagus (Early Iron A*)
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Tartessus
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..UUastret
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Citania of Briteiros
Central Mediterranean 1io101
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Grotta Addaura
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Matera
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Val Comnica
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Castello di Lipari
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pantalica
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Gola del Sentino
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Belverde
8. . . . . ..Lost Tomb of Augustus Caesar'
9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Tomb of St. Peter*
10. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Catacombs of Rome
Greece and the Aegean IIDIOI . . .
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dtmuu
.
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lema
. 16.. ............: :.......... . h h ~ 5. ....................Machu Picchu
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Mycenae
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Orchomenos and Gla
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Tiryns
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .~. I O S
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Knossos
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Tombs of Kamilari
9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Mallia
10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..&to Zalcro
Anatolia/Soviet Armenia rioio~
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Troy
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Kiiltepe
54
5. .....................Beycesultan
6. ..... :. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Alaca Hiiyiik
7. ........................Yazilikaya
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Boghazkoy
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Kamak
5. ..................Westem Thebes
6. ....................... .Abydos
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..El-Amama
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Tanis
. Simbel
10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .... .Edh
11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Denden
12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Aswan
13. ........................Senma
14. . . . . . . . . . . . . .:. . . . . . . . ..Kerma
15. ........................Meroe
16. ........................ .Luxor
17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Philae
18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Valley of the Kings
19. . . . . . . . . . . . ..Libmy of Alexandria*
20. . . .Lost Tomb of Tumses Ill* (see map)
~esopotami&/ArabiiGulf 110201
I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Eridu
2. .......................... U d
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ur
. 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Mitla :
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Nippur
5. .......................... .Kish
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Man
. 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T.& l
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Babylon
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Tell H a d
9. ..............Noah's Ark (Turkey)'
10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Nineveh
11.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Hatm
12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Hasanlu
13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Pasargadae
14. .................... .PersepoI'is
15. .........................sum
17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. W i d
18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Bahrain
19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Choga Zanbil
20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Khombad
Syria/Palestine IIDIOI
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Mount Camel
2. ........................Jericho
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Bybkls villains
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Ras Shamra
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hazor
. involves beating the bad guys to a major
6. .........................Qatna
South East Asia 11~61 .:I
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Pan-p'ots'un?,'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Anyan$t
2.
3.
4.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Great Wall of China..
. . . . . . . . . . . ..NonakadoStone Circle ;
.
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Tom ;:
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Ishibutai Kofw .)
North America IIDSI t
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Desert Caves (Arizona) 1
2. ................. .Adena-Hopedl ;
.
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..s-
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Mesa Verde
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Pueblo Bonito i
.5
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Bandeher
7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Huff Village
8. ................Viking Settlemento 5 .
Mesoamerica ~ioiol
1.
2.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Teotihuacan :
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Choluk .Y.
i
3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Monte Alban ~
5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......cOm:
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..El Taihuanaw
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..TendtitIan
9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..La Quemada ..
10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. U d
. .
So* America IIDIOI
1. . . . . . . . . . .;.. . . . . . . ..SanA* .~
2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Chavin de Huantar
3.'. .................... T i a h ~ o1,
4. ......................Chan C M . :
'.4
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Cuzo~
Undersea
Undersea sites can be determined by t b
GM. Possiblities include, Atlantis, Lyonesse:
ancient shipwrecks etc.
The typical lndy adventure usually
relic or treasure. The following is a brief lid
Volume Ill Number
 Close Encounters of the Random Kind

of possible villains to throw against your
players.
Nazi Germany. lndy has already run up
against they. gu* and they fit the bill as the
perfect villains. Various Nazi officials such as
Goering and Hitler himself were avid collec-
tors of a k k and archaeological treasures
The players are likely to run across the
paths of Nazi collectors around the world.
Imperial Japan. Japan of the 1930s
I
and 40s controls a broad area of the South
Pacific and the archaeological sites that lay
hidden there. West End Game's Rising
Sun supplement for Indiana Jones is an
excellent source book for adventures dealing
with this part of the world.
Various Cults. The players are likely to
run up against various cult groups on their
explorations. Certain relics and artifacts
from ancient cultures would have rehgious
significance to many cultists
Unethical Archaeolgists. The world is
filled with private collectors and archaeol-
gists who seek fame and fortune rather than
xholarly pursuits. Players with more noble
intentions, may find themselves competing
with such undesirables.
Relics and Artifiacts
What would an l n d i a Jones adventure
be without a legendary artifact or two to
spice things up? The following list should
help inspire the GM when designing his
adventures.
Noah's Ark. For years rogue scientists
and explorers haw claimed the remains of
the Ark lie high in the mountains of Turkey.
The Ark could make a very interesting
adventure - who knows what secrets it
hob?
Fountah of Youth. The Spanish con-
quistadors chased rumors of this elusive
fountain throughout the Americas. Perhaps
a fragment of a Mayan codex is uncovered
containing clues to its hidden location.
Seven Cities of Gold. A strange stellae
is uncovered deep in the Brarillean jungnles
which bears a remarkable inscription and
map leading to the ruins of one or more of
the fabled cities of gold.
Excalibur. The players stumble upon
proof that King Arthur actually existed and
ruled ancient Britain. After stripping away
the myth from the tale, it's obvious that
King Arthur's tomb lays intact and beneath
the streets of a modem English city. Fur-
thermore, the clues seem to indicate that
the legendary sword of Excalibur lies in the
tomb. The magical sword has real powers
and suddenly there is a race with several vil-
l i o u s factions to obtain the sword first.
Holy Grail. This relic was handled nice-
ly in the third l n d i a Jones movie. No rea-
son the GM couldn't rework the story as an
adventure.
Ark of the Cownant. Again, this relic
was covered in the first movie. Howevar, it
now lies buried in the fabulous warehouses
beneath the Smithsonian Institute where it is
just crying out for an evil-doer to steal it
away renewing the adventure.
Christ's Robe. This mysterious purple
garment was stolen from a Hungarian
monastery where it was cared for and
revered for nearly two thousand years.
The players are called upon to retrieve
the artifact by the monks who offer a valu-
able ancient document as a reward.
King Arthur's Crown. This interesting
relic is wanted by a private collector who
will stop at nothing to retrieve it from its
resting place. The players stumble upon the
plot and set out to intercept the crown or to
find it first.
The Necronomicon. As mentioned
before, this artide can easily be used in Call
of Cthulhu. The players locate a wpy of
the Mad Arab's original book which leads
them into the world of Lovecmftian horror.
In closing, I'd like to point out that the
random tables you find in CJ3N can e m
ily be used in Wintertree Software's
Tablemaster program. Permission is
granted for readers to input CERK tables
into such programs. 0

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