SDM Campaign Regions

Luka Rejec’s “Color Land” chapters of Our Golden Age are built like repeatable campaign-region kits: a brochure-voice that lies to your face, a referee-facing stat block that tells the truth, then a small arsenal of tables that generate travel, friction, and escalation on demand. This is a Lares writeup of: (1) the shared chapter skeleton with an refined REGION TEMPLATE you can hand to referees, and (2) direct, practical advice for building OGA-style tables (Ambient, Events, Travel, Vendors/Goods, etc.).

---

The Region chassis (what repeats, and why it works)

1) Title, Brochure hook + tilted history = instant genre + pressure

A Region opens as propaganda/tourism copy, then immediately slips in the true engine (what the place optimizes for, and what it costs). You’re not just “in a desert”; you’re in a system.

Principle: tone isn’t flavor—tone is a UI. It tells players what kinds of scenes are “normal” here.

---

2) The Region statline (Climate→Material Conditions) is the campaign physics

Each Region gets a consistent brief with headings like Climate, Population, Groups, Languages, Capital (Official vs Practical), Government, Ideologies, Economy, Resources, Means of Production, Material Conditions, plus an in-world “Source.”

Principle: this block tells you what adventures will keep happening even if the PCs do nothing (material conditions + governance + ideology pressure).

---

3) Map → Ambient tables → Events tables = travel play becomes push-button

After the map and framing, Regions reliably deploy:

• Ambient (often seasonal or time-sliced) tables to generate the “weather of play.”
• Events tables with the signature 1–3 Expected / 4–5 Surprising / 6 Error escalation track.

Principle: “there-and-back-again” needs motion. These tables make motion productive.

---

4) Commerce/entry interface (the place where PCs can touch the Region)

Before deep politics, Luka gives you the intake valve: vendors, standard goods, transport, role-economies, travel costs—often as structured tables. Example patterns include:

• A Travel matrix with type/status/price.
• Local “currency hacks” (Honor→value conversion) and quick NPC/host d6 lists.
• Region-specific vendor + goods menus.

Principle: start where players naturally ask questions: “How do we get around?” “What can we buy?” “What’s the catch?”

---

5) Factions, hubs, districts, and postcard locales (each paragraph is an encounter handle)

Settlements and districts are presented as compact, runnable chunks (district lists; zone lists; “this does not exist” denials; costs/time baked in).

Principle: every entry should imply a scene: a service, a taboo, a threat, a deal, a consequence.

---

6) “Glitch inserts” (INTERRUPTION/ERROR) to signal stakes escalation

OGA uses in-world artifacts (“INTERRUPTION,” Error stamps, redactions) to communicate: the setting is unstable and dangerous here.

Principle: style shift = threat indicator. When the text glitches, the world does too.

---

How to build OGA-style tables (direct referee advice)

A) Ambient tables (the “world’s breathing” table)

Ambient tables in OGA often:

• Use d6 with weighted bands (1–3, 4–5, 6) and multiple columns representing seasons or time slices.
• Prefer dense sensory triads (3–5 descriptors), plus 0–1 practical note (“sunscreen essential,” oxygen advised, etc.).
• Swap seasons for other “modes” when appropriate (e.g., Night/Haze/Day/Evening; Day/Night/Understoreys/Portal).

Build recipe (fast):

1. Pick your 4 columns: Seasons or Times of day or Modes (“Festival / Crackdown / Erratic / Normal”).

2. For each row band:

   • 1–3: what’s common (sets baseline vibe)
   • 4–5: what’s inconvenient (visibility, travel cost, supplies, social friction)
   • 6: what’s weird (omen, hazard, miraculous convenience with a hook)
3. Keep entries short and playable: if it can’t change a scene in 10 seconds, cut it.

---

B) Events tables (the escalation engine: Expected → Surprising → Error)

OGA’s signature Events format is a three-tier escalation:

• 1–3 Expected: friction, patrols, mundane hazards, bureaucracy, predation.
• 4–5 Surprising: a twist, a deal, a complication that also opens an opportunity (price spikes, agents, weird fogs, shortcuts with consequences).
• 6 Error: reality fracture / big entity / irreversible consequence.

Also note the micro-style: entries frequently include mechanics inline (save, time loss, money cost, durations) and cross-reference tags like (L#, descriptor) for creatures/NPCs.

Build recipe (reliable at the table):

• Make 6 rows, each row is a “theme category” (weather hazard, patrol, predator, social scene, weird site, rival travelers).

• For each row, write:

  • Expected: cost or delay (time/money/burden/attention)
  • Surprising: choice + opportunity (deal, shortcut, rare goods, leverage)
  • Error: a hard problem (the thing that changes the map, the faction board, or the PCs)

Quality test: every Surprising result should tempt the party into future trouble; every Error result should force them to respond right now.

---

C) Travel tables (turn “how do we get there?” into content)

OGA uses travel matrices that do three things at once:

• Provide options (portal/road/sea/air/local routes),
• Assign status (legal/favorable/outlawed/restricted),
• Give prices and implied social consequences.

Build recipe:

• 6–8 routes, each with:

  • Type
  • Status (legal? restricted? taboo? who can use it?)
  • Price (cash, favors, permits, obligations)

• Add 1 line of “local ideology about travel” (why this Region frames movement as moral/immoral).

---

D) Vendors, goods, and “entry interface” tables (the intake valve)

OGA commerce tables are rarely just loot lists. They encode:

• identity + vibe (vendor personality/quirk),
• product categories (food, fashion, transport, memorabilia),
• rules payloads (armor, wards, capacities, stack size, weird risks),
• prices in plain sight.

You also see “economy translation tables” (Honor→value) and little d6 NPC lists nested inside the vending section for instant scenes.

Build recipe (OGA-ish, not generic):

• Vendor table (d6): Vendor name (brand/faction), personality, specialty, quirk.

• 2–3 product tables (d6 or d10): each item line should include one of:

  • a rule effect (ward/armor/capacity/carrying),
  • a risk (mutagenic, illegal, soul leakage),
  • a social hook (“this marks you as X class”).
• Prices always. Even if the “currency” is social (honor, permits), give a conversion guide.

---

E) “Field effects / anomalies / rituals” tables (how OGA makes weirdness usable)

OGA often turns metaphysics into small tables with direct consequences (field types + effects; prayer/ritual roll tables).

Build recipe:

• If it’s supernatural, give it a handle:

  • a d6 list of effect-types, or
  • a roll table with “hold” currency, or
  • a clear duration/cost.

Tiny “OGA table” checklist

When you draft a table entry, ask:

• Describe intent of table first, fill in full cell entries afterwards.
• Does it force a choice (pay, risk, detour, bargain, fight, flee)?
• Does it create a new relationship (faction attention, obligation, rumor, tag)?
• Can I resolve it with one roll or one scene?
• Is the “Error” column a real escalation (not just “extra weird”)?

---

TEMPLATE: “Write a New Region in OGA Mode” (with built-in table prompts)

1) Title & slogan (½ page)

• Region Name + slogan (propaganda)
• Tilt-history paragraph: “what it’s for” → “what broke” → “what it optimizes now” → “hook doubt”

2) Region statline (½–1 page)

Climate, Population, Groups, Languages, Capital (Official vs Practical), Government, Ideologies, Economy, Resources, Means of Production, Material Conditions, plus an in-world “Source” (and include “Official vs Practical” where possible).

3) Map + Regions (½–1 page), Ambient tables (1–2 tables + region specific), Events table

Map & Subdivisions:

• Region Map
• 1-3 subdivisions (each gets an Ambient table)

Ambient: Choose a column scheme:

• Seasons (Winter/Spring/Summer/Autumn), or
• Modes (Night/Haze/Day/Evening), or

Ambient table writing constraint: each cell = 3–5 descriptors + (optional) 1 practical note. Ambient tables may also be included for zones.

Events: Use the OGA escalation header:

• **d6

  1–3 Expected

  4–5 Surprising

  6 Error**

Events writing constraint: each entry must contain (a) an actor or force, (b) a pressure/cost, (c) a choice or consequence, and ideally one explicit mechanic (save, € cost, time loss, burden).

4) Commerce/entry interface

• Travel matrix (Type/Status/Price)
• Vendor + goods menus
• Currency translation (Honor→value / permits→rights)

5) Factions, hubs, districts, and postcard locales

Factions: (1–2 pages)

• 4–6 factions + 2–4 named agents
• Add one line of official denial / propaganda (optional but very OGA)

Hub + districts/zones: (2–4 pages)

• Hub summary
• 5–9 districts or zones (each = “what you can do here” + “what can go wrong”)
• Bake in costs/time where movement matters.

Postcards: (landmarks/locales)

• Micro-template per locale: Look / Control / Offer / Threat / Twist rule

6) Weird handle / “Glitch inserts” (INTERRUPTION/ERROR; optional, but powerful)

• Field effects table (d6: Field → Effects)
• Ritual/prayer roll table (d20+stat; “hold” a benefit)
• INTERRUPTION/ERROR insert as a warning flare

---

SDM Campaign Region Worksheet

1) Title & Slogan

REGION NAME: ___________ Slogan (propaganda): “______________” Tilt-History (3 beats):

• Then (purpose): ___________________
• Break (what changed): ______________
• Now (what it optimizes for): _____________ Hook Doubt (“Some say…”): _______________

---

2) Region Statline (campaign physics)

• Climate: _______
• Population: ______
• Groups (%): __________________
• Languages: _____________________
• Capital (Official / Practical): ______ / ______
• Government: _________________
• Ideologies (supported / tolerated / suppressed): _________
• Economy: __________________
• Resources: __________________
• Means of Production: _______________
• Material Conditions (Official / Effective): ______ / ______
• Source (diegetic quote): “_______________”

---

3) Map + Regions, Ambient Tables, Events Table

Map & Subdivisions

Subdivisions (2-3): 1) ______ 2) ______ 3) ______ Note: each subdivision gets its own AMBIENT table if it plays differently.

Connections (2-4 connections to other Regions)

Connection	Goes to	Status	Price	Consequence
1 …
2 …
3 …
4 …

---

Ambient Tables

AMBIENT (world’s breathing):

• Pick columns: Seasons / Dayparts / Modes (Normal / Festival / Crackdown / Error).
• Each cell = 3-5 descriptors + optional practical note.
• Describe intent of table first, fill in full cell entries afterwards.

Modes/Columns: ______ / ______ / ______ / ______ Intent: ________________

d6	Mode 1	Mode 2	Mode 3	Mode 4
1-3	(common texture + 1 practical note)
4-5	(inconvenient friction)
6	(weird omen/hazard/boon-with-hook)

Events Table

EVENTS (escalation engine):

• 1-3 Expected = cost/delay. 4-5 Surprising = choice + temptation. 6 Error = hard escalation.
• Each entry should include an actor/force, a pressure/cost, and a choice/consequence (add a mechanic if the players need a procedure).

Intent: ________________

d6	1-3 Expected (cost/delay)	4-5 Surprising (temptation/choice)	6 Error (hard escalation)
1
2
3
4
5
6

---

4) Commerce / Entry Interface

Travel Matrix

Intent: ________________

Route	Type	Status (legal/restricted/taboo)	Price (cash/favor/permit)	Catch
1
2
3
4

Currency translation (optional): ______________

Vendors (d6)

Intent: ________________

d6	Vendor (brand/faction)	Specialty	Quirk	Hook/Complication
1
2
3
4
5
6

Goods Menu (d10) – each item should include ONE: rule effect / risk / social mark

Intent: ________________

d10	Item	Price	Effect/Risk/Mark
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

---

5) Factions, Hubs, Districts, and Postcards

Factions / Power Groups (4-6) + Agents (♟)

Faction list (name -> want -> control -> hates -> job offered):

1. ---

2. ---

3. ---

4. ---

(+2 optional) ___________________

♟ Agents (2-4, one-line scheme each):

• ♟ __________ : ____________
• ♟ __________ : ____________
• ♟ __________ : ____________

Official denial line (optional): “______________”

Hub + Districts/Zones (5-9)

Hub name: _______ **What it presents as:** ___________ Note: bake in costs/time where movement matters.

District/Zone	Offer (service/info/safety)	Threat (taboo/patrol/price)
1
2
3
4
5

Postcards (8-12 runnable locales)

Micro-template per locale: Look / Control / Offer / Threat / Twist rule

1. ---

2. ---

3. ---

4. ---

---

6) Weird Handle / “Glitch Insert” (pick ONE)

• Field Effects (d6): ___________________
• Ritual/Prayer roll: ___________________
• INTERRUPTION/ERROR insert: _______________

---