Your observation is totally legit and fueled some thoughts.
Here’s my solution and this will be implemented soon in section 4.3
4.3.1 Inline Table Definitions
The examples above assume your table lives somewhere else — a rulebook, a supplement, a separate file. You roll, you record the result, and anyone reading your log has to trust you (or own the same book) to verify it.
But what if you made the table yourself? What if you filtered options from a larger set to fit your campaign? What if you’re playing a game where content generation is the game — systems like Bivius Companion, homebrew oracles, or any setup where the possibility space is part of the creative act?
In those cases, embedding the table directly in your log makes it self-contained. Readers see the full option space and the result. No external references, no “see page 47.”
Format:
tbl: TableName (die)
1: Result one
2: Result two
3: Result three
4: Result four
5: Result five
6: Result six
The table name and die type go on the first line. Each entry is indented with its number and result. Then roll against it normally:
tbl: TableName d6=3 -> Result three
Complete example:
tbl: Forest Encounter (d6)
1-2: Nothing — eerie silence
3: Animal tracks, fresh
4: Abandoned campsite
5: Traveler on the road
6: Something is following you
? What do I encounter on the forest path?
tbl: Forest Encounter d6=5 -> Traveler on the road
=> A cloaked figure waves me down. [N:Traveler|unknown|friendly?]
When to define inline vs. reference externally:
- Inline — when you created the table, when the table is short (roughly 10 entries or fewer), when shareability matters, or when the table only exists in your head
- External — when you’re rolling on a published table that readers can look up, or when the table is too long to include without cluttering your log
For longer tables, you can define them once at the start of a session or campaign (much like the Resource Status Block pattern), then reference them by name throughout play:
tbl: Forest Encounter d6=5 -> Traveler on the road
If the table was defined earlier in the log, readers can scroll back to find it. If it’s a published table, the name and die type provide enough context to locate the source.
4.3.2 Filtered Option Sets
Some games don’t use numbered tables — they use curated lists you pick or draw from. You might filter a larger set of options down to the ones relevant to your scene, then select randomly or intuitively.
Format:
tbl: TableName [Option A, Option B, Option C, Option D]
Square brackets signal “these are the options in play.” No numbers, no die — just the possibility space.
Rolling against a filtered set:
tbl: Mood [Tense, Melancholic, Hopeful, Uncanny]
tbl: Mood -> Uncanny
tbl: Weather [Clear, Fog, Rain, Storm]
tbl: Weather d4=2 -> Fog
=> A thick fog rolls in from the coast. Visibility drops to nothing.
Building a filtered set from a larger source:
(note: filtering Bivius Companion themes for this arc)
tbl: Theme [Betrayal, Redemption, Sacrifice, Secrets]
tbl: Theme -> Sacrifice
=> The scene will center on what someone is willing to give up.
Dynamic filtering mid-session:
tbl: Available Leads [The dockworker's tip, The torn letter, The locked room]
tbl: Available Leads -> The torn letter
=> I follow up on the letter I found in Session 2.
[Thread:Torn Letter|Open]
The key difference from numbered tables: filtered sets capture what was available, not just what was chosen. This is especially valuable when you’re sharing logs — readers see the roads not taken alongside the one you picked.
4.3.3 Multi-Line Result Blocks
Some generators produce compound results — multiple axes of meaning that together create something greater than any single roll. An NPC might have a role, a personality trait, and a motivation. A location might have a feature, a mood, and a secret. Recording each axis makes the creative logic transparent.
Format:
gen: GeneratorName
Axis1: roll -> result
Axis2: roll -> result
Axis3: roll -> result
Each axis is indented under the generator name. Roll details are optional — include them when transparency matters, skip them when speed matters.
NPC generator example:
gen: NPC (custom)
Role: d6=3 -> Merchant
Trait: d6=5 -> Secretive
Want: d6=1 -> Escape
=> [N:Unnamed Merchant|secretive|wants to flee town]
Location generator example:
gen: Ruin (custom d6 tables)
Feature: d6=4 -> Collapsed tower
Mood: d6=2 -> Oppressive silence
Secret: d6=6 -> Hidden passage beneath the rubble
=> [L:Old Watchtower|collapsed|eerie|hidden passage]
With inline table definitions — you can combine these features. Define the axes, then roll:
tbl: NPC Role (d6) [Guard, Merchant, Scholar, Beggar, Noble, Priest]
tbl: NPC Trait (d6) [Nervous, Secretive, Boisterous, Cold, Kind, Obsessive]
tbl: NPC Want (d6) [Escape, Revenge, Wealth, Knowledge, Power, Peace]
gen: NPC
Role: d6=2 -> Merchant
Trait: d6=6 -> Obsessive
Want: d6=4 -> Knowledge
=> [N:The Collector|merchant|obsessive|seeks forbidden texts]
Minimal format — when you just need the output:
gen: NPC -> Merchant / Secretive / Escape
=> [N:Unnamed Merchant|secretive|wants to flee]
Use the expanded multi-line format when you want to show your work — especially useful in shared logs, for generators you created yourself, or when you want to trace how the fiction emerged from the mechanics. Use the minimal single-line format when speed matters more than process.