Cultural Flavour Tables

Here are some tables to help you create more flavour for your cultures. The results of each table are light on details so you have room to flesh things out as you see fit. An easy way to do this is to combine the results you roll here with some of the other tables I've made.

The distinction between some of the sections below is not that important. After all something considered taboo in one culture might be completely normal in another. A folkway for some people could be a mores for another. Further below I've linked to a video that quickly explains the difference between Folkways, Mores, Laws and Taboos.

Status Symbols

How do people show their status within their culture.

1. Personal decoration or clothing.

2. The way people speak to each other.

3. Weapon or tool privileges.

4. Control or ownership of particular resources.

5. Sponsorship or patron.

6. Access or right of way.

7. Mercantile rights or obligations. 

8. Ceremonial rights or obligations.

9. Military rights or obligations.

10. Political rights or obligations.

Personal Decorations

Which aspect of a cultures personal decoration are particularly important, unique or notable. 

1. Tattoos

2. Piercings

3. Scarification

4. Branding

5. Head binding

6. Body paint or makeup.

7. Teeth filing, painting or jewellery.

8. Unique or elaborate hairstyles.

9. Masks

10. Elaborate clothing, headdresses or jewellery.

Religion

Which aspect of the religion is most important.

1. Sacrifice or offerings

2. Honour and praise

3. Pilgrimage

4. Dream or vision questing

5. Trials

6. Charity

7. Asceticism

8. Indulge

9. Meditate

10. Proselytise and convert

Burial

What do people do with the dead.

1. Burial in a pit, grave or tumulus (mound, barrow or kurgan).

2. Cremation

3. Burial at sea, in a lake or river.

4. Exhumed and paraded, place in an ossuary.

5. Mummify, entomb, placed in a catacomb or mausoleum.

6. Sky burial or otherwise left to the elements.

Ceremonies

What is the key feature of their ceremonies.

1. Dancing

2. Hallucinogens

3. Sports or games

4. Theatre

5. Mock battles

6. Chanting

7. Meditation

8. Story telling

9. Singing

10. Drum or music circle

Customs

1. Bring a gift when visiting someone.

2. Arranged marriages with prerequisites.

3. Unusual dowry, dower or bride price.

4. Men and women live separately or in non-familial groupings.

5. Collective child rearing.

6. Holy sites with special rules of behaviour.

7. Disputes can be settled with fines, through combat or competition.

8. Rites of passage through combat, survival, physical or mental tests.

9. Periodically destroy or abandon the home settlement.

10. Particular significance of singing, poetry or storytelling.

Folkways

1. Clap hands to show anger.

2. Speak in a volume appropriate to your status in the family.

3. Avoid showing strong emotions in public.

4. Conversations and interactions between different groups of people follow formal rules.

5. Toast a drink or smoke from a pipe before eating. (Remember tobacco is from the Americas).

6. Spit on the ground for good luck.

7. Always leave a little food left over to indicate to your host that you are full.

8. Youngest or oldest people eat first.

9. Request council or blessing from religious leaders when making important decisions.

10. Honour and face are important to uphold.

Mores

1. Don't kill, harm or hurt particular animals.

2. Don't kill, harm or hurt particular people.

3. Displaying a particular body part to other people such as the soles of your feet is insulting.

4. Share a percentage of your takings (crops, hunts, trade income) with the group.

5. Don't abuse alcohol or drugs.

6. Be grateful for what the forest, river or sea provides.

7. Listen to the guidance of your elders.

8. Treat prisoners or enslaved people with respect.

9. Work hard to benefit others of yourself.

10. Don't imitate people or animals.

Laws

1. Tax on the import or export of particular resources.

2. Ban on a particular resource.

3. Religious freedom.

4. Restrictions or bans on particular religions.

5. Corvée labour (regular compelled labour for the authorities).

6. Ban on slavery or slaves are set free periodically.

7. Certain games can only be played in particular cultural or religious circumstances.

8. 'Skin in the game' laws. E.g. builders must sleep in the building after it's finished.

9. Only certain people are permitted to acquire particular skills. E.g. reading, mathematics, masonry.

10. Ban on debt and usury or debts are periodically cancelled or under particular conditions.

Taboos

1. Against killing, harming or hurting particular animals.

2. Against killing, harming or hurting particular people.

3. Against eating particular plants or animals.

4. Against consuming drugs or alcohol.

5. Allowing yourself to be captured alive during battle.

6. Against anthropophagy.

7. Against public physical contact between members of the same or opposite sex.

8. Against body modification, or conversely not having it done. 

9. Against using or trying to attain magical powers (whether they really exist or not).

10. Against blasphemy, desecration or ignoring religious rules and laws.

 

Other Random Tables

City Generation Tables

Plant, Animal, Mineral and other Resources of Sundaland

Random Sundaland Culture Generator

Random RPG Faction Generator

City Generation Tables

The city walls were as tall as four men and as thick as three, with guards and lookouts posted at intervals all along the top. The main entrance gate had two large doors covered with polished sheets of bronze, cast with the forms of the 12 tigers. Inside the walls the buildings seemed much like others of the area, tightly packed mud brick dwellings built in a continuous complex with only the occasional alley or street between them. But curiously none of them could be entered from the ground level, the only entrance being hatches on the roof. This meant that intruders could be delayed by pulling up the ladders that led to the top. Even the citadel of the elder council was accessible only by large wooden staircases that could be removed when necessary.

- An Account of Sundaland by Alom Takal 

Here are some tables to help generate the details of a city or for when you need a random location.

City Type

1. A decentralised urban jungle, garden city, communal areas with permanent structures
2. Walled city, individual residential units, separate districts
3. One continuous structure, built over a long time, carved into the side of hills and mountains
4. A city built over the water, houses on stilts, causeways connecting islands, floating gardens
5. Mostly underground, long tunnels, caverns, underground water reservoirs
6. Mounds and platforms, rising above the plains

City Areas

Common labourers, artisans, merchants and bureaucrats will account for the majority of the population and take up the largest area. The foreigners and slave areas might in some cases be located outside of the main city walls. Some cities will have inhabitants from different groups living amongst each other while others will have them strictly separated.

1. Foreigners travellers, merchants and mercenaries.
2. Common labourers and enslaved people.
3. Artisans, merchants and bureaucrats.
4. Warriors, soldiers, guards.
5. Religious caste.
6. Nobles or Elites.

City Features

Use this table to identify a particular location. Some cities will have all of these features, some will only have several, some will have multiples of a single type.

1. Fort or walls.
2. Market
3. Temple
4. Plaza
5. Storage building.
6. Residential building.
7. Workshop
8. Flower garden.
9. Palace
10. Aquaduct or fountain.
11. Harbour
12. Vegetable or fruit garden.
13. Animal enclosure.
14. Watch tower or lighthouse.
15. Public bath and sauna.
16. School, academy or training facility.
17. Open air theatre or arena.
18. Barracks
19. Prison
20. Catacombs, underground complex or tunnels.

Type of Residential Buildings

The typical residential buildings for commoners.

1. Wooden houses sometimes raised on earthworks or stilts.
2. Round or oval buildings with wooden or thatched roof and a low stone wall or base.
3. Tightly packed mud brick buildings.
4. Carved into the rock, either above or underground.
5. A single continuous interconnected complex made from stone or mud bricks.
6. On stilts along rivers or in the water.

Unusual Features

1. Extensive waterways.
2. Entry to buildings through the roof.
3. Causeways or raised walkways.
4. Necropolis within the city walls.
5. Terraced city.
6. Extensively planned city layout.

Features Outside the City

1. Nearby quarry or mine.
2. Farm or garden terraces.
3. Ancient megalith site.
4. Numerous or especially large cenotes.
5. Large waterfalls.
6. Independent religious community.

City Scenarios

1. Hidden tunnels are revealed.
2. A new cult is spreading.
3. A rebellious faction is growing in power and influence.
4. A slave or commoner revolt is on the verge of breaking out.
5. Critical infrastructure such as walls, roads, ditches or terraces are neglected and in disrepair.
6. A prominent person is assassinated.

Random RPG Faction Generator

This is a set of tables to help you generate the various aspects of a faction for your world or to add to culture you've previously created with the Sundaland Culture Generator. You might already have some of the big picture ideas figured out in which case you can use the appropriate tables to flesh out some of the details.

My tip is to find ways to link the factions in some way. Perhaps one faction possesses a secret or MacGuffin that another aspires to own, or maybe two factions are working against each other to achieve contradictory goals. This will make the setting dynamic and give players ways to engage with it.

It's tempting to create a fully detailed world in every sense but this can inhibit creativity and emergent content. It's better to detail the minimum you need before playing since you don't have to account for every single faction in your setting. Two or three per culture will be enough to start with and some details may not be discovered until later. See my article for more on this topic: Constructing fictional worlds while leaving room for other people's imagination and creativity.

As with the culture generator I advise you to embrace results that seem strange or contradictory, this will help you avoid tropes and cliches and will force you to create an interesting narrative to thread everything together. See also: Creating Culture Shock In Sword & Sorcery Settings.

There are twelve tables, each with six results so you can roll a d6 for each one. I encourage you to vary the order of the tables you use otherwise you'll find yourself thinking along familiar cliches. You could use a d12 to determine the order that you roll in.

1. Caste or Faction Type

Does the faction originate in or from a particular caste?

1. Warrior Caste
2. Priest Caste
3. Scholar Caste
4. Bureaucratic Caste
5. Merchant Caste
6. Casteless, Secret Organisation or Cult

2. Origin 

The age, location or circumstances of the faction's origin

1. Ancient
2. New or Recent
3. Local
4. Foreign
5. Alliance
6. Splinter Group

3. Leadership

The leadership structure of this faction as perceived by it's members or outsiders.

1. A perceived or real otherworldly or higher power.
2. Authoritarian: One person.
3. Elite: A small group of people.
4. Council: Elected, self-appointed or appointed on merit.
5. By Vote: By popular vote or voted in by particular members.
6. Unknown: Not even the members know or understand who leads.

4. Motivation

The faction might have several overlapping motivations but one of them is the most important.

1. Power
2. Wealth
3. Influence
4. Maintain balance or the status quo
5. Revolution
6. Destruction

5. Method

How does this faction achieve their goals?

1. Legal or By The Book: Within the legal framework of the current culture or society.
2. Overt Violence: War, raids, ceremonial or gladiatorial combat.
3. Hidden Violence: Assassinations, secret raids.
4. Bribery and Corruption: With resources or favours.
5. Sow Distrust and Discord: Pit different people or factions against each other.
6. Manipulate or Leverage: Using secret knowledge.

6. Strength

What is this faction's strength?

1. Act Decisively: No hesitation when an opportunity presents itself.
2. Meticulous Planning: Account for all possibilities and outcomes.
3. Decentralised: A network of associations, hard to shut down.
4. Allies: Have supportive and powerful allies.
5. Resources: Own or have access to valuable resources.
6. Fanatical: Will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

7. Weakness

What is this faction's weakness?

1. They have a debt or someone has leverage over them.
2. Overly greedy or ambitious.
3. Corrupt
4. Immoral
5. Disorganised or incompetent.
6. Impulsive 

8. Secret or MacGuffin

This faction possesses or has access to a secret or MacGuffin. This might be the thing the faction needs to achieve their goal or a thing they must keep from another faction. Roll on the extra tables for more details about this secret or MacGuffin. 

1. Artefact
2. Location
3. Person
4. Knowledge
5. Event
6. Resource

8.1 Artefact

1. Idol or Statue
2. Tablet or Scroll
3. Tool or Instrument
4. Treasure, Jewels or Jewellery
5. Urn, Bones or Remains.
6. Weapon, Armour or Shield.

8.2 Location

1. Building
2. Cave System or Underground Complex
3. Island
4. Ruin
5. Settlement
6. Valley

8.3 Person

1. Close Relation
2. Friend or Ally
3. Heir or Claimant
4. Prophet or Guru
5. Reincarnation or Avatar (perceived or real)
6. Traitor, Spy or Informant

8.4 Knowledge

1. Astronomy
2. Biology
3. Geography
4. Politics
5. Crafting
6. Religion

8.5 Event

1. Alliance: Impending or secret alliance
2. Assassination: The target and/or the assassin
3. Astronomical: Foreknowledge of an astronomical event like a comet or conjunction.
4. Attack: Knowledge about the timing, strategy or resources involved.
5. Betrayal: The traitor, spy or informant and who they are working for.
6. Embargo or Resource Restriction: The resources that are restricted and why.

8.6 Resource

1. Animal
2. Human
3. Mineral
4. Plant
5. Tool
6. Weapon

9. Complication

Something is getting in the way of the faction being able to achieve their goal.

1. Running out of time.
2. Need more or specific people.
3. Need more or a specific resource.
4. A spanner in the works.
5. Arousing suspicion.
6. Something is wrong with the secret or MacGuffin.

10. Inner Conflict

There is a conflict within the faction.

1. Disputed Leadership
2. Competing What's: What should they be doing?
3. Competing How's: How should they go about achieving what they want?
4. Competing Why's: Why are they doing what they do?
5. Inherent Contradiction: There is a contradiction between what the faction wants to achieve and how they're going about achieving it.
6. Traitor, Spy, Informant: One of the members is working against the faction.

11. Outer Conflict

There is an outside force that is working against the intentions of the faction.

1. Direct Competition: Another person or faction wants the same thing.
2. Direct Opposition: Another person or faction is trying to stop them.
3. Accidental Interference: Another person or faction in accidentally working against them.
4. Environmental Disruption: Something in the environment, perhaps a natural disaster, is inhibiting them from achieving their goals.
5. Political Disruption: An unintended shift in the political environment is preventing the faction from achieving their goals.
6. Secret or Weakness Discovered: Another person or faction has discovered the secret or weakness and is exploiting it.

12. Moral Compass

How do they make decisions within the faction?

1. Might makes right
2. Discern the will of the gods
3. Let fate decide
4. Strict rule of law
5. Collective will of the members
6. The leaders decide

Random Sundaland Culture Generator

One of the inspirations for how I'm creating this setting is the sandbox approach of the OSR movement.

I really want people to feel permission to play around in the setting I'm creating. So here's a set of tables to help you generate your own cultures. The descriptions are deliberately concise to give room for your imagination to fill in the details.

Use a 1d6, 1d10 or 1d20 where appropriate. Role multiple times for several results, leave out what you don't like or what conflicts with something else and leave suggestions for more tables.

In some cases I've created the table so that there is a higher chance of rolling certain options to fit with the Bronze to Classical Age Sword & Sorcery feeling that I'm going for. Some of the combinations should be rare to preserve that feeling. I also default to describing everything in terms of city-states or small kingdoms.

Sometimes you'll get results that don't seem like they should go together but try and come up with a story to justify it. After all, ancient societies had strange customs and beliefs that seem contradictory to our current culture.

1. Cultural Archetype (1d10)

What general archetype does this culture belong to? 

1. New Born
2. Nomadic
3. Civilised
4. Decadent
5. Civilised
6. Enlightened
7. Nomadic
8. Enlightened
9. Decadent
10. Fallen

New Born: This is a young culture that's unrestrained by too many or overly burdensome cultural traditions. People in this culture often behave and act more authentically, some would say impulsively, compared to older more established cultures. They can be brave and decisive but too naive and trusting. They may also be superstitious and ignorant of the wider world but confident in their ability to survive in multiple environments and under harsh circumstances.

Nomadic: Nomadic cultures have no fixed home so instead place great value on bonds such as familial and clan relationships. As free as they are in their movement, they are constricted in their ability to act outside of their traditions. The see the benefits of coming together in larger family, tribe or clan structures but are weary of the trappings of civilisation which they see as leading to weakness.

Civilised: Civilised cultures enjoy both the benefits and drawbacks of living in cities. The term civilised is not meant as a positive judgement contrasting with uncivilised. It is simply a description for a culture mostly living in urban environments. Living in cities allows greater division of labour and specialisation, as well as being exposed to people from different backgrounds. People from these cultures may struggle to survive outside of urban environments. They can be more cynical and individualistic.

Decadent: Corruption has started to eat away at this culture. The luxury, whether material or spiritual, that previous generations attained is now the seed of their future destruction. The foundations are weakening as the rot sets in. This culture is under no illusion as to the dark motivations and impulses that can drive humanity.

Enlightened: This culture views itself as having attained a special knowledge or wisdom compared to others. While this may indeed be the case they will have blindspots about their own limitations. Arrogance and detachment are also afflictions that can beset this culture.

Fallen: Whether due to inside or outside forces this culture is no longer what it once was. The shackles are off and the ensuing chaos is a violent catalyst for change that will burn brightly and quickly. Their towns and cities crumble and decay and they flee into the wilderness or remain behind in the ruins. Perhaps, once the dust has settled and with enough time they will forget their history and become the parents of a New Born culture.

2. Origin Story (1d6)

What is the origin of this culture, or how did they reach their current state?

1. A wandering tribe. Now settled?
2. Trace their lineage to a great fallen kingdom.
3. The gods revealed special knowledge to the people.
4. Overthrew their oppressors.
5. Rose up through their own will and deeds.
6. Brought here by the gods from somewhere else.

3. Rulers (1d10)

Who are the rulers?

1. Kings and Queens
2. Priest Caste
3. Warrior Caste
4. Merchant Caste
5. Kings and Queens
6. Council of Elders
7. Scholar Caste
8. Warrior Caste
9. Priest Caste
10. Kings and Queens

4. Main Sources of Income + Things The Culture Wants (1d20, roll twice) 

There is some overlap between what could be a culture's source of wealth and things they want to acquire, so I've combined them in one table. However some of these are only applicable as a source of wealth e.g. Raiding and Conquering. If you roll something non-sensical for 'Wants' just roll again.

1. Elephants and Ivory.
2. Jade or Obsidian.
3. Gold or Silver.
4. Rare spices.
5. Tin or Copper.
6. Salt
7. Jewels
8. Oils sourced from nuts, plants or animals such as whales.
9. Artisanal products.
10. Special stone types for construction such as granite or marble. 
11. Agriculture or horticulture produce.
12. Hides, pelts, furs, feathers.
13. Captured rare animals.
14. Spoils from raiding or conquering.
15. Trading hub, toll road, bridge or ferry.
16. Receiving tax or tribute from neighbours.
17. A store of wealth or treasury, but running at a deficit.
18. Weapons.
19. Common goods such as pottery or non-spoiling food.
20. Plant resources for medicine or textiles.

5. Motivation (1d6)

What is the general motivation of this culture?

1. Conquer and dominate.
2. Facilitate commerce and generate wealth.
3. Attain spiritual goals or spread their religion.
4. Develop knowledge and science.
5. Cultural domination through art, peace and harmony.
6. Remain insulated and hidden.

6. Anathema (1d6)

What does this culture hate or dislike more than anything else?

1. Violence
2. Homogeneity
3. Diversity
4. Pacifism or perceived weakness
5. Decadence or overindulgence
6. Unbelievers

7. Internal Conflict (1d6)

What is or could soon be the main source of conflict within the culture?

1. Governing or succession disputes.
2. Resource misuse, mismanagement or restriction by one of the castes or rulers.
3. Population or demographic problems caused by wars, famine or disease. For example a lop sided gender ratio or too few children.
4. A new religion or cult is gaining followers and influence.
5. A foreign entity is sowing discord amongst a caste or inciting rebellion amongst lower classes.
6. Corruption and bribery by foreign entities or bureaucratic incompetence and inefficiency.

8. External Threats and Dangers (1d10)

What are or could soon be the external threats and dangers that this culture faces?

1. Volcanoes
2. Earthquakes, hurricanes or tsunamis.
3. Diseases affecting humans, plants or animals.
4. Flooding from rivers and in later times from the sea.
5. Aggressive and violent neighbours.
6. Famine from over-population, soil degradation, loss of productivity or overconsumption.
7. Plague or pest infestations such as rats or locusts.
8. Mass delusions or madness.
9. Fire
10. Drought

9. Religion (1d6)

To fit the Bronze to Classical Age feeling of my setting it's likely that each culture will have a religion that has some or all of the aspects listed below. So think of the result you roll as the aspect that is most prominent in the culture. Even the Monotheists (as they existed in Bronze Age societies) acknowledge the existence of other gods, just that theirs is the most powerful or uniquely favours them.

The sixth option: Philosophy, could be likened to early Western (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle) or Eastern (Zen, Daoism) traditions. Another inspiration could be Aztec Philosophy. Any philosophical tradition would likely still exist within a framework that acknowledges the existence of gods, spirits and such. Atheism or agnosticism is likely non-existent in this setting.

1. Animism
2. Totemism
3. Veneration of the Dead
4. Polytheism
5. Monotheism
6. Philosophy

10. Moral Compass (1d6)

What guides their behaviour towards each other and or outsiders, especially for big decisions? Roll twice if there is a difference between how they treat outsiders compared to their own.

1. Might makes right.
2. Discern the will of the gods.
3. Let fate decide.
4. Strict rule of law.
5. Will of the people.
6. The rulers decide.

11. Preferred method of punishment (1d6)

People in the ancient world could be brutal towards each other or outsiders. Roll twice if there is a difference in their treatment of each.

1. Heavy fines, imprisonment, forced labour or slavery.
2. Ritual sacrifice.
3. Banishment or abandonment to the wilderness.
4. Quick execution.
5. Cultural or religious conversion and assimilation through benign or malign means.
6. Forced to take part in gladiatorial or ritual combat and / or sports.

12. Great Works (1d6)

What are they compelled to build or construct?

1. Giant statues: Statues like the Moai of Easter Island or even larger.
2. Pyramids (including step pyramids)
3. Ziggurats
4. Mounds
5. Megaliths: Stone Circles with Henges.
6. Subterranean complex: Saflieni Hypogeum, Longyou Caves

13. Prominent Symbol (1d20)

What do they put on their flags, banners, shields and seals?

1. Lotus or another important flower or plant.
2. Elephant
3. Monkey
4. Crocodile
5. Sun
6. Moon
7. Stars
8. Tiger or Leopard
9. Peacock, Vulture, Eagle or other bird.
10. Hyena
11. Fish, dolphin, whale or shark.
12. Bat
13. Banteng (wild cow)
14. Babirusa (wild pig)
15. Badak Jawa (Javan Rhinoceros)
16. Orangutan
17. Snake
18. Tapir
19. Komodo Dragon
20. Butterfly

Find specific animal types here: EcologyAsia.com

Example

As an example I rolled: 

1. Civilised
2. A wandering tribe: Now settled
3. Ruled by Kings and Queens.
4. Tin or Copper, Artisanal Products.
5. Their motivation is to conquer and dominate.
6. They dislike decadence or overindulgence.
7. A new religion or cult is gaining followers and influence.
8. Aggressive and violent neighbours.
9. Totemism.
10. Strict rule of law.
11. Banishment or abandonment to the wilderness.
12. Pyramids
13. Hyena 

Weaving a story around these results I came up with:

A city-state ruled by a queen. They believe they used to be a wandering tribe before an omen convinced them to settle at the foot of a row of hills. Their source of wealth is a tin mine in those hills which is needed for the production of bronze. They do not have skilled artisans but the queen wants beautiful carved totems for the palace and their stepped pyramid so that benevolent spirits will be drawn to inhabit them. 

Their religion advocates personal restraint and this is something they want to convert other cultures to, through any means necessary, although they believe in the strict rule of law for both themselves and outsiders.

There is a new cult growing in influence amongst the common people that advocates for the enjoyment of material things in a world where death and destruction can come suddenly and without warning. If members of higher castes convert to this new religion it could cause internal conflict and rebellion against the queen.

Their main external threat is an aggressive neighbour that wishes to capture the tin mines for themselves so that they increase their weapon production and subjugate other city-states.

If anyone is found to have broken the laws of the city they are banished to the wilderness outside the borders of the state where they are sure to be hunted down by Hyenas. The dangerous animal is the symbol of the city to remind the people of what lies outside the boundaries of civilisation.