Unknown Armies
RANDOM PLOTLINE GENERATOR

More UA The Game Mill Character Generator

In my experience, most people who get involved with UA are more than capable of writing engaging campaigns. However, we all get stuck for inspiration sometimes. So, using the suggested plot formula from page 286 of the second edition rules, I put together this Javascript generator out of tutorials and advice from friends. I tried to include as many of the random ritual ingredients from page 285 as I could, but I got sidetracked with a book of symbolism before I could finish.

Alas and alack, I don't spell so good and this kind of thing is a bear to edit. I hope it reads okay!


A note about Below: Underneath this text box, there are several links and some fields where you can enter your own custom adjectives for this generator. Whenever you see the notation (see Below) take a look down there.


BELOW: See Here

Customized Backstories
First, if you want to generate a custom backstory, type short answers to the questions below in to the accompanying fields and hit the custom button. (Or you can go back up and hit it.)
All this really does is change certain adjectives around. I like to assume that you're just using this generator to kick start your brain and that you'll fill in more engaging details before you begin play.
(Type all answers in lower case and leave out beginning or ending punctuation, like pyramids. They'll be inserted directly into the text above when you hit the button.)
 UA-style MAD-LIB
(PS. adjectives that start with a vowel look a little funny.)
Question 1: What adjective would best describe a troublesome cult?
Answer 1:  
Question 2: What adjective would best the powerful figure behind this cult?
Answer 2:  
Question 3: What adjective would best the first ally of the players who gives them a lead?
Answer 3:  
Question 4: What adjective would best describe the sucker who will most likely catch most of the heat from both the players and the other cabals involved?
Answer 4:  
Question 5: What adjective would best describe any powerful duke who might become involved?
Answer 5:  
Question 6: Okay, last one. Answer it with a short prepositional phrase, please.
What would a major cabal, like the Sleepers or The New Inquisition, want with the McGuffin that started all this trouble? (Try and make it match your theme.)
Answer 6:  

Now slide back up and read the results!

References
Secondly, several non-canon cabals are mentioned above (the main cabal is just a randomized name made from scratch. It's always non-canon.) These cabals are used in my campaigns, mostly. You can substitute the following UA canon groups for them:
BBS of the Yeller Sine - substitute the Rahyab, 101001101 (from PoMoMa)
In my games, the BBS of the Yeller Sine are a bunch of Lovecraft-obsessed computer geeks who think, or, more often, fervently hope that they're possessed by Great Old Ones. They practice Oneiromancy (also from PoMoMa) and mostly use it to send disturbing dreams to girls they like and guys they don't.
The Bothersome Brazos Brothers - substitute Maria Saputo and her mobster boyfriend, Anthony (from Weep)
The Brothers Brazos are actually an invention of the magnificient Stuart Anderson, who lives in the same town I do. They are intricately linked with a horrible mechanomantic device called the Knob Monkey. I think they live in Anderson's own version of Yawknapataqua County (boy, I hope I spelled that right) but I use them as a sort of clueless version of Rome and Carthage (from PoMoMa.)
Sirri al'Ahzab - substitute Team Salvation (from PoMoMa)
Sirri al'Ahzab means something like "Secret of the Confiderates" (or, I think more properly, "Secret of the Confederated Clans") but, in this case, it refers to a group of do-gooder Muslims from south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The all-male group loves pulp heroes (like the Shadow, The Phantom, Indiana Jones and, yes, even Will Eisner's "The Spirit") which they try to emulate with an Islamic flair (to balance the scales, as their leader, al'Tabi or "The Shade," puts it.) They're mostly good Southern Boys who had hard-workin' daddies and a semi-liberal upbringing. As a result, the al'Ahzab has a few unconscious adepts, most notably a Warrior and a Masterless Man, and no other magickal powers, but a deep and driving goal to find something worth fighting without bloodshed. The supernatural seems to fit this bill. Incidentally, the 33 Surah of the Qu'ran is called al'Ahzab and the third verse (33:3) descibres Allah as "a disposer of affairs," which is justification enough for monster-hunting and cult-bashing.
The Spriggan Order of the Ninjitsu Templars D - substitute Satan's Chosen Temple, if you have to
The Spriggan Order is a bunch of anime fans with a few low-level avatars among them, including an MVP, a Fool, a couple Masterless Men and an unconscious minor adept (melliomancy, or honey magic, from John Tyne's website.) They think they're somehow filtering out the legendary mystical secrets of the Orient from OAVs and a couple books from the New Age shop down the street. They all live in the same trailer park (or, at least, the duplexes across the street) and most of them go to the same community college. They don't stay on their avatar paths very well because their interests shift dramatically with each new cartoon that becomes popular, but they have a truly fanatic need to emulate their animated heroes.
The Coopers, the amazons, the white-power militants or the eco-guerillas - substitute any group of thugs you like
Seriously, these are clueless pawns of the Global Liberation Society, meant to flush out Randy Douglas' enemies and probably way in over their heads (even the tough ones.)

Supplements
Third, and last, several UA supplements are listed above.
PoMoMa means, of course, Post Modern Magick, the Unnatural Sourcebook
Hush, Hush is the supplement of the Sleepers
Statosphere is the supplement on avatars and the Invisible Clergy
Break Today is the Mak Attax supplement, but I don't think I have any references to it, or to the brilliant Weep supplement, One Shots, or Lawyers, Guns and Money.
Feel free to e-mail me with bitter complaints about this (or anything else you'd like to say) at yokeltania@yahoo.com. Do me a favor and tell me both who you are and what this is about. I'm not exactly a criminal or a terrorist, but there's certain organizations out there I definately do not want to talk to anymore, if you know what I mean. Mostly they want me to buy their stuff... their horrible, horrible stuff.
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