# Table

## Definition

> **Tables are lists of prompts that players will pick from when instructed.**

* Each table will have a specific **theme or grouping** of prompts.
* Prompts are usually an **establishing line** followed by one or two **questions**.
  * E.g. *"An event has transpired. Question about the event? Follow up question?"*

{% hint style="info" %}

### Intention

**Tables are another way to give players a structured choice about where to take their story**. When a player chooses a prompt from a Table, it usually establishes something true that has happened in their story—an event, effect, etc. They will then have a chance to further elaborate through a number of questions.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="success" %}

### Example

[***Artefact***](https://mouseholepress.itch.io/artefact) **has are four Tables: two for use with Keepers (**[**Agents**](https://srd.mousehole.press/components/agent)**) and two for** [**Rests**](https://srd.mousehole.press/components/rest)**.** These are described in the examples for those components.

Each Table has six prompts of typically two or three sentences each. Here are a selection of prompts from across *Artefact's* Tables:

* *Gold and silver dull. Iron rusts. Colours fade to a sepulchral grey. What would your creator say if they saw you now?*
* *Whether by frost, corrosion or something stranger a prominent setting or rune is damaged irreparably. How does the damage affect one of your properties?*
* *You are swallowed by a passing sentient ooze—translucent and hungry. Where does the strange creature make its home, and what else of note churns with you in its viscous form?*
* *You intentionally deceived or refused to help your Keeper, leading to their demise. What took place and why did you act in that way?*
* *A stronghold of great importance was attacked by a dreadful, monstrous horde. How did you help your Keeper drive off the fearsome assailants?*
  {% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}

### Advice

While the content in a [Playbook](https://srd.mousehole.press/components/playbook) is unique to that [Object](https://srd.mousehole.press/components/object), **Tables are shared between all** [**Playbooks**](https://srd.mousehole.press/components/playbook). As such, the prompts contained within a Table need to be applicable to all included [Objects](https://srd.mousehole.press/components/object).

Players are usually instructed to choose a prompt from a Table, but they could also randomly determine one. Using a fixed number of prompts in each Table makes it easier to do this, especially if the number is a common die size (e.g. 6).
{% endhint %}