I’ve written a large list of all sorts of people that might be found living in or visiting a city. But the city has many stories. When your heroes go wandering thru town, what sights might they see? Choose from below or roll a d6 followed by a d20. Roll three or four times for a busy town.

Categories

1. General
2. Tradesfolk
3. Children
4. Vendors
5. Servants
6. Gentlefolk, Etc.

General

1. A person training a dog to do tricks.
2. A drunken man stumbling around.
3. People standing around talking about the weather.
4. People sitting somewhere convenient and eating.
5. A public execution is held.
6. People dumping refuse in a vacant lot.
7. Disabled beggar digging thru refuse for things of value.
8. A person relieving themselves in a corner.
9. A pigkeeper driving pigs thru the street.
10. A thief stealing food from a vendor.
11. Women chatting around a well as they draw water.
12. A woman feeding her baby outdoors.
13. A woman hanging laundry to dry on a balcony railing.
14. A thief stealing clothing from a balcony railing.
15. A man punished in the stocks being offered water by his wife.
16. People attending a man who has fallen from a ladder.
17. A funeral is conducted in the graveyard (or the procession passes).
18. A carter trying to fix a broken cart wheel.
19. A fistfight breaking out.
20. A lunatic/mental deficient acting strangely.

Tradesfolk

A list of tradesfolk.

1. Corders winding rope in a yard.
2. People working on improving the street.
3. A person collecting garbage in a cart.
4. Gong farmer (or “night man”) cleans out a cesspool (night only).
5. A tradesman moving materials in a handcart (roof tiles, etc.).
6. Builders carrying their tools and supplies to a building site.
7. A blacksmith dropping off new tools to a craftsman.
8. A blacksmith shoeing a horse.
9. Tilers or thatchers carrying ladders.
10. Thatchers at work re-thatching a house.
11. A bath attendant dumping bath water in the street.
12. Women weaving baskets outdoors.
13. Women weaving rush mats outdoors.
14. A butcher at work on a cow carcass in his yard.
15. Men repairing the street (filling in dirt or resetting cobblestone).
16. A man delivering casks of beer to a tavern.
17. A satisfied rat-catcher with a dog and sack of dead rats.
18. A stone mason chiseling an inscription on a cornerstone for a new building.
19. A tradesman rolling heavy barrels into his shop.
20. A knacker man collects a dead horse.

Children

1. Children rolling a barrel hoop with a stick.
2. Children chasing each other.
3. Children play-fighting.
4. Children fighting for real.
5. A child chasing a dog.
6. A child poking a dead bird with a stick.
7. An older child trying to comfort a crying young child.
8. A child being disciplined by a parent for not listening.
9. Young apprentices talking about their master.
10. Children watching a wizard perform minor tricks.
11. Children throwing rocks at birds.
12. Apprentices laughing at a friend trying to climb a tree.
13. A man disciplining a child for climbing a tree.
14. A child sweeping dirt out of a house into the street.
15. A girl churning butter outdoors
16. Children picking up dog waste to sell to a tanner.
17. A child trying to sell a dog.
18. A child practicing a musical instrument.
19. A goosegirl driving geese thru the street.
20. Girls spinning thread with a drop spindle.

Vendors

Common street vendors include those selling fish, fruit, eggs, cheese, firewood, vinegar, pottery, baskets, flowers, vegetables, nuts (walnuts, almonds), spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, saffron), and sugar.

1. A street entertainer with a macaque monkey.
2. A street minstrel performing for tips.
3. A vendor selling firewood or charcoal.
4. A vendor selling vinegar.
5. A vendor selling birds in basket cages.
6. A vendor selling rush mats (rugs) door-to-door out of a handcart.
7. Two vendors arguing about their sales territory.
8. A fishmonger selling fish so fresh some are still flopping.
9. A milkmaid selling milk out of a large pot on her head.
10. A knife-sharpener at work with his whetstone.
11. A girl selling flowers or prostitute pretending to sell flowers.
12. Women making brooms to sell.
13. Bathhouse attendants hawking their services outside their door.
14. A taverner engaging potential customers to come in.
15. A musician/bard offering their services.
16. A fortune teller offering a reading in an alcove.
17. A boy selling his services as a courier (day) or lantern-bearer (by night).
18. Rag-and-bone man with a handcart full of junk looking for buyers and sellers.
19. The town watch talking to a vendor about a theft.
20. The town watch looking after a vendor’s goods while the vendor is away briefly.

Servants

1. A servant carrying water from a well.
2. A servant fetching groceries.
3. Servants arguing over a dispute between their masters.
4. Servants chatting cheerily together.
5. A servant fetching a meal from street vendor for his or her master.
6. A servant shepherding his drunken master home.
7. Servants struggling with heavy barrels.
8. A servant rolling a heavy barrel.
9. A servant out delivering a message.
10. A servant carrying an armload of flowers.
11. A servant carrying a bolt of cloth.
12. A servant nervously carrying a small lockbox, accompanied by a guard.
13. Three servants watching a street entertainer (minstrel, juggler, puppeteer, clown, acrobat, bear-baiter)
14. A nurse strolling with her mistress’s baby.
15. A nurse strolling with her mistress’s two toddlers.
16. A wetnurse feeding her mistress’s baby.
17. Two servants struggling up some steps with their elderly master’s sedan chair.
18. A servant out walking a dog.
19. A courier racing thru the street.
20. A courier looking for a customer (knows where practically everyone lives).

Gentlefolk, Etc. (VIPs)

Lists of merchants, professionals, and officials.

1. A person of status out on business with a servant.
2. A couple of the gentry visiting shops to furnish their new house.
3. A lady and her servant visiting a jeweler.
4. An elderly woman in a sedan chair being carried thru the street by servants.
5. The coach of a powerful personage (noble, royal official, etc.) passes.
6. A natural philosopher or naturalist studying some aspect of physics or biology.
7. The city constable out on business with a member of the watch.
8. The town crier out on business.
9. The town crier actively announcing the news.
10. An inspector out inspecting the quality of goods.
11. An inspector testing the weights & measures of a baker.
12. An inspector complaining to a craftsman about the rubbish around his shop.
13. An inspector complaining to a man about dumping garbage in a ditch.
14. Church/temple official decorating the building for a holiday.
15. Church/temple official overseeing the faithful sweeping out the building.
16. Monks parading thru town and chanting.
17. A merchant making a deal with a tradesman to do work.
18. A merchant making a deal with a craftsman to buy or sell goods.
19. Two merchants making a deal at a table outside an inn.
20. An artist painting a scene.