The Deep Space & Frontier Encounter Table For Stars Without Numbers & Other OSR Science Fiction Rpg's

 Standard OSR sci-fi (think Stars Without Number, Mothership, or Traveller) thrives on high stakes, weird ecology, and the cold indifference of space.

Here is a d100 Random Encounter Table designed to provide a mix of social friction, environmental hazards, and "what the hell is that?" moments.

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The Deep Space & Frontier Encounter Table

d100	Encounter Type	Description
01-05	The derelict	A silent transport ship. Gravity is off; the interior is coated in frozen, crystallized blood.
06-10	Space Junk	A cloud of high-velocity debris. Requires a Pilot check or takes $1d6$ hull damage.
11-15	The Taxman	A Sector Authority cutter demanding "transponder calibration fees" (a bribe).
16-20	Void Fauna	Shimmering, translucent "space whales" that disrupt electronics with their song.
21-25	Distress Signal	An escape pod containing a person in cryo. They were a prisoner of war 100 years ago.
26-30	Solar Flare	Radiation spike. All unshielded electronics malfunction for $1d4$ hours.
31-35	Mercenaries	A "security" squad looking for a runaway bounty. They think you look suspicious.
36-40	The Monolith	A perfectly smooth obsidian cube floating in the void. It emits a low hum in the crew's minds.
41-45	Gas Giant Miners	Grimy laborers in a massive rig offering to trade fuel for fresh rations or booze.
46-50	Automated Probe	An ancient survey drone that insists your ship is "unauthorized" and tries to board.
51-55	Pirate Ambush	A "disabled" ship acting as bait. Two fighters are hiding in a nearby asteroid shadow.
56-60	Religious Zealots	A luxury yacht full of pilgrims who believe technology is a sin—except their yacht.
61-65	Spatial Rift	A tear in reality. Looking at it requires a Sanity/Morale check.
66-70	Medical Emergency	A small shuttle with a crew suffering from a fast-acting, glowing blue fungus.
71-75	Smugglers	They offer you high-grade "stimpacks" (illegal combat drugs) at a 50% discount.
76-80	Nano-Cloud	A swarm of "disassembler" bots eating a defunct satellite. They’re hungry for more.
81-85	The Ghost Ship	Your own ship's transponder signal reflects back, but the "other" ship is 20 years older.
86-90	Wandering Merchant	A junker ship selling "Artifacts of the Pre-Scream." Most are literal trash; one is lethal.
91-95	Military Blockade	A planetary lockdown is in effect. "Turn around or be fired upon."
96-99	Black Hole/Anomaly	Extreme gravitational pull. Time dilation occurs: 1 hour here is 1 week outside.
100	The Mothership	An alien vessel the size of a city. It ignores your hails but begins scanning your DNA.

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Pro-Tips for the Referee

• Reaction Rolls: Don't assume every encounter is a fight. Roll $2d6$. On a 2-5 they are hostile, 6-8 they are wary/neutral, and 9-12 they are surprisingly helpful.

• Distance: Roll $1d6$ to determine how far away the encounter starts.

  • 1-2: Right on top of you (immediate action).

  • 3-4: Short range (visuals clear).

  • 5-6: Long range (sensor ghost only).

A Note on Lethality: In OSR play, if the players roll the Nano-Cloud or the Black Hole, remind them that running away is a valid—and often the only—tactic.