The Object Table

Before anyone opens a character sheet, put a table in the middle of the room.

The Object Table is a system-neutral Session Zero framework built around a simple reversal: players don't build a character and then find a prop that fits — they pick an object first, and the character gets built backward from it. A harmonica. A stopped pocket watch. A straight razor. Nothing labeled, nothing explained. Just: pick the one that speaks to you.

The object chose them. That's the whole trick, and it works because it mirrors how people actually form attachments — rarely logical, almost never in the order a character sheet implies.

What's inside (2 pages):

The core mechanic, explained in full

Why it works — the psychology behind letting a physical choice replace a blank page

Guidance on building your own object table for any genre

A worked example showing the mechanic in play

Quick genre reskins — sci-fi, fantasy, modern/urban — so it drops into any campaign in minutes

Reuse it for new characters, a prologue flashback, or a fresh cell of investigators partway through a campaign. Sparingly is best — it's a ritual, not a routine.

Originally developed for The Hands of a God*, an upcoming Cthulhu Mythos campaign. This is the second standalone tool from that project to see daylight — the first is* The Sable Protocol*, also available on this page.*

Free / pay what you want.