In this thread, the subject of random events for regions/nations in fantasy games came up, and I thought about compiling my own list.  In the interests of not threadcrapping, I'm putting this in its own thread.

I've got the following headers: Natural Disasters, Supernatural, Political, Religious, Economic, Scientific/Academic, Military and Social.  I figure on posting one a day, and welcome people kicking them around and tearing them apart to see what significant events that could impact play I didn't include.

Natural Disasters

• Minor/major earthquake/avalanche
• Widespread floods
• Plague
• Wildfires/large section of city burns
• Bad weather (hurricane, tornado, heat wave, deep freeze, blizzard, monsoon, dense fog)
• Drought
• Infestation (locusts, invasive species, destructive insects, vermin)
• Volcano
• Permanent climate change
• Predictable/recurring disaster (spring floods, monsoon season, 12-year locust cycle, recurring volcano, lunar/solar cycles, El Nino)
• Key infrastructure (harbor defenses, dam, aqueduct, roads, fortifications) fall into serious disrepair
• Man-made environmental disaster

raiding party's come to mind not usable in every campaign though

Under natural add the following events...

1. Meteorite Shower / Strike / Falling Stars.
2. Normal Comet.
3. Unusual Comet or Nebula.
4. Nova / Bright Star.
5. Sinkhole opens and swallows person/village/town/castle.
6. Ocean Levels rise several meters rapidly over the course of a few days, flooding coastal areas.
7. Ocean levels recede draining rivers and exposing the seabed.
8. Water Table lowers and lakes and streams suddenly dry up.
9. Toxic cloud erupts from enormous subterranean chamber suffocating or  killing all people and animals in a specific area on the surface (Limnic Eruption)...
10. Fire Tornado
11. Sand Geysers
12. Fatal Heat Wave
13. Dust Storm or Sand Storm
14. Avalanche!
15. Super Plague
16. Forest Fire
17. Lightning Strike
18. The Rain of Fish
19. Red, yellow, green, or black Rain
20. Crop Failure



Limnic Eruptions for reals
http://www.tested.com/science/earth/488946-most-unusual-natural-disasters/

I`d have events that tie two or more hexes together like so:
-The land of hex x is cursed because of something in hex y.
-Someone from hex x has inherited something of great value in hex y but this inheritance is contested by someone from hex z.
-A dragon who lives in hex x has been poisoning hex y.

With all hexes determined randomly.

That sort of thing. Don`t worry if the results seem nonsensical. Explaining things that don`t seem to make any sense are where some of my best setting ideas have come from.

My thanks to GameDaddy ... I hadn't thought along the lines of that section being "Natural Events" as opposed to Disasters.  I'd throw in eclipses, in that case ...

Anyway, the next one on the hit parade, for those of you still with me.

Political

• Major figure blackmailed/arrested/falls from power
• Diplomacy failing               
• Discontent being stirred up
• Assassination/kidnaping of key figure
• Rumors of a conspiracy
• Mob/gang violence greatly increasing/decreasing
• Mob/gang/bandit activity greatly increasing/decreasing
• Region attempts/threatens secession
• Major figure appointed to new post/relieved of duty/dies/retires
• Major legal case coming to a head
• New law enacted/old law repealed
• Taxes significantly increased/reduced
• Power of a faction grows greatly/is greatly reduced
• Aging/youthful leader/coalition/regency loses grip
• Political scandal occurs over (corruption, unfitness for post, racial-social tensions, dishonorable conduct, treason, vote buying, peculation, nepotism)
• National/regional ruler is too old and past it/too young and undisciplined, getting increasingly erratic
• Shakeup of political appointees
• Secret political society steps up activity/is unmasked/is suppressed
• Major faction (monarch, aristocracy, mercantile interests, religion) chafes under the rule of another faction
• Major faction traditionally in charge of things is overthrown in favor of their rival faction
• Person appears/is born bearing the tokens of the prophesied Sacred Ruler
• Unpopular minority/immigrant group suffers massacre/hostile attacks/accusations of treason or atrocities
• Coronation/appointment of new national/provincial ruler
• Minority group/underclass riots for better living conditions/higher pay/less oppression
• Popular highwayman/noble/political figure/academic/priest to be publicly executed
• Government cracking down with iron fist (on tax evasion, crime, dissent, deserters, minority group)