The rules for Twilight:2000 version 2.x were always a bit crunchier than I liked my games to flow, but one aspect I thought was quite innovative. The encounter system was more complex than most games, in that while each area on the map had a physical terrain type (Forest, Hills, Swamp, etc) like most games, it also could have a Territory type as well. This described the tactical or social situation in that area, (for example: Organized, Contested, Anarchy, Devastated, etc). Then there were encounter tables based on the combination of those two data points.

The really interesting part for as a referee was that the players would be able to predict only part of what to expect by looking at the map, but the nature of the territory would only become apparent by talking to NPCs, scouting the region, or simply inferring by the type of encounters they were having. Plus as the referee, I could manage a strategic level story, where on my private version of the map I track the various faction’s turf or movements as colored-in clusters of hexes. Plus, if the players understand that there is a real pattern (and not just pure randomness) they will see the value in planning their movements in a more realistic fashion.

Unfortunately, like many of GDW’s products, a good idea was presented in (for me) a profoundly confusing fashion. (Which I attribute to a hard page limit, requiring quite a bit of linguistic shoehorning) So I took a stab at reorganizing the encounter system from the 2.2 rules into a booklet that hopefully is something that a referee can consult at the table and generate encounters in a much faster fashion.

(This is very much a work in progress, so please feel free to leave comments below. I will probably make revisions and repost it here.)
T2K Encounters Booklet (Draft Version)