Travelogues: more granular resting rules

Recently a friend mentioned that he's thinking of trying to do a D&D game that's more in the style of a lot of brick-thick fantasy novels. Which is to say, a large proportion of the pagecount will be devoted to travelling around. Specifically, he doesn't just want to do the kind of nominal journeys that often feature, which are mostly encounters interspersed with occasionally making camp or fording a stream. He wants the journey itself to be prominent. As so often, our discussion led to me saying I'd go away and maybe write a blogpost.

My instinct is that if you want travel to feel real (something you can get your teeth into in a game), you're going to have to pay attention to some things that games tend to (reasonably) gloss over for the sake of adventure, as well as digging out the D&D wilderness rules. Specifically, I think you need to make logistics important. Thinking back on the travel stories I've read - which includes a lot of autobiography, not just fantasy - a lot of the interest and drama and tension comes from the mundane details.

My idea, therefore, is that you probably want to de-emphasise the classic problems of "we are constantly attacked by monsters" and start worrying about things like food supplies, shelter, fatigue, rust and corrupt law enforcement.

Utilities: Tyler's Timetracker weather and travel tool

After my earlier post about weather, reader Tyler Durden mentioned having created a tool that generates climate-appropriate weather for campaign worlds, including their effects on travel times. He was kind enough to offer to share it (and also translate it from Italian for the Anglophone readership) and you can find the link here.

There's a readme file with the tool, which covers how to use it; you really want to play around with it a bit to make sense of it, though. I do a fair bit of work in Excel myself, so I have some idea of the enormous effort that's gone into making this.

Okay, who's this good for? Primarily I'd say it's useful if you're doing games based on a fairly concrete map (either traditional hex-based, or just with a good sense of how places relate and their terrain type), and would like to include weather that doesn't depend on the GM's imagination and grasp of meteorology. This tool is neutral and systematic, but should produce consistent and believable weather. If your group doesn't want to be dependent on GMs making decisions, it should be an asset. It's not just about the weather; a map-based campaign typically involves a lot of travelling, and knowing how weather conditions will affect travel and hazards is a big help. Sandboxy old-school campaigns ought to like this.

More broadly, it should also be helpful to any game that wants to include weather for a touch of realism, helping to give a sense of place; this will be particularly the case if your game skips around between mountain, forest and seaside. Even if you'd prefer not to model travel in detail, you could use the tool's calculations to inform descriptions and narration. It might also throw in unexpected twists that inspire new opportunities - seeking shelter from a rainstorm, say, or needing extra water during an unseasonal heatwave.

Actually, this would also be a great asset to budding fantasy authors who want to feature the classic travelogue segments. No more worrying about plot holes and inconsistencies, just use the obligatory front-inside-cover map with this tool to calculate all your journeys!

I've only really had time to tinker with it a bit so far, but hope it will be useful to others who might read the blog and appreciate Tyler's hard work.

Handling Light, first draft

Following a discussion on Shannon’s blog, here’s a quick stab at a chart for handling lighting modifiers.

After some brief playing around, I think there's four light properties that are probably relevant:

1. how much light there is
2. shadows - basically, whether it's ambient light/high light that leaves few shadows, or directional light that casts lots of deep shadows
3. steadiness of light
4. width of spectrum - lack of some colours reduces our ability to see properly

Lighting Modifiers

Concealment indicates the chance of a character or object going unnoticed, even without making any effort to avoid detection. Where a / is used, the first figure indicates the concealment of stationary objects, and the second that of moving objects. Very energetic or prominent motion should reduce the effect of concealment further.

Misidentify indicates the chance of a character not being recognised at a distance. This might include passing for authorised personnel in restricted sections, or being mistaken for another character expected to be present. The alert status of the watcher, the distance between them, the degree of resemblance, and whether the character’s behaviour follows expected patterns, may all modify this chance.

Light Prominence indicates whether light sources (such as LEDs, cantrips, glow-in-the-dark watches, torches, lanterns, screens, fires or sparks) are likely to attract attention.

Visual Tasks indicates the difficulty modifier applied to actions that rely heavily on vision. Some characters may be proficient at specific tasks by touch, such as typing, field-stripping weapons or picking locks.

I’m basically applying broad modifiers based on the lighting and the amount of shadow, then another fixed 10% for light sources that are particularly skewed towards one colour, and another 10% for particularly unsteady of lighting.

Concealment = Lighting + Shadow + Spectrum + Unsteady

Visual Tasks = Lighting + Spectrum + Unsteady

Misidentify = Lighting + Spectrum + Unsteady

Total Darkness

• Concealment 100%
• Visual Tasks -90%, or automatic failure if vision essential (reading, surgery)
• Misidentify - characters will anticipate this and behave accordingly
• Any Light Prominent

Deep Forest

• Concealment 80%
• Visual Tasks -80%, or automatic failure if vision essential (reading, surgery)
• Misidentify - 80%
• Any Light Prominent

Starlight

• Concealment 70%/35%
• Visual Tasks -50%
• Misidentify 50%
• Low Light Prominent, Flickering Light Prominent

Candlelight

• Concealment 70%/35%
• Visual Tasks -60%
• Misidentify 60%
• Low Light Prominent, Steady Light Prominent
• Short range

Firelight

• Concealment 55%/25%
• Visual Tasks -45%
• Misidentify 45%
• Moderate Light Prominent, Steady Light Prominent
• Short range

Stereotypical Tavern

• Concealment 50%/25%
• Visual Tasks -40%
• Misidentify 40%
• Low Light Prominent, Steady Light Prominent

Twilight

• Concealment 35%/20%
• Visual Tasks -35%
• Misidentify 35%
• Moderate Light Prominent, Flickering Light Prominent

Full Moon

• Concealment 40%/20%
• Visual Tasks -20%
• Misidentify 20%
• Bright Light Prominent, Flickering Light Prominent

Daylight, Modern Office Lighting

• Very Bright Light Prominent

	Dark (50%)	Dim (40%)	Low (25%)	Moderate (10%)	Bright
Minimal shadow	Cloudy night	Specialist lab Museum special collections	Atmosphere restaurant Shabby hotel	Cloudy winter Indie hotel	High noon Modern office Gallery Fast food joint Chain hotel
Occasional shadows (10%)	?	Cloudy moon Tavern	Twilight Well-lit street	Victorian office Chain pub Cathedral Small industry Cheap dorm	Winter sun Factory Crowded Lab
Frequent shadows (30%)	Deep forest Haunted house	Candlelight Starlight Theatre	Firelight Underpass Mediaeval house Moonlight	Sunrise/set Georgian house Full moon	Summer evening

Reflection

This is probably too detailed to be usable as an in-game chart, but hopefully is interesting as an idea.

On Whether the weather can be weathered

So Shannon has posted an article about weather in games, focusing particularly on serious disaster-type weather. It's interesting, but it's prodded my brain in a different direction, which is mundane weather. There's definitely more you could do with weather than most games seem to.

A pretty big one is mood. The weather makes a huge difference to how you feel. Warm, sunny day with a faint breeze? Puts a smile on most people's faces. A cool day with a stiff wind is usually a bit unwelcome, but for a lot of adventuring situations it'll be welcome, cooling you down as you lug your own bodyweight in weaponry through the forest.

I'm inclined to think it might be interesting to apply morale modifiers for weather. Use this when considering distance travelled, social interactions, performances and other non-dangerous activities. You could use it for dangerous ones too, but players might find that a bit too much. This idea would probably work best in games that already use morale, so that weather isn't the only thing that affects it.

For example, let's take the rain.

Rain

Rain can be annoying, cold and rain is miserable, wind and cold and rain is really grim - and all those thing have a practical effect. The ground underfoot is muddy or slippery, so travelling is harder and often louder. Damp clothes cling uncomfortably and make movement awkward, and wet hair gets in your eyes. Wet ropes are nasty to handle (try undoing a tight knot on a boat rope). Cold fingers fumble, cold wet items are a pain to handle. Rest is less refreshing if you're huddling under a tree while water drips down your neck, eating cold food for want of firewood, unable to read. Loud rain and wind makes talking difficult, on top of your glumness, so journeys and activities become taciturn and lonely as you plod on.

The rain splashes surface mud back at you, and your boots (or your horse's hooves) pick up and spray mud, spattering your clothes and skin. Unexpectedly soft ground makes you stumble and slip, or leaves you six inches deep in mud. Even in town, surfaces can be damaged, water pools unexpectedly, or dodgy flagstones drench you unexpectedly. Passing cars or carts can spray you even if you were being careful, and umbrellas don't help. A galloping horse or wild animal passing nearby can spatter you with mud from head to foot.

Rain and wind can directly affect your perception, reducing visibility and blotting out sounds, but they also change your behaviour. People huddle in, keeping heads down so rain or flying debris don't get into their eyes, and focusing mostly on themselves.

Hot wet days can be just as bad. Sometimes the rain is a cooling blessing, but often it merely turns things humid. With moisture in the air, it's impossible to cool off properly. Hot damp air encourages mould. Doing anything strenuous, you rapidly get sweaty, breathless and deeply uncomfortable. Sitting still isn't as relaxing as you'd think either, and sleeping is difficult.

Changing clothes or gear tends to take longer, too. Between slippery fingers, fabrics whose friction increases as they absorb moisture, and the sheer unpleasantness of putting on wet gear, it's much more of a hassle. Maintaining weapons and armour is difficult in the wet. Reading spellbooks and preparing components is pretty challenging.

If you're staying inside, other people will have the same inclinations. Town taverns and cafes may be fuller, and those catering to travellers may have people staying longer than usual in the hope of a change. Workers may knock off early if business seems poor. Markets and other outdoor activities may be cancelled. This can be a good opportunity to make some friends or gather information. However, farmers and a few others may have extra work to do, looking after livestock or trying to plant while the ground's soft. Note that some places, such as those aimed at short-distance travellers or leisured folks, may be very empty if nobody wants to venture out. Tourist cafes fill up quickly in the rain, but parks and burger stands alike will be quiet. In less touristy places, it may only be confirmed regulars who venture into the pub or gym, and they're the best people to gossip with. People are more likely to be at home, and there'll be fewer witnesses to goings on; on the other hand, hanging around may be more suspicious. Street collectors, touts and beggars will look for shelter.

On the plus side, many insects and animals will lurk somewhere during rain. Your changes of getting bitten are much lower, even in marshland. Note, however, that very small biting insects can thrive during rain. Something for GMs to play with, perhaps.

Suggestions

• Consider changing random encounters and environmental hazards. Fewer mosquitos and stirges, but more flooded roads, overturned cars, stuck wagons and so on.
• Donning or doffing armour takes longer. So does making camp.
• Any work involving ropes, fabrics or slick materials becomes more difficult.
• Remember the cosmetic effects of rain and mud. Highlighting the dampness and dirtiness of everything will help add atmosphere, and can affect NPC interactions too. Some will be extra sympathetic and eager to help the bedraggled travellers into their warm halls; others may be put off.
• Consider the type of location and how its inhabitants are likely to react to rain.
• Consider whether behaviour seems appropriate for rain; if not, NPCs may take notice.
• Impose penalties to eavesdropping, spotting skulkers, and generally noticing stuff.
• Remember that ordinary activities, often handwaved, will be affected. Preparing spells or praying to deities is more difficult in miserable conditions, so ask for Concentration rolls to see whether casters get fewer spells. Hey, they're overpowered anyway, right?
• If it's hot and wet, make strenuous work more difficult. It doesn't need to be more dangerous - hot and wet is probably less of an issue than cold, or hot and dry - but you get exhausted quickly.
• Wet bowstrings, anyone? What precautions did everyone take?
• Drying out takes time. Don't forget about the rain as soon as it stops. Even when PCs are dry, it might take days for land to dry out. In some cases, it may take weeks.

Okay, that's enough for now. Might try another weather later.

Investigating Offices

Inspired (once again) by Shannon, I had a mental look around my offices past and present, to see what clues people might find. Some are more clue-like than others.

Contact lists:

My current office actually has a massive directory of people by department and by name, with phone numbers and emails. There’s also a cribsheet inside the stationery cupboard door (because it’s a convenient unused surface) with numbers for the cleaning company, the security team, the emergency maintenance team, a few very senior staff, and personal numbers for all the staff in our office (to check up on them if they don't come in). That’s pretty hefty stuff. With someone's home number, you can get their address fairly easily, even if that's not written down somewhere in the office too.

Timetables:

As we run shifts, we have two weeks of shifts pinned to the cupboard, plus an actual calendar featuring bigger events. Between these you can work out (with a bit of deduction and ability to match initials with names) who’s doing what shifts, (and therefore when they won’t be at home). You can also find out a lot of appointments, especially meetings, but also things like dental and medical appointments. If you spend time to look at paperwork or read a few emails, you can also work out what the meetings actually are, since most are known by acronyms. This information will tell you who else is likely to go from other parts of the company, which tells you when their offices will be empty. Plus, you can work out which meeting rooms to bug.

Procedures:

Bosses love protocols and procedures, and in our case also love physical paper. This means we have two huge ringbinders of protocols, listing exactly how we’re supposed to handle particular issues, as well as (in some cases) the passwords for computers or bits of software.

Keys:

Bosses like things to be locked, but in a shared office it’s usually not practical for everyone to have the keys, nor for a keyholder to always be around when needed. This means keys are often tucked away somewhere out of sight, but if you have the time to check cupboards and boxes, and try any keys you find, you can probably get into most things.

Personal lockers:

Plenty of offices have personal drawers, lockers or cupboards where staff members can stash their bags, shopping, lunchtime reading, favourite herbal tea, etc. These often also contain bits of miscellaneous paperwork (particularly in offices with hotdesking), and especially paperwork that’s private: job application forms, say, or notes for a meeting where they plan to disagree with their boss. As well as offering some insight into company politics, these can tell you something about individual staff members. On the downside, people tend to take the keys with them; on the plus side, in a lot of offices nobody bothers to lock them in the first place.

Food and drink:

A lot of people have favourite mugs, personal coffee and tea supplies, as well as maybe biscuits, protein shakes, fruit, peanuts or whatever other snacks they like. If you’re burgling the place and planning to come back later, you could quite easily spike some of the supplies with something that’ll send people home sick. This might be a good prelude to turning up imitating health inspectors (or paramedics), or simply taking advantange of the boss being ill to browbeat the junior staff into letting you in. More harmlessly, you could find out what people like, and use that to help befriend them.

Stationery:

Most offices have all kinds of stationery lying around, which might provide some clues. Pre-printed envelopes or labels are pretty common, and give you some idea where things are being sent. Invoices, credit slips and other order details are often not locked away, but just stashed in a tray until they’re dealt with; these can tell you a lot about the flow of money in a company, especially if they’ve been processed and now contain things like budget codes and authorisation signatures. In some cases you might spot dubious uses of company money – I’ve seen a few of those myself – and thse might be handy for blackmail, or for understanding how someone ticks. What do they like? Are they likely to accept a ‘gift’? Can you sweeten them up over time and get some favours? Again, if you know what companies the office has dealt with, and have order numbers and so on, you’re in a strong position to impersonate someone from that company to “fix the photocopier” or “show off some new products”.

Of course, stationery is also handy if you want to forge paperwork from the company. Letterhead stationery, official stamps and other goodies are often just left lying around, because people use them a lot. You can likely also get a look at senior staff’s signatures to fake those.

Printers and copiers:

It’s not that unusual for people to send a load of print jobs, but not pick them up for a long time, especially if they get distracted. You might find both official and personal printouts sitting around in the open, because often a shared printer is still the only place to send private information. In older settings, a typing pool or longhand secretary might produce and deliver a whole load of documents that the boss hasn’t had time to read, and they’re just lying in a tray.

Devices:

Things like phones, laptops and tablets are pretty common, though in shared offices (and especially on junior staff) they’re often frowned on. On the other hand, in a tech company or in a boss’ office you’re likely to see them lying around. As many people don’t bother locking them when not in use, this gives a good opportunity to check contact lists and call histories, read email (it’s likely that Gmail, Facebook and so on will still be logged in even if they’re not open, because they’re tenacious like that), copy whole chunks of data, or even install software for later hacking. This is quite likely a more reliable way to get at email than a desktop would be, as people tend to lock them or shut them down. Emails can get you all kinds of information on appointments, contacts, upcoming events (fire drills are a great chance to spend ten minutes looting the place) and personal lives.

Applications and personnel forms:

There's a fair chance any sizeable office will have some job applications lying around; in most cases it's strictly against policy to leave them lying around in public, but happens nevertheless. As well as anything you can learn about goings-on at the company, the comments they leave on application forms can tell you a lot about people.

Possibly more useful are things like annual review forms and performance reviews. These will tell you a lot about what individuals do, how well they're seen to be performing, and their aspirations. Depending on what the department does, you may be able to use these to find out who was involved with a particular project.

Photo boards:

In sizeable organisations, it's pretty common to have some kind of photo board. It might be official company photos with names under each one, showing the company hierarchy. On the other hand, it could be a collection of staff trip photos, newspaper clippings showing them doing charity work, and "morale-boosting" images of senior staff opening new buildings or talking to lowly underlings.