In most of my rpg campaigns, I have to admit that "man vs. nature" has not been a strong or recurring theme. The PCs are far more likely to be worried about goblins than landslides.
My recent Dark Albion campaign has been something of an exception to that.
I've already mentioned the danger of rain conditions, which at first glance you'd think wouldn't be a danger at all (but that's precisely what makes it interesting). Now, in last night's game, I had my players experiencing genuine fear of demise as two of the (heavily-armored) PCs suddenly fell into a sinkhole with a strong current, of the kind that I mentioned can be found in some of the waterways of the North in Albion. It was only by a magic rope, some quick thinking, and the help of their team-mates that they survived the waters (which were also near-freezing).
I have to say it was quite fun seeing the PCs freak out over something with no supernatural element or human hostility.
In any case, the Dark Albion core book has some rules on potential natural hazards that you can run into along the way as you travel Albion's roads and trails. And I think that's one way to look at natural conditions: as random encounter. Another is to see natural hazards as traps.
Do you do a lot of this in your D&D games?
RPGPundit
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I've always used hazards as a result for a failed Wilderness or Survival roll, the Ranger or other lookout failed to see the trap ahead of time, and the party encounters it. It might be a dead-end that prolongs their journey,a rock slide, quicksand, or whatever.. anyway,that's how I use them.
ReplyDeleteMy players have learned to worry when the Random Weather Chart makes me pause and say, "oh, that's interesting...."
ReplyDeleteI had one GM quite a while ago who made us dread rain. He was awesome.
I had a DM that made any desert travel a true challenge when he ran Al-Qadim so many years ago. I've attempted to emulate his dickishness, but my players always find a way to circumnavigate the terrain and/or weather in my campaigns.
ReplyDeleteI had a DM that made any desert travel a true challenge when he ran Al-Qadim so many years ago. I've attempted to emulate his dickishness, but my players always find a way to circumnavigate the terrain and/or weather in my campaigns.
ReplyDeleteI'm a cityboy through abd through so I tend to forget about such things. But now that you mention it I'm gonna add some natural hazards in this month's SoTDL game (my players thank you BTW).
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