RPGnet Columns
05-02-2005, 09:22 AM
Post originally by Ian Sokoliwski at 2005-05-02 08:22:07
Converted from Phorums BB System
Great column! Always a bonus to see more 'peggers in the media :)
Heh, last Saturday I had a rather humbling encounter with a somewhat 'typical' D&Dish stroll through the woods. I was helping clear a hiking trail in the Whiteshell (near West Hawk Lake), and was surprised (and frustrated) with how difficult I found the going, with only a small pack (and, admittedly, entirely the wrong type of boots).
Much of the time, walking up and down the jagged rocks along one lake (and basically crashing through a beaver dam into a pond), I kept thinking about characters in the various D&D games I've run, and how they would scamper about similar terrain in heavy armour with insane pack-loads, and just how unrealistic that would be. Granted, those fictional characters would be in much better shape than this very much real-world GM (ably demonstrated by the fact that all the other hikers with me, better-equipped and in better shape, didn't even seem to get winded. Still, they weren't wearing full plate armour or anything...:) ), but it gave me lots to think about (especially for characters getting off regular trails and sprinting into rough terrain).
...although I'd doubt I'd ever penalize Rangers, Barbarians, and Druids no matter the amount of equipment they carry (I'd assume that these classes would know how to pack equipment for cross-country travel), I'm definitely going to take a second look at how much junk other character classes are carrying in similar situations.
Converted from Phorums BB System
Great column! Always a bonus to see more 'peggers in the media :)
Heh, last Saturday I had a rather humbling encounter with a somewhat 'typical' D&Dish stroll through the woods. I was helping clear a hiking trail in the Whiteshell (near West Hawk Lake), and was surprised (and frustrated) with how difficult I found the going, with only a small pack (and, admittedly, entirely the wrong type of boots).
Much of the time, walking up and down the jagged rocks along one lake (and basically crashing through a beaver dam into a pond), I kept thinking about characters in the various D&D games I've run, and how they would scamper about similar terrain in heavy armour with insane pack-loads, and just how unrealistic that would be. Granted, those fictional characters would be in much better shape than this very much real-world GM (ably demonstrated by the fact that all the other hikers with me, better-equipped and in better shape, didn't even seem to get winded. Still, they weren't wearing full plate armour or anything...:) ), but it gave me lots to think about (especially for characters getting off regular trails and sprinting into rough terrain).
...although I'd doubt I'd ever penalize Rangers, Barbarians, and Druids no matter the amount of equipment they carry (I'd assume that these classes would know how to pack equipment for cross-country travel), I'm definitely going to take a second look at how much junk other character classes are carrying in similar situations.