A New Column

[ShannonA]

And welcome to RPGnet's newest column!

[clamdestine]

Very informative. I like how the tone is more scientific than the vegan love-in I was expecting. Top notch!

[Jennifer]

Very informative. I like how the tone is more scientific than the vegan love-in I was expecting. Top notch!

Thank you... :D

[Hafwit]

Well done. It gave me a few ideas.

[smascrns]

Definitely a great subject for a column. There are two takes for it, actually: The Real World aproach that you followed in the first column where you present how things are and how to use them in a game as they are; the fantasy/sci-fi one where you give suggestions on how to move from the RW to fictional worlds that are as consistent as the RW but with very different flora. I hope you start with the first and move to the second.

Another question: Yes, flora makes 94% of life but the other 6%, fauna, are deeply tied up to it. Could you give an idea of that linkage when you discuss the different eco-systems?

[Jennifer]

Definitely a great subject for a column. There are two takes for it, actually: The Real World aproach that you followed in the first column where you present how things are and how to use them in a game as they are; the fantasy/sci-fi one where you give suggestions on how to move from the RW to fictional worlds that are as consistent as the RW but with very different flora. I hope you start with the first and move to the second.

Another question: Yes, flora makes 94% of life but the other 6%, fauna, are deeply tied up to it. Could you give an idea of that linkage when you discuss the different eco-systems?

Oh, I got you covered on the first aspect. I'll be covering foraging next, and how likely a character will be to poison himself in the different biomes, then crops and commerce, including a bit on the spice trade, then I'll be doing some stuff on the healing aspect of plants and the differences between instants and long-term cures in real-world terms. From there I'll back up and focus on specifically wet biomes and the diversity of flora, a bunch on folklore, poisons, alchemy, and potions, and once in a while I'll throw in fun stuff on specific plot hooks.

I have a link in my sig to a specific Tangency thread I contributed to specific medicinal and legendary herbs, so go crazy.

Because of the route I'm taking as seen above, I actually HADN'T focused at all on the animals that are tied in with these eco-systems. Basically I had introduced the biomes so that, as I continued the articles, I already have the basis of why these plants are where they are.

Here's some helpful places for linking up animals with the biomes:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/
http://home.comcast.net/~john.kimball1/BiologyPages/B/Biomes.html
http://www.mbgnet.net/

Hope this helps!

[lelak]

Oooh, nice. :)

Your style's very readable, Jennifer. Looking forward to the next round.

[magustrate]

I enjoyed the new column. An angle I'm sure that a lot of people don't pay attention to when it comes to designing their world and describing it to players.

One thing that I think would add interest to the Tundra is the fact that during it's very short summer (50-60 days) it explodes with vibrant life as all the plants in the area attempt to bloom and reproduce. It also becomes a horrid boggy nightmare for the traveler.

Few landscapes would shock people more than a red, yellow and green tundra in the summer when they're expecting a freezing, barren wasteland.

[Jennifer]

True, very true.

Let me tell you, for my next article of foraging, the tundra is one of the hardest places to find fiber.

Boy, the positive reaction thus far to plants in gaming has me very relieved. I was so worried that it wouldn't be considered that interesting of a subject. I love my plants, though.

[C.W.Richeson]

Great column, Jennifer! I found it interesting and useful to my current games. I'm looking forward to whatever comes next!

[Asklepios]

Excellent column - I love your writing style, and its great to see articles with such a lot of solid content!

[Jennifer]

Excellent column - I love your writing style, and its great to see articles with such a lot of solid content!

Thanks. They're getting bigger, unfortunately, as I write them.

[critical miracle]

I am in love with this series of articles. Perfect for our Tribe 8 game. Thanks Jennifer!

[Jennifer]

Thanks! Any suggestions for things I've forgotten?

Next one's on creating your own weird plants, then I'm going back to cover That One Lost Article on Wetland/Water Plants. After that, though... I get a little hazy.... Where else can I go?

[critical miracle]

Thanks! Any suggestions for things I've forgotten?

Next one's on creating your own weird plants, then I'm going back to cover That One Lost Article on Wetland/Water Plants. After that, though... I get a little hazy.... Where else can I go?

I think all I'm missing will be covered in the next column. Tribe 8 is a post-apocalyptic setting and even though your column seems aimed at more traditional fantasy settings (and rightly so), the information is still relevant. But it does prompt the question of what kind of useful or deadly plants might be found growing in urban areas (outside of personal gardens and parks).

What about (fictional) flora that may be found on alien worlds? A look at the use of herbs and plants in literature? The science of biospheres and hydroponics (for those sci-fi games)? A look at how characters might keep, care, and safely transport their plants and herbs?

Looking forward to the next article!

[Jennifer]

Excellent!

Urban plants. Plants most likely to return first to the world after the apocalypse. In other words, the use of weeds.

Thanks to some other discussions, I'm also going to include Wild West herbalism, for both the cowboy and Native American.

A discussion on how flora may grow on other worlds, with different suns and temperatures.

That's three more.


I can go Victorian and so the beginnings of modern medicine and the typical Victorian apothecary. No language of flowers though. That would be PAGES of information.