ecol - o - gy /e-kol-o-je/ n : a branch of science concerned with the interaction of organisms and their environments One night last month, we all sat down to enjoy a fantasy role-playing session, with Bob (not his real name) our new referee. We were all looking forward to Bob's game. Bob was known among us for roundly criticizing less than wonderful Gamemastering, so we were anticipating a realistic and engrossing game. After generating characters, we played out meeting up at the local fighters' hall and forming a party. It was decided that the characters would pool their wealth and set off to see the big city. During character generation, we had noticed the detail and depth Bob had put into his rules on combat and magic. I noticed that a small fast fighter could finesse an untrained brute every time. This told me that Bob had done a lot of research on his rules, and I expected a really well-run game. At the second game session, the party set out of town. We travelled down a wide, well-maintained road to the big city. The day was clear and warm; it was a beautiful spring this year. just out of sight of town, near noon, we were set upon by a pack of wolves. It took some doing, but we finished them off. We pressed on. By nightfall, we had been attacked three times. By morning, seven times. Our little party buried its dead and held a conference. There was nothing to explain these unprovoked attacks by wolves, goblins, orcs, giant spiders, and even trolls. We knew of no way to prevent these attacks, and so beat a hasty retreat back to town. Three of the original party made it, but not Gafnir, my mage. The game broke up that night shrouded in mystery. What was going on outside town? Were monsters holding a convention? Were they slaves of some mighty wizard? Were the Druid Masters out for revenge against some unknown wrong? At the next game, we questioned the town elders, the recruiter at the fighters' guild, even the high priest in the temple. They all told us that the wilderness was dangerous, and to beware. wilderness? What were these fools talking about? We had not even gone ten miles from town, and on a good road at that! The farmers who brought food into town from fifty miles away must be great warriors indeed! What was going on? The answer, of course, was that Bob was running overland travel using a random encounter table. This table told him to roll once an hour for wandering monsters. He was rolling a six-sided die, and monsters only came on a result of 6. If you think about that a moment, such a table ensures an attack on average four times a day. The table went on to say that the chance of encounter doubled at night. Hmmm. That meant that a party averaged six attacks a day. On a six day trip, the party would have been attacked thirty-six times! Examining the table, I discovered that equal probability of encounter was assigned to orcs, trolls, liches, and even dinosaurs! My word, what kind of world were our poor characters in? Bob did not see a problem. "Wandering monsters? Every game's got 'em," he said. Needless to say, Bob's campaign was no longer hot after such a session. What was wrong with Bob's system? We will have to turn to the science of animal behavior and to human history for our answer. The first thing we discover is that animals (monsters) do not wander. They have territories. Large predators and small herbivores alike roam their territories in patterns in search of food, mates, and water. On the African savannah, a pair of foxes claim more than twenty square miles on the average, and allow no other foxes inside their territory. Pack animals, like wolves, range huge areas and attack other packs savagely in defense of these areas. If one pride of lions dies, the prides surrounding the now open territory shift and compete to absorb it. Second, men have always had to fight the wilderness. In doing so, mankind has killed off and hunted down dangers. In Australia, when hordes of rabbits began ravaging the cattle range lands, huge bands of ranchers went out with nets and guns to control the menace. When marauding Indians attacked white settlements in the 1870's, the army was called in. Animals and men alike have learned to fear armed warriors, and rightly so. When a group of people lays down a road, it is for a purpose. It is an artery of communication between groups. If travelers are menaced on this road, all concerned will band together to fight the menace. A road is a sign of relative safety. Roads are usually patrolled, if not by motorcycle cops, then by legionnaires or posses. Roads, trails, and paths are vital. Vital resources are defended. Ok, you say, what are real chances of being attacked at night in the wilds? Well, look at it this way. Let us say that our party happens to be camping in the midst of a bear's foraging range. What are its chances of attacking them? If we assume that the bear controls an area fifteen miles on a side, and that he travels at an average wandering pace of two miles an hour, we can get a rough answer. 15 -15 = 225 square miles. 2 - 16 = 32 miles the bear covers per day. The bear will meet the party roughly one time in seven. Now that the bear has met the party, will he attack? Animals are afraid of fire. Does the party keep a watch fire? If so, the bear will likely run away, call it 85 % of the time. Is the bear hungry and is there exposed food? If so, he might stick around to investigate. If not, the bear will probably leave. As a rough guess, suppose the bear will attack one time in ten. This means that there is a one in seventy chance that the bear will attack a group camping in the middle of its territory. Even if the attack does occur, it will be by one bear, and not more. Bears are loners. As you can see, attacks by even large predators are unlikely, let alone the chance of being attacked by a herbivore. A herbivore is a plant-eater, like a buffalo. When threatened, a buffalo herd clumps up, and the males face outward to ward off the challenge. They do not initiate attacks. What about intelligent species? One look at human history will give us an answer. Read about what our ancestors did to the free-ranging Indians of the Plains. Mankind acts to protect himself in groups. These groups are first families, then clans and tribes, and then states and nations. Groups go to war to gain safety and territory. When a war is concluded, territorial disputes have also been decided. What about intelligent, malign, and implacable monsters such as undead, or Saberhagen's Berserkers? In each such case, there were areas of safety, and areas of danger. One knew when one was walking into trouble. Even if a party stumbled on blindly, a passing peasant would be sure to pass on the details of the latest predation along with a warning. In conclusion, what could Bob have done to improve his game? Bob should have acknowledged that roads were areas of safety, such that the only dangers came from other men, who would be loath to attack a well-armed party of adventurers, preferring to attack slow merchant caravans. Societies exist to protect the members of those societies. Next, Bob should have had a map of animal territories, not terribly specific, but one that would provide a general feeling of the dangers of the area. Bob should have had a chart for himself detailing the likelihood of being attacked by wild animals. Third, Bob should have made the characters thoroughly aware of the raiders, wizards, and evil bands that lurked in the deep wilds. In general, apply specific knowledge instead of a table. Use common sense. Let sound advice from your friends guide you. if people routinely die somewhere, either something is wrong, or people don't go there anymore, and an army is gathering to get rid of the danger. But the best answer is to look it up. Go get a book on animal behavior, or on tribal societies, and find out the real answers for yourself. Armed with correct information, your refereeing calls will be more accurate, realistic, and fair. Greg Maples is a freelance computer programmer whose life and mind have been destroyed by role-playing and refined sugar Back to Table of Contents -- Game News #10 To Game News List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1985 by Dana Lombardy. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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