Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

AFDia

I really like the system of random encounter tables in most of the SW settings. (Draw 1 card each day, if it's a face card, something happens)

As a GM I always forget about changing or describing the actual weather and using another table or another card to draw for the weather alone is just "overkill". Wink

Therefore I thought about using an abstract weather system which is included into the random encounter draw once each day. Of course I do not plan to use the number of the card, because it's already used for the encounter, so the remaining possibilities are:
1.) Using the type of the card (spades, clubs, hearts, diamonds) or
2.) Using the frequency of a equal draws (drawing 3x spades in a row etc.)

My first quick thought is to make it very abstract like:
Everytime 2 clubs come up in a row (approximately 12,5% of the time), the weather changes in a bad way (the exact change depends on the clime and country) which leads to a -1 to most of the Trait rolls and pace (exceptions to this penalty are up to the GM and depending on the exact weather-change).
If the next card drawn is a club, the weather gets even worse the next day and the penalty increases to -2. As long as club cards come up, the weather stays bad (I wouldn't include a higher penalty than a -2) and if a non-club card comes up, the weather gets better and the penalty reduces to a -1 and with the next non-club card to normal (no penalty).
A Joker doesn't change the weather (or allows the GM to determine the weather)

Specific hazards are covered by random encounters, so there is no need for more specific weather effects than a simple overall weather change with a penalty.

I plan to use it for 50Fathoms, but it should work in any SW setting with the random encounter system.
What do you think about it?

shadd4d · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:55 am Post subject:

I like it, maybe as something to put in as an additional aspect of the random adventure generator.

Another thought is to adapt what they have in Sundered Skies as Hazards and maybe come up with a hybrid system. I'd be interested in knowing what you use or have as a guess a demoed prototype; I may end up stealing it. Wink

Your idea brings up something I really don't address very well in my own games: Weather effects (WX). I think a lot of stories would change if it starts raining cats and dogs during a gun fight.

I like it...I want to see if you end up testing it out or have something more built up that I could possibly test...next Wednesday (25FEB09) if possible.

Don
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Cutter XXIII · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:19 am Post subject:

shadd4d · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:31 am Post subject:

Cutter XXIII · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:33 am Post subject:

Sorry man! I don't mean to rub salt in the wound. I'm very much looking forward to it myself. Wink

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AFDia · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:32 am Post subject:

ogbendog · Heroic Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 1905

Can do other things besides weather. I'd roll weatehr, which will often be OK (I seem to recall an issue sharkbytes had a pretty good table)

then have stuff like, you run into a fight, find a dead body, hear gunfire in the distance, meet a friedly type person, whatever. not just things to fight

jamused · Seasoned Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 132

It seems slightly easier to me to say a Club is bad weather, then every successive Club gets worse. At least, if you weren't drawing one card after another in a long journey, I'd be afraid that I'd forget that I drew a Club the day they spent all that time exploring the ruin. If it were at least overcast, even if it didn't cause a penalty, I think I'd remember that.

Lord Inar · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:29 pm Post subject:

There is an article or two in Shark Bytes that includes mechanic effects of weather on the game (sorry I can't remember which issues they are in, even though I wrote one of them!)
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AFDia · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 3:32 am Post subject:

ronin3338 · Novice Joined: 18 Oct 2007 Posts: 63

I came up with a random table using 3d6, which includes weather events. It's in the fantasy player's guide on page 17, but it will work in any setting.

Of course, you are welcome to tweak it for your own game, all I ask is for some feedback if you use it.

Sharkbytes Fantasy
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