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Old 08-20-2018, 06:20 PM   #1
CardDiceian
 
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Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Berkshire - UK
Default Hunting and fishing

OK - I know it's another mundane, non-combat situation - But has anybody put anything together to make hunting playable - (without going into full combat)

You'd expect a hunter to take his/her prey down with a single shot, rather than having to make several shots, because a deer or similar prey will no doubt just bolt.

Do you use silent movement, and maybe hold fire to aim - with a die roll to see if you are detected each turn prior to releasing your arrow?

My thoughts are using a regular throw against DX, but perhaps with modifiers for aiming for a particular time.

with fishing I was working on an idea of just rolling a die to see how long they have their rods dangling before catching a worthwhile fish.
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Old 08-21-2018, 01:38 AM   #2
Chris Rice
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
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Default Re: Hunting and fishing

I've had both hunting and fishing come up in games but it's uncommon enough that I've never had formalised rules for them, beyond the obvious Talents.
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Old 08-22-2018, 10:38 AM   #3
Anomylous
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Default Re: Hunting and fishing

If I were running a game where a character was trying to hunt, and wanted to play it out, I'd probably do something like:

- Find game (roll vs. IQ, bonus for having relevant talents i.e Woodsman, Tracking, Naturalist)
- How close can you get? (roll 1 die, that's the initial DX penalty on your missile weapon shot. Roll vs. DX multiple times to sneak closer, one success reduces penalty by 1, bonus for having Silent Movement, each DX roll gets progressively harder, and game flees on any failure.)
- Take your shot (roll vs. DX - I'd rule that you're taking an Aimed Shot at the animal's vitals, negating any bonus from holding fire to aim, and then count any hit as a kill unless it was a big animal and a light weapon.)

You could game out the wounded animal running away, needing to track it down, etc, as well, if that's what your players wanted to do.
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Old 08-22-2018, 11:08 AM   #4
JohnPaulB
 
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Location: Portland, Maine
Default Re: Hunting and fishing

As I recall, the TFT Supplement Warrior Lords of Darok by Gamelords includes hunting.

EDIT: I actually found it in TFT Supplement Forest Lords of Dihad by Gamelords. Page 10 and 11. It includes Becoming A Hunter/Trapper; Small Prey, Common Beasts, Mountain Dwellers, Denizens of the Deep. There is Locating Prey with a chart. Hunting, Trapping and Selling Goods.

And a Gargoyle hunt.

Lots of neat TFT stuff in these 2 supplements.
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Last edited by JohnPaulB; 08-23-2018 at 09:18 PM. Reason: Found correct Title.
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Old 08-22-2018, 05:02 PM   #5
CardDiceian
 
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Default Re: Hunting and fishing

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anomylous View Post
If I were running a game where a character was trying to hunt, and wanted to play it out, I'd probably do something like:

- Find game (roll vs. IQ, bonus for having relevant talents i.e Woodsman, Tracking, Naturalist)
- How close can you get? (roll 1 die, that's the initial DX penalty on your missile weapon shot. Roll vs. DX multiple times to sneak closer, one success reduces penalty by 1, bonus for having Silent Movement, each DX roll gets progressively harder, and game flees on any failure.)
- Take your shot (roll vs. DX - I'd rule that you're taking an Aimed Shot at the animal's vitals, negating any bonus from holding fire to aim, and then count any hit as a kill unless it was a big animal and a light weapon.)
I like this - It's certainly playable, without taking too much time, or resorting to full combat.

I played out this evening, which was simply 1d to see how many attempts you get - then roll 3d vs dx and if a success you got your prey. (It was OK'ish, but not really a challenge) - Your idea look to be much more fun, and coming home with the prize would feel like an achievement.
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Old 08-22-2018, 05:54 PM   #6
Tenex
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: Hunting and fishing

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anomylous View Post
If I were running a game where a character was trying to hunt, and wanted to play it out, I'd probably do something like:

- Find game (roll vs. IQ, bonus for having relevant talents i.e Woodsman, Tracking, Naturalist)
- How close can you get? (roll 1 die, that's the initial DX penalty on your missile weapon shot. Roll vs. DX multiple times to sneak closer, one success reduces penalty by 1, bonus for having Silent Movement, each DX roll gets progressively harder, and game flees on any failure.)
- Take your shot (roll vs. DX - I'd rule that you're taking an Aimed Shot at the animal's vitals, negating any bonus from holding fire to aim, and then count any hit as a kill unless it was a big animal and a light weapon.)

You could game out the wounded animal running away, needing to track it down, etc, as well, if that's what your players wanted to do.
That's not bad. The max distance off that initial die roll is 42 yards, so a little less than 1/2 a football field. That seems reasonable to have to start rolling to get closer.

But modern bowhunters are not all awesome stalkers. I have taken wild turkey and deer with a bow and I don't think I'd give myself silent movement. Bowhunters take a lot of game by setting up on a game trail or water/food source and either sitting in a tree stand or sitting in a blind.

I would suggest another alternative method is to roll versus tracking or naturalist. Tracking lets you identify a game trail away from a food source and naturalist identifies a food source or congested water point (huge lake does you no good cuz you don't know where the animals will come unless you use tracking). Once you ID that point roll against woodsman to make a blind. Roll 4d6 to see how many hours it will be before a game animal passes. Then take your shot at -1 to 0 adjDX based on range. No stalking, you are motionless in a blind.

Just an alternative. I like the stalking too. Which you might use depends on your skills and the time you have.

Most animals won't drop right there. They'll wander 10-50 yards or so. But you would have huge bonuses on tracking due to the blood trail. And that would only be if you can't keep eyes on from the blind.

All of the hunting magazines usually run a deer season tips issue. You could find a lot of ideas for +/- on tracking, naturalist, etc. for various environmental or behavioral things in there.
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Old 08-23-2018, 12:27 PM   #7
Anomylous
 
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Default Re: Hunting and fishing

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tenex View Post
...I have taken wild turkey and deer with a bow and I don't think I'd give myself silent movement. Bowhunters take a lot of game by setting up on a game trail or water/food source and either sitting in a tree stand or sitting in a blind.

...<many useful suggestions>
Have you considered writing up a mini-supplement on hunting, under the new Limited Publishing License? I'd buy it.

Though actually...wilderness survival, in general, comes up a lot and it might be worth collaborating on a bigger volume, encompassing more aspects than just hunting - I might be able to contribute to a section on foraging for edible and/or medicinal plants; that's about the only "woodcrafty" thing at which I have any level of personal experience.
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Old 08-23-2018, 08:41 PM   #8
Tenex
 
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Default Re: Hunting and fishing

Thanks for the motivation! I might.
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Old 08-24-2018, 03:13 AM   #9
CardDiceian
 
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Default Re: Hunting and fishing

Having played out a small part of my town campaign - and realising how brutal the combat elements are to intended ongoing characters - I think more playable ideas like this are essential.

no to low risk - but still active play, rather than just story based.
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Old 08-24-2018, 08:52 AM   #10
Tenex
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: Hunting and fishing

Some other thoughts on hunting and fishing...

Indigenous people around the world use a variety of effective techniques for fishing and hunting that are considered poaching in modern America. Hunting and fishing have mostly been relegated (except for commercial fisherman) to the most ineffective techniques to keep from driving animals extinct.

You could have a wizard cast light inside a flask with a polished or mirrored interior. Plugged with a stopper, this makes a flashlight. Depending on the GM, the reflective qualities of the interior may make the concentrated beam brighter or extend its distance. The use for this would be in jacklighting deer. Deer freeze in place when a bright light is shined in their eyes and are easily shot. Hence the prohibition on jacklighting as a sport hunting technique. It is considered poaching in the US. Although wild hogs have overrun many states and in an effort to control them it is allowed there.

Mounting the "flashlight" on the bottom of a crossbow would enable single powerful shot against a frozen animal with all the appropriate DX benefits.

For fishing you could have a naturalist make a roll to identify the types of fish most likely to be found in a type of water (stagnant pond - catfish, fast running stream - trout, etc.) and then make a second roll to identify and find/make an appropriate lure or bait. Then you could say fishing has a +/- by however much the naturalist made or failed his roll to find bait. Locals would get +5 because they have already figured it out by trial and error.

Another poaching technique is dynamite fishing. The concussion kills the fish and they float to the surface. Explosive gems might be a little expensive for that, but perhaps a line of adventurers could thrash and do a fish drive toward a wizard that casts shock shield. There's lots of creative ways to blend magic and fishing/hunting. Remember that small game and fish have minimal ST compared to humans. So where an effect spreads to another hex or doesn't spread at all, that is for humans or monsters. You need a 6d explosive gem to do damage in neighboring hexes, but that's on a scale measurable in humans. For a fish, probably 1/10 of a ST point, a 1d gem could reasonably take out all the fish in a megahex or two.

Seasonal knowledge of spawning could be useful. Mullets jump like salmon and will swim upriver to spawn. In Yugoslavia people used to put rowboats sideways across entrances into lakes. The mullet swimming upstream from the ocean would try to jump the obstacle and end up in the boat. Either a naturalist roll or local knowledge would enable this technique.

Native Americans took pheasant and duck by hand. They would swim or hide underwater and breath through a hollow reed. Then they would grab the duck from below by its feet, pull it under and snap its neck. On land they would hide under woven grass mats next to a pile of seeds. When a pheasant would come to the seed they would reach out and grab it.

If you get away from modern concepts of rod and reel fishing and bow/rifle hunting within the law, there are many ways people historically took wild game that would be known to someone with naturalist or woodsman talent.

Last edited by Tenex; 08-24-2018 at 09:13 AM.
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