Social Engineering + Ice Age

[Anders]

It's a rather small society, but if I was planning an Ice Age campaign with an emphasis on inter- and intra-tribal shenanigans, would Social Engineering be useful for such a setting?

This is very, very loose planning but it pays to be prepared.

[William]

If shenanigans are more likely to involve trading and deal-making, there are some diplomacy rules that could be useful. Alliances, too, even if things are about to get militarily hairy. There's courtship as well.

Of course, the fact that you're in an Ice Age game means that a lot of the social structures that SocEng talks about won't even exist yet! But figuring out what to do on that count for your game world is, I suppose, an assumed feature rather than a bug when designing an Ice Age campaign.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

It's a rather small society, but if I was planning an Ice Age campaign with an emphasis on inter- and intra-tribal shenanigans, would Social Engineering be useful for such a setting?

This is very, very loose planning but it pays to be prepared.

Parts of it would be applicable. I'd also strongly recommend LTC1, which has a detailed discussion of which social skills and social traits are available in bands, tribes, and chiefdoms. That might actually be more useful than SE, though SE will expand your characters' repertoire of social maneuvers a bit.

Bill Stoddard

[PK]

Even if "society" doesn't exist, there are still plenty of opportunities for social interaction of the sort that SE covers. For example, the rules for intimidation and potential combat are very applicable to early tribes, the rules for distraction and fast-talking still work fine, the rules for lying are valid for any social interaction, and so on. Obviously, the bits about elected politics, opinion polls, Rank and Status, etc., won't be as useful, but that's only part of the book.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Parts of it would be applicable. I'd also strongly recommend LTC1, which has a detailed discussion of which social skills and social traits are available in bands, tribes, and chiefdoms. That might actually be more useful than SE, though SE will expand your characters' repertoire of social maneuvers a bit.

Bill Stoddard

I have all the LTCs, but may have to check out SE anyway.

*checks bank account*

WTH, I need to lose weight anyway. As long as I can afford to feed the cat...

[RobKamm]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

WTH, I need to lose weight anyway. As long as I can afford to feed the cat...

Let the cat outside, she'll feed herself... Also saves a fortune on litter. I'm assuming her shots are up to date, and that you don't live in an over-urbanized area. Please ignore if either of these conditions do not prevail.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by RobKamm

Let the cat outside, she'll feed herself... Also saves a fortune on litter. I'm assuming her shots are up to date, and that you don't live in an over-urbanized area. Please ignore if either of these conditions do not prevail.

He is an outdoors cat and I love him dearly, but I have no illusions regarding his prowess as a hunter. Also, he has a very shrill and piercing voice and is extremely vocal when displeased.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by RobKamm

Let the cat outside, she'll feed herself... Also saves a fortune on litter. I'm assuming her shots are up to date, and that you don't live in an over-urbanized area. Please ignore if either of these conditions do not prevail.

We've lost two cats that way. One went feral, and the other most likely died from who knows what. (She was 12) But the not knowing is very heart wrenching. A previous cat brought in a dead mouse infested with the largest rodent bot fly larvae imaginable. Not all dangers are man-made.
Our present two are contented inside only kitties.

Still, good gravy does food cost a lot when you have inside only cats with sensitive digestive systems.

[RobKamm]

Before anyone else think that I'm a completely heartless SOB. My current two cats are exclusively indoors. The previous two were indoors for the last several years of their lives. One was always that way, the other was in- and out- for most of her life and never liked it when she couldn't get out. She was feral when she was brought into a shelter and "rehabilitated" before moving in with us.

All three of the cats that I grew up with were indoor/outdoor and all of them died while outside. Fortunately, we were able to recover one of the bodies. A second was killed by a car and the driver took care of the body. Like Flyndaran's cat we will never know what happened to the other one. I tell myself that she got scooped up by something majestic like a hawk, but killed by a car or dog is far more likely where we lived back then.

I was going for what I'd hoped was a humorous alternative to starving the cat. And even at that, I kind of wussed out with the hidden portion of my post. My apologies to anyone who took my suggestion that Asta Kask force his pet to fend for itself so that he could buy books seriously.

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Still, good gravy does food cost a lot when you have inside only cats with sensitive digestive systems.

My sister had two cats with sensitive digestive systems (kidney trouble)[*]. She cooked peas, carrots (?), and fish into a soft mass and fed them with that. The fish taste got them to eat the veggies and the veggies were good for their digestion. And helped with the cost of the food.

[*] It might only have been one of them, I forget, but she fed them both the same food.

Hans