Survival - Desert

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Jeminai

No, I'm saying that in GURPS the survival skills default at -3 from one another. So a person with Survival (Jungle) at a 15 skill could survive on a Desert Salt Flat at a 12 skill. I don't think that fits.

Someone who's used to looking for that small bundle of dried up twigs that indicates a water-filled root is buried three feet below ground, or the signs of a sip-well, or that this thorny plant is poisonous but THAT thorny plant is just tough once you scrape the thorns off... is at -3 to survive in the Jungle, where he can't see more than 10-15 feet, he could step on an angry venomous animal before he ever saw it, and while there are plants EVERYWHERE he has NO idea which ones are poisonous, which ones have venomous surfaces/thorns/irritating hairs, and which ones are nutritious.

The -3 cuts both ways, because no matter what environment your Survival training is in and thus your knowledge of specific things is for... you're still trained in the fundementals of Wilderness Survival. These are pretty darn broadly applicable! They boil down to things like "pay attention!", "carry food and water in your stomach before carrying it in your hands or backpack", "Not everything that looks tasty is tasty", "Fatigue makes you stupid, stupid makes you dead", "Don't walk around in the dark", "Use fixed landmarks to stop yourself from walking in a circle", "muddy water is drinkable even if it's gritty, foul water isn't drinkable even if it's clear", and "Don't harass animals that are bigger than you."

I especially think "If you don't know what it is, don't touch it." and "Always know where you're putting your feet." transfer to just about any environment. :)

[safisher]

Originally Posted by Bruno

I especially think "If you don't know what it is, don't touch it." and "Always know where you're putting your feet." transfer to just about any environment. :)

The Army version of this is SURVIVAL:

The Key Word "SURVIVAL" will provide you with two of the most important survival skills--the ability to organize yourself and the ability to stay calm.

"S" stands for "Size up the situation."
"U" stands for "Undue haste makes waste."
"R" stands for "Remember where you are."
"V" stands for "Vanquish fear and panic."
"I" stands for "Improvise."
"V" stands for "Value living."
"A" stands for "Act like the natives."
"L" stands for "Learn basic skills."

http://textfiles.com/survival/survive.txt