[IW] Sleepout and XC-Skiing

[LordMoose]

I am running a 3e IW campaign, and my PCs are at the point in their training that they're going through the Sleepout part. They've been airlifted a hundred miles away and told to hoof it back to base.

However, I didn't just have them dropped off in their helicopter, they were dropped onto a glacier in a 10x10x8 shipping container. And because of that, they're talking about tearing the container apart and making either a sled out of it or jury rigging a bunch of XC-Skis out of bits of it.

So, I'm in a bit of a dilemma. They seem to think that they can build a sled and put a sail up and it'll go like the clappers. I think if they do that, they're going to come to a horrible end at the bottom of a crevasse. Which, speaking as the GM, they probably will do.

If they gin up some XC skis (none of them have skiing), I'm predicting broken ankles or something similar.

The main issue I'm having is travel time. I'd quite like them not to get back to base in a couple of days as that would tend to defeat the exercise yeah? But I also don't want to punish them for being clever. (I quite like clever thought at times).

So, does anyone have any advice for me? I would be ever so grateful :)

[Michele]

Originally Posted by LordMoose

I am running a 3e IW campaign, and my PCs are at the point in their training that they're going through the Sleepout part. They've been airlifted a hundred miles away and told to hoof it back to base.

However, I didn't just have them dropped off in their helicopter, they were dropped onto a glacier in a 10x10x8 shipping container. And because of that, they're talking about tearing the container apart and making either a sled out of it or jury rigging a bunch of XC-Skis out of bits of it.

So, I'm in a bit of a dilemma. They seem to think that they can build a sled and put a sail up and it'll go like the clappers. I think if they do that, they're going to come to a horrible end at the bottom of a crevasse. Which, speaking as the GM, they probably will do.

If they gin up some XC skis (none of them have skiing), I'm predicting broken ankles or something similar.

The main issue I'm having is travel time. I'd quite like them not to get back to base in a couple of days as that would tend to defeat the exercise yeah? But I also don't want to punish them for being clever. (I quite like clever thought at times).

So, does anyone have any advice for me? I would be ever so grateful :)

First, is this a mountain glacier or something flat in Antarctica?

If it's on a mountain, chances are they'll have a slope working for them (civilization is downhill), so no need of sails.

Yes, there will be crevasses. Does any of them have Survival (Mountain)? If so, he should be allowed to roll to remember that. If nobody has Survival (Mountain)... I hope you wouldn't drop them on a mountain. Ditto for an Antarctic plateau and Survival (Arctic).

If they attempt with the sled, nobody says the first crevasse they find is large enough to swallow it entirely. And some crevasses get narrow enough to give some survival chances before they get too deep. In other words, they may have an accident, with possible injuries and almost certainly with loss of equipment - but the accident need not be lethal. They will need DX and Climbing to get out from a narrow but not-too-deep crevasse.

Building skis out of McGyver materials, without even knowing how to ski? A non starter. Let them try. First, they'll need to roll against their Skiing skill (at default), with an IQ based roll (note the default penalty is -6), to design and build the skis.
Then, as soon as they start experimenting, they roll against HT-6 again, with an added -4 penalty for wildly inappropriate equipment. If they are not stupid, they'll discard the skis, hopefully before they break a leg.

Something like that happens with a sail. They can probably have an IQ-based roll against Boating (Sailboat) to put the rigging together, and unless one of them has this skill, it's a -5 to start with. Then they will need either Boating (Sailboat) again, or Shiphandling (Ships), again with a penalty for the makeshift rigging.

[Akicita]

Originally Posted by Michele

Building skis out of McGyver materials, without even knowing how to ski? A non starter. Let them try.

Complete agreement. They might be able to work out some sort of snowshoes, but even that would require that the container be a lot more than bare bones.

[IrishRover]

If any of them know sailing, then, if materials are available, rigging sme sort of basic sail to run with the wind is doable--but any sort of iceboat, even a simple, well made commercial one, is tough to handle. Best bet, with sail--a SMALL one to help push the container along, not an actual iceboat.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by Akicita

They might be able to work out some sort of snowshoes, but even that would require that the container be a lot more than bare bones.

Snow shoes are a good idea, assuming they are able to cut them out, but only once they reach soft snow. On a mountain glacier, what you want is crampons, and makeshift flat snowshoes, not provided with "teeth" to bite the ice, are a lethal threat. Of course, you could build a makeshift version of modern snowshoes which often combine a few crampon-like "teeth".

I'd say a roll against Survival (Mountain, Arctic) to assess all of that, and another one, IQ-based, to design and build the things.

[Akicita]

Originally Posted by Michele

Snow shoes are a good idea, assuming they are able to cut them out, but only once they reach soft snow. On a mountain glacier, what you want is crampons, and makeshift flat snowshoes, not provided with "teeth" to bite the ice, are a lethal threat. Of course, you could build a makeshift version of modern snowshoes which often combine a few crampon-like "teeth".

Excellent point. My own snowshoes have such teeth. I was taking the feature for granted, and shouldn't have.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Akicita

Complete agreement. They might be able to work out some sort of snowshoes, but even that would require that the container be a lot more than bare bones.

Why wouldn't they simply have been issued snowshoes?

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

The thing about bare glacial ice is that there's no plant matter to eat there. So the megafauna that sabretooths presumably fed on wouldn't spend much time there. Even polar bears on ice are only passing through on their way to seal-hunting territory.

Depending on when in the Wisconsin Glaciation we are talking about either the western half or nearly all of the state is not glaciated. Since the Academy is very specifically on the "shores of Lake Agassiz" it pretty much has to be after the glaciers retreated forming the lake in the first place.

[LordMoose]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Why wouldn't they simply have been issued snowshoes?

No reason other than I forgot to ;)

And none of them reminded me that they had them and would be bringing them ;)

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Michele

First, is this a mountain glacier or something flat in Antarctica?

Alternate Ice Age North Dakota. So probably mountains.

My advice is to treat the whole thing generaously and cinematically. Sleepover is really only part of Infinity Patrol agent's claim to Total Badass status.

If you play out the thing realisitically with all the Gurps rules at your disposal, everybody dies, every time (exceptt eh vampire and maybe the robot). Crossing 100 miles in extreme artic conditions on foot requires a lot more than the clothes you can put on in 5 minutes and the stuff you can fit in your pockets.

[LordMoose]

I am running it with a bit of a cinematic bent, but I don't want to be too generous. So I'm thinking if they do the skis they're gonna seriously twist an ankle or something. The good thing about ND is from a sat map, it looks really flat, all the rockies are to the west up there.

I'm thinking it'll be safest for them to walk, and maybe drag a sled with some of their gear behind them.