Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #241
Gaming The Horse
Contents:
This Week's Tips Summarized
Gaming The Horse
- The Average Horse
- Average Horse Capabilities
- Types Of Horse
- Buying A Horse
Readers' Tips Summarized
- DM Secrets for Building Better Players
From: Bill (ab0b0) Mahmet
- Game Room Ideas
From: J. Hartmann
- Build A Game Table Leaf
From: Jason Liddic
- Laptop With Sound Effects
From: Chris J. Whitcomb
- Use A Mirror For Drawing
From: Simon
- Home-made Battlematt
From: Erik Luken
Return to Contents
A Brief Word From Johnn
First Game Of A New Campaign!
Well, this week I finally got my first game session under my
belt after almost a year hiatus from the GM seat. It felt
good to be the old windbag again, though it'll take a couple
of sessions to shake all the rust off. There were a couple
of wrenches tossed into the works, but it all worked out in
the end. The players were excellent. They dove head-first
into the roleplaying, characterized their PCs very well, and
relished their fight with some supernatural forest critters.
The borders on some of the encounters blurred, but I'd say
we were able to fit in character introductions, a combat,
and five distinct roleplaying encounters over the course of
4 hours. The PCs performed an important ceremony for their
village, enjoyed the Summer Solstice with friends and
family, diplomatically handled an accidental shooting, and
then successfully bargained with some mysterious goblins
bearing a magical apple that heals disease, wounds, and
illness.
We ended the session with the characters deciding they're
going to track the goblins back to their lair and learn more
about the apple (and to see if there's more).
Woohoo! I had more fun at a game! ;)
Gaming The Horse
It's important to be able to make decisions quickly while
GMing. Indecisiveness can delay the game, ruin atmosphere
and pacing, and frustrate the players. Horses are prevalent
in many different milieus and tech levels, so I think this
week's article is great for helping GMs maker faster and
more confident decisions when dealing with matters of an
equine nature. I hope you find it useful too!
Cheers,
Johnn Four
johnn@roleplayingtips.com
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Expeditious Retreat Press Relocates to India
Expeditious Retreat Press is moving to India, where we will
continue to produce GM-friendly role-playing supplements
in print and PDF. We are having a sale on A Magical Medieval
Society: Western Europe and A Magical Society: Ecology and
Culture to clear out existing stock before our move. If you
haven't had a chance to pick these great world building
supplements in print, you can now buy them direct for $15
each until October 31, 2004.
http://www.exp.citymax.com
Return to
Contents
Gaming The Horse
A guest article by Garry & Susan Stahl
http://phoenixinn.iwarp.com/fantasy/gs_fant.htm
The Greyhawke Campaign
I have noticed through the years that many gamers have tried
to define and quantify the horse. In every example I have
seen to date, they have failed because the definer did not
know horses.
Herein is an attempt at defining and quantifying the horse
for gamers by people that both understand the horse and
understand games. It is not intended to be a manual on how
to raise and keep horses, and several subjects of horse
keeping will not be covered for that reason. Any number of
books or websites that detail horse keeping can be found.*
I have carefully left out exact numbers and quantifiers so
the reader can adapt this work to the game they play.
-
The Average Horse
The average horse is a placid, though skittish, animal. Horses
are naturally a plains-living herd herbivore. They are prey
animals and have those traits that aid survival in that
environment: good hearing, good smell and eyesight, swift
legs. Horses are strong. All these traits looked good to
some ancient hunter, and he decided that he would rather
ride the horse and get it to work for him than eat same. Of
all the figures in history, I would like to meet that
genius.
The average horse avoids the unknown. The unknown might eat
it. The horse's first reaction to perceived danger is to
run. Danger might eat it. You can see that not getting
eaten is high on the horse's agenda. Other than battling
other horses for dominance, a horse will fight only if there
is no other choice. They much prefer to flee. Training can
counteract these instincts somewhat.
In the wild, horses form brood bands. A number of females
and young, and one stallion. In domestic circumstances,
horses likewise seek "herds", other horses, or, lacking other
horses, they will form attachments to animals of other
species, even humans. This is one of the ways man binds the
horse to him.
A horse is sexually capable at the age of two. Gestation is
11 months long and mares will generally have their first
foal at age three. Male horses are driven out of their
birth band by their herd stallion as they approach sexual
maturity. These youngsters will band together in small
"bachelor" herds until they are strong enough to challenge
an existing herd stallion for control of a herd, or at
least to steal a few mares. For this reason, stallions in
the wild will not usually sire their first foals until age
four, five, or even six.
A mare will have one foal, and only one foal, per year,
usually born in early spring. Successful births of twins
are extremely rare. Only ONE successful birth of triplets
has ever been recorded. Being that these circumstances are
so rare, it is assumed they do not happen for game purposes.
Return to Contents
-
Average Horse Capabilities
The average horse can:
- Walk at 5 miles per hour, no fatigue checks. 0.5 mph less
for size under average, 0.5 mph more for size over average.
- Trot at 10 miles per hour (a carriage horse can trot up to
15 mph), normal fatigue, size doesn't matter.
- Canter at 16 miles per hour, double fatigue, size
doesn't matter.
- Gallop at 28 miles per hour, triple fatigue, size
doesn't matter.
- Jump:
- 10 feet horizontal. Drop two feet for each size
category over or under large.
- 4 feet vertically. drop 0.5 feet for every size
category over or under large
- Carry (on its back) 20% of its body weight without strain
up to a maximum of 250#.
- Pull: (in proper harness)
- Sledge on hard level ground: 50% it's body weight
without strain.
- Wheeled cart on hard level ground: 150% it's body
weight without strain.
- Greater amounts or less than ideal conditions risk
injury to the horse.
- Swim at 2 miles an hour, NO LOAD. A rider can hold on to
a swimming horse by the saddle or tail but trying to remain
astride will force the horse's head under water. Pack
animals must be unloaded to cross water over their heads.
Horses stay afloat very well, they do not swim quickly.
Hooves make lousy paddles.
Return to Contents
-
Types Of Horse
Horses come in a number of sizes that have been bred by man
from wild stock for various jobs. The most common broad
divisions are listed below. Many breeds fall into these
broad categories having been developed separately around the
world for much the same work. A good horse breed book with
brief descriptions can cover several hundred pages. That is
not the propose of this article.
All horses and mules are measured at the withers, which is
the highest point on the shoulder where the body joins the
neck. They are not measured from the head as that moves
around too much. The accepted measuring unit for a horse is
the "hand" which equals four inches. A horse that is 14
hands tall will be 56 inches at the withers. We are using
inches for greater clarity.
- Small pony: under 44", under 400#
- Pony: 44" to 56", 400# to 800#
- Saddle: 56" to 64", 900# to 1300#
- Carriage/Light war: 62" to 70", 1250# to 1500#
- Light draft/Heavy war: 64" to 72", 1300# to 1700#
- Heavy draft: 68" to 76" (rarely 80"), 1700# to 2500#
(rarely 2600#)
- Mules: sized from saddle to light draft.
Small Pony
These horses are commonly used in tight spaces. They are
often referred to as Mine Ponies as that is the work they
are bred to. Such work is hard on the animals and in such
conditions life is short and brutal. More refined breeds of
the small pony are used as companion animals for larger
horses or even people.
Small ponies can haul greater loads than average. A small
pony can drag 75% its body weight and pull 200% its body
weight.
Given proper care a small pony can live as long as 40 years.
Pony
The pony is the natural size of the wild horse. Ponies are
strong for their size. While they cannot carry more than
their weight would suggest, they are stronger pound for
pound that the large draft horses. A pony can drag 75% its
body weight and pull 200% its body weight.
Ponies can live up to 40 years with good care.
Saddle horse
This is the horse most people think of when you say "horse".
They are average in all respects and are best sized for
riding.
A saddle horse can live 30 years with good care.
Carriage/Light war horse
While the two types are similar in size they differ in
conformation. The Carriage horse will be longer in the back
and of a more placid temperament. The War horse is like a
large saddle horse, and the trainer of war horses seeks a
more fiery temperament. The type is also called the
"warmblood."
A carriage/light war horse can live up to 30 years with good
care.
Light draft/Heavy war horse
This size of horse is the largest one can comfortably be
ridden for any distance.
These larger horses again differ mostly in temperament. The
draft breeds are phlegmatic, suited to the work they do both
on the farm and in the city. A teamster cannot afford an
excitable animal. Likewise, the farmer does not consider an
excitable animal acceptable. War horses are bred for the
choleric fire to sustain them in battle.
A light draft/heavy war horse can live up to 25 years with
good care.
Heavy draft
These are the largest of the horse types. They are too
broad of back to be comfortably ridden. They work only in
harness. Often called the "gentle giants," they are bred
for a placid nature, agreeable to work. One cannot afford
horses of this size to be temperamental.
Heavy draft horses can live 20 years with good care.
Mules
Mules are a cross between a horse mare and a donkey jack or
male. This sterile hybrid produces a creature with the best
traits of the parents. The strength and willingness of the
horse, and the intelligence and good sense of the donkey.
Female mules are called "mares" as are their horse cousins,
while male mules are called "johns." All male mules are
gelded. They may be sterile, but have more urge than even a
healthy horse. As it interferes with work, it must curbed.
Mules are valued as draft animals and all have the traits
intelligent, sure-footed, and strong. They are as prone to
vices as any horse.
A mule with good care can live 30 years.
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-
Buying A Horse
Should you seek a random horse, use any/all of the tables
below to help you determine type, color, and unusual traits.
Keep in mind that the seller will do their best, as their
personal ethics allow, to promote the horse's good traits
while minimizing the bad ones. Most horses are simply
average for their size and type and use the performance
given above.
-
Age 1d10
1 Weanling. 6 months to 1 year. Obvious by the size of
the animal. Half market price. (Horses younger than six
months offered for sale will come as a "package" with their
mother. Full price for mom.)
2-3 Yearling to adulthood: From 1 to 3 years of age. 3/4
market price.
4-5 Young Adult. 4 to 8 years. 1-1.5 market price.
6-7 Mature Adult. 8 to 16 years. Market price.
8-10 Aged Adult. Over 16 years. Market price to half or less
market price.
Weanlings cannot be worked, but they are the best age to
acquire a horse you wish to bind to you and train. Note:
Those specifically looking for a weanling have a better
chance of finding one if they visit a breeding farm.
Yearlings stand twice the normal chance of breakdown if
worked or trained. Other than teaching manners and basic
ground training, a horse's formal education should begin no
earlier than age three when the animal has reached its full
height and weight. Horses from young adult onward can be
worked normally.
These ages do not vary no matter what the horse's expected
lifespan. 20 years or 40 years, all that changes is the
length of time the animal can be expected to do productive
work. Small ponies mature at the same rate as large draft
horses. Most horses smaller than "large draft" can do heavy
work into their late teens, and moderate work well into
their twenties. Ponies up to about age 30. Horses in the
last "fourth" of their maximum lifespan should be considered
too frail to perform work harder than being gently ridden
for exercise. Mares will be unlikely to conceive if bred at
this point. However, stallions will be capable of breeding
until the day they die, provided they are not afflicted with
arthritis or other chronic illness. People that use horses
for a living will seek to sell or trade away these aged
animals, especially if the animal is no longer capable of
breeding. Overwork or inadequate care at any stage will
shorten both the horse's productive life and its maximum
lifespan.
A good horseman can judge the age of a horse by its teeth
until it reaches its late teens. An unethical horse seller
will try to tell you the horse is younger than it might be
and might even try altering the teeth to trick the potential
buyer.
-
GENDER (d100)
Stallion = 1-20
Mare = 21-50
Gelding = 51-100
- COLOR##
The word "points" are used in the color descriptions. This
term refers to the mane, tail, and legs.
Base Color:
1-50 Bay (brown body, black points)
51-70 Black
71-100 Chestnut (red body, mane and tail may be either red
or blond)
Color Modifiers:
1-50 Regular Color
51-80 Modified (roll once on table 3a)
81-95 Patterned (roll once on table 3b)
96-100 Modified AND Patterned (roll once on tables 3a
AND 3b)
- MODIFIERS
1-25 Cream (Roll again to see if the horse is a double
dilute. 1-25 indicates a double dilute.)
If base color is... => Final color will be...
- bay => buckskin (yellow-tan body, black points)
- black => brown
- chestnut => palomino (gold body, white mane and
tail)
A double dilute will be pale cream all over with blue
eyes. They are NOT albinos and do not suffer the
weaknesses of albinos.
26-45 Dun
If base color is... => Final color will be...
- bay => yellow dun (similar color to buckskin, but
with
a black stripe running along the spine and stripes
horizontally on the upper legs)
- black => grulla (slate gray body, black points. This
color only looks gray. It will NOT get lighter with
age.)
- chestnut => red dun (pale red body, dark red points,
dark red stripes as with the yellow dun)
46-75 Grey
(Horse is born a "normal" color, but will gradually turn
white as it ages.)
76-100 Roan
(Roan is an even mix of white and dark hairs over the
body. Therefore, the color can look rather odd from a
distance.)
If base color is... => Final color will be...
- bay => bay roan (brown head, black points, body
appears dark beige with a purple cast)
- black => blue roan (black head and points, body may
appear dark or bluish gray. This color will NOT get
lighter with age.)
- chestnut => red roan (red head and points, body will
appear dark pink). If the base chestnut color is light
with a blond mane and tail the roaned version is
called "strawberry roan".
- PATTERNED
1-74 Pinto (Roll again to see if the horse is solid white.
95-100 indicates an all-white animal.) A pinto is a
horse with large patches of white marking the body.
In the case of the solid white "pinto," the white
patches simply cover the entire horse.
76-100 Appaloosa (Roll again to see if the horse lacks
spots. 76 - 100 indicates a solid color animal with
mottled skin & striped hooves.) The horse has many
small spots over its body, skin that is mottled dark
and light, and striped hooves. It may or may not
have an area of white over the hips.
## Roll twice. Once for base color, once for any modifiers
or patterns. These tables are based on a simplification of
the real incidence of horse color genetics as currently
understood by science.
The following are good references for horse facts.
- The New Encyclopedia of the Horse, DK Publishing Inc
by: Elwyn Hartey Edwards, Bob Langrish, Kit Houghton,
Sharon Ralls Lemon
- Equine Colar Genetics: 2ed Ed., Iowa State Press.
by Dr. Phillip Sponenberg (considered THE authority on the
subject.)
- International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds U of Ok Press
by Bonnie Hendricks
Websites:
Return to Contents
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Contents
Readers' Tips Of The Week:
-
DM Secrets for Building Better Players
From: Bill (ab0b0) Mahmet
Below is some advice that all DMs can use, but that
"workaholic" types will especially benefit from. The
problems that the tips below are meant to solve often occur
for DMs who are not as good at coordinating people as they
are at writing and running adventures. Don't be afraid to
put your foot down! You are the glue that holds the group
together. Give those hangers-on a sense of responsibility
and watch their performance skyrocket.
Being a DM can be a lot of work, so whenever I DM a group,
especially a group of less experienced or unfamiliar
players, I always make sure to delegate. When the game is in
session and you are doing all of the work and having none of
the fun, try delegating some simple tasks. This will prevent
burn-out and improve the game for everyone involved.
When DMing a group make sure to have:
- One player take notes.
- One who sketches player copies of maps, but only when
appropriate.
- Another who keeps track of participation in
encounters, along with a running tally of experience
points and treasures earned (usually they do this without
asking).
- One who keeps track of information that changes frequently
or during combat, such as initiative, hit points, and
unusual status. I'll even make sure to tell them when
something specific is important for them to record,
although I make sure not to give away anything that should
be kept secret.
In addition to their personal character sheets, I will ask
all players to keep me supplied with updated summaries of
their PCs. These summaries should contain any information
either I or they feel is necessary for the DM:
- Spells
- Armour Class
- Attack bonus
- Skill modifiers
- Commonly used weapons
- Obscure or confusing character specific rules
These summaries. If they are to be useful, must be as brief
and complete as possible. If a player wants to make any
significant changes, they must be made between or before
game sessions, and be given suitable justifications. The DM,
as well as the other players, must also be made fully aware
of them. Any changes that involve something that is either
new or complicated must be sufficiently explained to
everyone in the group. Anything not conforming to the above
rules can be disallowed at the DM's discretion.
When an NPC joins the group as a fellow adventurer, one
player should be put in charge of said NPC. This player will
be responsible for the NPC's character sheet as well as for
any changes that take place. The DM, however, will still run
the NPC as usual and, obviously, keep any pertinent
information or secrets to himself.
The upsides of this are: instead of doing the bookkeeping
and note-taking for one character who will constantly be
involved in the action, the DM can instead focus on the NPCs
who require more of his attention. All of the above will
drastically cut down on interruptions during the game and
improve the suspense of disbelief.
Another time-saver is to have the entire group--not just the
DM--be responsible for looking up rules. This ensures that
the flow of the game can continue uninterrupted. Try to pre-
empt rules queries by having a player look something up as
soon as it might become relevant.
Splitting players into groups with specific roles can often
make this process more accurate and efficient. Have one
group be in charge of the core rules, another in charge of
supplemental materials, etc. Feel free to use any other
setups that better suit your game.
Being a DM can be a lot of work, so don't take on jobs that
aren't even yours to begin with. Always let the players help
out. It keeps everyone involved during all parts of the
session (no more dice stacking), and it can free up time.
Time to do what it is that really matters, such as designing
adventures, creating believable NPCs, and running combat
encounters smoothly. Those are the things that make a good
DM, not bookkeeping and pencil pushing. So remember, when
everyone is involved in every part of the game, every part
of the game becomes fun for everyone, including the DM.
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Contents
-
Game Room Ideas
From: J. Hartmann
Some years ago, some friends and I toyed with creating a
gaming house for others to come to play in. Though it never
got off the ground, we did come up with some great ideas.
Theme Rooms
Each room's walls would reflect the environment the game was
set in. Deserts, jungles, oceans, mountains, caverns;
whatever was needed would be placed on the walls.
For home games, this can easily be adapted using posters and
particle boards. Buy nature posters or other scenic vistas
and mount them on the boards. If you anticipate more than
one landscape in a session or adventure, use both sides of
the particle board and flip them over at the appropriate
time. Half a dozen of these around the gaming table can put
your group in the right mindset.
Background Sounds
Part of what puts you into a setting is hearing what goes on
behind the action (besides music). CDs containing sounds of
the rainforest, ocean or a marketplace etc. can be found in
gift shops and nature stores. If you can't find them there,
then try searches online...it's surprising whats available
for free.
Props
Nothing fires up interest like an object that players can
actually handle and examine. While having swords and
battle axes at a game is expensive (and hazardous to
furniture!), smaller props can be sprinkled into the game.
Some items like scroll tubes or potion bottles can be used
to illustrate the standard look and feel of a commonly used
item. (i.e. this is a standard bottle used for healing
potions). Finding such things later among treasure hoards
becomes more exciting, especially if you include coloured
water or other noxious concoctions to intrigue your players!
"Healing! I'm not drinking that foul goo!!"
The players' interest is piqued when they get objects that
differ from the norm. Ornate jewelry or carved wooden boxes
become mysteries to be explored. Inexpensive stand-ins for
such things can be found in out-of-the-way shops and garage
sales for little money. Napkin holders become giant rings;
tiny wooden boxes for saffron or incense become secret
message holders or magical chests.
Just go into such places with an open mind and let your
imagination suggest what these finds might be. Then simply
integrate them into your adventure to fit the role you want
them to play. For a real treat, give the players something
whose function or purpose you haven't decided on, and listen
to all their guesswork. Chances are, your players will come
up with something even juicier than you might have thought
of!
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Contents
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Build A Game Table Leaf
From: Jason Liddic
I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for about 15 years.
I have been with the same group now for about 3 years and we
play every Monday night religiously. With all the groups I
have been with, I am usually the DM, and I am always looking
for ways to enhance and simplify the experience. Well, one
of my players owns a really old, big dining room table that
can be pulled apart so that a rather large leaf can be added
(2'x3'). On this leaf, that he actually built himself, he
has attached his own homemade vinyl battle map. This way, on
the other nights of the week, he and his girlfriend can
enjoy the normal table, but on Mondays the table gets 3'
longer and accommodates 6 players, a DM, and various other
roleplaying accessories.
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Laptop With Sound Effects
From: Chris J. Whitcomb
A local GM has devised an interesting setup for his games.
He's got a laptop plus a set of good quality speakers. On
the laptop he has a macro-audio program that lets you assign
each key on the keyboard to a different sound effect. He's
gone so far as to use old keyboards with all the various
sound effects labeled on the keys. He has one set (keyboard
+ sound files) for his horror game (All Flesh Must be Eaten)
and another set for his sci-fi game (Alternity).
There is nothing quite like playing a horror game where you
open a squeaky door and actually have a squeaky door sound
effect playing. Or turn a corner to be surprised by a squad
of troopers who open fire with their machine guns and have to
cover your ears due the loud gunfire sounds. Or walk into
the engine room of your starship and hear the constant hum
of the warp engines.
My descriptions are woefully inadequate to truly convey the
atmosphere this creates.... ;)
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Contents
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Use A Mirror For Drawing
From: Simon
Hi Johnn,
We play in the kitchen of our game host's house and he has a
nice big mirror. We draw maps on it with dry wipe markers.
Works a treat!
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Contents
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Home-made Battlematt
From: Erik Luken
A friend of mine has a 3'x5' sheet of plywood covered with
squares or hexes (as appropriate) and topped with
plexiglass. This way we can draw out maps and the like. He
has it raised above the table so people sitting on the sides
can put characters, etc. under the gaming surface. Works
quite well, in my opinion as GM.
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Contents
TEMPLE OF THE SCREAMING SKULL
The minions of Vurfel, god of decay, await their next meal.
You wouldn't want to disappoint them, would you?
This module, from Dungeon Dwellers' Guild Games, takes the
PCs into a cursed temple writhing with all manners of evil.
Equal parts traditional adventure and plot-based twists, it
was written to be a harrowing journey for beginning PCs and
can be scaled to fit parties up to 3rd level.
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2708&src=johnnfour
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