Taiga (RWG)
Taiga-based environments are vast wooded landscapes that blanket the northern regions of the world, distinguished by a dense canopy of coniferous trees. Beneath the trees lies a somewhat barren undergrowth consisting of a thick layer of decomposing pine needles and leaves. Amidst this carpet are some low-lying bushes and ferns that provide less forage than is typical. The taiga experiences harsh weather conditions, including cold winters with heavy snowfall. Navigating through deep snowdrifts can be physically demanding and exhausting. Additionally, the weather can change rapidly, increasing the risk of exposure to the elements. Winters are long and brutally cold, with sometime temperatures that amount to polar conditions as cold as the heart of Antarctica.
| result | terrain relief | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| flat | low hills | middle hills | low mts. | high mts. | |
| animal sign | 01-06 | 01-08 | 01-07 | 01-03 | 01-02 |
| animal trail | 07-11 | 09-13 | 08-10 | 04 | — |
| bog | 12-17 | 14-16 | 11-12 | 05 | — |
| dungeon | 18 | 17 | 13-14 | 06-07 | 03-05 |
| encampment | 19 | 18 | 15 | — | — |
| fishing | 20-25 | 19-23 | 16-18 | 08 | — |
| footpath | 26-27 | 24 | — | — | — |
| forage | 28-37 | 25-29 | 19-20 | 09 | — |
| fresh water | 38-40 | 30-34 | 21-23 | 10-11 | 06-07 |
| friend | 41-42 | 35 | 24 | 12 | — |
| game | 43-45 | 36-38 | 25-28 | 13-15 | 08 |
| grazer | 46-55 | 39-43 | 29 | 16 | — |
| hazard | 56-57 | 44-48 | 30-35 | 17-25 | 09-25 |
| monster | 58 | 49-51 | 36-39 | 26-30 | 26-29 |
| next hex | 59-66 | 52-63 | 40-52 | 31-53 | 30-57 |
| orientation | 67-74 | 64-73 | 53-76 | 54-83 | 58-91 |
| predator | 75-79 | 74-80 | 77-85 | 84-89 | 92 |
| sacred place | 80 | 81 | 86 | — | — |
| shelter | — | 82-83 | 87-88 | 90-92 | 93-96 |
| tool use | 81-84 | 84-86 | 89-91 | 93-94 | 97 |
| waterway | 85-99 | 87-99 | 92-99 | 95-99 | 98-00 |
| wildfire | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | — |
Wilderness
Characters who find themselves in the taiga's wilderness, where no formal infrastructure exists, would do best to have certain skills such as foraging, hunting, pathfinding and catch fishing in their arsenal, for the distances between civilised parts are quite far. The isolation and emptiness of untamed taiga mean that any journey requires careful preparation and a keen sense of the right things to do and in what order. Before stumbling across an actual community or even a lone trapper, it's more likely the players might find themselves in a "hinterland," a transition zone between a true wilderness and a marginally settled area.
Happenstance
Regardless of what the characters may wish to accomplish, they must submit to a random roll upon the happenstance table shown, which dictates that the characters must be evaluating their immediate surroundings, within about 800 yards, even if they've chosen to stay put. Results may threaten or provide benefits for the characters, including the possibility of their getting lost or killed by various means. Some degree of interpretation must be employed by the dungeon master, as the world is complex and in some cases, it may not be easy to explain why a particular creature, place or thing has appeared for the players at this moment. Guidelines to help with this are provided below.
