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The perils of winter
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<blockquote data-quote="GhostBear" data-source="post: 6056542" data-attributes="member: 6667527"><p>Snow blindness is a big problem. All this nice snow, sure is pretty, especially when it's acting like a big mirror. Now you're getting light directly from the sun into your eyes AND off of the ground.</p><p></p><p>Navigation can be a problem (seeing clearly into the distance is a challenge) and there could be effects in combat as well. But at night... That's awesome stuff.</p><p></p><p>Blizzards are nasty, but worse are ice storms / freezing rain. It's rain, but rain that is just above freezing. It hits already cold surfaces, the wind chills it further, and suddenly everything is coated in ice.</p><p></p><p>Ice storms are nasty for trees. Snow isn't quite as bad; wind can blow it off, and when it gets heavy branches will bow a bit and some of the snow will usually slough off. Ice doesn't do that - it just keeps building up and it is heavy. We have far more tree damage in north-east Ohio from ice than from snow.</p><p></p><p>Forget climbing anything. If you're on rocky ground, expect to slip and fall. Hope that you have something waterproof; a blizzard is bad, but at least snow is "dry" until it melts on you. Don't believe your local preacher / pastor / priest. Hell isn't full of fire. It's a never ending ice storm.</p><p></p><p>They tend to only happen in the early winter before things get really cold, but every once in a while someone will send us some warm air that will stir things up. Thanks, people to my south and west. I didn't want that electricity anyway.</p><p></p><p>Snow storms will be worse downwind from large, unfrozen bodies of water. The wind goes across the water, picks up the moisture, carries it upward where it freezes and is then dumped nearby. Near Lake Erie, the worst storms come before the lake has frozen over. Once it freezes then moisture doesn't rise up nearly as much.</p><p></p><p>You can also walk to Canada once the ice is thick enough, or so they say. I wouldn't want to try it.</p><p></p><p>Which brings up another winter danger, not related to storms, but if there's a big storm and you can't see well then it's easier to stumble into... Thin ice. It is very possible for your players to be walking along through the snow, hear some groaning underneath, and all of a sudden they're plunged into icy waters that they didn't even see.</p><p></p><p>Snow typically falls throughout the day, but there are heavy periods just like rain. Where I live it isn't uncommon to have 12" inches dumped on us overnight, though from time to time I've seen 18"-24". Last year in Alaska, some areas had <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45923783/ns/weather/#.ULeV9YZgVmA" target="_blank">18-24 feet of snow</a> over the course of a week or two. So feel free to ramp it up. There's really nothing you can do at that point but wait for it to melt.</p><p></p><p>When you're in the middle of a blizzard, you don't see pretty, bright, white snow. The snow is going to block out a lot of the light coming from the sun, so you end up with a darker, gray-ish scenario instead.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="GhostBear, post: 6056542, member: 6667527"] Snow blindness is a big problem. All this nice snow, sure is pretty, especially when it's acting like a big mirror. Now you're getting light directly from the sun into your eyes AND off of the ground. Navigation can be a problem (seeing clearly into the distance is a challenge) and there could be effects in combat as well. But at night... That's awesome stuff. Blizzards are nasty, but worse are ice storms / freezing rain. It's rain, but rain that is just above freezing. It hits already cold surfaces, the wind chills it further, and suddenly everything is coated in ice. Ice storms are nasty for trees. Snow isn't quite as bad; wind can blow it off, and when it gets heavy branches will bow a bit and some of the snow will usually slough off. Ice doesn't do that - it just keeps building up and it is heavy. We have far more tree damage in north-east Ohio from ice than from snow. Forget climbing anything. If you're on rocky ground, expect to slip and fall. Hope that you have something waterproof; a blizzard is bad, but at least snow is "dry" until it melts on you. Don't believe your local preacher / pastor / priest. Hell isn't full of fire. It's a never ending ice storm. They tend to only happen in the early winter before things get really cold, but every once in a while someone will send us some warm air that will stir things up. Thanks, people to my south and west. I didn't want that electricity anyway. Snow storms will be worse downwind from large, unfrozen bodies of water. The wind goes across the water, picks up the moisture, carries it upward where it freezes and is then dumped nearby. Near Lake Erie, the worst storms come before the lake has frozen over. Once it freezes then moisture doesn't rise up nearly as much. You can also walk to Canada once the ice is thick enough, or so they say. I wouldn't want to try it. Which brings up another winter danger, not related to storms, but if there's a big storm and you can't see well then it's easier to stumble into... Thin ice. It is very possible for your players to be walking along through the snow, hear some groaning underneath, and all of a sudden they're plunged into icy waters that they didn't even see. Snow typically falls throughout the day, but there are heavy periods just like rain. Where I live it isn't uncommon to have 12" inches dumped on us overnight, though from time to time I've seen 18"-24". Last year in Alaska, some areas had [URL="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45923783/ns/weather/#.ULeV9YZgVmA"]18-24 feet of snow[/URL] over the course of a week or two. So feel free to ramp it up. There's really nothing you can do at that point but wait for it to melt. When you're in the middle of a blizzard, you don't see pretty, bright, white snow. The snow is going to block out a lot of the light coming from the sun, so you end up with a darker, gray-ish scenario instead. [/QUOTE]
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