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<blockquote data-quote="Korgoth" data-source="post: 3761477" data-attributes="member: 49613">Originally posted by Hussar in another thread:That statement comes from a discussion about trying to have semi-realistic economics in your game world (like, tracking the impact that huge gold expenditures by the PCs will have on the community).For those who agree with that sentiment regarding game economics, do you not also agree with it regarding game ecology?Maybe it just has to do with who we are.&nbsp; I think Americans, for example, on average think with a lot more sophistication about ecology than about economy.&nbsp; So maybe, nowadays at least, ecology is a &quot;burning issue&quot; whereas we don't mind just assuming that the &quot;money stuff&quot; works itself out.I have been reading a Judge's Guild product lately: Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor.&nbsp; This one is for OD&amp;D.&nbsp; It really constitutes, somewhat like module B2, a &quot;SitRep&quot; of a location: prominent features and installations, disposition of forces, details of contents.&nbsp; The whole thing says nothing about, for example, poop.&nbsp; It just simply doesn't address where the various humans or monsters drop their deuce.&nbsp; I assume that's because it doesn't make any difference!&nbsp; If it was possible to infiltrate the fortress through the loo, then the loo would have been detailed.&nbsp; But none of the privies are mapped out... it's just not an issue.Ecologically, poop is a big deal.&nbsp; But I find a module perfectly useful and meaningful even when it makes no mention of this very important part of life and ecology.&nbsp; I assume that the monsters do indeed make poopy from time to time... they pretty much have to if they actually eat stuff.&nbsp; But I'm not going to put it into a room description unless it needs to be there... let's just assume that sometimes there's a loo and we all ignore it.Or is loo-ignoring a problem?&nbsp; If the answer is &quot;NO&quot;, then I think we can make some progress.&nbsp; Because the exact same move I just made regarding the disposition of solid waste, namely &quot;let's just assume it's there and there's no issue with it&quot; can be used to handle all sorts of questions.&nbsp; This is the kind of move you can make &quot;on the fly&quot; as it were.Suppose someone asks &quot;How do the orcs and ghouls dwell in such close proximity?&quot;&nbsp; Well, clearly they do.&nbsp; So the DM just makes an off-the-cuff move like &quot;These ghouls don't like the taste of orc flesh&quot; or &quot;The orcs feed the ghouls their trash&quot; or &quot;The ghouls never leave their lair&quot; or whatever.&nbsp; You can come up with this during the game, or you can even make these notes when you prepare to run the adventure.Interestingly, &quot;Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor&quot; advises the Judge to tailor the module and its encounter locations to his particular campaign.&nbsp; So I believe this sort of activity was assumed: if monster ecology or monster sociology are important to you, you will fill in those details.&nbsp; Likewise, if your whole group is really hot on geology, you'll probably describe what kind of rock things are made out of and what sorts of crystals appear in the surface of the columns, etc.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Korgoth, post: 3761477, member: 49613"] Originally posted by Hussar in another thread: That statement comes from a discussion about trying to have semi-realistic economics in your game world (like, tracking the impact that huge gold expenditures by the PCs will have on the community). For those who agree with that sentiment regarding game economics, do you not also agree with it regarding game ecology? Maybe it just has to do with who we are. I think Americans, for example, on average think with a lot more sophistication about ecology than about economy. So maybe, nowadays at least, ecology is a "burning issue" whereas we don't mind just assuming that the "money stuff" works itself out. I have been reading a Judge's Guild product lately: Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor. This one is for OD&D. It really constitutes, somewhat like module B2, a "SitRep" of a location: prominent features and installations, disposition of forces, details of contents. The whole thing says nothing about, for example, poop. It just simply doesn't address where the various humans or monsters drop their deuce. I assume that's because it doesn't make any difference! If it was possible to infiltrate the fortress through the loo, then the loo would have been detailed. But none of the privies are mapped out... it's just not an issue. Ecologically, poop is a big deal. But I find a module perfectly useful and meaningful even when it makes no mention of this very important part of life and ecology. I assume that the monsters do indeed make poopy from time to time... they pretty much have to if they actually eat stuff. But I'm not going to put it into a room description unless it needs to be there... let's just assume that sometimes there's a loo and we all ignore it. Or is loo-ignoring a problem? If the answer is "NO", then I think we can make some progress. Because the exact same move I just made regarding the disposition of solid waste, namely "let's just assume it's there and there's no issue with it" can be used to handle all sorts of questions. This is the kind of move you can make "on the fly" as it were. Suppose someone asks "How do the orcs and ghouls dwell in such close proximity?" Well, clearly they do. So the DM just makes an off-the-cuff move like "These ghouls don't like the taste of orc flesh" or "The orcs feed the ghouls their trash" or "The ghouls never leave their lair" or whatever. You can come up with this during the game, or you can even make these notes when you prepare to run the adventure. Interestingly, "Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor" advises the Judge to tailor the module and its encounter locations to his particular campaign. So I believe this sort of activity was assumed: if monster ecology or monster sociology are important to you, you will fill in those details. Likewise, if your whole group is really hot on geology, you'll probably describe what kind of rock things are made out of and what sorts of crystals appear in the surface of the columns, etc. [/QUOTE]

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