Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 6944286" data-attributes="member: 6787503">While I agree that Gygax is saying that, most notably when he says (also on page 173), "common sense must prevail", I do not think you've captured the full meaning of the quote I have taken issue with, which I'll repeat here:In any event, the DM must draw in rivers, large lakes, seas, oceans, and islands as these features cannot easily be generated by a random method.Taken in context, this quote seems to say that in the service of "common sense" and a "reasonable configuration", the DM cannot randomly determine the presence of "these features", but must draw them in independently of the random determination method, creating an outline of sorts to be filled in randomly. This is the sentiment I've taken issue with, and I've attempted to present a method whereby such features can be randomly determined. You might disagree that such a method is easy to implement, or present in a publishable form, but my premise is that Gygax is using this as an excuse for not giving any method at all to determine such features, and that, in fact, such a system can be devised and presented with the inclusion of only a few extra paragraphs. Nowhere am I suggesting the DM should abandon good judgement in favor of a random method.I don't see the problem here. If we assume that the DM is using common sense, which we are, then the situation is adjudicated quite easily. There is no reason why a major lake cannot exist within even one mile (the smallest scale of resolution recommended by Gygax) of the sea. All that is required of the DM to satisfy the needs of common sense in this situation is to establish the existence of some sort of high ground between the sea and the lake, separating the two. Certainly, there is no possibility of venturing into the sea and encountering a lake therein. A lake can only be encountered in the process of land exploration, just as the ocean can only be encountered in the process of land exploration.This example sounds to me like the PCs are on an island or a peninsula. I don't understand the need for the encountered seacoasts to circumscribe separate bodies of water. Nor do I think that is what Gygax is saying when he says that such features cannot easily be randomly determined. I do agree with you, however, that a seacoast, or any other linear feature, must lead into unmapped spaces, as Gygax states, and as I have echoed twice in my last post.I agree that a road only makes sense if it has a destination, but I don't think that destination needs to be known in advance by either the DM or the players. All that is required in my opinion, and as I have suggested a method for in my last post, is that a road, once encountered, extend indefinitely in either direction until it encounters a settlement of reasonable enough size, at which point it either comes to an end, the ultimate destination and purpose of the road having been discovered, or it continues or branches in the direction of further destinations. The existence of an ultimate destination is assumed, but its actual location doesn't need to be established in advance.I agree and don't believe I have suggested otherwise. Please read the method I've proposed in my last post for determining linear features (seacoasts, major rivers, lakeshores, and roads) and let me know if you see any problems or have any suggestions.</blockquote>

Verification