I’m working on a paleolithic era hack, where the PCs are nomadic hunter-gatherers. Here’s a move for when the clan must undergo a journey, whether due to a lack of hunting or being chased away by danger.
When your clan journeys to a new place, roll+meat spent. *On a 12+, the journey is easy and relatively safe. *On a 10-11, the GM chooses one. *On a 7-9, the GM chooses two. *On a 6-, the fate of your clan is in jeopardy against an immediate threat.
What kinds of troubles might arise on the journey? Cold weather, food spoilage… Help me think up some more!
– You are attacked by predators/a rival clan.
– Whatever you’re running from keeps following you.
– A large number of your tribe fall ill.
Honestly, I feel you’ve put the cart before the horse a bit here. Dictating the number of options chosen before you know what those options are seems like you’re going at it backwards.
I think these sorts of choices are generally best left as a few broad situations rather than many specific possibilities.
—Someone falls sick or is injured.
—Someone gets separated.
—Something is following you.
—You must weather a natural disaster.
—Your destination is claimed territory.
—You end up somewhere unexpected.
Personally I’d get the trailblazer to make a Stat roll for travel and track meat as a resource, but that’s just me and I don’t know any other details of the hack. 😉 It does seem like a nice way to abstract it, but I’m having a hard time tying adversity on the trip to how well-supplied you are.
Maybe some of the outcomes can have a meat cost, but some are unavoidable.
Predators. Rival clan disputes territory. Surprise pregnancy/birth. Inter-clan conflict. No sources of water available.
Emphazising the nomadic element of the setting, maybe the options could be decisions to make rather than problems (or at least not only problems). Having to travel also is a chance to improve your situation, after all! Maybe something like this?
When your clan journeys onward, roll+meat spent. On a hit, you eventually find a good place, but there is a catch.
On a 10+, you choose one. On a 7-9, the GM chooses one:
– You will have to leave someone behind to get there.
– Another Clan is already using the place.
– The place is instable, insufficient, dangerous or cursed.
(On a miss, the GM can do his GM moves, as normal – assuming you have those. Natural disasters, predators etc. would be propably among those.)
Alternative: On a 7-9, the Underdog of the Clan/Weakest Member/Rival of the Chief chooses instead of the GM…
Maybe this way it feels less like constant refugees and more like experienced nomads, having to make decisions.