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Wilderness Exploration

Scenario

A Wilderness Exploration Scenario thrusts the party into the untamed reaches beyond civilization in search of new discoveries. This Scenario focuses on exploring one hex of the Overland Map at a time, searching for points of interest while mapping out their locations. Players will have to manage their time, risk, and Stamina while contending with hostile wilderness and wild crytures.

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Rules

A Wilderness Exploration uses an Overland Map, plus the stats and tables of the biome that it takes place in. Turns are in Strategic Time and take approximately 1 hour.


Each space contains a number of Points of Interest equal to its Density. To find a new Point of Interest, the party must accumulate successes with the Exploration action. Once they accumulate a number of successes equal to the space’s Density, they locate a new Point of Interest.

 

After each round, a Complication is rolled.

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World Builders Note

A Wilderness Exploration scenario resolves a conflict with a high level of abstraction, so narrating events will require some improvisation. You can describe the turns and actions in a similar way to how you would narrate the action in combat. You might roll a complication for a successful Lookout action, just to describe the encounter the party avoids, as well as describe the Clues that they pick up on when using an Exploration action. The players may find a game trail, half-eaten food, or tracks when a cryture nest is near, while a ruin may be indicated by rubble, either from ancient roads or small dwellings, leading up to it. Determining the feature beforehand it will help you know what kind of clues to describe. 

 

When narrating, remember that each Clue the players score may not be a single, individual piece of evidence, just like how every point of damage doesn't represent a separate strike of a weapon. A good Exploration roll will net several Clues, but those could take the form of a single, obvious feature that points them in the right direction. They may even spot the feature from a distance.

Common Actions

The following actions are specifically useful to this Scenario, and can be taken without any extra abilities or equipment.​​

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​​Focused Actions

Explore - Search for new features

Travel - Move to a new space

Get Vantage - Give a bonus to another roll

Aid - Help an ally with a task.

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Explore

You trek through the wilderness in search of interesting landmarks.

Cost: 1 Stamina

Type: Exploration

Focused Action

Roll: Sense + Nature or Observation vs Density

Complexity: Density-

Success: You discover a new Point of Interest.

 

Travel

You press on, further into the wilderness. 

Cost: 1 Stamina

Type: Navigation

Focused Action

Roll: Sense + Nature vs Density

Complexity: Density-

Success: You move to an adjacent space on the map.

 

Get Vantage

You climb to a higher point, getting a better view of the terrain.

Type: Climbing, Exploration

Focused Action

Roll: Fitness + Athletics vs Density

Success: The next Exploration, Navigation or Tracking action gets a +1 Roll Modifier per success.

 

Aid

You help an ally with a task.

Type: Support

Focused Action

Effect: One party member gets a Die Modifier to their next roll equal to your Talent used in the roll.

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​​Pasive Actions

Lookout - Avoid the next complication

Mapping - Record the last feature on your map

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Lookout

You keep an eye out for potential danger.

Cost: 1 Mana

Type: Awareness

Passive Action

Roll: Sense + Observation vs Density

Complexity: 1

Success: You avoid the next Complication at the end of this round.

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Mapping

You draw up a record of your discoveries.

Type: Cartography

Passive Action

Roll: Intellect + Nature vs Density

Complexity: 1

Success: You record the location of the last Point of Interest on a map.

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