It's been unseasonably wet in these parts lately. Which has put a crimp on my plans to spray primer and paint on the projects I have in the pipeline. On the other hand, it's inspired me to discuss how rain can complicate things in a wargame scenario or roleplaying encounter.
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| Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay. |
Not every battle happens in ideal weather conditions. Opportunities and objectives don't wait for it to be nice outside. Sometimes the sky opens up on what seemed to be a calm day. And there are those tacticians who favor taking action when their opponents are exercising the sane option of staying indoors when it's raining cats and dogs.
Let's paint a scene and break down how each factor introduced by a rain storm can be gamed out:
The day looked nice and sunny until the clouds rolled in. The rain and dim light drained the color out of everything. Things at a distance were concealed by the grey mist and darkness, only glimpsed at when the lightning flashed. The sound of steady rain hitting every surface masked every noise except for the occasional peal of thunder. Anything could have been moving through the trees and buildings without fear of being heard or spotted. Footing was unsure in the thick mud. Soaked clothes and the dampness make even the most disciplined minds miserable and sloppy. Too much time spent in the cold and wet invited illness. Only those with keen wits, sharp senses, and reckless abandon would seek battle in these conditions.
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| Image by enriquelopezgarre from Pixabay. |
Visibility
The rain, mists forming from the rain striking the terrain, and the lack of sunlight all reduce visibility. Many games have rules for fighting in low light conditions. Use those to model the limited visibility of a heavy storm.
Clouds and steady rain might impose penalties equivalent to dim lighting.
Complete cloud cover combined with a heavy downpour might impose penalties equal to night.
Actual nighttime lighting conditions combined with rain may impose penalties equal to complete darkness.
The mist and rain tends to conceal things at a distance. There might be sight and spotting penalties at longer ranges.
A flash of lightning offers the equivalent of full daylight, but only for an instant. This is enough to spot something or take a snap shot, but not for a slow scan of the surroundings or a carefully aimed attack.
Keen senses and advanced sensory equipment can mitigate some of the effects of a heavy storm, but not negate them. Thermal imaging, for example, is negatively impacted by humidity. Penalties might be reduced, but not removed entirely.
Noise
The noise of rain hitting the ground and every horizontal surface drowns out the sound of anything else. Expressing this mechanically depends on the system. Some might grant a bonus to stealthy movement while other may impose a penalty to dice tests involving hearing.
Movement noises - footsteps, pushing through foliage, heavy breathing - will be masked by the sound of rainfall.
Characters may have to raise their voices to be understood in heavy rain. Whispering would be impractical and passing notes depends on the light available. The sound of someone shouting to be heard could give away their presence.
Slick Surfaces and Mud
The risk of slipping on wet surfaces like concrete or stone can be represented with dice tests or a minor movement penalty. Failed checks result in a loss of movement distance (representing a slip and time to regain balance) or a fall (imposed on a critical failure - results are a complete stop and minor damage if the the fall is especially nasty).
An inch or so of slick mud can be handled like a wet surface. Deeper mud presents the problem of getting stuck. A failed movement test may result in the model or character halting in place until a follow up test to get freed is passed.
Flooding
Flash floods are a danger in low lying areas, forcing rapid repositioning to avoid the threat. Likewise, streams and rivers may overflow their banks and carry away the unwary. Roads may become inaccessible as they become submerged. Vehicles risk becoming losses if they attempt to cross a flooded section of road.
Morale Effects
Dealing with discomfort of cold rainwater and thick mud can bring down the mood of all but the most highly motivated individuals. This could justify a small morale penalty. Dice tests could be be required for taking actions that potentially make things worse - a patrol on foot through muddy areas, standing guard during a storm, etc. Failure could result in shirking as the individuals effected take shelter from the storm rather than carry out their duties.
Health Effects
Prolonged exposure to severe weather events tend to increase the chance of getting sick. Not all game systems model illness, but a small penalty to represent a head cold (or equivalent) might be imposed for individuals left out in the rain for too long.
I hope that this shows how rain can mess things up in play, but in a fun way. The photos for this post were all downloaded from the free image site Pixabay. Adding convincing rain to my own photos turned out to be beyond my current photo editing skills. I tried thinking up a way to do it as a practical effect, but that would make more of a mess than I wanted to mop up!
Complete cloud cover combined with a heavy downpour might impose penalties equal to night.
Actual nighttime lighting conditions combined with rain may impose penalties equal to complete darkness.
The mist and rain tends to conceal things at a distance. There might be sight and spotting penalties at longer ranges.
A flash of lightning offers the equivalent of full daylight, but only for an instant. This is enough to spot something or take a snap shot, but not for a slow scan of the surroundings or a carefully aimed attack.
Keen senses and advanced sensory equipment can mitigate some of the effects of a heavy storm, but not negate them. Thermal imaging, for example, is negatively impacted by humidity. Penalties might be reduced, but not removed entirely.
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| Image by marmax from Pixabay. |
Noise
The noise of rain hitting the ground and every horizontal surface drowns out the sound of anything else. Expressing this mechanically depends on the system. Some might grant a bonus to stealthy movement while other may impose a penalty to dice tests involving hearing.
Movement noises - footsteps, pushing through foliage, heavy breathing - will be masked by the sound of rainfall.
Characters may have to raise their voices to be understood in heavy rain. Whispering would be impractical and passing notes depends on the light available. The sound of someone shouting to be heard could give away their presence.
Slick Surfaces and Mud
The risk of slipping on wet surfaces like concrete or stone can be represented with dice tests or a minor movement penalty. Failed checks result in a loss of movement distance (representing a slip and time to regain balance) or a fall (imposed on a critical failure - results are a complete stop and minor damage if the the fall is especially nasty).
An inch or so of slick mud can be handled like a wet surface. Deeper mud presents the problem of getting stuck. A failed movement test may result in the model or character halting in place until a follow up test to get freed is passed.
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| Image by StockSnap from Pixabay. |
Flooding
Flash floods are a danger in low lying areas, forcing rapid repositioning to avoid the threat. Likewise, streams and rivers may overflow their banks and carry away the unwary. Roads may become inaccessible as they become submerged. Vehicles risk becoming losses if they attempt to cross a flooded section of road.
Morale Effects
Dealing with discomfort of cold rainwater and thick mud can bring down the mood of all but the most highly motivated individuals. This could justify a small morale penalty. Dice tests could be be required for taking actions that potentially make things worse - a patrol on foot through muddy areas, standing guard during a storm, etc. Failure could result in shirking as the individuals effected take shelter from the storm rather than carry out their duties.
Health Effects
Prolonged exposure to severe weather events tend to increase the chance of getting sick. Not all game systems model illness, but a small penalty to represent a head cold (or equivalent) might be imposed for individuals left out in the rain for too long.
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| Image by MICHOFF from Pixabay. |
I hope that this shows how rain can mess things up in play, but in a fun way. The photos for this post were all downloaded from the free image site Pixabay. Adding convincing rain to my own photos turned out to be beyond my current photo editing skills. I tried thinking up a way to do it as a practical effect, but that would make more of a mess than I wanted to mop up!
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