I started the ludonarrative dissidents podcast at a friend's recommendation. It turns out the games they cover are all outside my wheelhouse. Lots of narrative heavy stuff. Lancer and Mothership, though, make the jump.

On variance in games--is it better for a RPG to be high variance (poker; skill matters but the winner is uncertain) or low variance (chess; only skill?). It's different than in competitive games, but there is a agon-esque component...if someone's build is outright much stronger, no fun.

Tried a of mothership a few nights ago. It was...ok as a system. The atmosphere and the skill system work well, although there is nothing exceptional. But the combat, when it occurred, dragged because of too many rolls. I'd play it again but I don't get why it has so much staying power.

The Isle of Dread--an expedition, an overland hex crawl, a focus on exploration. Does it do anything with weather? Not much. It discusses climate on the island but gives no mechanical effects. And it has some rules for weather on the journey...but states the characters must complete it successfully.

Man I love this adventure. I agree with the criticism here, but the answer just comes down to...it's for Adventurer's League. I ran AL for years. The players want to show up, save the day, level up, and go home. You might have new players. This means the DM has to control the pacing.

G2: The Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, featured rules for ice and snow. PCs had a chance to fall to their deaths (1-in-6, each turn) while a "howling maze of cold" reduced movement by 50%. #osr #rpg #simulationism

This motivated my search for a system that was easy to run but matched reality. Something that is practical, simulationist, and algorithmic. To match the weather of any place on Earth with a table. I lay out the problem below #osr #rpg #simulationism thefirebirdslair.blogspot.com/2025/11/weat...

Of all the systems I've surveyed the emphasis is on matching the feel, not the reality, of weather. They set up systems such that today's weather informs tomorrow. But few have checked if their systems match real weather.

The most creative attempt at weather generation is the hexflower. This reimagines the weather table as a 2d object and allows for transitions explicitly. The whole thing looks great and is easy to use. goblinshenchman.wordpress.com/hex-power-fl...

Post 1980s attempts at weather either i) take advantage of computers or ii) try to use tables in a clever way to combine ease with state information. Here, for example, a system with lots of little dials to tune. www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindT...

More on Cabala's weather algorithm. For each of 30 days: -roll for temperature -roll for precipitation chance Then roll once for worst precipitation that month Finally construct a 'logical weather pattern', including wind, by hand If you need help, you can roll for wind strength

Agreed. Also it interacts with unwritten rules in an unsatisfying way. Every TTRPG has these rules--e.g., 'gravity'. A marble on a slanted floor rolls down. The "Rule of Cool" grates especially when it breaks both written and unwritten rules. The action shouldn't work but does.

The punchline: we need anywhere from two rolls and two tables to 4 or 5 die rolls and 4 or 5 tables, daily. Does this model actual weather? And do we need that much complexity to do so? No and no. We can do better with a d100 and a single table. Stay tuned... #osr #rpg #simulationism

On weather generation in RPGs: The Wilderness Survival Guide method looks complex because it includes so many biomes. Does this complexity manifest in play, or does it turn out to be simpler? #osr #rpg

A second go at weather was Lisa Cabala's article in Dragon #137. An extensive set of tables, this first gives a 'climate category'. Then you have rolls on temperature tables (12, by climate), a second for precipitation/clouds and a third for wind.

One of the most comprehensive attempts at historical weather generation was the Wilderness Survival Guide. First you check terrain and month to get a temperature range--that's what the letters give you. (A is -40 to -20). Then, you get a daily 2d6 roll to move the range up or down.

Here I do practical simulationism: rpg mechanics that match reality and work at the table. An example--a weather table for Chicago in the Fall based on the last 80 years of data. It produces seasons which are as statistically likely as the real thing (including transition probabilities).