Forests

[Robertson]

- -----Original Message-----
From: Brian Stoner
To: birthright
Date: Saturday, April 18, 1998 12:56 AM
Subject: [BIRTHRIGHT] - Forests



>(snip)
>Along these lines, I have a question regarding undergrowth. Most of the
forests
>where I live (Western Oregon) are coniferous with thick undergrowth. I
have
>little experience traveling through any other forests and was wondering:
What are
>the forests like where you live? Example, Assuming the forests of the
Rjurik
>Highlands are fairly similar to those of Scandinavia, how thick would the
>undergrowth there be...if there is any?
>
>Thickness of undergrowth can have obvious effects on a campaign. It is
easier for
>monsters (as well as the PCs) to hide. Travel is slowed the thicker the
growth
>is. Whereas, if there is no undergrowth, travel isn't slowed nearly as
much and
>there are fewer places to hide.
>
>Brian
>
I'm not sure what the forests in Scandinavia today are like, but I would
guess most of the forests in areas like Rjurik are what we would call virgin
boreal (ie., northern) forests. I live in the northeast US, where there
aren't too many stretches of virgin forest. But I did have a chance to hike
through a stretch of it last fall. While undergrowth probably isn't quite
the term for it, there is a lot of ground clutter. Most of it consisted of
fallen trees covered with inches-thick layers of moss.

Other things which might effect the ground cover in forests include:

1) Moisture. There will be more moss and water-loving shrubs in damp,
coastal areas, while dryer northern forest might be more like the eastern
side of the rockies (lots of sage, sparser trees, etc.)

2) Geology. How was the terrain formed? If there was ever an ice age, with
glaciers moving across the area, you can expect lots of boulders and such.
The glaciers may also dump a lot of nutrient-rich soil as they retreat,
creating fertile ground for those ground shrubs. I would expect Rjurik has
probably seen its share of glacial activity.

3) Human presence. Naturally. Most forests here in the northeast have fairly
open forest floor, since we've been scouring them for a couple hundred
years. But a place like Tuarhievel, or northern Rjurik or Vos, might never
have any floor clearance other than forest fires. Even then, the fire may
leave decaying tree trunks, from larger trees that didn't burn through, and
other debris.

In general, I would expect most forests in BR, with the possible exception
of southern Anuire, to be a lot denser than most places in the US.

Sorry to write a small novel for my first post, but the question piqued my
interest. Hope I helped answer your question.

Jamie

[Brian Stoner]

> The Domain of Vorostokov is featured in the $9.95 (U.S.) Ravenloft module
> "Dark of the Moon" and is described as a vast domain more than 300 miles
> across consisting of icy plains and coniferous (whatever that means) forests
> with many small lakes and rivers scattered about.

Just a side note: A coniferous forest is a forest of pines, firs and other trees
with needles, as opposed to a deciduous (sp?) forest, which would have broad
leaves. The forests of the Rjurik Highlands and Vosgaard would be Coniferous
(player Dave responds, "Carnivorous! I'm gonna attack with my Hackmaster
+12!!"). Most of the forests to the South, in Anuire and Khinasi, would be
deciduous (sp again?).

Along these lines, I have a question regarding undergrowth. Most of the forests
where I live (Western Oregon) are coniferous with thick undergrowth. I have
little experience traveling through any other forests and was wondering: What are
the forests like where you live? Example, Assuming the forests of the Rjurik
Highlands are fairly similar to those of Scandinavia, how thick would the
undergrowth there be...if there is any?

Thickness of undergrowth can have obvious effects on a campaign. It is easier for
monsters (as well as the PCs) to hide. Travel is slowed the thicker the growth
is. Whereas, if there is no undergrowth, travel isn't slowed nearly as much and
there are fewer places to hide.

Brian

[The Olesen`s]

Brian Stoner wrote:
>
> > The Domain of Vorostokov is featured in the $9.95 (U.S.) Ravenloft module
> > "Dark of the Moon" and is described as a vast domain more than 300 miles
> > across consisting of icy plains and coniferous (whatever that means) forests
> > with many small lakes and rivers scattered about.
>
> Just a side note: A coniferous forest is a forest of pines, firs and other trees
> with needles, as opposed to a deciduous (sp?) forest, which would have broad
> leaves. The forests of the Rjurik Highlands and Vosgaard would be Coniferous
> (player Dave responds, "Carnivorous! I'm gonna attack with my Hackmaster
> +12!!"). Most of the forests to the South, in Anuire and Khinasi, would be
> deciduous (sp again?).
>
> Along these lines, I have a question regarding undergrowth. Most of the forests
> where I live (Western Oregon) are coniferous with thick undergrowth. I have
> little experience traveling through any other forests and was wondering: What are
> the forests like where you live? Example, Assuming the forests of the Rjurik
> Highlands are fairly similar to those of Scandinavia, how thick would the
> undergrowth there be...if there is any?


I visited Norway last year and took a hike up a mountian to swim in the
coldest pond on Earth. Anyway....
The trees were mostly pines and the ground was mainly coved with pine
needles, fallen trees, and thats about it. Howvever there was an
occational small bush type plant.

THis was on a mountian with a lake on top.

If you care, the lake fed the pond we went swimming in although I think
only the cold water went into the pond.
Still quite fun.

[Trizt]

On 18-Apr-98, Brian Stoner (bstoner@efn.org) wrote about [BIRTHRIGHT] -
Forests:

- ->Along these lines, I have a question regarding undergrowth. Most of the
- ->forests
- ->where I live (Western Oregon) are coniferous with thick undergrowth. I have
- ->little experience traveling through any other forests and was wondering:
What
- ->are
- ->the forests like where you live? Example, Assuming the forests of the
Rjurik
- ->Highlands are fairly similar to those of Scandinavia, how thick would the
- ->undergrowth there be...if there is any?
- ->Thickness of undergrowth can have obvious effects on a campaign. It is
easier
- ->for monsters (as well as the PCs) to hide. Travel is slowed the thicker the
- ->growth
- ->is. Whereas, if there is no undergrowth, travel isn't slowed nearly as much
- ->and there are fewer places to hide.

Pine forests don't have much of undergrowth, as it's to dark on the gruond for
most types of vegitation. The ground is quite dry in the pine forest too and
under a pine tree it's a really good place to sleep as it's somwhat warmer and
you are quite well protected from rain and wind. The pinetree roots grows near
the surface and sometimes they even come up a bit, which makes it hard to
trawel here (easy to stumble on a root when you are a bit tired).
Another form of forests which is common in scandinavia is the mixed forest
(pine and leaftrees), here is alot more vegitation on the ground and it's a
bit more wet on the ground. No problems to find hiding places in the
vegitation, but you will not be as protected against wind and rain as under a
pine tree. It's quite hard to move silently during the "green" period, as you
don't see the old dry branches under the grass and undervegitation.
Most of the forests around here are of mixed nature, but the more to the north
you come, they generally have more and more pine trees.

It's genrally easier to move in a mixed forest than in a pine, as in the
pineforest the trees are much closer to each other, and this affects the range
you can see.

//Trizt of Ward^RITE

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