Blogging A to Z: I is for Ice

I think one of the most inimical environments on the face of the earth has to be the poles. I’ve been fascinated with the tales of Roald Admunson, Scott, Shackleton, Perry, etc. I think of all of them, the 1845 expedition of Sir John Franklin to find the fabled Northwest passage is probably the most engaging of the lot (and they are all spectacular to read about). Tragedy and horror is no stranger to tales of arctic voyages. Indeed, the very nature of the isolation, inhospitality, very alien nature, and desolation make it ideally suited to such tales. Take for instance the H.P. Lovecraft tale “Beyond the Mountains of Madness”. Lovecraft uses the alien landscape and inhospitable nature of the arctic to further build upon his story of an ancient alien terror. Similarly, John Carpenter’s movie The Thing an alien menace from the stars “infects” members of an Antarctic research team. In terms of real life events of tragedy, the aforementioned Sir John Franklin Northwest Passage expedition lost 129 men and two ships. It stands as the highest single loss of life on an expedition arctic. The crews were outfitted with what was believed to be the state of the art of Victorian technology. With experienced arctic explorers leading the expedition, it was widely believed that the expedition would be a roaring success. Instead, all the crewmen were lost and it is still undetermined as to their fate. There are chilling accounts from the natives of cannibalism and desperate acts on behalf of the crewmen.

All in all – in game terms, the very landscape of these desolate regions should prove to be one of the most formidable encounters that any adventuring party is likely to face. Not only do adventurers have to contend with the realities of such things as exposure to the cold (frostbite, hypothermia, etc), but the sheer hostility to life makes it incumbent on an adventuring party to not only bring provisions, but they need to ensure that their provisions are able to sustain them through the harsh realities of the arctic. Many an expedition has been faced with either insufficient supplies or supplies that did not provide requisite nourishment to prevent scurvy and other diseases due to improper nutritional intake. Lack of sunlight poses the obvious problems of making it difficult to find ones way, but poses very real implications for morale. Constant exposure to cold combine with sustained darkness and dwindling food supplies can have a devastating impact upon the morale of an expedition (with the inability to escape from an expedition, the loss of morale would tend to manifest as a mutiny to return to warmer climes or a morose fatalism). In such cases, decrease morale of retainers by one for every death to members of the expeition. If the retainers fail their morale check, there is a percentage of the following occuring:

50% Chance of trying to commandeer the party into returning to warmer climes.
30% Chance of fleeing on their own.
20% Chance of lapsing into a morose fatalism and disregarding personal safety of not only other expedition members but themselves as well.

The expenditure of energy needed to not only traverse the unforgiving terrain, but also just to maintain body heat is immense. The onset of fatigue occurs in half the time it would normally occur (or one quarter the time if manhauling sledges). It is very difficult to traverse the terrain as it is covered in layers of snow and ice. Often hazards are hidden. Deep crevases pose serious threat to life as they may be covered in a thing crust of ice and plunge a victim to their doom. Most pack animals are completely unsuited to travel in the arctic and will die of exposure withing hours. Dogs prove to be the most reliable means of transportation in such environs.

In the end, an unprepared party could concievable be finished off quite easily by an arctic environment without even encountering a single creature. A DM playing into the desolation, alien nature of the surroundings, the sheer hostility of the environment could easily build up a terrifying adventure that could slowly pick off members of a party. Add to that some horrific alien menace, a deadly contagion, or lost world, and you have the makings of a chilling series of adventures!

For those seeking inspiration, I highly recommend John Carpenter's movie The Thing, as well as H.P. Lovecraft's story "Beyond the Mountains of Madness". For real life arctic accounts, Ice Blink by Scott Cookman, Frozen in Time by Owen Beattie and John Geiger, The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, The Last Place on Earth by Roland Huntford, Weird and Tragic Shores by Chauncey Loomis are but a small sampling of some incredibly gripping tales of arctic exploration.