Arctic Situations

by Matt Barkdull

Date: Tue, 12 Dec 1995 03:39:58 -0500 From: Matt B To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Arctic

I've never seen arctic mispelled as much as that in GM Law.

Here is something I typed up after reading that section. Living in Fairbanks, Alaska for almost 32 years now, I have a little experience (it was -22 below this morning driving to work). Sorry this is kinda long...


I was just reading the information on Arctic Ailments in the GM Law. Most of the info is just plain incomplete and should be expanded just a little to give people a read grasp of Arctic living.

It states that "the body attempts to cool itself to fight off the cold"

Your body will not cool itself, it actually starts to feeze up slowly. The blood gets thinner and flows "easier", but the downside of this is that the thinner blood does not heat the body as well. This is usually extreme and Hypothermia usually sets in.

"For every 40 hits of cold damage sustained, and exposed body part becomes frostbitten, and character will lose d10 of Co, and the area has a 25% chance of becoming gangrenous."

This is a little extreme and I would think this is referring to 1st degree frostbite.

There are three degrees of Frostbite:

1st, Open blisters and blackened skin, about 50-75% chance of gangrene. 2nd, blistered skin, blisters are pale white and very painful when thawed. 3rd, redness of skin, some white areas, painful if on "used" part of body (hands, feet), must cover only with loose soft clothing.

I've personally have gotten 2nd and 3rd degree frostbite. While my hand have comletely recovered from 3rd degree frostbite and have really no adverse effect, my ears and cheeks are still (after 5 years) susceptible. I got 2nd degree frostbite on my feet while cross-country skiing about 15 years ago and it took 3 days to recover enough to be able to walk, but it was painful for about 10 days. If I had walked during those 3 days, the blisters may have opened and caused more damage and enough pain to where one could not walk.

All frostbit areas are +100 to do more damage if not completely healed. Once healed there is a +25 chance per degree of frostbite per area of getting frostbite again if exposed. (maybe a timeframe involed here, areas will eventually heal totally and will not be as susceptible. My hands are back to normal, but my feet still have problems.

When the body temp reaches 93 degrees, Hypothermia sets in. Hypothermia can and usually does cause Coma, cardiorespritory failure, and death if not treated ASAP. The symptoms described in the book are early signs (shivering, etc.), and if acted upon immediately can be prevented from doing damage (although it usually also includes severe, at least 2nd degree, frostbite).

Snowblindness, the book is correct, but incomplete. The main thing about snowblindness is the absense of different hues. Usually this occurs when a whiteout condition is prolonged. A whiteout condition is when the ground is covered with snow and the sky is filled with white low clouds, often it is snowing. It can also occur in places where there are little or no trees and the ground is covered with snow, regardless of sky conditions. The main rule of thumb here, is that when the surroundings all become the same color (white), snowblindness can occur.

Here is a test that you can try. Stare at a whiteboard with nothing on it except a yellow dot. After about 3 minutes you should experience a very mild blindness and the yellow dot will become invisible. In the Arctic, this happens a lot, but only when prolonged exposure do you get true snowblindness that just moving your eyes to a different color or shade will not cure it instantly. The time to cure Snowblindness varies in direct relationship to the time spent exposed to that condition.

I'm curious where the Hygiene section came from. People in the arctic do not get "unclean" very fast and sweat is really bad in terms of keeping warm. Sweat will get the clothes wet and will cut down on their effectiveness.

Water and other liquids - "Oils in flask will not freeze, but other liquids will freeze and burst their containers." Oil will freeze. Depending on the oil, it varies at what temp it will.

Example in todays terms: Most motor oils will freeze at about -45. I had a real eye opener a few years back when my dad (an aircraft mechanic) showed me the different weights of oil all becoming a very hard sledge at -40 and at -50 they were "crystalizing". The lighter weight oils thawed out quicker of course.

Alchohols will freeze, but usually not in Arctic conditions. Beers are mostly water so they freeze at about 25 degrees. I've never seen a good whiskey, rum or vodka freeze. Although I have seen someone drink whiskey that was sitting in an unheated cabin at -30, it was not a pleasant experience and I would guess that would be the same as 2nd degree frostbite, instantly, on his tongue.

"Approximately 50% more fuel and time are required to obtain a given amount of water from snow than ice" Huh? Snow melts really fast in a pot. Logic can tell you that ice is more dense than snow and will take longer to melt.

Eating snow section is interesting, but one must note that even in the most remote areas, snow is very dirty and carries the same warnings that you attached to Glacier water. (after all, they are basically the same thing).

Where that "any water found in the arctic as a 10% chance that the drinker will need to make a resistance roll..." comes from is beyond me. Water under the ice of rivers in the winter is some of the purest water you can find. Lake, or any standing, water should not be drank winter or summer. If you must, try to drink water from the center, as most of the bacteria is around the outside of the body of water.

Blizzards, while common, are a weather pattern. High-winds and snow. Snow from the sky is as common as rain. If it is clear, it is usually cold. High winds can lift snow from the ground and cause blizzard conditions, but most of the time a blizzard is when it is snowing heavily and there is a strong wind. This should have also noted that it really depends on where you are. Blizzards are more common in the high hills and mountains. They are also more common where there are no trees (Yes, there are trees above the arctic circle!) to slow the snow down. Blowing snow causes drifts that will vary in depth depending on how long and how much snow there is. The basic 10% chance is not a very accurate thing. The current weather should be taken into account. Most places do not have weather changes overnight. If it is clear and cold, it can be clear and cold for a long time.

Something of note: In the arctic, when it is clear, it is usually cold. The sun offers little or no heat. The colder it is, the less it varies in daytime/nighttime temps. e.g. at -40 during the day, it may get to -47, but at -50 during the daytime, it will usually not drop below -52 at night. When it is cloudy and snowing, the clouds are helping to hold the heat of the earth in, so temps usually do not drop below -5. Here in Fairbanks, on December 21st, the shortest day of the year, the sun is visible (if it is clear) for about 1 hour and 23 minutes. On the other end of this, on June 21st, the sun is visible for about 23 hours and 38 minutes. This varies slightly year to year because the Earth is wobbling on its axis, which is about a 12 year cycle.

mattb@dino.gi.alaska.edu
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eat moose meat, 10,000 wolves can't be wrong.
Date: Sat, 16 Dec 1995 19:07:08 -0500 From: Matt B To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Re: When is ICE not a game company?

This discussion is getting way out of hand, the initial message was to point out the inacuracies of the GM Law, more specifically Frost Bite.

Someone pointing out to me that I had the degrees of frostbite upside down. Meaning that 1st is reddening of the skin and 2nd is blistering, and 3rd a the most severe with open blisters and blacken skin.

The book says that if you get frostbite, you have a 25% chance of it becoming gangrene. Maybe 3rd degree, and maybe the book is just not clear enough. I will play it more specifically should the situation arise, but I did not want other GM's reading this and not knowing the incompleteness.

Matt B


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