Like most Americans, I will be busy with family stuff today, although I will probably check in a couple times to respond to comments from readers in the rest of the world. But I wondered, "What could I do for a Thanksgiving-themed post?" Killer turkeys have probably already been done. Killer balloons, maybe not, but also not very useful. But then I thought: what about rules -- good rules -- for eating or drinking too much?
Clearly, this is a job for the reaction roll table.
| 2d6 | Overindulgence Reaction |
|---|---|
| 2 | "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" Move 3, penalty on actions, |
| 3-5 | "I'm stuffed/sloshed to the gills!" Move is halved. |
| 6-8 | Pleasant, ordinary meal or round of drinks. |
| 9-11 | "I'm good for another go!" Any exhaustion or fatigue is dispelled. |
| 12+ | "Woo-Hoo!" Restore 1 point of damage. |
Where appropriate, characters rolling a 2 may have to save vs. poison or pass out. Or, in some cases, save vs. actual poison. There may be additional effects depending on the substance ingested or the race of the character; for example, any result below 6 for alcohol should probably include the effects of a Confusion spell.
Similarly, the GM can modify the roll based on quantity of food/booze or other reasons. Hobbits (not halflings) get a bonus on the roll. Dwarves get a bonus for booze specifically. If players make a roll, then opt for another round of eating or drinking, halve the roll (or roll 1d6,) If you try to eat like Gord in Gary Gygax's first book, you wil, eventually, succumb.
There's a theory that a rule's relative complexity should be proportional to its importance in a game. I kinda like the idea of eating - and especially drinking - to be among the most complicated rules in the game. Keep everything else ridiculously simple, but those braggots are gonna require you to crack open the rulebooks! ^_^
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