Have any of you found/used any good pages concerning natural environments and survival? In this specific case i'm looking for info about jungles/river-deltas, but if you have any other pages as well i'd be glad. Can probably find some myself as well, but there is always a chance that you've found some great page already, hidden somewhere between all the junk.
I had some success looking up my types of wilderness in wikipedia, which (among other things) gave me some information on what the actual technical difference is between a swamp and a marsh, and some really good ideas about the types of wildlife and vegetation that might be found in either.
If you're specifically looking for what it might be like to try and survive in those environments, it may or may not be as useful. Could be worth a try anyway.
Yeah, i did try wikipedia. Just found it relatively difficult to find any information that would be useful in roleplaying situations. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/ this one looks promising, though i haven't had time to look it through.
Actually, i was mainly trying to find out whether water taken directly from a river (a la the Amazon), would be potable, or whether it would have to be procured from a spring. Of course, you could always heat it, but how much did they know about water refinement/cleansing in the middle ages/renaissance?
I have a survival manual... it talks about various environments. I'm sure you could find a similar book somewhere. Mine is simply called "SURVIVAL" and it is edited by one Len Cacutt.
Quote from: Crippled CrowActually, i was mainly trying to find out whether water taken directly from a river (a la the Amazon), would be potable, or whether it would have to be procured from a spring. Of course, you could always heat it, but how much did they know about water refinement/cleansing in the middle ages/renaissance?
I believe (and I could be mistaken, but unless you have a hardcore survivalist in your group, it should sound good enough) that it depends on several factors. Smaller creeks are more likely to have unpalatable silt, but larger rivers are more likely to have dangerous decaying water life. There's also the speed, since slower water is more likely to stagnate, allowing bugs and bacteria. Springs would be a much better choice if they're available, but in a pinch, you could probably drink from quickly moving creeks. Big rivers, personally, I'd be a bit weary about.
I'm sure they knew about basic filtration during that period, but I don't think they knew about heat sterilization. It's possible, though, (especially in a fantasy setting) that the more wilderness-oriented would know about some herbs that make the water safer to drink.
Ah, good old Purify Water. I'm no survivalist but I'd imagine that clear water is a go and murky water is a no. If the characters particularly survival-savvy you might suggest collected precipitation. Bromilliads (sp?) and other vase-like plants perform this function naturally in jungles and rainforests (and often serve as their own mini-ecosystems).